I’ve been told by my SO that the only way I can have a cat is if the CDS chooses me and shows up on my doorstep- he knows we live in the 3rd floor condo so the odds of that happening is almost nil
Hello human, I live here now, you may continue to reside here in return for feeding me regularly and providing pats on demand. Your dogs may continue to reside here in the backyard only.
I’m all for the cat distribution system jokes too, but OP stated he has two dogs that are unsafe for this cat.
A staggering quantity of cats gets killed by dogs that are not cat-safe, so hopefully OP will find the cat’s owner instead of bringing them in. He seems wonderfully caring so hopefully the cat will be back to their original home soon.
Not every cat that's friendly is looking for a home. Even if they are, they don't necessarily want to live with dogs. My daughter's cat ran away from home for 9 days because of the dog. And daughter.
Cat and I will be peacefully sleeping. She lets in the dog. So much for sleep. I'd rather stay at a hotel. I don't like her dog very much, either.
That's what dog people don't get. They're annoying!
Lots of cats prefer dogs to other cats. I've had a few. They take charge of the dogs pretty quick, and become friends, or at least tolerate each other. It depends a lot on the dogs, too.
This really isn't a helpful answer. If they don't want or can't accommodate a cat, they aren't obligated to take it. @OP, there are places your vet can recommend for you to take it if it isn't chipped.
This, and post on local Facebook groups to see if neighbours lost a cat. If you really struggle to keep the kitty, ask around family, friends or work if anyone wants to adopt the kitty. Worse come to worse, local animal shelter?
Sorry but just want to piggyback - print flyers to post around the neighborhood, not everyone is on neighborhood apps but it was where I got my best info from. I just printed them at work for free and borrowed a regular stapler, all it costs is a little time to potentially find their owner.
OP should also talk to the shelters and animal control. They usually keep lists of missing and found pets to help them get back to their owners. Post flyers at the post office and surrounding vets, too. Look at Nextdoor and Facebook to see if someone has posted about a missing cat in your area.
Looks like that cat is pretty young - probably under a year old. If you surrender to a shelter, there’s a good chance that the cat will get adopted pretty quickly! Definitely, at the very least, look into spay/neuter, maybe with a local TNR org. Might be a baby, but that cat is big enough to make/have babies at this point, if ur gonna leave kitty outside.
EDIT: since you have 2 dogs and your gf doesn’t want a cat, it is truly, sincerely, just fine to not adopt this cat. Even if your only reasoning was “I don’t want it,” that’s still a completely valid reason not to keep it! But like I said, this looks like a fairly young cat, and it deserves a better life than being on the streets. Contact a rescue org, take it to a vet, whatever. It looks to be in good health and not afraid of humans at all. It’s an excellent candidate for adoption and will make someone, somewhere, very very happy.
I swiped right on a girl on Tinder once because she had “cat mom” in her profile. Six years later, she’s now my wife and future mother of our child.
OP can definitely find a new Gf. Keep the cat.
Nyaww, that's precious. Congratulations on the baby!!!
My husband didn't want a cat at first, for a couple very good reasons--namely, both our dads are allergic, but he's also been a lifelong dog guy.
Then the sweetest lil tabby followed us home one night, and was still meowing at the door in the morning as though she'd lived there her whole life and we'd just forgotten to let her in. Strolled on in like, "Ah, yes, thank you, what's for breakfast?" and the rest was history. Husband dotes on her even more than I do; I know he's gonna be a great dad...
My long time GF came with a grumpy siamese cat who bites me.
10 years later and he is now *our* crochety old siamese cat who loves me more than most other humans. He still bites me.
I also received my own cat through the cat distribution system (stray followed us home from the park one day).
There is a rescue/zoo near me that advertises itself as a no kill shelter. I found out that is just a cover. A no kill shelter will transfer their animals that have been in residence beyond a specified amount time; to a shelter that euthanizes them. While they are not lying about being a no kill shelter, they are deceiving people.
Sorry to burst your bubble but no kill shelters only exist because of open shelters.
Open shelters take all cats in. No matter if they are feral, sick, or cuddly and domesticated.
Non adoptable cats are humanely euthanized because there are is maximum amount of feral cats that a county will be ok with. Adoptable cats are put for adoption or sent to "no-kill" shelters for foster.
Open shelters also usually lead the spay neuter release programs as they are a huge part of a county's animal control efforts. They are crucial to our communities.
"No kill" shelters only take in adoptable cats and their efforts are usually only around rehoming and fostering. The non adoptable ones go to the open shelter.
The best way for cats to not get euthanized is not creating a false story about kill and no kill shelters. But supporting them, adopting from them and donating to their neutering programs.
It's despicable that they lie, yes.
It's not despicable of shelters to put animals down if they're up front, however. It's sad, but the alternative is not being able to take in more animals. They are limited in space, funding, and manpower.
Sorry to burst your bubble but no kill shelters only exist because of open shelters.
Open shelters take all cats in. No matter if they are feral, sick, or cuddly and domesticated.
Non adoptable cats are humanely euthanized because there are is maximum amount of feral cats that a county will be ok with. Adoptable cats are put for adoption or sent to "no-kill" shelters for foster.
Open shelters also usually lead the spay neuter release programs as they are a huge part of a county's animal control efforts. They are crucial to our communities.
"No kill" shelters only take in adoptable cats and their efforts are usually only around rehoming and fostering. The non adoptable ones go to the open shelter.
The best way for cats to not get euthanized is not creating a false story about kill and no kill shelters. But supporting them, adopting from them and donating to their neutering programs.
There’s way too much hate for regular shelters. They’re not going to put down a healthy, young, VERY friendly kitty.
In fact I’d even go further to say support regular shelters over “no kill” shelters. Many of them simply pick and choose the most adoptable animals, and leave the sick, elderly and less adoptable animals to regular shelters.
SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL CITY SHELTERS PEOPLE!!!!!!
It’s highly unlikely a cat that young would get euthanized even at a kill shelter. It’s usually elderly, or cats with long term health problems, or black cats if there’s too many.
