Your cat comes home smelling of someone else's kitchen, is putting on weight from food you did not give her, and has a standing appointment at the house down the street. It feels like a small betrayal, but it is rarely a conflict. She is an opportunist visiting a second restaurant, and the neighbor is usually a kind person who enjoys her company and may honestly believe she needs the food. The fix is diplomatic at their door and practical at yours.
The Friendly No-Feeding Conversation
Have a friendly no-feeding conversation first, in person, with thanks before requests. Thank them for looking out for her, explain that she has a home, a feeding routine and possibly a diet that extra meals quietly undermine, and ask them clearly to stop feeding her. Most people stop at once when they understand the meals are a problem rather than a pleasure, especially if you make clear she is still welcome to visit for company. Avoid framing the chat as blame, because a neighbor who feels accused may keep feeding her out of defiance or simply stop telling you, and you lose both the information and the goodwill.
If she wears no collar, the neighbor may reasonably have assumed she was a stray. A breakaway collar that releases if it snags, carrying an ID tag with her name, your number and a line saying she is owned and fed, answers that assumption for the whole street, not just one household.
Make Home More Magnetic
While you work on the neighbor's bowl, remove the reasons she prefers their house. Make home more magnetic: scheduled meals served at predictable times she can set her day by, so she is hungry at home rather than at theirs; garden play in the part of the day when she usually wanders; and the sunny spot kept available and undisturbed, whether that is a windowsill bed or a sheltered garden seat. A cat whose home offers food on time, play and the good sleeping place has less reason to commute.
Keep her in at the neighbor's usual feeding times as well. If she is always fed there at six, keeping her indoors from five until her own scheduled meal lands for a few weeks breaks the appointment habit, and habits, once the reward stops arriving, fade quickly.
If the Feeding Continues
If polite asking fails and the feeding continues, put your request in a short, friendly letter so it is on record, and speak to your vet if her weight or a medical diet makes the extra food a health issue rather than an annoyance. Resist escalating into a street feud over a cat who will cheerfully exploit tension at both houses. In most cases the conversation, the collar and a better offer at home settle it within weeks.
Family Sharing through KinsLe supports that routine, because relatives can check her care details in one shared place before offering any extra food.