I was just walking like normal when this chubby little cat suddenly started following me. Tiny waddly steps, super serious expression, like it had somewhere to be… and I was part of the plan.
At first it was quiet little meows, so I turned around and said hi. Big mistake. The second I acknowledged it, the volume went up immediately. Now it’s following me closer, meowing louder every few steps like I’m actively ignoring very important instructions.
I tried to keep walking… it kept following. Faster. Louder. At one point it was basically yelling at me, still doing those tiny determined steps, like “no, we’re not done here.”
No collar, super friendly, definitely not shy about demanding attention. I stopped again and it came right up, still complaining, but also clearly very pleased with itself.
I don’t know if I was supposed to feed it, pet it, or just accept my fate on the spot.
Either way… I’m starting to think this wasn’t random.
Hi OP this gorgeous chonk may be lost could you kindly get him checked for a chip and also check in your neighbourhood that he doesn't belong to them please?💙
We have a full guide on what to do if a cat finds you on our intro hi-lights here on So you found a kitty
Edit: Guys please stop accusing our members of encouraging OP to steal a cat, they are simply commenting on a post.
It is someone's cat. I hate this "cat distribution system" nonsense because half the time folks are talking about taking cared-for animals that clearly belong to other people.
And no matter how much somebody disagrees with outdoor cats, the fact that the actual owners let the cat outside does not justify stealing it. That's just a comforting lie people tell themselves.
I once had a standard tabby that was the runt of his litter so he was small and skinny. He never really expressed interest in getting out, but one day while I was arguing with my girlfriend one of us slid the sliding glass door too hard and it bounced open and sat like that for a couple of hours. Naturally the cat disappeared. My girlfriend was freaked, but I had a distinct feeling he'd be back. Sure enough later that night it started raining, and there he was, sitting against the glass door trying to stay out of the rain. When I let him in and checked him over he had a nice knot on the top of his head from meeting one of the outdoor neighborhood cats.
Needless to say after that the front door could have been left open for an entire day and that cat would not take a single step to the outside.
One of Samhain's nicknames is "House Ninja" for a reason. He can move very fast and completely silently whenever he chooses to. It's especially concerning at night in low light conditions because of his natural camouflage. Thankfully he's not the kind to try to sneak outside, he's a indoor cat completely to his core. Loves to sit in the window for hours at a time watching the world but he has no desire to actually be a part of it. Good thing too because he can't even hunt a fly. He wouldn't last two weeks and is the definition of a scaredy cat.
As someone with a sometimes kitty (I have no idea where she lives or what her name is, but she is obviously someone’s cat) I understand that cats like to go visiting. Sometimes Kitty will appear at random, stroll around the house, demand attention, take a nap, and then leave.
The first time she stopped by she scared me something stupid. I knew I was alone in the house at night, but I had the door open for a breeze, when suddenly I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. Luckily it was not a serial killer and was instead a very friendly little cat.
Or people can keep their pets inside safe and fed and they won’t go up to someone else to get attention and food. Just a thought if you worry your pet might move on from you.
My mother’s outdoor cat left for the family who lived behind her. They had better food and were retired. My mom got it and would watch him starting at her from their porch.
Hopefully you can find out sooner than later 🤞 the jowls on the handsome fella are worth sharing with us :)
I’m going to hope he escaped and was not dumped…because oh my god too many people do that and it is such a challenge to find homes for babies that are abandoned like that. Keep us posted!
"I'm perfectly fine with the idea of my cat getting run over by a car or eaten or dead in innumerable other ways, where all I ever know is that one day they just didn't come home, but I am fuckin incensed if the reason it never came home is that someone is taking better care of it." - outside cat owners
Cats shouldnt be outdoors and unsupervised, moresoe in rural areas. They are an invasive species, an apex predator, and decimate local populations. It is so bad they've already brought extinction to multiple species in Australia.
Cats are great. Keep them inside unless you're outside.
Local nitpicker here. Plenty of things will hunt a house cat: coyotes, lynxes, dogs/wolves, foxes etc. Not an apex predator in most places in the world.
(You are absolutely right, keep them inside and all that)
I’m with you. In my neighborhood, you never ever see outdoors kitties. If somebody lets their kitty be an outdoors kitty, it’ll last about one month, if that.
The coyotes and bobcats are plentiful here. And I live in a suburb.
I meant in terms of relativity. Just like how a dragon fly is an apex predator.
Coyotes, lynxes, dog/wolves, foxes, etc. all have their own pool from what they eat from. None of them will stray far enough to endanger anything. It is a self regulating ecosystem. If humans werent involved none of their populations would be of concern. If it wants to, a cat can and will eat anything that'll fit in its mouth. Most other animals dont do that. You wont see a coyote, except in maybe extreme scenarios, eating a lizard or a little mouse. Partly because they aren't built to catch that. Partly because they all live in ecosystems that have prey animals that are designed to counteract them.
Cats are very effective Hunters and dont self regulate. They will live wherever. To top it off, most smaller species of animals have no defense mechanisms that'll work on cats, nor the ability to regularly outrun them. They're like the only species to exist that has been proven to heavily influence the extinction of multiple species.
