# A strange cat thinks it lives in my house (pics, of course) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 25, 2006, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-cat-thinks-it-lives-in-my-house-pics-of-course/349882 "2006-03-25T20:28:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-cat-thinks-it-lives-in-my-house-pics-of-course/349882/21 "2006-03-26T05:45:02Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > “Stewie cat”…so-called because I’m convinced that she’s actually plotting to kill us all in our sleep, and the only thing stopping her is the fact that she can’t get the lid off the catfood container herself… You realize that’s what’s keeping most of us cat owners alive, don’t you? ---
**Author:** ![Cheez\_Whia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d26b3c/32.png) [@Cheez\_Whia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheez_Whia)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-cat-thinks-it-lives-in-my-house-pics-of-course/349882/22 "2006-03-26T05:54:44Z")
Yay! A calico kitty like my Kee-Kee! She is also known as Squirrell by my husband. I can’t post pictures ☹ , as I have no camera yet. Congratulations on your new kitty overlord! ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-cat-thinks-it-lives-in-my-house-pics-of-course/349882/23 "2006-03-26T06:10:12Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > \That’s as opposed to [Macy](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v163/jayjaybear/macystewie.jpg), our “Stewie cat”…so-called because I’m convinced that she’s actually plotting to kill us all in our sleep\ That’s what we figure the cats are thinking every time we do something they don’t like (which is often, cause bugging cats is a hobby worth pursuing). We kick them out of the bedroom and sleep with the door closed. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-cat-thinks-it-lives-in-my-house-pics-of-course/349882/24 "2006-03-26T07:21:32Z")
That’s a byootifull kitty! I’ll stop now, before we run out of bandwidth. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-cat-thinks-it-lives-in-my-house-pics-of-course/349882/25 "2006-03-26T07:31:28Z")
yep, i agree with everyone else. you’ve been had. it’ws not going to be microchipped either. that’s SO yours now. i mean…you are now property of a feline. trust me, you’re going to have one of those “well, what do we do with it?” moments…and get another kitty…and you’re gonna love every second of it. by the way **Anastaseon** that IS a god awful sofa cover…and giggle… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-cat-thinks-it-lives-in-my-house-pics-of-course/349882/26 "2006-03-26T07:36:22Z")
What gorgeous eyes! She does look rather well looked-after for a stray, though. Hope you get to keep her. ---
**Author:** ![Agonist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/439d5e/32.png) [@Agonist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agonist)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-cat-thinks-it-lives-in-my-house-pics-of-course/349882/27 "2006-03-26T08:05:50Z")
In addition to putting up signs locally, you should probably call your local animal shelter and list the cat as “found”. The way I’ve seen it done, you shouldn’t actually have to subject the cat to a stay at the pound. Instead, you just leave your phone number and a description of the cat, and people call you if they think you might have found their cat. ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-cat-thinks-it-lives-in-my-house-pics-of-course/349882/28 "2006-03-26T16:55:30Z")
Assuming the cat is local, even if you do track down her human(s) you may well have at least a part-time feline companion. I don’t think it’s written anywhere in the cat code of conduct that she has to limit herself to one source of food/warmth/petting. As far as one can tell from the picture, her coat is good and her eyes are clear—the two things I was told are the first (snap judgement) indicators of a cat’s health. So it looks like you have a winner. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-cat-thinks-it-lives-in-my-house-pics-of-course/349882/29 "2006-03-26T18:14:26Z")
She’s beautiful. I love torties. Keep her around a few more days and she’ll turn you into a confirmed cat lover. ---
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-cat-thinks-it-lives-in-my-house-pics-of-course/349882/30 "2006-03-26T19:18:47Z")
> [@Least Original User Name Ever](#): > > by the way **Anastaseon** that IS a god awful sofa cover…and giggle… 😃 It was on sale. 😛 Doesn’t fit right, ugly colours… no damn wonder it was on sale! ---
**Author:** ![Cherry2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cherry2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cherry2000)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-cat-thinks-it-lives-in-my-house-pics-of-course/349882/31 "2006-03-26T19:31:20Z")
Don’t you know this is National Strange Cat in Your House Week? We had one let herself in to our house a couple of days ago. Collar and tags, and I’ve seen her around before…just never in my house. Lord knows how she actually got in. She didn’t want to leave, but my two resident kitties were not pleased at the visitor so we gently turned the laundry basket upside down over her, and kind of scooted her back to the door. Your little foundling is gorgeous…hope you get to keep her. And I agree with those who say you will need to get another one to keep her company. The only thing better than one kitty is two! ---
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-cat-thinks-it-lives-in-my-house-pics-of-course/349882/32 "2006-03-26T19:51:57Z")
