A woman believed for months that she was caring for a stray cat, but recently she discovered the feline returned near her home wearing a collar and an AirTag.
Brittney Alicea told Newsweek via TikTok that she began feeding a stray cat in September. She quickly grew attached to him the more he visited, even becoming worried after he arrived covered in thick ice during a blizzard in the New York area. Seeing this prompted her to create a warm, covered area for him. He continued to return daily throughout the last few months.
However, when the cat she’s named Chico arrived as usual last week, she saw him wearing a collar with an AirTag attached. Surprised, she began to wonder if this “stray” had been playing both her and his potential other family. She shared her decision to send Chico on his way with a note attached—hoping to discover an owner—in a TikTok video posted last week to her account @bts.w.brittney.
Alicea wrote on the note: “Hello, I hope this letter makes it to this cat’s owner. My partner and I assumed this cat was a stray. We feed him every morning and night. He even spends some time in our house playing with our cats.”
Days passed since she put the note on Chico’s collar with no response, but she is unsure whether the note stayed attached.
“With how active this kitty is, I’m not quite sure it ever made it to where it was meant to go,” she said. “We plan to try again with maybe a more secure way, so it’s not so easy to get lost on his way.”
Since then, Chico continues to return to her home, meowing at the bedroom window to let her know he has arrived. She said that he usually waits until she gets home from work, timing it so he can be let inside for snuggles and playtime with her cats.
While she awaits a response, she shared the revelation on TikTok, which has amassed over 1.3 million views. Users were quick to reply that they were not surprised, given that cats have a history of fooling multiple families.
Outdoor cats often lead more socially complex lives than their owners realize. According to GPS tracking data from Weenect, as reported by PETBOOK, about 60 percent of cats regularly spend time with neighbors without their owners knowing, suggesting what researchers describe as a “double life” or “second family.” They have learned which nearby homes are welcoming, returning to places where they may find additional food or attention.
“Ma’am, I have to tell you the cat is a cheater,” wrote a viewer.
Someone else added: “I call that having joint custody. One of my cats spends half his time at the neighbors’.”
Many shared similar situations: “My cat gets a bath every other week. I don’t know who’s bathing him, but it ain’t me, he comes home looking so clean.”
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
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