Couple finds curiously clean cat and try to adopt him into their little family, only to discover that he might be someone else's pet entirely: 'He always comes back'

We don't understand people who keep their cats outside. What about those heartwarming meowments of your cat coming to greet you when you walk in the door? What if you want to cuddle with them and they're off on some grand adventure far away? What if they don't come back for a few days? We simply couldn't handle the stress. Not to mention the fact that you have no control over what happens to your cat outside. Our cats are smart, but there are too many accidents that could happen that not even a smart cat could avoid 100% of the time.

Plus, it makes situations like the one below even harder to understand. If you keep your cat outside, without a collar or any sort of ID tag, kind people could mistake it for a stray, potentially leading to someone stealing your cat. Especially if it's cute, fluffy, and surprisingly friendly. The couple in this post found a curiously clean cat in their neighborhood that no one seems to know where it came from, but it seems too friendly to be a stray. Winter is coming, and they want to make sure that this kitty cutie has a warm place to sleep before snowy weather starts. No cat should be forced to sleep outside, especially in inclement weather. Read more of their confusing cat catch below!

Author image for Blake Seidel Blake Seidel
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  • 01
    Person petting a cat including 'Did I steal someone's cat?'
    via Koichi Yoshii

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

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  • 02
    I am not a big fan of indoor/outdoor cat for ecological reasons. - - My boyfriend and I moved into a new apartment recently.
    via j-schauer
  • 03
    One evening I was bring groceries in from the car and noticed an adorable young cat hanging around one of my neighbor's trailers.
    via j-schauer
  • 04
    I was able to coax it over and it started rubbing on me and purring. My boyfriend came out to check out the cat and the cat acted the same way.
    via j-schauer
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  • 05
    Orange cat sleeping outside
    via Dali images

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 06
    While we were petting the cat, our neighbor walked out of his apartment and said "oh I see you've met the kitten that hangs around here".
    via j-schauer

  • Cats are known to venture and find other families. Why have one when you can have many? But that leads to confusion over ownership, and purrsonally, would lead us to heartbreak. If we found out a stray cat we fell in love with was actually someone else's cat, we would be devastated.

  • 07
    I asked if he (my neighbor) knew who the cat belongs to and he said "I have no idea, but the cat has been hanging out here as long as I've been living here." I didn't see the cat for a couple of days, but then there he was again wandering around under some cars parked on the street.
    via j-schauer
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  • 08
    I called to the cat and he came running over. The boyfriend and I pet and cuddled him and discussed whether he belonged to someone or not.
    via j-schauer
  • 09
    He wasn't super dirty, which leans to he has a home. But he is not neutered, which lends itself to him being a stray.
    via j-schauer
  • 10
    He is also skittish about noises and certain movements. On Facebook I am part of a community "swap" kind of page, so I took some pictures of the cat and posted asking if anyone knew who he belongs to.
    via j-schauer
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  • To be fair, we're skittish to certain noises, so that doesn't really indicate anything other than that he is a vigilant cat. Some cats couldn't be bothered at all, but some are always on the lookout for danger (or food).

  • 11
    It has been up for a couple of days and I have had no responses. Winter is coming.
    via j-schauer
  • 12
    It gets very very cold where I live. My boyfriend and I decided that we would make the little screened in entry way to our apartment into a little safe haven for the cat (we have started calling him Gary).
    via j-schauer
  • 13
    We bought some cheap cat food and a wash basin to make a make- shift litter box and a few toys.
    via j-schauer
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  • 14
    We got him set up and as we were re- entering the apartment, he snuck in with us.
    via j-schauer
  • 15
    Black cat meowing
    via Hillview1

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 16
    We have kind of integrated into have the cat inside with us, but we leave the door cracked open so he can come and go as he pleases.
    via j-schauer
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  • 17
    Which he does! Gary will often leave and then return multiple times throughout the day and evening.
    via j-schauer
  • 18
    At a certain point at night, we will close the door as it gets too cold to keep the door open.
    via j-schauer
  • 19
    If he is outside, he stays outside until he jumps on the window to let us know he wants back in.
    via j-schauer
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  • 20
    Or, if he is inside, he curls up and sleeps for the night. When the door is shut, if he goes up to it and meows, I will let him go out.
    via j-schauer
  • 21
    His movements are not restricted with us. He can come and go as he pleases. He always comes back.
    via j-schauer
  • 22
    Last night he spent the whole night outside. He definitely ate some food from the screened in porch which we leave cracked open for him (So even when the main door to our apartment is closed, he still has access to the food and water).
    via j-schauer
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  • 23
    It got really cold last night, so I wanted to make sure that he didn't freeze to death.
    via j-schauer
  • 24
    I went outside and called for him and he came running up. He wasn't as freezing cold as I would expect a cat that spent all night outdoors to be, but that could be easily explained by him finding a warm hole to hide in overnight or him going to his real home.
    via j-schauer
  • 25
    Anyways, he is back inside the apartment playing and hanging out with us free to come and go as he pleases.
    via j-schauer
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  • 26
    But he continues to stay. So... did I steal someone's cat?
    via j-schauer
  • 27
    Update: Thank you for all of the advice! •Top priority is definitely scanning for a chip.
    via j-schauer
  • 28
    I'm hoping to take him in tomorrow or the next day. If the scan comes back negative, the grocery story in town has a community board where I will post a flyer.
    via j-schauer
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  • 29
    • If I do not hear from anyone after about a week, I will get the necessary vaccines and neutering done at the vet and we will transition him into indoor cat living.
    via j-schauer

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