Oh, and a glossary of terms for those who have no idea what we’re talking about with the “tortie”, “torbie”, “calico”: [Calico](http://img395.imageshack.us/img395/5472/calico8ej.jpg) - tri-colour cat with distinct “patches” as a pattern. Big, solid blobs of colour. Also known as “tortoiseshell and white”. [Tortie](http://img54.imageshack.us/img54/9301/tortie15zd.jpg) - short for “tortoiseshell” - tri-colour pattern that is more of a weaved pattern than large blobs of colour. [Torbie](http://img390.imageshack.us/img390/8026/patched20tabby4eo.jpg) - (or patched tabby) tortoiseshell cats with a distinctive tabby striping throughout the coloured part of the coat. As you can see, my [Kero](http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/5059/torbiek1td.jpg) is a [torbie](http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/3417/torbieco1td.jpg), due to her striped pattern. She’s got a lot of dark on her back so it’s tough to capture the stripes on film, unless, as I did here, you take shots of the areas that it’s quite obvious. However, she has a large white bib and “socks”, which makes my husband fond of calling her a “torbieco”. I suppose it’s better than “calibee”. 😉 In the end, it’s all just fancy shmancy words for “tri-colour cat”. It is rare for a male to be a calico, tortie, or torbie, and they are almost always sterile. (About 1 in 10,000 male tri-colour are fertile.) Neat, huh? 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![cerberus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cerberus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cerberus)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-cat-thinks-it-lives-in-my-house-pics-of-course/349882/33 "2006-03-26T21:15:02Z")
Do a comprehensive vet check STAT. Sometimes people get their cats “chipped”: an identity chip is inserted sub-dermally, and can be read by a vet tech or ACO with the right type of scanner. Plus, the animal needs to be checked for FIP, FIV, FeLV and parasites, and given shots … but this is only pressing when there are other cats in the house. This is the big issue with letting outside cats into a house with existing cats: that visiting cat might have a virus, and might pass it on to your cats. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-cat-thinks-it-lives-in-my-house-pics-of-course/349882/34 "2006-03-26T21:44:18Z")
What **cerberus** said. Good doggie. Pat. Pat. Pat. (Don’t want anyone to feel left out there.) In the general “ahh, a calico” vibe, we have a calico next-door-neighbour and he-or-she is exceptionally good natured. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-cat-thinks-it-lives-in-my-house-pics-of-course/349882/35 "2006-03-26T22:36:01Z")
Cats! 🙂 🙂 🙂 Why yes, I like cats. Why do you ask? ---
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-cat-thinks-it-lives-in-my-house-pics-of-course/349882/36 "2006-03-26T23:48:03Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > In the general “ahh, a calico” vibe, we have a calico next-door-neighbour and he-or-she is exceptionally good natured. Aye - I haven’t mentioned it in this thread, though I have in several others: our tortie is the sweetest cat we’ve ever owned or known. I’m not just saying that because she’s mine, either. She’s cuddly and lovable. She greets all strangers with curiousity and nose rubs, and rolls over so they will play with her. She prefers to curl up near a nice, warm human body to go to sleep. She comes when I call her, making little trilling noises, happy that I allow her to sit on my shoulder. If you allow her to sit on your shoulder, she will knock her head against yours and nuzzle your neck, purring like it’s going out of style. She follows me around the house like a puppy dog. Actually, her temperament really is more like a puppy dog. Playful, loveable, and loyal. (If the other cat gets aggresive and nips one of us, she’ll jump in and swat her! She also stands guard at the window and growls at passing dogs. My hero.) Our other cat, a gray and white American Shorthair… I love her to death, but she’s a _bitch_. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2006, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-cat-thinks-it-lives-in-my-house-pics-of-course/349882/37 "2006-03-27T00:05:47Z")
I’ve been around cats all my life, so I tend to know a little of what they’re trying to communicate, but something sad I’ve recently realised: the language by which cats let you know that they appreciate you - nuzzling, rubbing, chirping, occasional drooling - are seen by non-cat people as bizarre and intimidating. I understand why, too. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2006, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-cat-thinks-it-lives-in-my-house-pics-of-course/349882/38 "2006-03-27T01:32:17Z")
Someone claimed the cat. I am sad. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2006, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-cat-thinks-it-lives-in-my-house-pics-of-course/349882/39 "2006-03-27T01:47:50Z")
Awwwww. I’m sure the owners are very grateful to you for finding their darling, though. Do they live in your neighborhood? Maybe the kittie will come visit you, now that she’s sure of a welcome. On the other hand, you could get a kittie of your own to be subservient to. ---
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2006, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-cat-thinks-it-lives-in-my-house-pics-of-course/349882/40 "2006-03-27T01:49:06Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Someone claimed the cat. I am sad. ☹ Awwww! ((( **Mika** ))) They do grow on you. They leave their little pawprints all over your heart. And forehead while you sleep. And across the kitchen floor. And leave ketchup pawprints on the countertops, which leads you to have a heart attack thinking they are injured, until you realise they just stepped in your leftover fries while your back was turned. And you can’t help but miss that when it’s gone. You know… there are very lovely cats and kittens who could use some help at your local shelter… if you’re interested. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-cat-thinks-it-lives-in-my-house-pics-of-course/349882.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-cat-thinks-it-lives-in-my-house-pics-of-course/349882.md?page=3)