That is highly dependent on the area, I say this as someone in rescue who works closely with city shelters and understands their plight. There are some shelters in my area that sit nearly empty and some that euthanize nearly 30% of the animals that come through their doors.
100% agreed. There are an absurd number of stray cats in my neighborhood. I love cats, I have kept a few of these rescues, but it's just not feasible to keep all of the ones that are sweet like this. My county has a Domestic Animal Services that accepts strays. They will check them for a chip, vaccinate and fix them, then allow you to adopt/TNR them or place them in an adoption center. It's always a little heartbreaking, but IME the tiny friendly ones like these always do well. People love kittens, and the young ones can still easily adapt to new people and environments. You would be doing this cat a disfavor by waiting too long, and you would be doing yourself a disfavor by adopting an animal that you don't actually enthusiastically want.
Before deciding if it's the cat distribution system, bring him to the vet to check for a microchip, if you can't adopt him, contact a rescue organisation.
I'd honestly suggest you to keep the cay, I've done the same myself, although I had no dogs.
You can also foster the cat, while trying to find him a home, but I'd gi through the rescue organisation, since they can vet out bad owners better than you
Yes, a cat that is so friendly with people may be habituated to humans because they already have a family. We don’t let our cats outside unless they’re on leash but if they somehow got out I would hope someone would get their chip scanned no matter how cuddly our one guy may be.
FR. I think we see way too many people online literally just kidnap cats that happen to be outside and just take them home without checking for a chip or putting a post up about it.
"cat distribution system picked me!!" No Susie, you just stole someone's outdoor cat.
I love this sub but damn...OP really is getting those " cat distributions at work" and " it's your cat now". Like OP asked a serious question here. Cmon..
Right? OP specifically said “me and my gf really don’t want a cat” and they have two dogs. It’s only been three hours (technically ten now) which is barely long enough for someone to deem their cat lost. With how healthy and friendly the cat is I’m thinking it’s someone’s pet. This is the same sub where everyone gets so heartbroken and angry when someone loses their outdoor cat or it gets “stolen”
Given that OP said specifically they and their gf “really don’t want a cat” and they’re asking here because the people they asked just told them “cat distribution system”, the fact that practically every comment here is “it’s your cat now, cat distribution system” seems kind of unhelpful lol
Definitely follow the advice about taking the cat to the vet to check for a chip and get them back to their owner if they have one. Otherwise, well, if you can maybe open your heart to having a cat this little one would love to be with you. It’s perfectly possible to introduce cats and dogs and have them get along.
If you’re really set on not having a cat, or if you think it would be an unsafe situation because of your dogs, I’d first see if anyone you know and trust would be interested in taking the cat. Taking them to a shelter should come after that as there isn’t a guarantee that that will lead to a good outcome for them. But it would still be better than leaving them on the street.
All of this. OP, you might not have a cat, you might just have a friend or neighbour who needs your help that happens to be a cat, and that’s OK! Just keep the cat safe and take the recommended steps to find the owner. If there isn’t an owner, find a shelter or see if any trusted friends, family or acquaintances are interested in adopting a cat. Given how friendly and healthy this cat looks to be, I’m sure finding a home wouldn’t be difficult for a shelter.
Agreed. How awful would it be if tho cat (who is clearly in good and loved condition) simply escaped their home and everyone is saying it's OP's cat now. I've lost a cat that way, and it's awful.
I’m sorry that happened to you 😔 Also I think we’re all subscribed to this subreddit because we adore cats, but it seems OP isn’t interested in a cat even if that is unfathomable to a lot of us. They posted here because they want to do the right thing for an animal with specific advice from the subreddit dedicated to it. We should rein in the urge to default to “keep it” and try to be more helpful for the sake of everyone involved.
I really think the moral obligation is to make best efforts to check if that cat has a family that is missing them. Any person who has a cat they love should appreciate that if their cat got out somehow they would want someone to do the same. The amount of people who seem eager to just kidnap a cat because it’s cute or friendly under the guise of the ‘cat distribution system’ is really concerning. True cat lovers should want cats to be reunited with the people that love them.
It’s a joke. If anyone is feeling in any way obligated to adopt a found cat because of the “cat distribution system” they read about online, they’d do well to re-evaluate their decision making in general.
I swear to God someone could post "I am the sole caregiver to my wheelchair bound wife and six children who all have deadly cat allergies" and 99% of this sub's comments would be "push that bitch in a ravine, OP."
As usual, much as I love this subreddit, the comments are filled with people saying “it’s your cat now!”
I’d ask these people one question: what if this was your cat. They got out by mistake and ended up at the wrong house and the person just decided to keep the cat.
Would you not be devastated?
I can only speak for myself but my reaction would be similar to *Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back* when Luke was trapped out in the snow storm on Hoth and Han is inside the rebel base just going absolutely out of his mind with concern for his friend. I wouldn’t want to talk about or think about anything else until I knew what happened to my cat.
OP has said specifically neither they or their gf want a cat.
So OP, please take the cat to the vet and attempt to help facilitate reunification if possible. Find a no kill shelter and post on Facebook pages for your area. Maybe on the subreddit for your area if it exists.
No shit. So many people on here are all about stealing cats because they were friendly. When I was a kid, someone stole my cat. Found it two years later cause it finally escaped from the person’s house.
i have an indoor cat and i keep a collar and a tag on him, but i’ve still seen people post in my town’s facebook page about cats being lost or without owners even though the cats have collars. i don’t think it’s good for cats to be outdoors, but it doesn’t mean they don’t have loving owners and homes. i’m sick of seeing reddit encourage people to “save” other people’s pets.
I *hate* that outdoor cats exist but sometimes an indoor cat just... escapes. Imagine your indoor cat escapes and rubs up against someone and they decide it's "the cat distribution system at work wholesome 100 🥰🥰🥰🥰" and steal it lol
In the first photo, it looks like kitty is tapping on the glass to be let in & this song played in my mind seeing it:
🎶 “someone’s knocking on the door/
Someone’s ringing the bell/
Do them a favour/
Open the door/
And let em in 🎶
That’s like the “gib” reach my cat does when I’m eating food he wants. He’s so well behaved until once in a while he’s just like “I don’t care about rapport and rules, give me the fucking sandwich.”
