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Lost cat found...but not the usual ending

post #1 of 43
1/19/08 at 3:39pm
Thread Starter 
This is a true story I heard on the radio some time ago - I've never been able to forget it. Sorry I don't have a link for it. (I can't remember the cat's name so I've called her "Maggie" for the purpose of telling the story).


A couple in a small city had a cat, Maggie. Maggie was far more than a pet to the couple. She was their 4-legged child.

The unthinkable happened one day when Maggie somehow got out of the house and became lost. Devastated, the couple threw all of their energy into finding Maggie. They blanketed the city with "lost cat" posters, searched all the shelters, did everything they could think of to find her.

After three agonizing days of worry, the heartbroken couple returned home from yet another fruitless search at a shelter to find a note on their door.

"I've found your cat. She's not injured and appears to be healthy..."
As the woman cried with relief, her husband continued to read the note.
"I wanted you to know she is safe. Maggie and my little girl have formed a strong bond and love each other. My daughter is autistic and the change in her since Maggie's been here is amazing. Maggie is a miracle for my girl. For the first time, my daughter is starting to communicate and respond to people normally. I know this will be hard for you, and I'm sorry, but I just can't separate my daughter and this cat. I promise you Maggie will be loved and have the best care always..."

The note was unsigned.

Imagine Maggie is your cat. Would knowing that Maggie is helping an autistic child make a difference?
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post #2 of 43
1/19/08 at 3:44pm
If it were me in that case I would gladly give the little girl my cat, on one very firm condition, that I could still visit my cat. I have an older sister who is mentally disabled and so I can see it from the perspective of the mother. But I don't agree that she didn't give the owners the choice.
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post #3 of 43
1/19/08 at 4:37pm
My cats are my babies, so no, i'm afraid i wouldn't let her keep one of my cats.

I'm sure she would form a bond with another kitten/cat from a shelter?.
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post #4 of 43
1/19/08 at 5:06pm
I agree with Susan I have had my cats for a long time I could not bear to give one up ..
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post #5 of 43
1/19/08 at 5:07pm
Yes, as much as I would miss Maggie and want her back, if her "purpose" was to help another person overcome something, I would be happy to let her stay with the person.

That's a great story.
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post #6 of 43
1/19/08 at 5:11pm
As long as that person was telling the truth. I'd want evidence and I'd want to know the living situation and everything else. And no, I probably wouldn't let them keep my beloved pet regardless. There are plenty of kittens and cats in shelters. She can have one of those. And she can also come and visit Maggie as much as she likes. But my animals are my children, too, so sorry, they belong with me.
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post #7 of 43
1/19/08 at 5:29pm
Not a chance.
Autisitc child or not, I would do be demanding my cat back.
It's like asking, what if you child got lost, and some nice family found him/her, would you let that family keep your child if they had an autistic child who got alone with your child?
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post #8 of 43
1/19/08 at 6:05pm
In a heartbeat i would. People, esp children with those kinds of issues deserve whatever makes their lives a little better.
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post #9 of 43
1/19/08 at 6:12pm
I heard a very simalar story a short time ago but it was a pug!
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post #10 of 43
1/19/08 at 6:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mom2raven View Post
I heard a very simalar story a short time ago but it was a pug!
Maybe it's an urban legend.
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post #11 of 43
1/19/08 at 6:26pm
Could be - but it raises interesting questions. However, I wouldn't let my child go and live with someone else just because it made their daughter happy. Same with my furbabies. They are my children, just as much as the one I'm carrying is. This baby will simply be our third baby, that's all. If people think that's strange, well, they can think what they like!
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post #12 of 43
1/19/08 at 6:29pm
My cats are my babies! So no! If she wouldn't give her back I would call the police. I wouldn't relinquish my kitties to anyone, no matter what the reason.

Now on the other hand if I were an abusive fur meowmy and let my cat run around outside all of the time and didn't pay any attention where they were or if they were fed, then no, I wouldn't deserve to have them back. In fact I have rehomed cats and dogs because of that.
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post #13 of 43
1/19/08 at 6:38pm
Quote:
Would knowing that Maggie is helping an autistic child make a difference?
Hell no. I love my cats more than life itself. My cats keep me sane and give me a sense of purpose. We have an unbreakable bond it's why I choose them out of the thousands of cats I see every year.