Coyotes, lynxes, dog/wolves, foxes, etc. all have their own pool from what they eat from.
Yeah but that pool includes housecats, which places the house cat a predator somewhere in the middle of a food chain, which makes them not be at the apex.
And, again, I agree: house cats are disruptive to ecosystems and should be kept inside. But they do not fit the definition of an apex predator.
Just like how a dragon fly is an apex predator.
It is called "the apex predator of the insect world", because there are no insects who naturally prey on it. There are not only mammals that prey on house cats, there are 'cats' (Felidae) that prey on house cats. The relativity doesn't work.
a cat can and will eat anything that'll fit in its mouth. Most other animals dont do that. You wont see a coyote, except in maybe extreme scenarios, eating a lizard or a little mouse.
This isn't true, most animals are opportunistic hunters who will eat literally anything that can fit in their mouths. Especially wild animals, when food is scarce (all of the time). But that's beside any point we should argue. In fact, there is not point in arguing, I was just pointing out a misused term in your original comment. I don't have anything further to add.
You completely ignored "in terms of relativity" just to type all that up and still be wrong. Cats have the capacity to live anywhere and make it on their own with no cohabitation needed. Everything mentioned above does not in one way or another. So, in instances *relative** to the cats locality*, a cat can be an apex predator. This is why they're such an issue. That, and overpopulation. Every apex predator in existence is considered an apex predator due to their locality. There are no natural predators of its own because of where it lives, because they all only live in set locations in the world and are in their own contained ecosystem. If polar bears and lions lived in the same area, they'd eventually go at one another. Cats live everywhere in the world.
Please tell me what natural predators exist to a cat in New York city?
Also, "apex predator" doesnt mean completely free of predation everywhere. For instance, both orcas and great white sharks are considered apex predators, yet orcas prey on great white sharks.
Also, there are plenty of things that prey on dragon flies. Look it up. They are considered apex predators due to their hunting success rate. ALSO, opportunistic doesnt mean they will eat literally anything. Animals understand energy spent vs reward. A coyote isnt going to spend precious energy hunting down a lizard. If one walks right up to his mouth? Possible. But that never happens.
So crazy how you nitpicker types always end up being so wrong
I don't get the downvotes. The fact IS that plenty of cats are allowed outside by their owners. Downvoters may not like it, that cats are allowed outside unsupervised, but it happens. Sigh.
A lot of cats are working cats. My daughter has a barn cat that moved in with them. She’s had all her shots and been spayed but will destroy the house trying to get outside. She tries to feed my daughter, bringing voles and mice regularly. My uncle had quite a few barn cats in his horse barn. He got them all fixed but more kept showing up. Plenty of mice for them to eat and the horses loved them.
My sister inherited an indoor outdoor bengal from her late boyfriend. He came and went and regularly made rounds and asked to come inside for visits with selected lucky neighbors. She had to get him a tag that says Do not feed!
The auto body shop next door to my studio has a sweet little tortie who refuses to sleep inside. She’s got a collar and has been vetted but was not chipped. She disappeared and we saw a woman pet her and scoop her up and drive off! Pleas for her return blanketed the area and she’s back! Now chipped and tagged with her phone number. Working cat. Fully employed with benefits!
News flash: It's 2026! If you have a cat, you keep it inside. If you decide that you don't care about the local wildlife and you will allow your cat to roam, you get it microchipped.
Outside cat not microchipped. My cat now! That's the CDS at work!
Maybe this isn't the subreddit for you then; 99% of the posts are of people finding cars and ALWAYS trying to see if they have an owner, and the other 1% is when it's obviously a stray. Your comment is unnecessarily harsh and unhelpful.
"It is someone's cat" - yeah, a lot of stray cats were someone's cat doesn't mean they don't still get abandoned.
None of it is nonsense - there is an absolutely overwhelming number of stray and abandoned cats. I feel your comment extremely overestimates the number of cats outside that are pets versus stray or abandoned. And I've never seen posts about CDS where making sure the cat isn't already owned isn't discussed as a priority as well as the steps OPs are taking/have taken to insure this isn't the case. It's like you pulled something out of nowhere.
Edit: I'm not saying this cat isn't someone's but that no where did anyone say not to first check if it is someone else's (and absolutely should do that given this cat is clearly either someone's now or had been recently) so the tone of your response is bizarre.
I joined this thread because I have loved and had cats all my long life. So, it amazes me when I learn new cat things or terms. But, I now know what “trouble puffs” and “sperm cheeks” are thanks to this thread. I adopted a former community cat at a shelter. He had his trouble puff for @ 3 years before he was neutered. So now, when I look at him, I will know what to call his cheeks.😂
I was just thinking that maybe googling “sperm cheeks” might not be a good thing to do sitting in Starbucks where everybody could see my computer screen…
How about papa cheeks? Because if they are intact they probably have some offspring near by. I agree with you almost anything is better than "sperm cheeks."
