Cat is following me!

My cat has taken to following me to the shops. I usually turn around before we get too far from the estate and just walk her home. How far should I let her follow? If other people or cats come along she sometimes turns and heads back, but other times she just trots along on my heels like a faithful dog. So far I've never walked more than five minutes before turning around and walking back with her. I'm really not sure if this is a problem, or could become one! Am I being overly cautious with her? Just ignore her?

Have you people experienced this?

Knine

Yes all my cats used to do this. I did not encourage it though as I was always afraid of dog attacks as people frequently bring their dogs to the shops with them.

I miss having a cat!

FelineOverLord

1 of ours does this but I always check behind me and bring him straight home. I'd worry about him getting caught by a dog or hit by a car, although mostly I hear him running to catch up with me meowing his head off.:D

DEFTLEFTHAND

That sounds so cute. I'd say the best job is to keep her inside when you're going.

magicmushroom

One of mine does this, if I ever go for a walk/jog, I have to make sure she's in the house first!
I once just let her follow me just to see how far she'd come, we got a fair distance before I decided enough was enough and had to walk her home

It's lovely, but sometimes annoying when I'm in a rush to get out!!

freshpopcorn

We has that problem before. What we did was feed them and run.

FelineOverLord

magicmushroom wrote: »

One of mine does this, if I ever go for a walk/jog, I have to make sure she's in the house first!
I once just let her follow me just to see how far she'd come, we got a fair distance before I decided enough was enough and had to walk her home

It's lovely, but sometimes annoying when I'm in a rush to get out!!

I sometimes have to go out the back door at night if I'm going for a walk and he's in the front garden, otherwise there's no alternative but to come back, bring him in then go out the front having shut him in the kitchen and hope that I've got around the corner before he gets through the cat flap and around the front to catch up with me.:D

mymo

One of My cats comes to the shop when I bring the dogs, he often sits outside with them, but there's not much traffic on the road and it's only round the corner. I try to shut him in if I can, he has also followed us on a walk around the local bypass and through town, again not very busy, but I would prefer he didn't do it, so shut him in.

He runs over when he sees me putting the leads on the dogs.
He also follows my daughter, I picked them both up at the shop around the corner on my way home from work one evening, he just jumped in the car onto her lap and looked out the window!

Cows Go µ

My mum's cat used to follow her when she walked the dogs. She'd go out with three dogs and this little white cat would follow along on the wall until they got to the end of the housing estate then she would wait for them to come back and escort them home. Mum was definitely the crazy animal lady of the housing estate

Greenmachine

Wow never had a cat do that, but looks like you are not alone OP going on the rest of the replies in this thread OP.

Alun

We had a cat once that would occasionally walk up to end of the driveway and look back at you as if to say "Well, are we going for a walk, or what?" He'd trot along beside you, occasionally dipping in and out of front gardens, getting more and more nervous the further he got away from home. Then after we'd almost finished walking around the block and were a bit closer to home again and he knew where he was, he'd rush back into the house like a mad thing. It only happened a couple of times a year though. Very odd.

CelticRambler

I had a cat like that once. Great character. I was living "over the shop" in a English town centre with my wife at the time, and we'd go for a walk around the block. At some point, YerMan decided he was coming too which we thought was amusing. Not so funny when he came face-to-face with a little old woman and her dog. The dog was going mad, the woman was screeching at him (me & the missus had crossed the road at this point) and YerMan just flopped across the path and with a fekkoffstoopiddog look on his face. The woman did the sensible thing and dragged the dog into the road and YerMan sprung to his feed and caught up with us. Next time, the old woman got out of his way without arguing.

YerMan was quite happy to stomp through everyone else's territory, but when we went through a lane that took us back to the main road, he wouldn't walk that bit so we had to carry him the last 50m.

Pac2015

My mams cat once got on the bus with her when she was going to bingo she only noticed him when she was 4 stops in lol...so she had to get off and bring him home.
I've had some cats follow me but I always discourage it and bring them home they eventually get the message I think.

CaoimheSquee

My cat does it too!
I keep dreamies in my bag at all times - it is the only way to distract them and make a run for it.
Sometimes though you can look back and she is sitting there all forlorn looking at you walk away and leave her - it's very sweet. Not so much when you are running for a bus in the morning and trying to shout at her to go back and throw treats in other directions!

ElleEm

My cat did this. I would just let her come on walks with me but would discourage her if I was going into a shop. Then she started getting in the car with me- it was gas. I would let her come on little 5 minute journeys with me. She would sit happily on the boot cover looking out the window. She would always try and get in to my friends or family's cars if they visited!

Wow! Looks like I'm not alone at all! I'm glad to hear that. Some very cute stories here!

The headcase cat has followed me to the shops twice since, and also came as close as the main street, started wailing her head off and I brought her home out of exasperation and worry for her. Tonight she stopped short of coming the whole way with me and just met me halfways home instead!

She's also copped on when I have to turn around and bring her home, that if she follows me inside, I will shut the door and go out alone. So she wont go into the house! Thankfully as yet she hasn't tried to follow me in the morning because I don't think "I'm half an hour late cause my cat followed me to the station" will wash as a decent excuse!