I get that the kid needs a pet, but there are animal shelters everywhere for them to choose from. I am willing to bet any cat would do.
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post #14 of 43
1/19/08 at 6:48pm
I went to the pug forum that I visit and found the story I was thinking of:
http://www.pugvillage.com/forum/show...ht=hold+babies

And here is a link to the news story:
http://www.elpasotimes.com/ci_7883599
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post #15 of 43
1/19/08 at 7:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mom2raven View Post
I went to the pug forum that I visit and found the story I was thinking of:
http://www.pugvillage.com/forum/show...ht=hold+babies

And here is a link to the news story:
http://www.elpasotimes.com/ci_7883599
In the case of the news story here, my answer would change! I would want my baby back!! I would be more than happy to recommend a good shelter for the woman and would even give her the money to adopt a pet from there for her daughter. In the case of the autistic child I would let her have my baby--I know that sounds odd of a lot of people on here. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my furbabies! But autistic children are typically very upset by anything new. So the little girl bonding and showing drastic improvement with the cat to me seems to be something much more. I would honestly see it as the providence of God. God using something that was hard for me to be wonderful for someone else. (don't get me wrong-I don't mean that God would hurt one person to help another) I would find extreme peace and satisfaction knowing that my kitty had made such a difference in child's life. But I would still want to get to visit my baby.
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post #16 of 43
1/19/08 at 7:19pm
I would never be able to willingly, or unwillingly give up my furbaby like that. My Limerick is like my child and you better believe I would be taking that note to the police. Call me mean but I just could not do it.
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post #17 of 43
1/19/08 at 7:38pm
Call me selfish, but in my book: No. Either case for the autistic and especially the Scooter story (that $20 would have me even more than the letter).

If someone in my neighborhood left an anonymous note on my door "promising" me that my baby was being taken care of and was trying to pull my heart strings would put on the phone with the police faster than you could say "banana". Why?
It's stealing in my book. I would view the note as a type of ransom note and a teaser. I would be better off never knowing what happened to my four legged friend. The fact that someone left a note on my door would tell me that they like to feel powerful against other people and that they KNOW THEY STOLE so they write the note to make themselves feel superior to the other person because they feel guilty and insecure about what they did.

With the autistic child, that would have to be a case I would have to see with my own eyes before I could make a consious decision. If this person/neighbor came forward personally instead of through a note, explained to me what was going on and showed me my baby's new life, I would have better respect for the person. I would still offer to adopt them a new cat though...
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post #18 of 43
1/19/08 at 7:50pm
I work with autistic children. So I have to call BS as this being a valid excuse for stealing a pet, whether a cat or dog. For the person to find a pet and not return it when they know the location of the legitimate owner is simply inexcusable. Sending a note to the real owner probably justified the theft in the thief's eyes, but it doesn't make it right.

Austistic children do have difficulty in bonding with people. They find it much easier to bond with pets. Most autistic children have a break-through moment when they seem to finally understand how to learn and make huge, incredible leaps in learning. You can see it in their eyes when they finally get it. It was probably one of those moments that happened to coinside with the arrival of the pet.
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post #19 of 43
1/19/08 at 8:25pm
That woman would be in jail for being a thief and her kid in CPS if her mother had any kind of custody, if I had to hire a private detective to do it. I rescued all my kitties, bottle fed half of them and they are my babies. There are many homeless pets that would love to have a child to love them, food and a warm place to sleep. It is not going to be any of mine.
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post #20 of 43
1/19/08 at 8:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jenniferd View Post
It's like asking, what if you child got lost, and some nice family found him/her, would you let that family keep your child if they had an autistic child who got alone with your child?
My cats are my children, so no sorry I wouldn't let them keep him/her.
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post #21 of 43
1/19/08 at 9:21pm
In the eye of the law - cats are property.

That's theft, and no way would I give up any of my babies.

(OK, I'd give up Ophelia if there were no other cats)
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post #22 of 43
1/20/08 at 3:56am
As an aside, I have to relay what my brother said to me today. My family were over for dinner to celebrate my birthday, and the dogs were outside, and I said `I wonder how my children are going?'. My brother said `you're going to have to call them something else once the baby's born, like `nephews' or something'. He said it nicely, with a smile, and he meant it nicely, but honestly, they just don't get it. I said, `Well, no, after bub comes the dogs will just be my older two children'. He laughed (again, in a nice way).

But this thread is like that - we have all of us referred to our furbabies as our children. Which they are. You don't just give one of them up because another child has developed a bond with them - whether that child is autistic or not. It's just not gonna happen.

My nephew is autistic but he still gets that he isn't allowed to keep something that doesn't belong to him.
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post #23 of 43
1/20/08 at 6:55am
I agree with the majority of the repliers here. No, I would not willingly give up my cat no matter the reason. If the autistic child was attached the cat, if I were the Mom I'd go to the animal shelter and get the child another cat and I'd get my cat back!
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post #24 of 43
1/20/08 at 7:56am
If my cat really formed a special bond with a child that would need him/her, I would gladly give up my cat. I would however much prefer having a contact with the family so I could see my cat again and make sure he/she is properly taken care of.

Actually, my cats are really bonded with each other so I might consider telling them to take both together (if that worked out).

