What would you do?

Hi guys,

I am starting this to ask what you would do in this situation. My friend is trying to figure out what to do. About a week before Thanksgiving my friend found a kitten about 8-10 months old running around the park near her house. She had seen the kitten on several other occasions over a couple of months and as it got colder outside (we live in NYC) decided to take the kitten in. She tried to find a home for the cat and took it to the vet to get checked out. The cat is very friendly and lovable, and immediatly took to the litter box indicating that he may have belonged to someone. The vet confirmed that he was neutered as well. My firend asked around the neighborhood and looked for missing cat posters and did not see any. Now about two weeks ago, or six weeks after finding the cat, she saw a sign in a bodega (convenience store) for the cat stating that the cat belonged to the store. Now my friend and her husband have fallen in love with the cat and the cat witht them. They have put money into keeping the cat, the vet and an air purifier becasue she is allergic, as well as various cat things. The store has a new cat and my friend does not want to give the cat back to live in a convenience store. She and I both feel that a kitten should not have been running around on its own in the park and that store cats like these in NYC are often not cared for and that they are there only to catch mice (and often not fed properly in order to encourage mousing). She has pretty much decided that she is not going to give the cat back but she feels guilty and wants the store owners to know that the cat is safe, but fears that they will demand the cat back. So what would you do?

Keep the cat. Don't say anything to the bodega owners. If it was running around outside it could have been killed or picked up by AC anyway. What kind of condition was the animal in? Bad? Then it's neglect. Most "shop cats" that I have ever encountered are extremely well cared-for and aren't allowed to run around outside.

its not the same in the uk but if your friend is going to give the kitten a good home and not let her run around parks or wherever on her own then of course she should just keep it and not feel guilty. shes saving the kittens life! hope things go well for them.

Originally Posted by AddieBee

Keep the cat. Don't say anything to the bodega owners. If it was running around outside it could have been killed or picked up by AC anyway. What kind of condition was the animal in? Bad? Then it's neglect. Most "shop cats" that I have ever encountered are extremely well cared-for and aren't allowed to run around outside.

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exactly. plus, well-fed cats are actually BETTER mousers, according to the following links - mainly because they're in better health.
the messy beast

"Rats and mice are merely stop-gap foods for hungry cats and far from palatable or wholesome." Hungry cats hunted only for food. Well fed cats would hunt for sport and have the stamina and vitality to do their jobs.

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TNReality check

Well-fed cats are no less motivated to hunt.

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rural living

A well fed cat can catch several mice a day.

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wikipedia

Even well-fed domestic cats may hunt and kill birds, mice, rats, scorpions, cockroaches, grasshoppers, and other small animals in their environment.

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See you and I know that a healthy and fed cat will chase mice, but not all store owners know this and they think that not feeding the cat will mak the cat, "hunt," for food ie...mice. And in response to shop cats care., Yes I have been to some stores that keeps cats and they are very well cared for, spoiled even, but I have never seen a well cared for bodega cat. I mean cats in a pet store and stationary shops, quilting shops, gift shops etc are a different story I think. I am not trying to insinuate that shop owners neglect cats, it has just been my experience in NYC that the bodega cats are not as well cared for. It is a different type of store then a store that has a homey feel to it like the types I mentioned earlier. I hope that this clears it up. I think my friend is just going to keep the cat and not say anything.

I should also note that the cat did not seem to be neglected, it just didn't seem right that a kitten be running around on its own where it could run in the street and get hiit by a car or get cuaght outside and freeze, (ex high temp today is 19 degrees) I think that if the owners cared at all they would have kept it inside.

Originally Posted by heddafish

See you and I know that a healthy and fed cat will chase mice, but not all store owners know this and they think that not feeding the cat will mak the cat, "hunt," for food ie...mice. And in response to shop cats care., Yes I have been to some stores that keeps cats and they are very well cared for, spoiled even, but I have never seen a well cared for bodega cat.

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It may be a cultural thing. The term 'bodega' indicates that your typical owner probably comes from a Latin culture, which means that they don't make much of their animals the way we do in our Anglo-Saxon culture; not that they are intentionally cruel or neglectful, mind you, it is just that they are more---what's the word--fatalistic about the fact that animals don't live as long as we do, so why get emotionally attached?

I think the prevailing attitude is that " it's just a cat" and it is there to do a job - kill rodents. It's not a pet and the owners likely don't think of it that way. I doubt you're going to change anyones mind unless you sic the ASPCA on them and it may cost them $$$.

Think of it as your friend saving one little life... and what a good thing that is.

I would advise to keep the cat and not say a word. Did they go into that store to check? Why did they wait 6 weeks before posting that they lost a cat? Keep the cat and don't say a word. There is no need to feel guilty about rescuing the poor kitty.