my cat wants to come shopping with me.....

[deeplybaffled]

I live in a quiet cul de sac about 3 mins from the local shops, which are on a fairly busy road. Recently, pretty much each time I leave the house on foot, the cat follows me!
It's worse if my husband and I leave on foot together to go anywhere, as she's followed us for about 1/4 of a mile before one of us has had to take her home for fear of her getting too close to a main road as I doubt she has much road sense.
We've tried leaving separately so she doesn't think we are both leaving her - she just followed me on my own- ; giving her treats to distract her before we go-she's seen through that one -; and ignoring her when she gollows us with no comment or eye contact - she just shouted louder and louder at us and marched onwards, but getting very distressed.
I refuse to start driving everywhere to evade her, but can't shut the cat flap when we leave as last time we did that, she clawed at it until she got her foot stuck and hurt it!
Fwiw, she's a 2 year old siberian forest cat, bright if it suits her and an only cat.
Does anyone have any bright ideas?!

Thank you

[cozietoesie]

Online shopping and home delivery - or wait until she's out of the house doing something. I had a cat like that and he just liked shopping, seeing people, what was happening on the roads, getting the craic, you name it. We had to give in, eventually.

I'm sorry - that's not helpful, is it. But when you get a seriously streetwise cat, I'm not sure there's much you can do without seriously upsetting them. They sure use all of their nine, though.

[sashh]

Why can't she go to the shop with you?

Can't you shut the cat in?

[cozietoesie]

PS

The 'wait until she's out of the house doing something' might be a tad optimistic. I've been down for messages before (thinking I'd got away with it) and walked out of a shop to find a cat disporting himself outside in the middle of the street - having worked out that that was where I had likely gone.

[Fluffycloudland77]

A harness might work. Or a puppy crate.

[IsletsOfLangerhans]

Sounds like our cat. He followed us to the allotments yesterday, spent an hour and a half chasing butterflies (and rolling in other peoples onion rows ), then followed us home again when we left.

[deliasmithy]

When I lock our cat flap I put a box or other barrier in front of it to stop them trying to break through.

[cozietoesie]

Have you seen the size of SFCs though delia? You'd need an armoured door.

[Sparklingbrook]

How about this? Or this

Seriously Sparkling Cat would come for a walk with me if she could. I have to try and make sure she doesn't see me leave.

[deliasmithy]

Lolz!

Well I didn't mean a shoe box, I put my homemade cardboard cat fortress (2 ftx3ft) in front of ours and then block that in with a chair.

[Fluffycloudland77]

The ginger cat in that second link just looks depressed to me.

[cozietoesie]

Actually, he looks to me as if he's planning an escape. There's something calculating about his stare.

[Sparklingbrook]

He should look like this after the shopping trip though.

[cozietoesie]

[QOD]

We have to run. Very fast. I'm no help!

[deeplybaffled]

At least I'm not the only one with the problem! And I refuse to develop cat precipitated agoraphobia.....
Have tried a lead twice. Madam was underwhelmed.
Am loving the pushchair though.....now how do I convince the local pub that she's just a rather hirsute toddler?

[cozietoesie]

Just be sure to quote her age in cat years and not human years.

[LEMisdisappointed]

This reminds me of my old cat from when i was a child. My dad used to work night shifts on the railway and used to go by train. The cat used to follow him to the end of the road, but one night, not so long after dad left, he was back - the bloody cat got on the train with him!!! so he had to get off and bring him home! In the end my mum used to have to walk to the station with him so she could bring the sodding cat back!

[deeplybaffled]

I can see that one coming! Dh has just set off to the co op with the cat in hot pursuit. I am awaiting developments. Tbh, I would be quite happy to send her on her own if she could be trusted to get everything on the list.....

[ClaraOswald]

My mum's tortie used to follow her partway to the garage where mum would get the meters topped up. She then waited at the corner as Mum crossed the main road and escorted Mum back to the house. Occasionally she needed to relieve herself which mum found her doing directly into the drains.

[Fluffycloudland77]

We drove along a country lane one night and as I pulled out to drive around a man with a yellow lab I commented to dh he ought to have the small dog on a lead too.

Small dog was a ginger cat, the Labrador had a look of resignation on his face.

[frostyfingers]

Our hand reared ginger smuggles himself into the car if you leave the door open - 30 minutes into a 2 hour trip a very pleased with himself cat announced his presence by bouncing onto the passenger seat with a loud chirrup.

I nearly crashed the car - and had to turn round and go back again, I was not amused, and very late!

[FairPhyllis]

The cat here wanted to come to the cinema to watch Star Trek with us last night. His allegiance is to Next Generation rather than the original series, though, so we said no.

I have no good ideas. Put down food as you go out? That might occupy her but result in fat cat?