I love my kitties and feel really lucky to have them in my life, but I would have to think of what is best for everyone, not just for me.

Maybe another solution would be to ask the mother if she could foster a homeless cat for a while and see if the child bonds with that one... then I could get my cat back.
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post #25 of 43
1/20/08 at 8:10am
If I just found a note like that, I would be absolutely furious.

However, I worked with autistic children for six years. They became like my own children. I saw how difficult it is for them to make sense of the world and to feel at home in it, and if my cat could help a child do that, then I would happily make that difficult decision, and I would let her have the cat.

The key word there being decision. If the note had been signed and had a phone number, and if the person asked, I would never say no, as long as I could be assured that my cat would be cared for and loved.

But to find an unsigned note like that would get my hackles up, and I'd probably call the police.
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post #26 of 43
1/20/08 at 8:14am
Nope, my cat and attempting to use a child to guilt trip me into giving up one of my cats would never work.

The better question is, as Mom of 4, pointed out - If any parent with an autistic child knew that a pet could make such a difference why wasn't a pet (such as one desperately needing a home) found for the child sooner? and legally, at that.

It's never ok to steal. If an autistic child was show interesting in some expensive toy in a store that the parent couldn't afford, would the parent steal it or attempt to guilt trip the store manager into giving them the item? Very unlikely, as this is definitely viewed as wrong - and socially at that. Pets do not suddenly become a grey area.
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post #27 of 43
1/20/08 at 8:24am
Quote:
Originally Posted by strange_wings View Post
Nope, my cat and attempting to use a child to guilt trip me into giving up one of my cats would never work.

The better question is, as Mom of 4, pointed out - If any parent with an autistic child knew that a pet could make such a difference why wasn't a pet (such as one desperately needing a home) found for the child sooner? and legally, at that.

It's never ok to steal. If an autistic child was show interesting in some expensive toy in a store that the parent couldn't afford, would the parent steal it or attempt to guilt trip the store manager into giving them the item? Very unlikely, as this is definitely viewed as wrong - and socially at that. Pets do not suddenly become a grey area.
Lexi is my child so I could not ever give her up. I've invested a lot of time and money getting her to where she is today. She is also the only thing I have left to look forward to when I get home and we share that special bond.
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post #28 of 43
1/20/08 at 7:19pm
First of all, there is no way Maia would ever "escape"................my kitty, past and present, never was out of thought long enough to escape. Second of all, if this had ever happened to me, I would have panicked all the same and after 3 days if I had received a note such as this, I would be so great full she was not just alive, but safe and happy. it would be very difficult to except, but if someone made the effort to write the note, I doubt it would be fake or false, and would think if first she escaped, second I received a note after 3 days, that it was meant to be......
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post #29 of 43
1/20/08 at 8:03pm
I have a few issues with the whole story.

First, if it's only been 3 days, how bonded could you be? Could you possibly be more bonded to MY cat that I've had for years? Could the cat be more bonded to YOU in three days??

Second, no name and no contact info make me question the whole story. It sounds very dishonest to me. If I can't see the situation myself, how do I know that you aren't selling my beloved baby to a research lab or dog fighters to use as bait?

I would definitely talk to my neighbors and see if they saw who left the note, gather as much info as I could before going to the ASPCA and police.
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post #30 of 43
1/21/08 at 5:54am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by valanhb View Post
I have a few issues with the whole story.

First, if it's only been 3 days, how bonded could you be? Could you possibly be more bonded to MY cat that I've had for years? Could the cat be more bonded to YOU in three days??

Second, no name and no contact info make me question the whole story. It sounds very dishonest to me. If I can't see the situation myself, how do I know that you aren't selling my beloved baby to a research lab or dog fighters to use as bait?

I would definitely talk to my neighbors and see if they saw who left the note, gather as much info as I could before going to the ASPCA and police.

How can you quantify bonding? It doesn't matter whether or not the cat is actually *more* bonded with her original family or with the little girl. The reality is that the woman who wrote the note *believes* that Maggie and her child have a special relationship.

Of course the woman is being dishonest by withholding her name and phone#. She knows if she divulges that info that Maggie's family will be contacting her immediately, wanting Maggie back. She can't take that chance. She can't lose this "miracle" for her daughter.

The woman knows she's wrong to keep Maggie from her family. The note is a way to ease her own conscience a little by letting the couple know that Maggie is safe and will be cared for. I would believe what she wrote because the cat has had such a dramatic effect on her daughter. Animal dealers do not leave reassuring notes for the people whose animals they steal.

Like you and most of the people who've posted, I would be furious and heartsick if this were my cat. I'd have that note dusted for fingerprints, hire a private investigator and put "Stolen Cat" flyers in every vet's office and every school that works with autistic kids. I would never stop searching for my baby.
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