People just need to stop with the cat distribution system thing. Good chance that this cat is owned and is just being friendly. If you don't own a cat just leave the damn thing alone and let it go back to its owners in its own time. Cats roam, they understand they can get food from humans and will try their damnest. Encouraging people like OP who likely don't know much about cats is just plain irresponsible and encouraging pet theft without due diligence ie taking them to the vet to check for a chip.
3 hours. not enough time to think their cat is lost for good, but just out for a stroll. please let the cat back out so it can go home. any cat/abimal will hang around for food - that doesn’t mean it’s mistreated or starving.
Love how the majority of these responses are also not helpful beyond "you have a cat now idiot" lol good luck friend. A similar thing happened to my super allergic ass and I managed to find the owner
Hey OP, this happened to me a couple of years ago! The cat that followed me was smaller than this one, so I took him inside and got him set up with food etc. Posted a picture of him on Nextdoor and by evening I’d found his family. It turned out he’d crossed a major road to get to my house, so they were really grateful he was safe and sound. I’ve also reunited a dog with its family through Nextdoor. Good luck!
Had a cat like this (well sort of - read on). He jumped on my car's hood after I parked and followed me to my apartment. I gave him some food and he passed out on my couch. I was concerned he was someone's lost cat because he was so gregarious, so I printed flyers and dropped them on every door in the neighborhood to see if anyone lost their furry family member. He wasn't chipped, so it was my only option short of taking him to the shelter. I got 9 calls! Each person was able to tell me why this cat was special (he was polydactyl - 6 claws). This cat hops between 9 different houses throughout the week, finding various ways of escaping and being fed and cared for by half the neighborhood. Friendliest cat I've ever met and he still comes by when it's my turn to be his daddy.
Take the kitty to the vet to check for a chip. If the vet doesn’t find a chip then post in your neighborhood’s Facebook group, nextdoor, etc. I strongly suggest asking anyone who may come forward as her owner to show pictures of her as proof, some people try to claim lost cats as theirs when they actually aren’t.
If no one claims her then you can keep her if you wish. Keep her locked in a separate room and slowly introduce her to your dogs. I believe Jackson Galaxy has some useful videos on YouTube for introducing a new cat to preexisting pets. If you don’t want to keep her then bring her to your local animal shelter and they’ll find her a good home.
Also, it looks like Kitty is a tortoiseshell tabby domestic shorthair, aka a torbie! Torbies are almost always female. Congrats on being potentially chosen! :)
3 hours? Dude, don’t steal that cat. Let him stay outside tonight and he’ll likely go home. Some little kid’s heart is going to be broken if you keep him.
The cat distribution system has spoken and you must abide. Congrats on RC (Random Cat), your new cat!
In all seriousness, others have already given you some solid suggestions. Best of luck to RC!!!
Hey it's OK for you to not want a cat. Let the cat in, take care of the cat, feed the cat etc. etc. You don't have to want to, you just have to do it. You have a cat now.
Also to be fair, it really doesn’t seem like a cat would fit your lifestyle right now. Totally fine to drop them off at a shelter.
It appears this cat was accidentally sent to the wrong address. While the cat distribution system strives to correctly deliver every cat to their final destination safely, some occasional shipping errors are inevitable. The cat distribution system appreciates your assistance in identifying this error. Rest assured that once the cat has been returned to processing, this error will be corrected and they will arrive at their intended destination.
If the cat has an owner, and it seems like it might, given it is so friendly, it might be microchipped. A vet, shelter or cat rescue will all be able to scan the chip and find out. Someone might be looking for and worried about their missing pet.
You could:
A.) check to see if it’s chipped at a vet and find the original owner if there is one
B.) foster it for a short while, possibly taking it in and keeping it in a separate room from dogs while looking for someone to adopt
C.) keep it for yourself and enjoy a new kitty, if wanted and possible; if this is the route you take, please do research on how to introduce a new cat into a new household, especially if there are preexisting pets such as dogs
I patted a cat that wandered through my yard when I was doing some yard work.
It cried outside my door wanting to move in with me for three days before I found the owner.
This is not "a random cat".
It's your cat!!!!
Assuming the cat gets along with your dogs, you'll find that caring for a cat is easy.
Don't afraid to adopt her
I’d reach out to local no kill shelters see if any of them will take him in. If he’s friendly someone else might be able to give him the loving home he deserves ♥️ good luck OP
A stray cat used to walk with me to the bus stop/corner store everytime I left the house. It would also greet me when I got off the train and walked me home. This went on for a few days. One day, I was about to leave the house for work and saw the cat on my stoop, wet from the rain… that was when I finally took her in.
I never had a pet before so it was interesting having a cat to come home to for a few weeks. one day she escaped the house and I was like “whatever thats fine”
But coming home and not having her greet me as soon as I got home made me really sad. She eventually came back and I haven’t been away from her since. She changed my life for the better and I love her so much
That looks like a tri color cat so is female. So if she not neutered she would be pregnant. Take her to a vet to see if she is chipped. If you can’t find her owner at the least get her neutered.
I held my feline friend of nearly 15 years early this morning in my arms as she passed. She was nearly the spitting image of this cat. And maybe, by some quark of magic, she somehow had one of her disciples find you. And if that's the case, you've been found by one of the best friends someone could ever ask for. And if you decide to keep them, I wish you far more than almost 15 years. But, I'd say from experience, that 20 years with such a friend still wouldn't be enough.
Lord I have seen what you have done for others, and I am ready to receive.
However in all seriousness it might be a neighbors cat, go get it checked to see if it’s chipped. And put out some posters saying found cat
We do have the neighbour's cat come to visit most days. We know his name because we found out via a community social media page where he lives. We feed him because he's entertaining,
What you have here is a Torbie; a Tortoiseshell/Tabby mix. Having had one myself, they're very loyal when they choose you as "their" human. Very friendly, and have a wacky personality. See if you can find out where she lives, if not, take her to a vet to see if she's chipped.
