Adopted by cats...

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Does anyone else here find that they are often adopted by neighbourhood cats (either family pets or lost strays)?

Cats seem to like me lol

I once had a partner who insisted that I would end up being one of those eccentric cat ladies with lots of cats and wind chimes in my window...I expect he was right!

Who else seems to have more of an affinity for animals than people and who has considered abandoning socialising in favour of spending more time with cute critters?

I used to put out food for the neighbourhood strays. There was this one old black cat who was covered with fleas . . . he couldn't take a step without stopping and scratching, so I used some of the Advantage that I had for my own cats on him. Then a raccoon started coming around and eating the food I left for the cats. I didn't mind, but it was expensive. I had to leave my apartment, so I don't know what became of all of them, but it's nice to help out when you can.

I wouldn't replace people with them though, some people have special gifts that animals can't offer.

but dogs yes.
Dogs just sort of take up with me. Even my friends dogs love me.
And when I was a kid, there was the supposedly viscous pit bull that guarded a car lot near our home. He just dug out of his fence and followed me home one day... and was my protector until he died.

Guess I'm the crazy dog lady... I already have the windchimes

animals don't really like me.
cats are afraid of me and dogs bark at me.
I guess I like them okay.
toy animals are better to me than real ones.
They are cudly and can't hurt me.

I'm a crazy old cat lady, so what? Is being a facebook junkie better?

I manage a TNR colony downstairs in the little public garden by the building, and 3 of the cats were so emotionally dependent on me and unfit for the street life that I took them home. I saved their lives and they saved mine, as apart from them I have nothing worth living for. They make my life so immensely happy I have no words to describe it. As I type I'm looking at a sleeping beauty all pampered and cozy in her comfy bed, while until half a year ago I'd see her spend the nights under some car in a puddle of mud. Under my computer chair is another angel and on my bed the third. At long last I have a family the way I always dreamed it to be.

There are a lot worse things in life than ending up with cats. I've got two right now, they were orphaned kittens, so we bottle fed them and raised them. My wife made me find a home for their brother and sister, but at least we kept two. And they're a lot better companions than most people, I'll tell you that.

When I was five or six, and got my first kitten (also an orphan, bottle fed - but she was murdered by a vet at nine months ) I wanted to spend more time with her than with people. I always get accused of that: "You like spending time with the cats more than you like to be with people!" Why is that a bad thing?

I tend to be more a dog magnet, and get along with most dogs. I also tend to get along with cats too, though. I have always preferred animals over people. You can keep the wind chimes, though. I don't mind listening to them for a few minutes at a time, but having to listen to them constantly would drive me nuts. I like the parrot/cockatoo type birds, but would never own one. Again, I don't mind their noise for a few minutes of time when visiting a pet store, but having to listen to them constantly would drive me nuts. I know this is so from actual experience. At one place I lived a neighbor eventually got a large parrot, and kept it by an open back window in the warm months. Man, that thing would not stop sounding off. A previous neighbor where I am living now had a small cockatoo, and that was also kept near an open window during the warm months, but it wasn't as loud as the parrot next to my old address. The little guy was always talking to the wild birds, the animals that went by, and the people that went by, but most of the talking was in conversational cockatoo, not English.

My sound sensitivities won't allow for a bird pet, but I do like to look at and talk to the ones in pet shops.

Definitely would class not being allowed to have any pets under the a lot worse things. Love animals and even wild animals tend to like me, except rabbits (even my sisters pet one) attack me (No idea why). Always been taught animals can read people and can tell who to trust but are wary if people are scared/dislike them.

Whether animals like me is debatable, but I'm pretty sure that on a whole animals seem less afraid of me than other people. There was an injured owl at the nature center where I volunteered as a kid who was scared to death when most people tried to pick him up, but for me he was a perfect gentleman. Also, I notice that feral cats in the neighborhood will eat and sit near me quite easily. They don't touch me or anything. I get the impression that I simply don't frighten them.

Now, that's a horrible situation to wind up in. Enough to keep me awake at night. Access to pets should be a basic human right. As far as I'm concerned, it is a basic human right. The only time it is justified to take it away is in the case of those jerks who mistreat animals.

Neighborhood cats have adopted me me many times even when I intentionally don't feed them (because I know they have a good home). So much so in fact, sometimes their "owners" think I'm trying to steal their cat when of course I am not. Other animals really take to me to, including animals that are shy around others. I'm convinced it's an aspie thing from my reading.

with me its not just pets,
me and my dad (who verry possibly had aspergers too) used to pick up everything that looked sad or got themselfs in trouble..
i grew up with two pigeons on a bookshelf in the living room, i had a seagull for a few months, a lot of diffrent types of wild rodents, a blue tit, and a lap chicken (yes he used to cuddle up on you're lap)
and i still cant help myself if anything sad crosses my path, a few weeks ago i saw a jackdaw who tried to fly too soon so i picked him up made sure the parents followed me and the baby and put him in a big cage in the garden, every half an houre the parents fed him and after 3 day's i opened the cage and he flew away with them.
so yes i do have a special bond with sort of everything with a heartbeat, and i am sure that creatures (and esspecially dogs) love "autistic behaviour" like not looking them in the eye,
now a days i live with a cat and a (service) dog but i would love too have a garden zoo, shame the garden isnt that big.
if i could move to a farm i wouldnt even have to think twice i'd be there in an instant.
the strange thing is after i get home with a creature people always ask me how i caught it, but i sort of think of it at that momen and will even build a (humane) trap if neccesary.
the dog btw, did adopt me from day one, i have hypermobilitysyndrome and fybromialgia and he tells me when to rest by shoving or pulling me towards a bench.. he even alerts my mom for her diabetes.

I had neighbours who had two cats that used to come to me everytime I went out the front door then they moved away they said the cats missed me.

When I went to the Animal shelter my cat came to me and started licking me.
I knew then that she was the one for me right now she's asleep on one of my chairs.

Animals seem to like me a lot. In most circumstances, I someone's pet who is "always unfriendly with strangers" will be very friendly toward me, from the moment we meet.

For instance, one person I knew for a while had an old unfriendly cat - I was at their house, sitting in their living room, and their old battle scarred cat (he was an outdoor cat), who hated pretty much everybody, came and sat on my lap. I pet it calmly, and they all stared at me, and the person I knew said "[name of cat] never likes strangers!"

The same thing happened with a friend's two pugs - both pugs liked me even though they never like strangers.

It happens often.

Why don't you ask them exactly that question? That's what I do.

As an aspie, humans have treated me so horribly all my life (bullying, cheating, etc.) that I nowadays love flashing at them how I lavish my salary on stray cats, how I'm leaving the little I own to my cats and my biggest enjoyment is to see people stand on the side and envy the love I give them. When they comment on it, they make my day.

I have considered volunteering at a pet shelter, or at a vet's office. I have never actually done it, but if it were a cat only place, I would definitly enjoy it.

I have taken on the responsibility of giving away a litter of cats, leaving me with two of them. I have taken in a cat my sister could no longer have. I have taken in the cat my wife's brother could no longer have. Well, thats my four cats.

I do enjoy petting my cat more than I do socializing with others, but if I would become the crazy cat man? No, I can't say I would do that, atleast not until I sit alone in a house with no family left.

Edit: I did do it as a kid though.. I hid underneath a cornertable with a cat and we fell asleep together while there was a family party upstairs.