‘I have no interest in stealing anyone else’s cat, but if she’s happy here she’s welcome to stay.’: A cat's unwavering choice to live with her neighbor leads to an emotional standoff and a dispute over microchip ownership

Author image for Laurent Shinar
Laurent Shinar • Writer and Editor
Sep 25, 2025 12:00 PM EDT

You know, there really should be a legal limit for how many pets are allowed in a certain amount of space, because after a certain point you are looking at pet overcrowding and that is just not right. And while that is how this story begins, there is an element of luck and joy in this story in that the pets' neighbor had a nice garden where the cats of the house could hang out and have a bit of fun away from their doggo siblings.

But when one cat simply had enough of the overcrowding and wanted to stay with the neighbor rather than come home things began to get ugly. After all, it must not be a nice feeling to see your pet decide that someone else is preferable over you, their pawrent. But that does not mean that you should not be considering your pet's needs, which they were very clearly expressing.

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  • 01
    I live alone and work from home so I'm at home a lot, my neighbours are out at work/college during the day, they consist of 4 adults, several cats and 3 dogs. My house is a bit bigger than theirs. I think this is important
    via CharlieRobbieGeorge
  • 02
    information as I suspect this is the reason Cat prefers it here. In the last few years Cat has been a regular visitor to my garden. There are several cats next door and they all see my garden as theirs,
    via CharlieRobbieGeorge
  • 03
    they're all comfortable with me and I often go outside and pet them and give them treats next-door - know about this and I look after the cats for them when they're away. Their cats would occasionally come
    via CharlieRobbieGeorge

  • Wow, what a primo living arrangement for these cattos. Well, primo only in the sense that they have somewhere to go when it becomes too much living in a house with three dogs. For a cat, that literally sounds like the worst punishment. So at least they have a separate garden to hang out in and even a hooman who likes to interact with them.

  • 04
    into my house in the summer when doors and windows are open and in the winter I've taken their cats in if one of them got accidentally shut out. I had my own cat until a year ago who didn't mind the male cats but hated
    via CharlieRobbieGeorge
  • 05
    the females, so the females rarely came in the house and the males were never here for very long. My cat died last year and as soon as Cat realised she could come in without fear of being chased she's been doing
    via CharlieRobbieGeorge
  • 06
    everything she can to set up home here. I told my neighbour as soon as she started coming in regularly and they said they were fine with it, Cat would go home for dinner and at night and come back in the day. I spoke to my
    via CharlieRobbieGeorge
  • 07
    neighbour numerous times about her being here and they kept saying it was fine. Gradually Cat was spending more and more time here and getting very upset at being 'sent home', but when I got 2 kittens in August I
    via CharlieRobbieGeorge
  • 08
    thought that would put Cat off being here. It didn't. I had to tape the cat-flap up to stop her getting in and the kittens getting out, but she'd come in through any open door or window and
    via CharlieRobbieGeorge
  • 09
    go and hide so l didn't always know she was here. Eventually my kittens ripped the tape off the cat-flap and Cat broke it attacking it to get in, so I replaced it with an expensive flap with selective entry/exit so that
    via CharlieRobbieGeorge
  • 10
    Cat could get out if she snuck in but the kittens couldn't. Cat was here more and more and next-door started to get upset about it. I tried to talk to them but any suggestion of having a conversation was ignored, all communication has
    via CharlieRobbieGeorge

  • Jheez, some people, especially neighbors for some odd reason, simply cannot be reasoned with. Like why is it such a problem that in a household with, let's face it, far too many pets to begin with, that one of them sneaks over to their neighbor's house for some peace and quiet? Especially when that neighbor keeps you informed of the goings on…