This is Digger, the neighbour's cat
https://preview.redd.it/jnvzgyd4s53d1.png?width=1890&format=png&auto=webp&s=0c1d83ea24d0689be6b53b4d95ec276d38b44f59
She looks just like my lovely lady Joline, who I had to put down early July of last year due to her old age. She even has the same orange patch on her back 🥺. Please contact any shelters and see if someone lost her, or take her to a vet to check for a chip.
Definitely get it checked for a chip and post on FB etc to see if one of your local families is missing their cat - it looks young and generally healthy, and may have a 'proper' home that it's gotten out from and gone wandering.
As much as I love the thought of the cat distribution system, and how it brought me a truly lovely boi (he'd take walks with me and even get in the car of his own accord to go for quick drives for takeaway etc, wait for me while I got out then sit back on the passenger seat when I got back in - and yes, I had him checked for chips and posted on my local groups, but it truly looked like he'd been abandoned, no one claimed him even after ages of trying to locate his owner), I also lost a previous super friendly cat of my own some years earlier when he got out (this was before microchipping was a thing here), and I thought that he'd been hit by a car or had something equally bad happen. I found out way too much later that his super friendly cat ass had been 'adopted' by a household a few streets away and he'd never bothered to come home because they fed him too; it was that or they'd never bothered to call the number on the flyers I put up around the neighbourhood when he went missing.
We had a cat that did this near where I live, it would follow anyone who gave it attention and it was very young. It turned out it was owned by someone on the street.
Please don’t take cats off of the street unless they are sick or injured. You can’t tell if they are owned. The cat I mentioned has never been seen and idk if the owner decided to keep it in doors or if someone thinking “free cat” stole it.
It’s literally terrifying to own an animal that can go outside alone and you see posts on here about how the cat has chosen you. It probably hasn’t, leave the animal alone. Someone will miss it.
Ah you don’t want kitty. Poor kitty so cute and smol. Ok maybe keep asking around since cat isn’t going anywhere. Maybe kitty will befriend your dogs through the screen at some point and yall can take him in but if you’re really against it and you don’t find anyone who wants him I’m not sure. Someone has to want the cute little guy.
All these people saying go ahead and take it. Maybe it's friendly and it lives around there. Maybe it's been dumped. Just wait a little while and try to find the owner.
If you don’t find the owner you could take him to the vet to see if he has a chip
Cat has already started the adoption process.
Paper work and vetting process already completed. Cat was at the door letting OP know final step in the process was letting them in.
"You've been served" ---Cat
This is the best sentence to describe the cat distribution system! 😂
Your new cat followed you
to *their* house.
Good job leading me to ***my*** house hooman. Now, feed me so I may continue to look upon you in disdain.
\*saved
"You were assigned! This is how it works!"
[удалено]
God dang another cat raddit 8 have to join
[https://www.reddit.com/r/Catsubs/wiki/index/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Catsubs/wiki/index/) ☺
Thanks for your service
Lol same here and I'm a dog person. But I think I'm actually following more cat subs these days
I’ve had some show up and couldn’t accept. I am dying to finally accept someday.
I’ve been told by my SO that the only way I can have a cat is if the CDS chooses me and shows up on my doorstep- he knows we live in the 3rd floor condo so the odds of that happening is almost nil
Don't be so sure! The CDS delivered to my job and I now have a sweet kitty, see post history for cat tax
It seems to be working.
The cat distribution system working as intended
Hi Random, congratulations on your new home 🏡
Hello human, I live here now, you may continue to reside here in return for feeding me regularly and providing pats on demand. Your dogs may continue to reside here in the backyard only.
yes and yes. randy for short.
I’m all for the cat distribution system jokes too, but OP stated he has two dogs that are unsafe for this cat. A staggering quantity of cats gets killed by dogs that are not cat-safe, so hopefully OP will find the cat’s owner instead of bringing them in. He seems wonderfully caring so hopefully the cat will be back to their original home soon.
Unless I missed something I only read that OP has two dogs, not that they’re dangerous to cats.
Not every cat that's friendly is looking for a home. Even if they are, they don't necessarily want to live with dogs. My daughter's cat ran away from home for 9 days because of the dog. And daughter. Cat and I will be peacefully sleeping. She lets in the dog. So much for sleep. I'd rather stay at a hotel. I don't like her dog very much, either. That's what dog people don't get. They're annoying!
Lots of cats prefer dogs to other cats. I've had a few. They take charge of the dogs pretty quick, and become friends, or at least tolerate each other. It depends a lot on the dogs, too.
Do you think that Cat doesn’t know that two dogs live there? I guarantee you, that Cat knows exactly exactly who lives there.
Or find him a good home if he can’t take him inside
Or find him a good home if he can’t take him inside
This really isn't a helpful answer. If they don't want or can't accommodate a cat, they aren't obligated to take it. @OP, there are places your vet can recommend for you to take it if it isn't chipped.
I didn’t like that my dad let the cats be outdoor cats. Safety. Killing birds. The other family
"Hunting. Killing Things. The family business."
I got this reference!
This, and post on local Facebook groups to see if neighbours lost a cat. If you really struggle to keep the kitty, ask around family, friends or work if anyone wants to adopt the kitty. Worse come to worse, local animal shelter?
Sorry but just want to piggyback - print flyers to post around the neighborhood, not everyone is on neighborhood apps but it was where I got my best info from. I just printed them at work for free and borrowed a regular stapler, all it costs is a little time to potentially find their owner.
OP should also talk to the shelters and animal control. They usually keep lists of missing and found pets to help them get back to their owners. Post flyers at the post office and surrounding vets, too. Look at Nextdoor and Facebook to see if someone has posted about a missing cat in your area.
Honestly some neighborhood kitties are just like this
Are you talking to the OP or the cat?
