Many cat owners in the UK are upset when their pets are lured by neighbors with delicious food, taken home, and even claim that the animal has "chosen a new owner".
At first, when Sid the cat often left the house, Amy, who lives in the suburbs of London, just thought he liked to roam. But when she attached the tracking device to the necklace, she discovered that Sid was at a woman's house a few houses away.
Sid stayed there all afternoon, sometimes overnight because the neighbor often fed him his favorite chicken dish. Although Amy repeatedly asked to stop, the incident continued. "Cats don't understand human boundaries so I don't blame them," Amy said. "But the neighbors are blatantly luring him away from home."
Amy once wore a bracelet with the words "please don't feed" on Sid, and even lied that the cat needed to take medicine on time, but it didn't work. This makes it difficult for her to monitor her health and she rarely gets to be with her pet. The cat only comes home when the neighbor goes on vacation.
According to a 2025 report by animal protection organization Cats Protection, about 13% of cats in the UK are picked up on the street or come to their owners by accident. The fact that many cats do not wear collars (due to electronic chips) makes it easy for people to mistake owned pets for stray cats.
Besides, more than 1.5 million households in the UK want to keep cats but cannot meet the cost and housing conditions. Raising a cat costs an average of $1,350 per year. Therefore, some people choose to take care of their neighbor's cats to avoid expensive veterinary bills.
Ms. Alison Ward, who lives in Norwich, said her four cats are often fed or carried home by strangers. She has to check with local community groups every day to confirm that they are not stray cats.
One time, her cat named Monty was taken to the veterinary clinic by people even though he was in normal health. Another dog named Scooby once returned home with unusual behavior and smelling of smoke. Ward followed the location to the house of a group of young men. This group said they thought Scooby was a stray cat so they bought a basket, food bowl and a new collar for him.
Pauline also went through many stressful months because her pet cat Luka was taken care of too much by her neighbors. At first, this person only sent photos every time Luka came over to play. After that, she bought a bed and fed Luka salmon and pate.
Luka was away from home for 6 weeks, making Pauline miss her so much that she couldn't sleep. But when she came looking for it, the neighbor announced that the animal had "chosen a new owner" and wanted to keep it.
To get Luka back, Pauline had to lock the animal in the house for four weeks to re-establish its habit, while also attaching a tracking device and installing a motion sensor camera in the yard. She reported her neighbor's behavior to the police but received no response.
From 2024, the Pet Abduction Act will come into effect in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. People who take dogs and cats away from their owners' lawful control can be sentenced to a maximum of five years in prison. Cat luring behavior can also be dealt with.
However, Daniel Warren-Cummings, behavior expert at Cats Protection, said the legal boundary is difficult to determine if the animal voluntarily goes to a neighbor's house. He advises owners to find out the root cause of why cats leave. The arrival of a baby, a new pet, the noise of housework or a cat being left alone for too long can cause them to go out in search of food and attention.
"The solution is to change human behavior, not cat behavior," Warren-Cummings said. "But that's often more difficult."
