Back in October of last year, a group of 3 cats started showing up around our townhouse. There was one older black and white cat and then two younger brown and black cats. They would show up at all hours of the day and night and just hang around in our front yard. This was new and they hadn’t shown up before. After a few days, we purchased some cat treats for them and would give them to them when they would come by during the day.
Our neighbors in the townhome complex also noticed this. The person in the unit next to us sent out a text to our townhome group and asked if the black and white cat was anyones (it wasn’t). She also checked with the neighbors next door (the same ones referenced here) and it wasn’t theirs either. She proceeded to take her to the vet, get her examined/chipped and adopted her.
The other two brown and black cats kept coming around, specifically the male one. After another week or so of him stopping by sporadically, we caught him and took him to the vet. The vet examined him – no chip, no collar, not neutered – and we adopted him.
Fast forward to earlier this week and the cat was out on our balcony. Our next door neighbor (not in the townhome complex) apparently saw him out on the balcony and took a picture of him. He came by and rang our doorbell but we didn’t come to the door. He then came back later that night with his kids and they left a note on our front door.
Apparently this was their cat that ran away. The note said that they "lost" him in late October (basically the same time that we took him to the vet and adopted him) and thought he had died/ran away, etc. They said he was a very special cat to them, born in their daughter’s bed, etc. and wanted him back.
We don’t feel like we should give him back. The whole group just randomly started to show up one day, so we thought they were just a group of strays. He didn’t have a collar or chip and wasn’t neutered so we didn’t think that it belonged to anyone. We have already paid for him to be neutered and chipped, so I don’t feel like we should give him back at this point.
AITA for not giving the cat back?
EDIT: They didn’t post any "lost cat" flyers around the neighborhood and also didn’t make any posts on Nextdoor/Facebook/Ring as far as we can tell. The note also told us his old name, which he doesn’t respond to when called. We have, obviously, bonded to the cat as well since we have had him.
EDIT 2: The cat previously got out from our house back in December and ran away for a few hours, however, he came back. If it was really their cat, wouldn’t he have gone to their house instead?
I don’t know if there’s enough information here to make a judgment. Ask for photos, documentation, literally anything to prove his story, although I think it would be a really silly thing to make up. But it’s best to be cautious. If it seems highly possible it’s their cat, ask them if they can reimburse what you paid for the cat’s treatment and microchipping. If they won’t (or won’t agree to a payment schedule), I’d keep the cat because it must not be that important to them. I think you need more information before deciding here.
This is the answer. If it is their cat and “special” to them, they should be able to prove it.
Ask in a way that suggests you want to make sure it’s the right cat. After all, there was no collar, no chip, etc. so it might not actually be their cat. A good pet owner would have some documentation (proof of vaccinations, pictures, vet records, etc.). If they do, I would give them their cat back but demand they reimburse you for doing their job for them and getting the cat neutered and chipped. If they don’t, tell them “so sad, too bad” and keep the cat with a free conscience. Because even if it is their cat, they clearly don’t care about it enough to take care of it.
I agree with this – I’d want to see proof the cat lived in their home, and as they have been irresponsible for it, should reimburse for the vet costs.
i’d ask for proof
YWBTA if you don’t at least talk to the guy. Hes not making an unreasonable ask. People’s pets get lost, they miss them and try to find them and get them back.
NTA! Keep the cat. It is safer and better off with you. If they cared so much it would not have been outside in the first place and would have been neutered.
If they’d cared for it, it would be chipped and fixed
An outdoor unfixed cat is not acceptable
NTA
Keep the cat
How can he prove it?
NTA imo.
The cat had no information on it, wasn’t fixed and since the “owners” didn’t post anything I’d keep the cat.
It’s insanely irresponsible to let a not neutered/chipped cat outside.
They can get another cat and now do everything they’re supposed to make sure that if it gets lost, it’ll be identifiable.
Ask for proof and reimbursement. Honestly, depending on where you live, you might not legally have to return the cat.
NTA. If the cat has no chip. by law (at least in my country), he has no legal owner: If it was their cat and they love him so much, why no chip (as no vet that i know would give a cat/dog any vaccination/rabies shot… without a chip to register it to)
NTA … if he was as “special” as they are saying, he would have at the very least had a collar and flyers put up, posts online etc, he wouldn’t have been intact and he should have been chipped, if you are going to let your cat wander, a collar is the bare minimum, the fact that he was intact and not chipped would imply that he was not vaccinated and therefore at risk of FIV, Rabies, and a while multitude of other diseases, at best they were irresponsible, but in my opinion, they were negligent. The cat chose his home, and it wasn’t them.
Where are you from? UK cat’s have to be chipped by law.
We had a stray turn up. Put up flyers, door to door notes. Took him to the vets as he was in a very bad way (broken tail with the skin off the end). They said they had scanned him but the phone number was no longer in use. We paid £1k in vets bills. Then the original owner finally responded to a letter the vet sent about 6 weeks later. I said we would give him back when they paid me back the vets bills. They decided they weren’t doing that. So I kept the cat.
Point is, you have had the cat a while and had vets bills. Didn’t the vet think “Hey, someone came in with a missing cat poster and it looks like this one?” Have this family provided any proof it was their cat and offered to cover your bills? Whilst the cat was their property I would be asking what they did to locate the cat originally. Because if the local vets didn’t know, local social media pages and without any notes about a missing cat, then it sounds like they weren’t that bothered. If a cat isn’t being looked after well then vote with their feet and move.
Just tell them that if they can prove that this is their cat, you are open to a discussion. Outside of that, you have nothing to say. NAH- just a cat who wants a good home, and it sounds like they found it with you. If it was truly their cat that was “so special” theyd have tons of pictures, vet bills, adoption records, etc. I take a picture of my pet at least 5 times a day! If the cat was born in their daughters bed? Oh they have pictures.