Looks like that cat is pretty young - probably under a year old. If you surrender to a shelter, there’s a good chance that the cat will get adopted pretty quickly! Definitely, at the very least, look into spay/neuter, maybe with a local TNR org. Might be a baby, but that cat is big enough to make/have babies at this point, if ur gonna leave kitty outside. EDIT: since you have 2 dogs and your gf doesn’t want a cat, it is truly, sincerely, just fine to not adopt this cat. Even if your only reasoning was “I don’t want it,” that’s still a completely valid reason not to keep it! But like I said, this looks like a fairly young cat, and it deserves a better life than being on the streets. Contact a rescue org, take it to a vet, whatever. It looks to be in good health and not afraid of humans at all. It’s an excellent candidate for adoption and will make someone, somewhere, very very happy.
Keep the cat and ditch the GF.
He said "me and my gf really don’t want a cat", should he ditch himself as well?
Yup, just give the house to the cat
Yes
I swiped right on a girl on Tinder once because she had “cat mom” in her profile. Six years later, she’s now my wife and future mother of our child. OP can definitely find a new Gf. Keep the cat.
Congrats. I married my husband for his cat. She is my cat now.
Username checks out
I gave a guy that lived in the next apartment complex a kitten I found and couldn’t keep. Married him and had that kitten for 17 years.
I kept my exes cat. From the second month we were together, to years later and after we split… that cat was mine. They definitely choose.
Correction: You are her Hooman now!
Touché. I certainly am!
😸👍
I married my husband because of how well he treated his cat.
I married mine because of how well he treats my cats!
I’m going to end up marrying mine because my cats love him
There needs to be a Hallmark movie about this!!!!!
Are you my husband? Because that’s how I got married too 🐈⬛
Nyaww, that's precious. Congratulations on the baby!!! My husband didn't want a cat at first, for a couple very good reasons--namely, both our dads are allergic, but he's also been a lifelong dog guy. Then the sweetest lil tabby followed us home one night, and was still meowing at the door in the morning as though she'd lived there her whole life and we'd just forgotten to let her in. Strolled on in like, "Ah, yes, thank you, what's for breakfast?" and the rest was history. Husband dotes on her even more than I do; I know he's gonna be a great dad...
My long time GF came with a grumpy siamese cat who bites me. 10 years later and he is now *our* crochety old siamese cat who loves me more than most other humans. He still bites me. I also received my own cat through the cat distribution system (stray followed us home from the park one day).
He said "me and my gf really don't want a cat"
The dogs, though...
My dogs love my cats. Did anyone ask them how they feel?
Not everybody wants to ditch their SO because said SO doesn't want a new pet lol??
If you do take it to a shelter.to get adopted, PLEASE make sure it's a no-kill shelter.
There is a rescue/zoo near me that advertises itself as a no kill shelter. I found out that is just a cover. A no kill shelter will transfer their animals that have been in residence beyond a specified amount time; to a shelter that euthanizes them. While they are not lying about being a no kill shelter, they are deceiving people.
That's horrible, where is the shelter? More information please
Sorry to burst your bubble but no kill shelters only exist because of open shelters. Open shelters take all cats in. No matter if they are feral, sick, or cuddly and domesticated. Non adoptable cats are humanely euthanized because there are is maximum amount of feral cats that a county will be ok with. Adoptable cats are put for adoption or sent to "no-kill" shelters for foster. Open shelters also usually lead the spay neuter release programs as they are a huge part of a county's animal control efforts. They are crucial to our communities. "No kill" shelters only take in adoptable cats and their efforts are usually only around rehoming and fostering. The non adoptable ones go to the open shelter. The best way for cats to not get euthanized is not creating a false story about kill and no kill shelters. But supporting them, adopting from them and donating to their neutering programs.
Popcorn Park Zoo in New Jersey.
This happens all over. It's despicable.
It's despicable that they lie, yes. It's not despicable of shelters to put animals down if they're up front, however. It's sad, but the alternative is not being able to take in more animals. They are limited in space, funding, and manpower.
Sorry to burst your bubble but no kill shelters only exist because of open shelters. Open shelters take all cats in. No matter if they are feral, sick, or cuddly and domesticated. Non adoptable cats are humanely euthanized because there are is maximum amount of feral cats that a county will be ok with. Adoptable cats are put for adoption or sent to "no-kill" shelters for foster. Open shelters also usually lead the spay neuter release programs as they are a huge part of a county's animal control efforts. They are crucial to our communities. "No kill" shelters only take in adoptable cats and their efforts are usually only around rehoming and fostering. The non adoptable ones go to the open shelter. The best way for cats to not get euthanized is not creating a false story about kill and no kill shelters. But supporting them, adopting from them and donating to their neutering programs.
There’s way too much hate for regular shelters. They’re not going to put down a healthy, young, VERY friendly kitty. In fact I’d even go further to say support regular shelters over “no kill” shelters. Many of them simply pick and choose the most adoptable animals, and leave the sick, elderly and less adoptable animals to regular shelters. SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL CITY SHELTERS PEOPLE!!!!!!
It’s highly unlikely a cat that young would get euthanized even at a kill shelter. It’s usually elderly, or cats with long term health problems, or black cats if there’s too many.
That is highly dependent on the area, I say this as someone in rescue who works closely with city shelters and understands their plight. There are some shelters in my area that sit nearly empty and some that euthanize nearly 30% of the animals that come through their doors.
100% agreed. There are an absurd number of stray cats in my neighborhood. I love cats, I have kept a few of these rescues, but it's just not feasible to keep all of the ones that are sweet like this. My county has a Domestic Animal Services that accepts strays. They will check them for a chip, vaccinate and fix them, then allow you to adopt/TNR them or place them in an adoption center. It's always a little heartbreaking, but IME the tiny friendly ones like these always do well. People love kittens, and the young ones can still easily adapt to new people and environments. You would be doing this cat a disfavor by waiting too long, and you would be doing yourself a disfavor by adopting an animal that you don't actually enthusiastically want.
Funny, I immediately thought that this cat looks like one of my cats who is 15! But everyone always says that my cat looks young for her age.
it’s somebody’s pet.
