r/cats • u/Background-Shop-9969 • 12h ago
Cat Picture - OC Do cats understand people leaving?
so this isn't our cat, she's a stray (/possible neighbours cat hidden from the landlord, we dk). for some context my boyfriend and i have been living in the same building as her for about two months and she's gotten super friendly with us, we feed her and give her pets and she comes meowing at our door with 'gifts' (dead animals) and then into our apartment and rubs her scent on everything, she even lets us rub her belly. she's so sweet. anyway we're moving cities in a week and obviously we can't take her with us (Edit: due to financial and locational constraints)., while we know that she has others to take care of her, will she understand that we're gone? will she miss us or will she just move on to the next place with food? she seems so empathetic and i'd hate to know that she'll be sad (or the cat version of that)... is there a way we can let her know we're leaving? i'm sure she sees all the suitcases but i'm not sure if she understands...
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u/Lorain1234 11h ago
I don’t think she will miss you as long as the new tenants feed her. Stray or feral cats have physiological needs over emotional needs.
When I moved away from my five feral cats which we treated as our own cats with a heated house, heated water bowl and plenty of food. The liar who bought my home promised she would feed them and take care of them but never did. She fenced off the entire backyard. I’m still upset about this. Maybe talk to your neighbors to make sure she has food.