'Strangers keep visiting my garden – but I can't decide if excuse is sweet or strange' – The Mirror
The perplexed resident was on their way to work when they found a stranger letting herself into their garden, before offering an excuse the worker found both sweet but strange
If you're lucky enough to have a cat, you can probably assume half the neighbourhood knows your feline. Provided you've got a friendly pet, it's likely yours isn't the only home the animal tries to visit.
Most pets will happily roam their area if given a chance, and cats, in particular, are known to be explorers. But it's less common for your neighbours to seek out your garden to spend some time with your furry friend. Yet, this is the exact situation one baffled resident found themselves facing early one morning.
As the pet owner explained in a post to Reddit, when they were setting off for work earlier than usual one day, they bumped into two strangers in their garden.
"I was putting my helmet on near my bike and I heard the front gate go, two ladies came into my garden with cat food and a dish." By the sounds of it, neither party expected to see the other, but the women soon introduced themselves as neighbours. "I must have shocked them as they didn't expect me to be standing there, they explained that they come every morning to feed my cats and it is the best part of their day," the resident wrote.
"I was bewildered and completely taken aback by the strangeness of it and at the time I thought, okay as they explained they really like cats, so I just said it's fine and that the cats appreciate it I suppose." However, on reflection, they're not so sure how they feel about the unexpected visits.
"The more I have thought about it I find it even more weird, the fact that they came into my garden to do this, and specifically came early in the morning when we are not around. Also I never met these ladies before… Is this super weird? Or sorta sweet," the pet owner asked.
One person replied: "I think it's sweet. It's the best part of the day for them? That's so nice! And you never have to worry, when you go on vacation or are at the hospital. I am desperately looking for someone who could feed my cat while I am at the hospital next month, neighbors like that would be awesome!"
But another asserted: "You don't feed pets that aren't yours. Cats and dogs often have dietary restrictions. Extra feedings could make a health issue worse. These ladies are bringing dishes of food, not a random treat."
Thankfully, it sounds like no harm was done, however, as the owner clarified: "They're outdoor cats that live on a farm, but they mostly hang around in the farmhouse garden. They eat rats, rabbits, pigeons etc. They are both pets and pest protection. They get a varied diet to say the least."
Do you have a story to share? Email amber.oconnor@reachplc.com
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