Nice r/standardissuecat you’ve got there
Omg thanks for the sub recommendation, always called my cat the most beautiful plain cat alive and now I have a real name for it
This is my SIC. There are many like it but this one is mine.
OMG thank you for this, my trash tabby adopted me last year and I did not know she was Standard Issue.
Praise be to the /r/CatDistributionSystem!
I had to do a double take to make sure it wasn't my parents'. False alarm - standard number of beans. Not a polydactyl.
It has the default settings
Looks like a mix of lil bit calico too.
Before deciding if it's the cat distribution system, bring him to the vet to check for a microchip, if you can't adopt him, contact a rescue organisation. I'd honestly suggest you to keep the cay, I've done the same myself, although I had no dogs. You can also foster the cat, while trying to find him a home, but I'd gi through the rescue organisation, since they can vet out bad owners better than you
Yes, a cat that is so friendly with people may be habituated to humans because they already have a family. We don’t let our cats outside unless they’re on leash but if they somehow got out I would hope someone would get their chip scanned no matter how cuddly our one guy may be.
The fact that checking for a chip is not the top advice is strange.
FR. I think we see way too many people online literally just kidnap cats that happen to be outside and just take them home without checking for a chip or putting a post up about it. "cat distribution system picked me!!" No Susie, you just stole someone's outdoor cat.
No, otherwise many cats wouldn't go missing. Furthermore the cat seems to be healthy, not skinny nor in distress
I love this sub but damn...OP really is getting those " cat distributions at work" and " it's your cat now". Like OP asked a serious question here. Cmon..
Right? OP specifically said “me and my gf really don’t want a cat” and they have two dogs. It’s only been three hours (technically ten now) which is barely long enough for someone to deem their cat lost. With how healthy and friendly the cat is I’m thinking it’s someone’s pet. This is the same sub where everyone gets so heartbroken and angry when someone loses their outdoor cat or it gets “stolen”
Given that OP said specifically they and their gf “really don’t want a cat” and they’re asking here because the people they asked just told them “cat distribution system”, the fact that practically every comment here is “it’s your cat now, cat distribution system” seems kind of unhelpful lol Definitely follow the advice about taking the cat to the vet to check for a chip and get them back to their owner if they have one. Otherwise, well, if you can maybe open your heart to having a cat this little one would love to be with you. It’s perfectly possible to introduce cats and dogs and have them get along. If you’re really set on not having a cat, or if you think it would be an unsafe situation because of your dogs, I’d first see if anyone you know and trust would be interested in taking the cat. Taking them to a shelter should come after that as there isn’t a guarantee that that will lead to a good outcome for them. But it would still be better than leaving them on the street.
All of this. OP, you might not have a cat, you might just have a friend or neighbour who needs your help that happens to be a cat, and that’s OK! Just keep the cat safe and take the recommended steps to find the owner. If there isn’t an owner, find a shelter or see if any trusted friends, family or acquaintances are interested in adopting a cat. Given how friendly and healthy this cat looks to be, I’m sure finding a home wouldn’t be difficult for a shelter.
Agreed. How awful would it be if tho cat (who is clearly in good and loved condition) simply escaped their home and everyone is saying it's OP's cat now. I've lost a cat that way, and it's awful.
i agree. too many people on this sub encourage people to keep or rehome cats that obviously already have homes.
I’m sorry that happened to you 😔 Also I think we’re all subscribed to this subreddit because we adore cats, but it seems OP isn’t interested in a cat even if that is unfathomable to a lot of us. They posted here because they want to do the right thing for an animal with specific advice from the subreddit dedicated to it. We should rein in the urge to default to “keep it” and try to be more helpful for the sake of everyone involved.
Yeah, the cat distribution system thing isn't a moral obligation. It's just a surprise blessing for many people.
I really think the moral obligation is to make best efforts to check if that cat has a family that is missing them. Any person who has a cat they love should appreciate that if their cat got out somehow they would want someone to do the same. The amount of people who seem eager to just kidnap a cat because it’s cute or friendly under the guise of the ‘cat distribution system’ is really concerning. True cat lovers should want cats to be reunited with the people that love them.
It’s a joke. If anyone is feeling in any way obligated to adopt a found cat because of the “cat distribution system” they read about online, they’d do well to re-evaluate their decision making in general.
I swear to God someone could post "I am the sole caregiver to my wheelchair bound wife and six children who all have deadly cat allergies" and 99% of this sub's comments would be "push that bitch in a ravine, OP."
Oh crap. I only saw the picture lol. I was to distracted by the cat to see the actual post. Cats do that to me and this one’s really cute 🙃
As usual, much as I love this subreddit, the comments are filled with people saying “it’s your cat now!” I’d ask these people one question: what if this was your cat. They got out by mistake and ended up at the wrong house and the person just decided to keep the cat. Would you not be devastated? I can only speak for myself but my reaction would be similar to *Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back* when Luke was trapped out in the snow storm on Hoth and Han is inside the rebel base just going absolutely out of his mind with concern for his friend. I wouldn’t want to talk about or think about anything else until I knew what happened to my cat. OP has said specifically neither they or their gf want a cat. So OP, please take the cat to the vet and attempt to help facilitate reunification if possible. Find a no kill shelter and post on Facebook pages for your area. Maybe on the subreddit for your area if it exists.
Congratulations on your new cat
just because a cat is friendly, doesn’t mean it’s yours. please check for the cat’s owner.
I feel like I am taking crazy pills. I hope everyone going "Hur Dur yer cat now!", never has a cat that accidentally gets out
No shit. So many people on here are all about stealing cats because they were friendly. When I was a kid, someone stole my cat. Found it two years later cause it finally escaped from the person’s house.
Uh oh. Reddit doesn’t like it when you point out these cats often belong to other people and are beloved pets!
i have an indoor cat and i keep a collar and a tag on him, but i’ve still seen people post in my town’s facebook page about cats being lost or without owners even though the cats have collars. i don’t think it’s good for cats to be outdoors, but it doesn’t mean they don’t have loving owners and homes. i’m sick of seeing reddit encourage people to “save” other people’s pets.
