Help! Neighbour trying to steal my cat!!

nothavingfun..

thats outrageous!

i too would be livid, and i think you are doing right by keeping him in whilst you decide whether to take further action. i know cats roam and often go in other houses, but if the owner of a cat asks you to stop enticing him then it's just unbelievably rude and underhand to ignore that!!

i hope someone can help you with a letter - perhaps a statement from your vet about the potential ramifications of the flea treatment might help?

rchddap1

If you want to keep the cat you're going to have to keep in inside until it pops its clogs, or the neighbour moves away. As soon as the neighbour sees the cat again she'll start to entice it again. Are you happy for the cats to become indoor boys?

My sister had two cats and one got ran over. Yes the other brother wasn't happy for quite a while, but he got over it and got back to normal.

If the cat likes it at the neighbours then you can call the police and send letters as much as you like....but given the chance the cat will return to her eventually. Cats aren't daft...particularly siamese (I had a cat that was half once and she was as bright as a button).

So you either keep them both in permanently....resign yourself to a permanent state of war (police, solicitors, letters, stern words), or come to some other resolution....eg, sell the cat to her (and buy the other brother a new friend?), help her find one of her own, move house yourselves.

Not easy

foreign_correspondent

Why did the woman ring you to ask if he was yours?

Why had she flead him? Is it likely he was infested?

Both of these actions may suggest that she truly believed him to be a stray until quite recently, in which case it seems her motives were sound (even if she was mistaken) and you can't really blame her for feeding him.

frugallass

is the cat insured?

is it registered at your local vets under your name?

get him insured and cross reference it with the microchip and the vets - not for a potential claim but purely to prove ownership should you need to

HelzBelz

I'd be tempted to tell her what the vet said that she could have poisoned him

Frugalista

Ivrytwr3 wrote: »

although you paid for the cat, it is an animal not an object or slave. If the cat has found a new master, not much you can do about it, same as you cannot instruct someone not to pet/feed it.

Actually, I am the legal, registered owner of the cat. Should he cause damage, injury or accident to anyone, I am liable.

According to the Cats Protection League and Siamese Cat Recue, I am perfectly within my rights to request that she stops feeding him and shutting him in her house. He is my cat, not hers. Cats are opportunists, they go where there is food, etc on offer. When the supply dries up they will look elsewere or return to where they know there is plenty (ie. home).

My husband and I are not rich people. We had to save for a long time to be able to afford these cats. We also travelled for 3½ hours each way to collect them. However, this is not about what they cost, it is about someone who seems to think "I want, so I'll take". Is this not stealing?

Also, if the cat should be injured and require veterinary attention, who do you think will be liable for any vets bills? Yes, thats right - his legal owner.

blue_monkey_2

I am finding it a bit strange the people who are saying that she should just let her neighbour have him. The cat does not belong to this lady, she should not let her into her house, if she wants a cat she should go and buy/rescue one so she has one of her own.

Yes, this woman can go on trying to entice the cat, she can also shut the door on it also and not having it sleeping on her bed/sofa which is with the clearly enticing the cat in with the intention of it staying.

I am astounded that other people with a pet they love are saying 'tough, let it go, you other cat will get used to it in the end'. Yes the cat goes there because it knows it'll get fed there, the lady has been asked to stop but she clearly refuses to do so, if she was not feeding it then it would not return to that place as there is nothing there for it.

OP, I am not sure what wording you can use to be honest which is why it might be best for a solicitor to do it for you, whatever the cost, have you pet insurance? They may well be able to help you out on this one, I know I have legal assistance on mine for stuff like this.

She has had her chances with you asking and you have even had to go into her property and get your cat back. Get the letter to spell it out to her that she should not be feeding nor letting it into her property, nor should she be medicating it because this could cause suffering or death should you treat it also.

I guess you are going to have to keep it in for a while, or get the letter sent and let him out and see what happens.

If she got her own cat yours would not go back there anyhow. Next doors cats used to come into this house (as they did before we lived here) and garden - they have tried a few times but it always ends in a fight so now they do not bother and stay on their own side of the fence.

Frugalista

foreign_correspondent wrote: »

Why did the woman ring you to ask if he was yours?

Why had she flead him? Is it likely he was infested?

Both of these actions may suggest that she truly believed him to be a stray until quite recently, in which case it seems her motives were sound (even if she was mistaken) and you can't really blame her for feeding him.

Apparently, someone from the farm nearest us saw him there and said "oh is that Mrs X's cat?" When she initially told me she had been trying to "tame" him, I asked her why she didn't try to find his owner - she said she "asked everyone". This was patently not true as at least 3 of our neighbours knew we had Siamese right from the time we got them. As I said in my OP, this is a very rural area and they were a bit of a rarity round here.

The cats are Fronlined every 3 months, as are my dogs. It is marked on our calendar at the beginning of every year so we know when to get in new supplies. I don't know why she treated him - maybe because she was letting him on her bed?

kazwookie

Oh dear

I would keep both cats in for a month or so, do you have a secure barn they can have a wander around in.

lowis

she's a thief. siamese cats do not just turn up in a small, rural community. she saw a gorgeous pedigree cat and has tried to bag it for herself.

if she is so keen to give a home to a siamese why don't you tell her about Siamese Rescue and all the Meezers that need homes through no fault of their own? SR require donations for cats, but nothing near that of the cost of a new kitten - don't know where you are based but Simon looks like a good candidate
http://www.siameserescue.org.uk/homeswanted.htm

if she stops feeding your cat and letting him in he will eventually stop going to see her, that's just how a cat's nature is. she sounds like a stubborn witch, i would be raging if she stole one of my Meezers!