I want my cats back!

Draco said:

 
I think you need to stop, and start over from the beginning. There's too much confusion here and a few of us are having a hard time following you. Can you please start over from the beginning and explain a bit clearer?

Click to expand...

I agree with this.  Can you start from wherever the very beginning is, and explain, very slowly, everything that has happened and in what order? I feel like a lot of us may be missing something

Okay; I went to NJ for 3 months. During those three months, my cats were stolen from my dad's house. When he came back the lock was broken, the cats were gone, and the cat food was gone but everything else was untouched. My mom said that they were at the ASPCA, but later she admitted that she wa lying.

So when how where did someone see them again? Did they take any pictures?

I don't understand.

Hello,

I hope you find your cats.

So are the people who are contacting you the ones who stole your cats? If not how did they get the cats? Did they say how they knew these were your cats?

This is just such an unusual situation. To have your cats stolen and then someone has them both and wants to return them to you. Are the people who have them asking for anything in return?

I know you want your cats back very much, but you don't want to be tricked by someone who is trying to take advantage of the situation.

Oh, I think I'm starting to understand what your parents told you. So first your Mum said your cats were at the ASPCA, but then she said that was a lie and what had really happened was that someone broke in and stole them from your Dads. Is that what happened? It's a little hard to follow the sequence of events.

my-boy-jasper said:

Oh, I think I'm starting to understand what your parents told you. So first your Mum said your cats were at the ASPCA, but then she said that was a lie and what had really happened was that someone broke in and stole them from your Dads. Is that what happened? It's a little hard to follow the sequence of events.

Click to expand...

That's what I'm thinking what happened. Her mom didn't want to break her heart by saying her cats were stolen or something and si she said they were being taken care of at the shelter.

This makes no sense. No one breaks into a home and takes nothing but cat food.

You'd be amazed what people will do to cover themselves. I don't think it's beyond possibility that your parents broke the lock to make it look like a break-in. I've seen people do much weirder things. Of course, that's assuming the lock actually was broken. You don't know that for sure. It doesn't sound like you were with him at the time.

The idea that someone you all just happen to know who lives very far away just happened to find your cats, who were stolen/got out after someone broke in and took nothing but cat food is just ridiculous. There is absolutely no way that is true, and I would personally be insulted if someone expected me to believe something that ridiculous.

On top of that, your mother is gaslighting you by now saying you're allergic to cats when you aren't. Gaslighting is a technique where someone says something false, and insists that it's true until you start to doubt your own sanity.

If I were you, I would sit down with my parents, one at a time, in case one is hiding something from the other, and tell them firmly that I know they're still lying to me, and that I need them to tell me the truth so that I can grieve and try to move on. And the longer they continue to lie to me, the more it is going to damage our relationship.

Honestly, I don't think the OP is explaining this well enough for me to know anything but that one or both of her parents are hiding something major.  The OP keeps saying her dad's house, like he and her mom don't live together, but then talks about the mom being sad the cats are gone. The OP seems unwilling or unable to communicate things in a linear and clear fashion, probably because she finds the situation so upsetting.

I also would be insulted if someone expected me to believe the facts of this story as currently presented.  No one on earth wants to steal old cats. No one. Lilin's post is correct in its entirety. I could repeat what she says point by point, but basically it's dead on.

I again know this isn't what you want to hear and honestly, without knowing you, and as respectfully as possible, I think you should consider the possibility that you are in denial.  Respectfully, you are VERY young. I do think when you are older and come to understand how little people value cats in society and especially older cats, that it is impossible that someone broke in and took them.  