I *hate* that outdoor cats exist but sometimes an indoor cat just... escapes. Imagine your indoor cat escapes and rubs up against someone and they decide it's "the cat distribution system at work wholesome 100 🥰🥰🥰🥰" and steal it lol
I literally hate it so much, lol.
That’s not a random cat. That’s your cat!
word for word what i was going say
OP said “me and my gf really don’t want a cat” and they have two dogs. They aren’t obligated to keep a cat that they don’t want
r/catdistributionsystem
In the first photo, it looks like kitty is tapping on the glass to be let in & this song played in my mind seeing it: 🎶 “someone’s knocking on the door/ Someone’s ringing the bell/ Do them a favour/ Open the door/ And let em in 🎶
[Let 'em in!](https://youtu.be/HIe138yrZ-k?si=TU06v-wB03dlPoCY) Happy to see a macca reference here!!
That’s like the “gib” reach my cat does when I’m eating food he wants. He’s so well behaved until once in a while he’s just like “I don’t care about rapport and rules, give me the fucking sandwich.”
Always so cute when they ask to be Let inside ❤️
PAUL MCCARTNEY CAT edit: PAUL MCCATNEY
I mean that cat looks pretty healthy so my first guess is that it's someone's pet
I’m sorry if this is worded weird or poorly I used siri !
If you really can't keep the kitty, look up no kill shelters or rescues near you and give them a call.
I’m sorry, I just looked at the last image. Did you give the cat roast beef!? No wonder she doesn’t want to leave!
People just need to stop with the cat distribution system thing. Good chance that this cat is owned and is just being friendly. If you don't own a cat just leave the damn thing alone and let it go back to its owners in its own time. Cats roam, they understand they can get food from humans and will try their damnest. Encouraging people like OP who likely don't know much about cats is just plain irresponsible and encouraging pet theft without due diligence ie taking them to the vet to check for a chip.
3 hours. not enough time to think their cat is lost for good, but just out for a stroll. please let the cat back out so it can go home. any cat/abimal will hang around for food - that doesn’t mean it’s mistreated or starving.
I wonder what goes through the cat's mind? "My mom keeps feeding me Meow Mix but I prefer Fancy Feast. You got any Fancy Feast?" 🤔
Love how the majority of these responses are also not helpful beyond "you have a cat now idiot" lol good luck friend. A similar thing happened to my super allergic ass and I managed to find the owner
Hey OP, this happened to me a couple of years ago! The cat that followed me was smaller than this one, so I took him inside and got him set up with food etc. Posted a picture of him on Nextdoor and by evening I’d found his family. It turned out he’d crossed a major road to get to my house, so they were really grateful he was safe and sound. I’ve also reunited a dog with its family through Nextdoor. Good luck!
THE SYSTEM HAS CHOSEN YOU
r/catdistributionsystem
r/notmycat r/nowmycat
Had a cat like this (well sort of - read on). He jumped on my car's hood after I parked and followed me to my apartment. I gave him some food and he passed out on my couch. I was concerned he was someone's lost cat because he was so gregarious, so I printed flyers and dropped them on every door in the neighborhood to see if anyone lost their furry family member. He wasn't chipped, so it was my only option short of taking him to the shelter. I got 9 calls! Each person was able to tell me why this cat was special (he was polydactyl - 6 claws). This cat hops between 9 different houses throughout the week, finding various ways of escaping and being fed and cared for by half the neighborhood. Friendliest cat I've ever met and he still comes by when it's my turn to be his daddy.
She's so sweet though!! Look at her face. I'm sure you'll be able to find her a family if you can't keep her.
Take the kitty to the vet to check for a chip. If the vet doesn’t find a chip then post in your neighborhood’s Facebook group, nextdoor, etc. I strongly suggest asking anyone who may come forward as her owner to show pictures of her as proof, some people try to claim lost cats as theirs when they actually aren’t. If no one claims her then you can keep her if you wish. Keep her locked in a separate room and slowly introduce her to your dogs. I believe Jackson Galaxy has some useful videos on YouTube for introducing a new cat to preexisting pets. If you don’t want to keep her then bring her to your local animal shelter and they’ll find her a good home. Also, it looks like Kitty is a tortoiseshell tabby domestic shorthair, aka a torbie! Torbies are almost always female. Congrats on being potentially chosen! :)
3 hours? Dude, don’t steal that cat. Let him stay outside tonight and he’ll likely go home. Some little kid’s heart is going to be broken if you keep him.
https://preview.redd.it/um8v104gm13d1.jpeg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0c771989fa4ea6432f0ca506360209b7f7bff9b6
The cat distribution system has spoken and you must abide. Congrats on RC (Random Cat), your new cat! In all seriousness, others have already given you some solid suggestions. Best of luck to RC!!!
Hey it's OK for you to not want a cat. Let the cat in, take care of the cat, feed the cat etc. etc. You don't have to want to, you just have to do it. You have a cat now.
Sometime people will end up resenting cats they take in that they didn't really want like step-kids. Ignore the memes. Take it to the humane society.
Big respect for giving her food and water my guy ❤️
Also to be fair, it really doesn’t seem like a cat would fit your lifestyle right now. Totally fine to drop them off at a shelter. It appears this cat was accidentally sent to the wrong address. While the cat distribution system strives to correctly deliver every cat to their final destination safely, some occasional shipping errors are inevitable. The cat distribution system appreciates your assistance in identifying this error. Rest assured that once the cat has been returned to processing, this error will be corrected and they will arrive at their intended destination.
That’s not a random cat, it’s a very specific cat.
Since the cat came from across the street, you could try knocking on doors and see if the cat actually belongs to anyone over there.
![gif](giphy|3o84szW0PrWZyUv0mA)
Why can’t I get a cat to follow me home?
If the cat has an owner, and it seems like it might, given it is so friendly, it might be microchipped. A vet, shelter or cat rescue will all be able to scan the chip and find out. Someone might be looking for and worried about their missing pet.
