Neighbour Feeding my kitten and keeping him in.. Updated ..

mandi

Hi All ,

As the title says really .

My neighbours to the back of me are cat lovers , and positively encourage the local cats in by feeding them and adapting their garden to give them easy access ..

I Have a six month old kitten , who's stopped eating and had my suspicions he's been getting fed there .

Today I went to see the neighbour & they've admitted they've been feeding him & in fact been out and bought kitten food for him.

While I was there the man opened a door from his conservatory into his house & my kitten came out ..So they're also shutting him in .

They've renamed him Smudge and he's spending more time there than at home .

The front of their house is on a very busy main road, and he admitted that they've had five cats killed on it .

I've asked them to stop feeding him , but I'm not convinced they will .

Other than shut him in is there anything I can do ? I'm terribly worried he's going to get killed on the road as my last cat did, because they fed him too .!!!

Any advice would be welcome .

Thank you .

dandelionclock30

I'd keep him in for a week or so and then accompany him on trips into the garden. Or you could cat proof your garden so he doesnt get out.
Thats really unfair of your neighbours to do that,if they want a new cat they should go to a rescue and get one.

mandi

dandelionclock30 wrote: »

I'd keep him in for a week or so and then accompany him on trips into the garden. Or you could cat proof your garden so he doesnt get out.
Thats really unfair of your neighbours to do that,if they want a new cat they should go to a rescue and get one.

Thanks dandelionclock

The neighbors already have cats of their own , but they are only allowed out on harnesses , because the road is so dangerous .

Unfortunately it would be impossible to cat proof the garden .

I'm angry that they're shutting him in and buying in the kitten food . Yes okay a stroke now and then but they're positively encouraging him .

He's still there now and has been since 7.30 this morning .

antw23uk

Sorry but I would be absolutely livid. this is TOTALLY unacceptable and you need to tell your neighbour that he is not to feed or encourage your kitten at all.
Sadly not much else you can do but what a cheek! Im angry for you!!!!!!

dandelionclock30

Go round now and demand him back and then keep him in.I'd tell the neighbours that it is causing you upset and worry and how would they like it?

WeAreGhosts

i would also be livid and quite upset too [i am very soppy about my cat]

how about telling them that your kitten is on a special diet as instructed by the vet and they could make him ill by giving him any old food? that should [you would hope] stop them feeding him and he would be less likely to go to their house

LEJC

What a difficult situation..and one that really they should be backing away from...
Yes its nice to have a cat without the responsibility of owning one...and lovely when you can spend the day playing with it etc,..but buying in food thats going a little too far in my opinion
Perhaps they would like to pay the vets bills too when it comes to vaccinations etc....



If it were me I would really be discouraging this as you are and perhaps keep access outside to a minimum at present until these "do gooding" neighbours realise that its not their cat ...but yours.


At this point if youve not seen your cat since this morning..I really would be going round there to ask for him back...he simply isnt their play thing hes your cat and they are so wrong for trying to poach him.
...and as for renaming him..well I'm speechless!

I do hope you can get a resolution but I do fear that they do need to be told!

Lily-Rose_3

antw23uk wrote: »

Sorry but I would be absolutely livid. this is TOTALLY unacceptable and you need to tell your neighbour that he is not to feed or encourage your kitten at all.
Sadly not much else you can do but what a cheek! Im angry for you!!!!!!

Beat me to it Ant! I was incensed when I read this!

What a damn cheek!

There probably IS nothing you can do by law Mandi, as there is very little (if any) laws protecting cats OR their owners rights as cat owners IYSWIM. All I can suggest hun, is that you keep the wee mite in, for say... 2-3 weeks. I just don't know what else to say really.

How annoying!!!! :mad:

teddysmum

Could you buy some extra tasty food to lure him back to a better restaurant or get another kitten for him to bond with and want to return to ?

mandi

Thanks ever so much for all of the replies .

Quick update ,

I've spoken again to the neighbour . Told him I'm worried about the road . Explained that my kittens on a special diet and asked him to discourage him as much as possible .

He understands my concerns so ....

He's agreed to block off the cat flap ( at night ) and not to feed him .. My kittens back home now and he's staying in with some treats for at least a week .

I'll keep you posted .

Thanks again everyone .

Mandi .

LEJC

I've been re thinking this in my head...and to be honest I think I would approach them...they have no right to keep your cat in their house,even less right to feed it and certainly its out of order to rename it!


I would be going round to them and asking how they propose to cover vets cost etc and suggesting that if they wish to intice your cat away from his home that they should be contributing to his welfare....perhaps the sum of £30 per month should be acceptable to them to cover vaccinations/worming/flea treatment/insurance and a slush fund for emergencies...see how they take that......bet they wont be so keen as to want to keep him then


years ago we had a cat who really was on a special diet because of illness and tablets to boot which cost in the region of £60 per month...we knew that a "kindly "neighbour was interfering and giving the things she couldnt have and it wasnt until we spelled out the true cost of the medication and the effect their "kindness" was having on our cat that they backed down