Two cats have successfully expanded their territory to include the local care home, and their owner is delighted about their new career choice: ‘I know [they] make the care home residents happy.’

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Ayala Sorotsky • Writer and Editor
May 3, 2026 7:00 AM EDT

It's been a while since we heard of cats living a double life, but this story is on the top of this list.

Not all cats are as faithful as others. It doesn't mean that they don't like their humans… just that they have others. Not making any parallels here (get this thought out of your mind), but it's known that your cat might live a double life, calling themselves "the cat" of another family as well. For them, it means double the snacks, double the pets, and double the size of their kingdom. What more could a cat ask for?

Take our cat, for example. In the previous apartment we lived in there was a shared balcony with the neighbors, who had two cat brothers: Shooki and Simba. They were, and we're not exaggerating, absolute units of cats. Every time they waddled across the balcony to our place, it was a "Oh lawd, they comin'" situation all over again. But our cat, Cassie, is a slender void warrior princess who showed them who's the boss. As long as she let them, they were welcome in our place. But the neighbor described the rule of terror she conducted in their place - she was the queen of both apartments. Luckily for her, the neighbors thought she was cute (which she is).

But some cats don't expand their kingdoms by invading another apartment and subjugating its cats to your will (looking at you, Cassie). Some take a tour at the near care home, and decide "Yes, these old people are great. I'm going to live here 50% of my time". Which is exactly what happened to one cat mom, who discovered her cats in the care home right next to her home. And yes, it's as wholesome as it sounds.

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  • 01
    Not my house, is my cat.-The Sequel
    via anxiousgeek
  • 02
    So, this is the care home across the lane from my house.
    via anxiousgeek
  • 03
    Cheezburger Image 10628253184
    via anxiousgeek
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    Cheezburger Image 10628253440
    via anxiousgeek

  • These images are just… well, imagine you look out the window, wondering where you cats are, and find them across the street inside another building. That would baffle us, for sure. Like, what are you doing there, Mr. Roamsalot? He roams a lot, apparently.

    It's truly a sight to behold.

  • 05
    The first picture if my cat Merry. The second picture if my old man cat Reb.
    via anxiousgeek
  • 06
    I mean, I barely see Merry, but legally she's mine but she spends 99% of her time at the care home.
    via anxiousgeek
  • 07
    Unlike my old man cat who also likes to go over there, Merry is quiet and knows when and how to hide. She can be in there for days without them knowing.
    via anxiousgeek
  • 08
    My old man cat can't be in there for 5 minutes before getting caught.
    via anxiousgeek
  • 09
    This is Lena's room. Lena's picture of her outside her room is of her and my old man cat.
    via anxiousgeek
  • 10
    I assume Lena feeds her, as well as the cook probably. We managed to catch her from time
    via anxiousgeek
  • 11
    to time and we flea treat her, worm her and do her nails and then set her free again.
    via anxiousgeek
  • 12
    beaktheweak my mums cat is also obsessed with the care home over the road although does come home. i've no idea if he actually goes in or just likes the gardens (his GPS tracker doesn't work inside buildings and just shows his last known location til he's outside again)
    via beaktheweak
  • 13
    anxiousgeek OP If they're feeding them sausages like mine then that's why
    via anxiousgeek
  • 14
    tamerriam I bet that the residents of the care home love their visitors! I know that I would.
    via tamerriam

  • Yes, we bet the residents love the cats - it's a known thing that elderly people benefit a ton from having a pet to care for. So cats in a retirement home? It's a purrfect solution for both the people, and the cats who need a home.

    These ones here, though… it's like they need a home. But at least they make the care home residents happy.

  • 15
    anxiousgeek OP They love it. And they like having the old man over but he has to come back because he's so loud and disruptive and the care home boss doesn't like him. Merry just hides but Reb is old and daft.
    via anxiousgeek
  • 16
    Maleficent-Ice-8416 Same here I used to live in a care home and we would feed the cats in our neighborhood so they would never leave the house alone and it used to make the workers so mad at us and we would just keep on doing it for the cats so they would not leave us alone
    via Maleficent-Ice-8416
  • 17
    ToeMas72 I have a cat named Merry as well, hope she comes home soon
    via ToeMas72
  • 18
    anxiousgeek OP I don't mind, she's always been antisocial, and doesn't like kids (I have 2) and she only liked one of my other cats but he passed a year ago. I miss her sleeping with me at night but I know she makes the care home residents happy so I can live with it for them.
    via anxiousgeek
  • 19
    ToeMas72 I'm glad it's not a sleepover that leaves you worried or stressed. Adorable that she hangs out there, thanks for sharing your cutie cats with us
    via ToeMas72
  • 20
    GeorgeDukesh The cats love to go and see people and keep them company.
    via GeorgeDukesh
  • 21
    some friends of ours had a cat that suddenly started leaving the house at about 9 am, disappearing for the day, and coming back on the dot at 7pm.
    via GeorgeDukesh
  • 22
    Eventually they followed him and he went down the road, into the next street and into a house there.
    via GeorgeDukesh
  • 23
    One time they went past and he was sitting in the garden with an old lady. So they stopped and said "Hello, we see you have a cat with you" She said
    via GeorgeDukesh
  • 24
    "oh yes, my husband dd two years ago, and since then this cat comes to visit me every day. In summer we sit in the garden together,
    via GeorgeDukesh
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    and in winter he comes in and we watch daytime TV together. Then he goes home. I wish I knew his real name, and where he comes from" So they
    via GeorgeDukesh
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    explained that he was their cat, told her his name, and said it was fine if he wanted to go visiting every day.
    via GeorgeDukesh
  • 27
    VLC31 That's adorable. A friend of mine was outside with her cat one day & an elderly lady came past and said "oh, hello puss, is this where you live?". Turned out Smokey was visiting all the neighbours while she was at work.
    via VLC31
  • 28
    Zlivovitch It's so nice of you to help the residents with your cats... even though they probably didn't ask permission from you.
    via Zlivovitch
  • 29
    Maleficent-Ice-8416 Lol so she has a whole lot of servers in her life that she controls with a few little meows around the care house and a boyfriend to boot lol well she's got it made
    via Maleficent-Ice-8416

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wholesome adorable adorable cats heartwarming nursing home cute cute cats old people Cats funny
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