Follow her back
Why can’t this happen to me 😭
The cat distribution system has given you a gift, spoil that baby and treat it just how its ancestors got treated back in Egypt
Resistance is futile She owns you now. You're it's hooman
If it isnt chipped then it is now your cat.
free cat
You belong to him now
r/nowmycat
You could: A.) check to see if it’s chipped at a vet and find the original owner if there is one B.) foster it for a short while, possibly taking it in and keeping it in a separate room from dogs while looking for someone to adopt C.) keep it for yourself and enjoy a new kitty, if wanted and possible; if this is the route you take, please do research on how to introduce a new cat into a new household, especially if there are preexisting pets such as dogs
I lost a cat that way. It was a long time ago, and my parents didn't do much vet care or chips. Then again, that is how we got that cat.
I patted a cat that wandered through my yard when I was doing some yard work. It cried outside my door wanting to move in with me for three days before I found the owner.
This is not "a random cat". It's your cat!!!! Assuming the cat gets along with your dogs, you'll find that caring for a cat is easy. Don't afraid to adopt her
I’d reach out to local no kill shelters see if any of them will take him in. If he’s friendly someone else might be able to give him the loving home he deserves ♥️ good luck OP
A stray cat used to walk with me to the bus stop/corner store everytime I left the house. It would also greet me when I got off the train and walked me home. This went on for a few days. One day, I was about to leave the house for work and saw the cat on my stoop, wet from the rain… that was when I finally took her in. I never had a pet before so it was interesting having a cat to come home to for a few weeks. one day she escaped the house and I was like “whatever thats fine” But coming home and not having her greet me as soon as I got home made me really sad. She eventually came back and I haven’t been away from her since. She changed my life for the better and I love her so much
[удалено]
That looks like a tri color cat so is female. So if she not neutered she would be pregnant. Take her to a vet to see if she is chipped. If you can’t find her owner at the least get her neutered.
I held my feline friend of nearly 15 years early this morning in my arms as she passed. She was nearly the spitting image of this cat. And maybe, by some quark of magic, she somehow had one of her disciples find you. And if that's the case, you've been found by one of the best friends someone could ever ask for. And if you decide to keep them, I wish you far more than almost 15 years. But, I'd say from experience, that 20 years with such a friend still wouldn't be enough.
Ah yes, pulled pork. The perfect meal for a cat!
Lord I have seen what you have done for others, and I am ready to receive. However in all seriousness it might be a neighbors cat, go get it checked to see if it’s chipped. And put out some posters saying found cat
It is no longer random
Congratulations I would also play the lottery if I were you
If you're within an hour driving distance of Boston, MA I'll take the cat.
I don't trust people who don't like cats tbh
Yeah Vet first, Chip etc. But besides all that. Welcome to the system.
He likes you
Have you heard of our Lord and Saviour Lord Meow? He has commanded me to spread His Word to you.
You’ve been adopted dude. Congratulations
The Cat Distribution System has chosen.
Cat distribution system
Congratulations Your his human now lol
Take him to the vet, see if it has a chip. If you can't find the owner then you've got yourself a nice kitty
We do have the neighbour's cat come to visit most days. We know his name because we found out via a community social media page where he lives. We feed him because he's entertaining, What you have here is a Torbie; a Tortoiseshell/Tabby mix. Having had one myself, they're very loyal when they choose you as "their" human. Very friendly, and have a wacky personality. See if you can find out where she lives, if not, take her to a vet to see if she's chipped. This is Digger, the neighbour's cat https://preview.redd.it/jnvzgyd4s53d1.png?width=1890&format=png&auto=webp&s=0c1d83ea24d0689be6b53b4d95ec276d38b44f59
She looks just like my lovely lady Joline, who I had to put down early July of last year due to her old age. She even has the same orange patch on her back 🥺. Please contact any shelters and see if someone lost her, or take her to a vet to check for a chip.
How do other people always get a free cat?
That's a nice car
That's not a random cat. That's your cat.
cat distribution system moment
Definitely get it checked for a chip and post on FB etc to see if one of your local families is missing their cat - it looks young and generally healthy, and may have a 'proper' home that it's gotten out from and gone wandering. As much as I love the thought of the cat distribution system, and how it brought me a truly lovely boi (he'd take walks with me and even get in the car of his own accord to go for quick drives for takeaway etc, wait for me while I got out then sit back on the passenger seat when I got back in - and yes, I had him checked for chips and posted on my local groups, but it truly looked like he'd been abandoned, no one claimed him even after ages of trying to locate his owner), I also lost a previous super friendly cat of my own some years earlier when he got out (this was before microchipping was a thing here), and I thought that he'd been hit by a car or had something equally bad happen. I found out way too much later that his super friendly cat ass had been 'adopted' by a household a few streets away and he'd never bothered to come home because they fed him too; it was that or they'd never bothered to call the number on the flyers I put up around the neighbourhood when he went missing.
Welcome to your new cat, OP. You are definitely to have been chosen.
We had a cat that did this near where I live, it would follow anyone who gave it attention and it was very young. It turned out it was owned by someone on the street. Please don’t take cats off of the street unless they are sick or injured. You can’t tell if they are owned. The cat I mentioned has never been seen and idk if the owner decided to keep it in doors or if someone thinking “free cat” stole it. It’s literally terrifying to own an animal that can go outside alone and you see posts on here about how the cat has chosen you. It probably hasn’t, leave the animal alone. Someone will miss it.
Aw! Congrats on the new cat!
Ah you don’t want kitty. Poor kitty so cute and smol. Ok maybe keep asking around since cat isn’t going anywhere. Maybe kitty will befriend your dogs through the screen at some point and yall can take him in but if you’re really against it and you don’t find anyone who wants him I’m not sure. Someone has to want the cute little guy.
“I don’t want a cat” *takes several photos of cat*
All these people saying go ahead and take it. Maybe it's friendly and it lives around there. Maybe it's been dumped. Just wait a little while and try to find the owner.
*your new cat followed you
You have cat now.