I have to kind of divorce myself from this thread now, because it's pretty clear to me that the OP doesn't want help of the kind I and some others are offering but wants us to tell her how to get the cats back.  The truth is, OP, in your current situation, without your parents willing to help, you cannot get your cats back.  It is best that, if you are unwilling or unable to confront your parents about the truth, you just move on and look forward to the day when you are independent and can have cats of your own without your parents involvement. 

tulosai, you said everything I was gonna say! (but in a more eloquent way)

I'm very sorry to say this, but I am going to have to agree with Willowy; nobody steals cats unless they are pure bred. I have taken foster cats into my house (mostly kittens), and sometimes giving them away for free can be extremely hard. I wish you luck, but I have a bad feeling about this

my-boy-jasper said:

Oh, I think I'm starting to understand what your parents told you. So first your Mum said your cats were at the ASPCA, but then she said that was a lie and what had really happened was that someone broke in and stole them from your Dads. Is that what happened? It's a little hard to follow the sequence of events.

Click to expand...

molldee said:

That's what I'm thinking what happened. Her mom didn't want to break her heart by saying her cats were stolen or something and si she said they were being taken care of at the shelter.

Click to expand...

Yes!

Did the new owners admit to breaking in and stealing your cats?

Nobody owns my cats! She found them on the streets. It is as if somebody took them, shave Sasha, and let them go! Also, I took a guess because the lock was locked when he left and it was on the floor when he came back, no cat food, and the back door was open. Only if I had a picture of them, then you woyluld see how pretty my cats are! When we went to petsmart for food a lot of people commented on their appearance.

So where are the cats now?

So you guessed that they were stolen? What did your Dad say about that? See I would have thought that if anyone brock the lock on his house, he would have called the police. I know I would, whether anything was stolen or not.

Can you tell us what help you are looking for here. I know you are doing your best to tell us, but it's hard to convey information like this to complete strangers. You need to be more precise about who said what and when, as opposed to what you believe happened. As you can see, people are trying to help you but we are confused. It's important to know the difference between facts and guesses.

You said no-one owns your cats. Do you mean no-one has them and you believe they are wandering the streets? Or is this lady telling you she has them now? Who is this lady and how did you find her?

Leaving aside the issue of how your cats went missing, what are parents telling you now? Are they telling you to forget it about? Are they willing to help you find them? What do they say about this lady with the photos of them shaved?

As others have said, be very careful about any strangers claiming to have your cats. I don't think you should deal with them unless you've got an adult who is willing to help you. A sensible adult that is, even adults get taken in by scams.

Hi Sasha and Sammy,

Could I make a suggestion? I think you have two options here.

Option Number One. Believe what your parents are telling you. If they think that someone has stolen your cats could you ask them to come onto The Cat Site and tell us exactly what happened? If you weren't there when your cats disappeared there may be some important facts that you are not aware of. Ask either your Mom or Dad to tell us what happened and when and what they think about the person who sent you the picture of your cats. That way we could help you give you some help or legal advice on how to get your cats back if they have been stolen.

Option Number Two. Believe that your parents got rid of your cats. I know that you don't want to believe this, but if your parents are refusing to help you get your cats back and not telling you why, it might be because they are hiding something from you. In this case you need to explain to them that you have to hear the truth. Losing your cats must be very upsetting for you and not knowing what happened is just making you feel worse.

Good luck and I really hope your story has a happy ending. I know how heartbreaking it is when your cats aren't there.

Hey SashaANDSammy, the more I think about this the more I worry about this lady who says she has or saw your cats. I'm going to be all Mumma Bear here because now I'm worried about someone taking advantage of you.

Can you tell us a bit more about how you got in touch with her? How much contact have you had with her? How are you communicating with her, i.e. text, phone, email? Do your parents know that she has contacted you? What has she said to you? I know/hope you may have had just the one contact with her but I want to double check there isn't more.

I know she could be honest. But as everyone said, something is just off. I just want to make sure you aren't giving her personal information about yourself. And please don't even consider meeting her alone!! I don't care if she's 80 years old and volunteers at the children's hospital. I may be over-reacting but you're young and missing your cats and that makes you an easy target. Know what I mean?

O

peaches08 said:

So where are the cats now?

Click to expand...

On the streets.