I stole someone's cat??

calicoprincess

TCS Member
Thread starter
Alpha Cat
Joined
Nov 14, 2007
Messages
373
Purraise
1
Location
Saint Louis
I was at Petsmart this weekend to get some stuff for the cats and I took Bentley and Nemo along. I do that a lot because I want them to be used to strangers and their harnesses. Well I was chatting with one of the vet tachs at Banfield when a woman walked up to us and started petting the boys. I didn't pay much attention to her at first because people always come over to pet the cats when I have them with me. About a minute later, the woman tried to tell me that I stole her cat! Apparently, she had a grey tabby like Bentley that got away from her about a year ago. She claims he had the same bend in his tail and everything! I really didn't know how to react. If you've read Bentley's page, you know he showed up at my door. Well when he first showed up, he was extremely skinny and scared of everything. The vet said that it was obvious that he wasn't well taken care of but he said that he probably had not been out on the streets for very long. I didn't want someone to be looking for their cat and not know where he was so I put up posters around the area and called all of the local shelters and vets and no one answered any of my attempts to find his home. Even if Bentley was her missing cat, she obviously didn't look for him very hard. The petsmart that we were at had found cat posters up about him for two months! Thank god, the vet tech was there, she told the woman that she was very sorry that she was missing her cat but that she knew me very well and was positive that I would never steal anyone's cat. She also told the woman that if he was indeed her cat, there had been signs up at the office for over two months when I found him and no one asked about them.

I just don't get it. Yes it is possible that Bentley was her cat, but how after a year of her not looking for him, does she decide to accuse someone of stealing her cat?
 

twstychik

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 27, 2006
Messages
5,720
Purraise
4
Location
Northern IN
Good thing the tech was there to tell her. Even if Bently was her cat I'm positive he's in a much better home now. Don't feel bad... you saved him!
 

EnzoLeya

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Mar 31, 2007
Messages
5,154
Purraise
8
Location
South East Iowa
Oh my goodness!!!! What a crazy story! I wouldn't know what to do! Thank goodness that vet tech was there to back you up! I've been half-way worried about people saying something like that to me about Leya and Stuart. However I know both of them came from bad situations, so I wouldn't feel bad.

If you put posters up it's her own fault for not looking!!!!

I found a dog (of course no collar) and put up posters, called places, and even posted on a lost animal sight. All of which had pictures of the dog. It only took one week for the person to come across the posteres. They were so worried and were about in tears. They were so Thankful I picked her up and I told them they would have gotten her back that same night if she had a collar with some information.
 

anmccleod

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Jul 17, 2007
Messages
224
Purraise
2
Location
Arkansas
I wouldn't worry about her, she obviously wasn't too worried about her cat being missing or else she would have seen the posters.
 

glitch

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Nov 12, 2007
Messages
3,773
Purraise
3
Location
In the land of Fur
Oh Im sorry that even happened to you! I think you probably handled it better than I would have... Im quite sure I would have been like "BACK OFF MY CAT LADY!! THEIF!! SHE'S TRYING TO STEAL MY CAT!!!"


But thats just me... hehe
 

twstychik

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 27, 2006
Messages
5,720
Purraise
4
Location
Northern IN
Originally Posted by glitch

Oh Im sorry that even happened to you! I think you probably handled it better than I would have... Im quite sure I would have been like "BACK OFF MY CAT LADY!! THEIF!! SHE'S TRYING TO STEAL MY CAT!!!"


But thats just me... hehe
That's what I was thinking.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #7

calicoprincess

TCS Member
Thread starter
Alpha Cat
Joined
Nov 14, 2007
Messages
373
Purraise
1
Location
Saint Louis
I think if the tech hadn't been standing there I might have freaked out.

I just don't get it. If you are missing a cat and you care about it, you look for it. I put posters up all over the area so she obviously didn't look too hard. If you have a cat that goes missing and you don't care about it, and you don't look for it then logically you don't accuse someone of stealing it more then a year later!!
 

glitch

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Nov 12, 2007
Messages
3,773
Purraise
3
Location
In the land of Fur
More than a year later after you posted posters and all, I wouldn't have cared what I did just as long as she didn't get the kitty! You handled it really well, you did everything you could and she wasn't interested in him then so, Im glad the tech was there.... hehe
 

mochapenguin

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Nov 27, 2007
Messages
69
Purraise
2
Location
Omaha, Nebraska - sometimes Sweden
If I lost my cat, not only would I go around looking for posters about her, I would put up my OWN posters hoping people would find her! If she didn't even care that much, kitty is much better off with you!
 

rang_27

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
May 28, 2002
Messages
4,304
Purraise
5
Location
Milwaukee, WI
I have to say that when Jordan & Levi were young one of my biggest fears was that someone would come into the shelter looking for a kitten that fit one of their descriptions. They had been found on the street on their own (about a month apart), but because they were both so friendly I knew they had been raised around people. They are 4 now & I don't worry about that any more.

I have to say that even if he had been her cat, after a year she has no proof.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #11

calicoprincess

TCS Member
Thread starter
Alpha Cat
Joined
Nov 14, 2007
Messages
373
Purraise
1
Location
Saint Louis
I know that Bentley is much better off with me even if he was her cat originally. He was so terrified of everything when he came around that I am pretty sure he was mistreated before showing up on my doorstep (of course that could have just been from the days outside). Either way though, if one of my cats got away, I would be going crazy looking for them! The way I see it, if you have a pet that runs away and you don't even look for it, then you didn't deserve the pet in the first place. Sorry if anyone thinks that sounds harsh (although I don't think anyone here will) some people just irk me.
 

