# It's not my cat. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 24, 2003, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-my-cat/220876 "2003-12-24T17:46:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-my-cat/220876/41 "2003-12-30T16:22:46Z")
God, all this cat-love is sickening! Get rid of the leech. Don’t feed him, pet him or let him come into your house. If he’s persistent, take him to a shelter. Who gives a sh!t if it’s “no kill”… Kidding! Just trying diversify the response pool. ---
**Author:** ![lovelyluka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f475e1/32.png) [@lovelyluka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lovelyluka)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-my-cat/220876/42 "2003-12-30T16:52:22Z")
It seems as though you’re coming to terms with your new status of Cat Owner. Congratulations! However, I think that **BadBaby** had the right idea, if it’s disappearing for days at a time. Still, it sounds lovable, so you should claim it as your own. A sweet orange tabby kitten tried to adopt me this summer, and he was the cutest little bundle of fluff I’d seen in a while, but he already had a collar (with no info). Plus, he was seriously upsetting the current King of the Yard, my male gray tabby Bob. The lil’ cutie wanted to play with Bob, but Bob would have none of it and would often hiss and scratch at Little One. Don’t get me wrong, Bob’s a sweetie as well, but it’s been firmly established for many years that it’s His Yard and he is not willing to share (I’ve tried). After a week of meowing at the door, we finally threw a shoe in Little One’s general direction, and he took off, hopefully back to his original home. Poor guy. So consider yourself lucky. 🙂 Not Your Cat adopted you, and you were adoptable! ---
**Author:** ![Horseflesh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horseflesh/32/7502_2.png) [@Horseflesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horseflesh)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-my-cat/220876/43 "2003-12-30T17:57:29Z")
If this were a game of Tag you’d be it, buddy. The cat has used it’s Feline Jedi Mind Trick on you and made you put out food and a makeshift shelter. Soon you’ll be buying it clothes on eBay and watching hours upon hours of Animal Planet as he/she sits contentedly on your lap. The cat should not be named Not My Cat, but Obiwan Cat-obi. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-my-cat/220876/44 "2003-12-30T18:34:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Johnny L.A. \* > **Why am I reluctant to adopt a cat? Fear of committment? Hm. Well, I’d like to get married someday; so I don’t know if that’s it.** Er… You’re not going to marry the cat, right? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![missbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-my-cat/220876/45 "2003-12-30T21:46:20Z")
A tortoiseshell with stripes is called a **torbie**. My sister’s got one and I’ve seen a few at my shelter. Hows about a picture? Then we can figure this out once and for all. Male torties are rare. Are you sure you’re not seeing just some lumps of fluff down there?? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-my-cat/220876/46 "2003-12-30T22:45:49Z")
> [@](#): > > Hows about a picture? Okay. [Cat pics](http://pw1.netcom.com/~heliboy/Not_My_Cat.html). ---
**Author:** ![Gadfly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/aeb1de/32.png) [@Gadfly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadfly)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-my-cat/220876/47 "2003-12-30T22:52:41Z")
Keep. The. Cat. He’s gorgeous. ---
**Author:** ![Francesca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc348/32.png) [@Francesca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francesca)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-my-cat/220876/48 "2003-12-30T23:02:36Z")
He’s gorgeous! ---
**Author:** ![Creaky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e68b1a/32.png) [@Creaky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Creaky)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-my-cat/220876/49 "2003-12-30T23:04:01Z")
Please, please adopt the kitty if you can! The two of you seem to get on pretty well already, from what I’m reading. I saw the pics and he really is a doll. Every time I hear about strays I get terribly sad. There are just so many. (I’d most likely have multiple cats myself if I didn’t have such horrible allergies and asthma.) Thanks for being kind to him and feeding him and petting him at any rate! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-my-cat/220876/50 "2003-12-31T00:18:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Johnny L.A. \* > \*\*[Cat pics](http://pw1.netcom.com/~heliboy/Not_My_Cat.html). \*\* He’s _adorable!_ And besides, how can you turn him out when you’re being buried under millimeters of snow? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-my-cat/220876/51 "2003-12-31T05:13:40Z")
What a handsome kitty! ---
**Author:** ![Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/soul_brother_number_two/32/3515_2.png) [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul_Brother_Number_Two)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-my-cat/220876/52 "2003-12-31T05:31:00Z")
He’s a handsome fellow. Such unique coloring. ---
**Author:** ![Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/soul_brother_number_two/32/3515_2.png) [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul_Brother_Number_Two)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-my-cat/220876/53 "2003-12-31T05:33:24Z")
Where I come from tortoiseshells are called money cats, purportedly because a male one is worth money. ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-my-cat/220876/54 "2003-12-31T08:27:05Z")
Are you positive that this cat is a boy? Because he looks like a torbie and they are almost always girls. Good for you if he is a boy, because they’re rare. So what’s the verdict, Johnny? Are you keeping this cutie or what? ---
**Author:** ![zephyrine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/35a633/32.png) [@zephyrine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zephyrine)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-my-cat/220876/55 "2003-12-31T09:17:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Johnny L.A. \* > \*\*Okay. [Cat pics](http://pw1.netcom.com/~heliboy/Not_My_Cat.html). \*\* Look at the way he’s looking at you. He intends to keep you. All you have to do is purr. ---
**Author:** ![TroubleAgain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@TroubleAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroubleAgain)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-my-cat/220876/56 "2003-12-31T13:43:27Z")
Geez, Johnny, what a beauty he is! You’re a lucky owned-by-cat! ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-my-cat/220876/57 "2003-12-31T14:16:21Z")
Okay, I was going to stay out of the he/she talk, but I do want to register my strong suspicion that he is a she. It can be hard to tell without a real close look, or better yet, a feel. NMC may not appreciate that close an inspection this early in your relationship. Whatever NMC’s gender, those are some gorgeous eyes going on, and a really interesting mix of coat patterns. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-my-cat/220876/58 "2003-12-31T15:53:24Z")
> [@](#): > > Are you positive that this cat is a boy? > > _and_ > > I do want to register my strong suspicion that he is a she. I’m pretty sure I saw a shrivelled scrotum, but I’ll admit that I didn’t to the “flip it over and spread the legs” thing. I suppose I could be mistaken, and The Cat is actually female. > [@](#): > > So what’s the verdict, Johnny? Are you keeping this cutie or what? Erm… If he shows up again, I’ll consider letting him in. After all, there’s 10cm of snow outside. I’ll bet that the teenaged girls talked their dad into letting them keep it though. Still, I have a bag of catfood here for it. BTW, I had three racoons the other night. _Man_, am I stuffed! And I got a great hat. Just kidding. My roommate feeds them, which is not a good idea; but he bought food for them and asked me to feed them while he’s gone. They’re huge. The biggest one is three or four times as big as the cat. They don’t come every night. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-my-cat/220876/59 "2003-12-31T19:44:21Z")
Feeding raccoons? That is a SERIOUSLY bad idea. I hope NMC doesn’t have a run-in with them. ---
**Author:** ![TroubleAgain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@TroubleAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroubleAgain)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-my-cat/220876/60 "2003-12-31T20:01:37Z")
Yes, racoons can be vicious. And rabid. Very Bad Idea to feed racoons. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-my-cat/220876.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-my-cat/220876.md?page=4)