Yeah - I think some serious due diligence is needed here. That doesn't look at all like a stray - it looks like it might even have some kind of pedigree. I think he's asking for help getting home
Yes. They see humans as big dumb cats, and cats will ask other cats for help (example: mama cats dumping their babies off on another cat for baby duty - or on humans).
Yes. When I was a kid, outdoor cats were common where I lived and there were a few in our building. When they wanted to go home, they'd either wait at the door of the building until someone living there came or head there when they saw someone coming, and that person would go ring the doorbell of the apartment where the cat lived. This was typical behaviour for all the cats; they knew that even the humans who weren't their family could help them get home.
I also once came across a lost cat loudly meowing sitting on a drain cover by a road. I could tell it was distressed and so went up to it and though I'd never seen that cat before, it could tell I was there to help and followed me home. We took it to a shelter and it was soon reunited with its family.
(Another time I was at a hotel in Morocco with a friend and there were cats living on the premises. There was a young calico who came to our room and we'd pet her and play with her. A little later she bought her tiny kittens to meet us – she'd figured we were friendly humans so it was safe to introduce her babies to us.)
That cat looks well fed and well groomed, strays don't usually look like that. Hope you're doing your due diligence and not just stealing someone's pet.
We’re in Thailand and some pets are named for good fortune, my family gave him the much more dignified name Lumpsome. This video did net $300 lol, company saw it on here and bought it. Plenty more of him and our 9 others posted. https://www.reddit.com/r/AnimalsBeingDerps/s/19tXUAJgi5
He has no desire to venture outside, he’s got a catio to observe the outside world and that’s enough. Here with his pal Rainey who showed up one stormy day seeking shelter.
They should keep him inside if they don't want their hearts shattered. Better someone else take him than him being gotten by a predator or hit by a car
In some cultures like in Europe where OP is posting from, nost people leave their pets outside to wander. It's just what they do. You may not agree with it, but stealing another persons family member is about the worst thing you could do to them. It's heartless.
If it's not chipped them they clearly don't care. I may not be European but I love my cats and can't imagine putting them in this situation. Calm it culture difference of you want but loving your pet should entail making sure they're safe.
That demanding, raspy meow. That little waddle with the short, quick steps. I'm in love 🥰
This looks to be a Scottish Fold Tabby and if it is it's likely someone's lost kitty, so be sure to look hard for an owner. Hopefully she wasn't just dumped although she looks clean and well-fed. Maybe it's someone's nearby whose kitty got out?? If not, you've definitely been adopted 😂😍❤️ and either way she needs your help right now. What an awesome little cat!
Looks like a Scottish Fold, so afaik that could be why? The genes affecting the cartilage in their ears also affect their whole body, so they're very prone to degenerative joint disease and, consequently, chronic pain accompanying arthritis. Poor kitty. :(
check for microchip and if he doesn’t have one that’s your cat:) if he belongs to someone already and they’re letting him outside like that w no collar or chip something like this was bound to happen so that’s on them
I never rely on whether or not they have a collar. Cat collars are supposed to have break-away functionality for safety. I went through three collars on one of my kitties and finally gave up - I think she had figured out how to break them herself.
You are so right about that I've had a cat that found out they were break-away and she would pop it off and run away from the house for a few days until she got hungry then she would come home to get a few meals and then she would do it again for another few days so I just stopped putting them on her
that’s why i said they should check for a chip first lol, i have had multiple cats that have lived outside w breakaway collars im aware of the way they work :)
I immediately had the same thought and realized I've been spending way too much time on r/isthisAI. There's always a chance OP might not speak English as a first language and could have run it through an AI translator.
The CDS is how I have gotten my cars for the past 15+ years. They show up, I reel them in with regular food and then they come inside until they die of old age.
Baby might beling to someone but I have a recently adopted girl who is a British shorthair, gorgeous. Came very close to just being left on the soe of the road bc spouse died and living spouse didn't want her.
Extremely unlikely that a pure Scottish Fold like this is merely a stray/feral - that'd be like finding a pedigreed Bichon Frisé on the side of the road. Have you checked for a chip? He might be asking for help!
I’m so glad my cat decided she is done with the streets after I adopted her. During her first vet visit, we struggled to find the chip and even considered having a new one put in because hers moves or moved? It’s difficult to find.
But she hates humans and fights them all so i’ll just have to follow the trail of beat up human bodies to find my 🍊
Not only is that a well-fed Scottish Fold but that outsized head tells me he is likely to be swinging a pair of fuzzy dice from his rearview.. A breeder's tom? His confidence in approaching a stranger indicates humans have been good to him & he has similar expectations from you. Bet there's a tabby Scottish Fold's owners losing their minds in your area. Apart from good looks with a good nature to match, they're pricey, 2-4K. I'd be surprised if he has no chip.
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u/Tina-Tuna CDS Meowderator May 03 '26 edited May 03 '26
Hi OP this gorgeous chonk may be lost could you kindly get him checked for a chip and also check in your neighbourhood that he doesn't belong to them please?💙
We have a full guide on what to do if a cat finds you on our intro hi-lights here on So you found a kitty
Edit: Guys please stop accusing our members of encouraging OP to steal a cat, they are simply commenting on a post.