EnzoLeya

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Mar 31, 2007
Messages
5,154
Purraise
8
Location
South East Iowa
Originally Posted by CalicoPrincess

I know that Bentley is much better off with me even if he was her cat originally. He was so terrified of everything when he came around that I am pretty sure he was mistreated before showing up on my doorstep (of course that could have just been from the days outside). Either way though, if one of my cats got away, I would be going crazy looking for them! The way I see it, if you have a pet that runs away and you don't even look for it, then you didn't deserve the pet in the first place. Sorry if anyone thinks that sounds harsh (although I don't think anyone here will) some people just irk me.
Nope! I totally agree!
 

catkiki

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Aug 17, 2005
Messages
4,591
Purraise
66
Location
Somewhere in the US
I agree! When my RB kitty, Kiki, went missing about 15 yrs ago. I was out for a couple of hours calling and calling her. I finally found her the next street over cowering under a car.She was all covered in oil too!! Mike and I pampered and cleaned her up. She was sooo happy to see me!
 

vrgchs

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Oct 26, 2006
Messages
344
Purraise
1
Location
California
He is lucky he has you!! I am sure he is much better off now with you then he was with her!!!
 

blondrebel76

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Dec 9, 2007
Messages
667
Purraise
1
Location
osage reservation oklahoma
I had a simular experiance, except it was one of our kitty cafe cats that was getting claimed. This woman came from down the street yelling at me for stealing her cat. She was pointing at Tippy, one of the cats who eats here everyday and stays almost all day on the porch. I had no dispute that it might be her cat, and i told her this. I told her to go ahead and take him home, i had no problem with it. This made her even madder and she said she had done that 3 times in the last week, only "booger" as she calls him, scratched and bit her and ran right back here. She demanded i stop feeding the cats so her cat would stay home! My brother who is a police officer just happened to stop in for his lunch break at the moment and caught what was going on and sent her on her way. If you dont feed your cat, of course its gonna go somewhere it can eat! DUH! some people!
 

iluvdevons

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
May 31, 2007
Messages
757
Purraise
2
Location
Lincoln, NE
What a bizarre situation!! I wouldn't feel terrible as you did everything you could to advertise you had found Bentley. If she was truly concerned, she would have contacted animal control and found him easily, but obviously she didn't even make that small effort.
 

green bunny

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Mar 23, 2007
Messages
625
Purraise
1
Location
Here and there
I agree with the others; I wouldn't worry about it. Who knows if he was really once her cat? Heck, she may just be nuts. But, at any rate, a year ago when you found him you tried to find his owner. You did everything right, but you didn't find his owner. It was meant to be for you to have him.

Tricia
 

carwashcats

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
Jul 24, 2005
Messages
895
Purraise
1
Location
Texas
I don't know what my reaction had been had I been in your shoes? Maybe the cat had gotten misplaced and lost couldn't find it's way home! and it was on the streets longer than the vet thought, (their not always right)
Just askin? See since GiGi has gone, I honestly think a predator got her,
but there is that possiblity that she got lost and wandered up to someone's home and they took her over! But....I have searched, talked to, put posters out, redid the posters, I have called, shelters, vets, I even drove 22 miles to the next town to check out a gray cat, I found it and it wasn't her!
So if by chance, I happen to run across her somewhere with someone else!
I would never accuse them of stealing her! I would be so thankful that they had taken good care of her! and I guess I would offer money, a kidney or whatever to have her back! I would completely lose it if they didn't understand how I felt, and if they still didn't, well I might have to steal my cat back! Because if by chance she is still alive, and at someone's home. and they found her skinny, (G wasn't very old, 1 1/2 and by no means fat, or anywhere near getting fat) if she wander for even a few days without eating
I'm sure she would look like maybe I didn't take good care of her! Heck she ran off everything she did eat, she was the life in my house, and kept the older farts on their toes! I miss her! terribly!!!!I know everyone within a 10 to 15 mile radius knows that she is that missing cat on the posters! I even had a call from someone who lives downtown, last Friday, mind you G has been gone since Oct. 23, anyway, the lady said she remembered seeing my poster, she said she read it around Thanksgiving! She said there is a gray cat that came up to her home around that time but ate and ran away, but she said it had come back, and her husband saw it from behind and it was a male cat!
I was disappointed, to say the least, but thrilled that someone still cared enough to call me!!! The only thing i can say to ya is follow your heart, and always follow your 1st instinct! If you know for a fact she wasn't caring or taking care of the cat, then so be it! but can you imagine if it were one of
yours and someone else had it? she must not of cared too much and i do agree with how you feel!!! 100 %!! Would you consider giving her back if
the lady did whatever it took? too prove herself a fit owner? just asking in case I'm ever in this situation?
 

sakura

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Oct 21, 2007
Messages
1,604
Purraise
3
You didn't "steal" any cat, you saved a neglected cat.

That person is just dillusional. In the slim chance that it did actually once belong to her, you own it by adverse possession
(ok, I know a cat isn't real estate but anyway).

Crazy lady. Sorry you had to go through that!

I've always been curious to see what the people were like (or person) that used to own Mattie. I can't imagine anyone giving her up, so I'm super curious.
 
Top