Problem! What would you do?

About 2 months ago we took in a stray. This stray was in pretty bad shape, he had mites, meat missing from his neck, scratches all over his face and head that were infected along with an eye infection. It was the coldest month we had this winter and he was outdoors. We took him in since he was freezing and obviously suffering. Along with all of these ailments he wasnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t neutered.

We kept him in our back room which he was very thankful for and slept away the days while we helped his wounds. I wanted to keep him and my bf okâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ed it as long as he got along with our cats. Anyway long story short we took him for his final visit to the vet to get him neutered and the vet technician fell in love with him and asked if she could keep him if he didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t get along with my boys… Well he didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t get along with them, so now he my vet technicians fur baby. He is VERY well taken care of now. She loves and spoils him immensely.

So tonight my bf and I are eating dinner and I get a call from some kid (teenage maybe) asking for her cat back (a little rudely I might add)… Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m in shock because we found him 2 months ago! I asked her how she found out about him and she said there was a flyer at the pet store. When I made the flyers I didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t think to leave out any information so she may have been lying (donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t know why).

I did a bad thing and told her I gave him to friends who gave him to the SPCA. I took her number and said if I found anything out I would call her and hung up.

Now my dilemma.. What do I do? This cat was hurting, and she said she KNEW of his scratches… yet nothing was done.. This was an outdoor cat YET he wasnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t neutered.. and Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m so sorry if this isnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t your opinion but if you have an outdoor cat they should be fixed.. period… itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s one of the causes of why there will be so many neglected animals, in the city anyway. She said she recognized him from his scratches, well why didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t you clean them? Why didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t you keep him inside the cold? Why didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t you clean his mites?

My boyfriend says that maybe he got lost and became that way because he was lost but those scratches were fresh! She obviously neglected him.

So Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m thinking of calling my Tech and telling her whatâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s going on. My first impulse was to just keep this quiet though… what would you do?

Ditto.....don't let that kid near that poor animal! It has a loving home now....not to mention the tech would be heartbroken to give it up now! Also, it has been too long .....i would have been scouring the place if my cat was lost!! Putting up my OWN flyers. Like you said the obvious neglect is very telling...

I think you did the right thing protecting the poor thing. Good for you!

i think the kitty is better off where hes at.

I'd warn your tech - and that's it. The original 'owner' is clearly irreponsible, and maybe even abusive, given the lack of care given the cat (cat wasn't even chipped, right?) and stick to your story. And, she didn't supply any info that wasn't on the flyer, right? You can't know this is even the 'owner'. I've read it's always good to leave out at least a few identifying marks, to ensure you can really question callers before releasing a lost pet to them.

Thanks so much guys! I felt really bad about lying and wasnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t sure if it was the right thing to do. I mean I KNOW this cat shouldnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t go back but if that was my babies… id be going insane… but I guess thatâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s a different situation since I ACTUALLY care for my boys.

I called the vet tech this morning and she was outranged at the conversation I had with the original owner. I am happy about that, I was a bit worried since I didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t know if she would give the cat back. She asked for the number just in case and told me that unless they cause me problems, donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t tell them she has the cat. If they cause me problems, ill be hanging up the phone lol. She loves the cat and couldnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t stop talking about what a good boy he was, and how he was her best friend. Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m happy to know that she wonâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t give these idiots this precious guy.

Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m guessing that kid will call me again tonight, Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m hoping for no drama. If there is…. Well bring it on!! Haha =).

Sheesh, some people…

I'd tell her that you heard second hand that the cat was injured badly enough that the dog pound put her to sleep, and that you didn't think to take down the flyers.

Sorry, but there's no good that could come of her thinking the cat was alive and living with someone else.

I wouldn't give the cat back! He has a wonderful home now, with someone who cares for him.

Originally Posted by silvionc

My first impulse was to just keep this quiet though… what would you do?

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Let it go. Everything is fine just as it is.

Update on this: So it turns out its not a kid but a mother. She called me last night and I saw her phone number and let it go to voice mail since I was curious what she had to say before I spoke to her. She said he was her sons cat, she had gotten pregnant with her second child and the cat must have been upset and ran away, this was a few months ago. All she wanted was her cat back, or an update that her cat was OK.

I called her back thinking I can at least give this poor kid an update (not his fault his parents cant teach him the correct way to care for a pet). She got on the phone and I told her who it was and then all of the sudden I just got mad Lol. I had a horrible day yesterday and I was thinking that this sweet boy could have died from freezing, being attacked, run over… and I got mad. This is how our conversation went:

Me: Ok, do you want to know what happened to your cat?
Her: Huh? What?
Me: Do you want to know what happened to your cat?
Her: *weird noises of her trying to say something… Huh? What?
Me: When I got your cat he was freezing! He was hungry! And he had infections all over his body… did you know of this? Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve seen many stray cats but yours was pretty bad… you said those wounds were fresh? You knew?
Her: Uhhhhh hold on one sec!!
Then she covers the phone, I hear muffled talking then she hangs up really quietly. She never called back.

So ya, LOL that was interesting… I wonder if she will call me back.

Obviously if she hung up on you and didn't call you back, she (nor the kid) cared enough for the cat.

The cat seems to be pretty happy where he is right now, and he is cared for. I would just say that you gave the cat to the animal shelter and you know nothing else. Must put an end to it so that they don't bug you anymore.

Originally Posted by silvionc

Update on this: So it turns out its not a kid but a mother. She called me last night and I saw her phone number and let it go to voice mail since I was curious what she had to say before I spoke to her. She said he was her sons cat, she had gotten pregnant with her second child and the cat must have been upset and ran away, this was a few months ago. All she wanted was her cat back, or an update that her cat was OK.

I called her back thinking I can at least give this poor kid an update (not his fault his parents cant teach him the correct way to care for a pet). She got on the phone and I told her who it was and then all of the sudden I just got mad Lol. I had a horrible day yesterday and I was thinking that this sweet boy could have died from freezing, being attacked, run over… and I got mad. This is how our conversation went:

Me: Ok, do you want to know what happened to your cat?
Her: Huh? What?
Me: Do you want to know what happened to your cat?
Her: *weird noises of her trying to say something… Huh? What?
Me: When I got your cat he was freezing! He was hungry! And he had infections all over his body… did you know of this? Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve seen many stray cats but yours was pretty bad… you said those wounds were fresh? You knew?
Her: Uhhhhh hold on one sec!!
Then she covers the phone, I hear muffled talking then she hangs up really quietly. She never called back.

So ya, LOL that was interesting… I wonder if she will call me back.

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I doubt she will call you back. You "called her out." Why would she want the cat back anyway. Some people.... I swear!

You advertised their animal and held it for longer than the 72 hours required by law, it is your cat now.

If they want to fight it, tell them you will have the SPCA charge them with animal cruelty (it will never happen but they will likely give up any fight they have to get the cat back) - seriously after 2 months?

But since it sounds like she gave up already

It sounds like you did the right thing and the kitty has such a loving home now!! That phone call was really odd, but hey it confirmed your original suspicions anyway -- kitty is better off at his present home!

I'd let the vet tech know about the phone conversation - it would probably ease her mind to know the previous owner won't likely be coming for the cat anytime soon.

I'm so glad you called her on the condition of the cat.

Legally they can't take the cat from the vet tech as long as she has vet bills etc. for the cat in her name. That would be proof that the cat is hers. You did the right thing.

I have a dog that came from a similar situation. We have all kinds of paperwork for him in our names; if his old owners every tried to claim him (though I don't know how they'd find us anyway) they'd be SOL.

I wonder if the kid hurt the cat, or one of his friends did, or some such thing.