  • 11
    been by text. They asked me not to let Cat in and I explained that after so long she was used to being here and would break the cat-flap trying to get in if I locked it, and I couldn't risk the cat- flap being broken
    via CharlieRobbieGeorge
  • 12
    and my kittens getting out and other cats getting in (they've got an unneutered male next-door who sprays...) I always tried to put Cat out at meal times and at night, but she'd come back in again as soon as she could
    via CharlieRobbieGeorge
  • 13
    and get very stressed and try and hide. I've had to resort to scaring her out of her hiding spots with the vacuum cleaner to put her out at night as she picks places | can't reach, and I I have to block the cat-flap up and shut
    via CharlieRobbieGeorge
  • 14
    my cats in a different room at night to stop Cat breaking in. She sits outside crying when she can't get in, she sits on the bins under my bedroom window at night crying. One night it was torrential rain and she was
    via CharlieRobbieGeorge
  • 15
    throwing herself at the door trying to get in, I felt horrible. My neighbour has seen for herself what Cat is like when she knows I'm trying to catch her to put her out, she came to the door when Cat ran in when I was
    via CharlieRobbieGeorge
  • 16
    Cheezburger Image 10556884992
    via CharlieRobbieGeorge
  • 17
    receiving a delivery and watched me chase her round the house before she got on top of a cupboard I couldn't reach. I've sent them photos of the places I've found her hiding and I always respond when they ask me to send Cat
    via CharlieRobbieGeorge
  • 18
    home. I've been totally upfront with them and never hidden the fact Cat is here. I've sent them texts explaining how stressed Cat is and how difficult it is to keep her out. I've tried to talk to them face-to-face but
    via CharlieRobbieGeorge
  • 19
    they just keep ignoring me or replying with 'Please stop letting Cat in'. It's not that easy, and I don't know what to do. They keep Cat indoors for days at a time and the minute she's let out she immediately
    via CharlieRobbieGeorge
  • 20
    comes to me. I was away for 2 weeks recently and Cat was constantly trying to get into my house (I'd taped the cat- flap up and put my cats in a Cattery, I've got cameras covering the back door). She was so
    via CharlieRobbieGeorge
  • 21
    happy when I came home, she must be so confused when she can't get in and it breaks my heart having to scare her to put her out. There's clearly a reason she doesn't want to be at home and I wish I could have a sensible
    via CharlieRobbieGeorge
  • 22
    conversation with next-door about it. Cat came in wearing a tracker this morning. The collar was too tight, it's not quick release and it looks uncomfortable. I don't know how they think a tracker will change
    via CharlieRobbieGeorge
  • 23
    anything, they know Cat is here! I hate the fact Cat is stressed, I hate that I can't do anything about it and I don't know whether to try and talk to my neighbour again or just leave it. My neighbour hasn't
    via CharlieRobbieGeorge
  • 24
    replied to any messages I've sent recently about other neighbourly things either which is upsetting as before this I thought we got on ok. I understand why they're upset, I would be too if my
    via CharlieRobbieGeorge
  • 25
    cat left home. I'd be trying to work out why the cat wanted to be elseware though and if I couldn't make the changes needed to keep the cat happy I hope I'd be able to do what was best for the cat.
    via CharlieRobbieGeorge
  • 26
    final update, I have a new cat :-) I won't go into all the details but finally after a bit of back- and-forth the neighbours asked me if I wanted to take ownership of the cat. I don't know
    via CharlieRobbieGeorge
  • 27
    whether she thought she was calling my bluff and I'd say no but I said if that's what she wanted and it was in the best interests of the cat then of course I would.
    via CharlieRobbieGeorge
  • 28
    Things remained civil for a bit after that but they kept declining my request to transfer the microchip details. I messaged Mrs Next door a couple of times and despite her saying she didn't want to fall out over this she turned
    via CharlieRobbieGeorge
  • 29
    nasty. She did eventually agree to transfer the chip before blocking me, so I now officially have a new cat and next door neighbours who hate me. I don't feel good about falling out
    via CharlieRobbieGeorge
  • 30
    with my neighbours and I'm sure they're telling anyone who'll listen how I stole their cat. The cat is happy and settled now though and that's all that matters.
    via CharlieRobbieGeorge

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