40 Of The Best ‘My House, Not My Cat’ Moments That Left Humans Totally Bamboozled (New Pics)

To try and explain this common phenomenon of people spotting not their cats wandering around their homes, Bored Panda reached out to Molly DeVoss, a certified feline training and behavior specialist who runs the Cat Behavior Solutions agency.

When asked why cats go to the homes of strangers they don't even know, Molly said that it’s because more than 50% of people let their cats have access to the outdoors, so there are probably a lot of social cats roaming your neighborhood. “Cats are opportunists; they will hang out where the good food is. So perhaps they wander in because they smell something you’re cooking inside that appeals to them,” Molly explained.

The feline behaviorist also said that it may be because there are territorial cats, dogs or predators chasing them, and they seek your home as a safe refuge. “It could be that your home is more peaceful and serene than where they live. Cats are also curious, often wandering up to a quarter mile from home, so it could be that something inside piques their interest and they feel it merits investigation,” Molly told us.

Moreover, “27% of cats are adopted from the streets, which tells me that cats are also playing a role in choosing their home and family,” she added.

However, if you have cats of your own, it is not a good idea to encourage roaming cats to come near your home, Molly argues. “Your cat will see the cats outside, and in trying to protect their territory, may react with redirected aggression to you or other cats in your home,” she said and added that there are many humane deterrents that discourage cats from crossing your property.

 “On the other hand, if you don’t have a cat, and enjoy the company of the feline visitor, then you can encourage them to stay more often by feeding them regularly. It is not uncommon for an outdoor cat to ‘live’ at many homes within a few blocks of the person who it belongs to,” Molly said.

The feline behaviorist said that she has heard many stories of people whose cat eats dinner at one house, breakfast at another, and sleeps at home. “To be respectful of the owner, you should take the cat to your local shelter or veterinarian and have him scanned for a microchip; he may very well be someone’s missing cat.”

“If the cat visitor is not spayed or neutered, it’s also prudent to try to get that done as soon as possible, so they are not increasing the outdoor cat population,” Molly warned. Having said that in general, “If you provide a safe environment, with predictable feeding times, a cat is likely to become a frequent visitor – and may just adopt you,” Molly concluded in an interview.