Cat follows mom to workplace and we can't have that
Hi, we have a problem and I'd like to hear some advice, have pretty limited info as I have what I get from my mom, I live way too far. But I'll try to include everything important.
Our cat lives part home and part outside, I don't agree with this cat lifestyle, but not up to me to decide. She's a year young, so still can be taught and re-taught hopefully. She had the habit of following us when we go outside. Have a store a few meters away, she goes with us and waits up to a few minutes. That wasn't really a problem, she stayed in the area. Now the problem, 2 days ago my mom had her morning shift and left home at 3:15 am, but cat followed her to her workplace. That's like 20 minute walk for me, for mom it's around 30 minutes. So cat took a half an hour walk with my mom to her workplace. Some good samaritans in the store next door gave our cat some poultry. Until mom's shift is done a cat is posted on Facebook as a suspected missing cat in her usual spot by our house. So she found her way home. Today the story repeats, mom leaves for morning shift, cat follows, gets some meat and goes home.
Obviously we don't want our cat taken away and it's very unusual for a sterilized female cat to go such long distance on a daily basis. Maybe she found route that isn't claimed by other cats, but she shouldn't keep territory this huge. Plus my mom is her head caretaker in the sense of feeding and cleaning litterbox, but she doesn't give her any affection and the cat doesn't hear on mom's calls, only lil bro's.
How would you try to re-taught the cat? I did suggest feeding her right before leaving the doors and closing her at home. Mom is also looking into the possibility that cat feels something medically wrong with her. Tomorrow mom doesn't have a shift, so she'll try to leave but keep cat home, so we'll see. Any advice welcomed!
Edit: Other concern I suddenly acquired is the fact that neighbours have outdoor only cats that enter our garden on regular basis and this little lady cat doesn't defend this territory very successfully. Is it possible she lost this territory and lost interest and tries to find a new one? Could we get rid of the mark of other cat and replace it with our cat's marks?
Edit 2: Thanks for the suggestions! Thankfully mom took a 2 week time off, so no one will be leaving the house until dawn. Both the adults will keep an eye on cat when leaving the house and use treats to distract if necessary, so she will not be escorting anyone anymore. Plan B if she slips out, she'll be led back home. And plan C personnel in the butcher's will be asked not to feed her. For the "our garden isn't her safe space" the other cats will be shooed away as they are skittish of people and hopefully we won't have to step up and get a cat repellent for the fence that separates their and our garden. Thankfully since the cat will be kept home for more time now, her emergency dry food outside won't be necessary anymore and that should also keep the other cats away, hopefully. So fingers crossed, it will just be a funny story how our cat escorted my mum twice to work and landed herself on Facebook 😂