I tend to write long and convoluted so I'll make a tl:dr at the bottom.
Let's start this story at the beginning. Right now, I own 2 cats (1 male, 1 female) and a dog. They're 5, 2 and 1 respectively and I've had them all since they were 8 weeks old. This is about my 2 year old female cat, Cassie. For the first 6 months or so, she was a lovely cat. Interesting and sweet, but not very cuddly. One of those cats that recoils from any kind of affection. The most affectionate thing she did was lie right on top of my side while I laid on the couch to watch tv. But I still thought she was a pretty cool cat, although she is a bit dumb. But at some point she even played fetch! When she was about 3 months old moved to a first floor apartment where my cats wouldn't be able to go outside.
(Sidenote: I am not here for an 'indoor cats are better off' discussion. I live in a completely different country, and I saw the difference it made in both my cats once they were able to go outside again, even though I provided them with loads of interaction and games. Mind you, one of them was raised an indoor cat and was still 100% happier going outside. So through this entire story, assume that making them/her indoor cats isn't an option)
One year later I moved again. I was lucky and got a cozy apartment on the ground floor, with a yard. After they got used to the house and whatnot I slowly started getting both cats used to the outside. I would never be able to keep them indoors anyway, unless I hermetically sealed my house like some sort of fort knox, the clever bastards. Eventually I just left the bathroom window open so they could come and go as they pleased during the day (they stay inside at night). Now my other cat, Charlie, used to always walk with me when I walked my mom's dog. They were short walks as it's an old and lazy dog, but Charlie was 'street smart' enough to avoid other dogs and roads and keep a bit of distance. And here with my own dog, he started doing that again immidiately. Now I have to admit, I've always had that 'click' with Charlie. I love him wether he snuggles all day or not, and I trust him. I already have this connection with my dog too. I've never had it with Cassie. As she grew older, honestly, I've just started liking her less. She's pretty dumb, not even kidding, I always tell people she has 2 brain cells. And just as I said, not affectionate at all. I feel guilty for thinking all this, but the kitten fun factor she had has been gone for a while. What doesn't help with that is the stress I had with her recent pregnancy. It was unwanted, but I wanted to let the kittens come anyway. They all died within a week. Wich is stressfull and sad enough in itself, but Cassie got in heat again like a week later and she became unbearable. She kept trying to escape outside, even opening the bathroom window herself, yowling and driving everyone crazy in general to the point where Charlie, who's been neutered at 6 months, started humping her. Luckily I was able to push my vet into spaying her soon after. It's no longer a problem of course, but it didn't help with the liking.
The real problem is, she'll walk with me when I walk the dog, just as Charlie does. Charlie returns home at the end of the street. But as I said, Cassie only has 2 brain cells, and neither of them are street smart. She'll cross right between me and the dog, tripping over the leash. She'll get into the sights of virtually every dog we come across. And worst of all, she'll cross streets randomly, not smart enough to realise there are cars. If I have to wait before crossing, she'll just run ahead, sometimes just standing on the road in the middle because she's confused.
This evening I hit the breaking point. I waited to cross the road with the dog and Cassie ran ahead, got tired halfway through and just laid down right there. If the car that was approaching hadn't seen her or hadn't cared, I would've been scraping her off the asphalt now. I messaged my mom in anger later, and she suggested rehoming too, but she also thought she might be so intent on following me because she's afraid I'll leave, wich only makes it harder to make a decision. I can't put her inside before every walk. She'll usually be outside already and she's agile and fast enough to not get caught. Also not a food cat so unlurable. No way I can make her an indoor cat either.
TL;DR: Semi-outdoor cat that can't be put inside keeps following me on dog walks, keeps dangerously crossing roads. Don't have the connection with her that I have with my 2 other pets either and rehoming seems to be the only option.
What are you guys' opinions on this? Should I rehome her? What causes this behaviour in this rather extreme way? Can I somehow train her out of it without the use of.. anything tbh. Can't think of anything she likes.
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from Pets https://www.reddit.com/r/Pets/comments/bg5ket/is_rehoming_my_cat_the_best_option/
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