'She accused me of stealing her kids' cat': Pawsitively Heroic Hooman Rescues Stray Fuzzy Feline, Neighbor Demands Her to Return the Cat So Her Kids Can Play With It

Author image for Blake Seidel
Blake Seidel • Managing Editor & Brand Manager
May 8, 2024 2:00 PM EDT

Good meowrning, I Can Has-ers and fellow cat enthusiasts. You know, there are so many stray cats in the world that need a furrever home, so when someone decides to take them in, get them all their vaccinations, and give them a comfy place to sleep, we need to give them a round of appaws. But, when someone demands that the stray cat remain on the street because their kids like to play with it, that's when we start to get a little…feisty. 

A wholesome hooman took in a stray neighborhood cat and did everything we just talked about, only to have her neighbor bang on her door and demand that she force the cat to stay outside because her kids like to play with it. What planet is this woman living on? Scroll down to read the full story below, the tea is purrfectly hot and pawsitively juicy!

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  • 01
    Took in a stray. Now my neighbor is accusing me of stealing of the cat. What should I do.
    via u/ocfl8888
  • 02
    A wonderful stray started coming around and was found and reported lost by my neighbor. I took a liking to the cat over the days and approached my neighbor about it's ownership. She said he had no owner and that she would take him in but he didn't get along well with her cat and other pets. I said well I would love to take care for the cat and take him to the vet and what not. She said that's fine but if it could be an outside cat bc her kids to a liking. I didn't have an issue, I wanted him out
    via u/ocfl8888

    She said she can't adopt the cat because her pets don't get along with it. So in what world does she think that she can demand anything about this cat? People really know how to get on our nerves sometimes!

  • 03
    We scan this cat and nothing for a microchip. I take him to the vet and our vet said based on him being intact, no signs of ever being at a vet, he is very likely a stray. I decided what the heck, Let's adopt him. He got his first set of vaccines, boosters due Tuesday, neutering done the following week. I felt like a bonafide cat owner.
    via u/ocfl8888
  • 04
    Today I'm out of town and the cat is staying at home. He has automated feeders and water. Today he was perched by the window and our neighbor saw. I see my neighbor through my cameras banging on my door and accusing me of stealing her kids cats. I really don't want to deal with any confrontation but I don't know what to do. Am I in the wrong? What can I do moving forward. Thanks.
    via u/ocfl8888

    If someone came up and started banging on our door and demanded something about our pets, we would pawsitively square up with them. Nobody comes in between us and our pets. No one.

  • 05
    EDIT: Drove through the night to get back to kitty. He was happy to see me and my dog. He got a whole Churu and lots of pets. Will undoubtedly have to deal with my neighbor in the morning, hopefully it doesn't go too bad. Wish me luck!
    via u/ocfl8888
  • 06
    SophsterSophistry . 9 hr. ago So the cat isn't your neighbors and she can't take the cat in, correct? But because her kids like the cat, she wants it to be outside cat? That's not to the cat's betterment. Tell your neighbor that the cat was a stray, was not anyone's cat, and now it's yours because you've officially adopted it. That should be the end of it. My recommendation is that you keep the cat permanently inside for the cat's own good.
    via u/SophsterSophistry
  • 07
    ocfl8888 OP. 9 hr. ago Thank you. To add, she already has a cat which is pretty much outdoors 90% of the time. She's very sweet. They're banging at my door over the cat that I took when I can see their actual cat completely ignored sitting by their car. It's blowing my mind actually.
    via u/ocfl8888
  • 08
    Bumble-Lee 9 hr. ago It was never her nor her kids cat. Honestly if anything the cat shouldn't be let outside to free roam. If she wasn't acting so aggressively letting the cat out for supervised outside time to play with her kids could have been an option if anything. Def record any evidence you can that it was never her cat and she agreed that you could take him in
    via u/Bumble-Lee
  • 09
    FunkyLemon1111 9 hr. ago Let's reverse the rolls. Let's say you/we were she and we loved this cat, our kids loved this cat but we could not allow it in. Along comes a friendly neighbor offering to vet and take care of the kitty. WOW! That's great, can my kids still pet and play with it? Sure? Great! If we then saw the cat now owned by our neighbor in their window but missing from outside...
    via u/FunkyLemon1111
  • 10
    If we then saw the cat now owned by our neighbor in their window but missing from outside... We'd be grateful and happy for the cat for finding a home. We would NOT be selfishly banging on the door claiming they stole our cat. She's psycho. Try to discuss the situation with her, but expect to have to prove to the police that you've vetted this stray cat she didn't want to take care of and are now keeping it.
    via u/FunkyLemon1111
  • 11
    • kroating 7 hr. ago Get your cat chipped asap and register to your name. Its your cat.
    via u/kroating
  • 12
    Puzzleheaded_Bee4361 7 hr. ago I strongly recommend that you make kitty into an indoor cat. Much safer for them - away from loose dogs and other predators, cars, and belligerent roaming cats and neighbors.
    via u/Puzzleheaded_Bee4361
  • 13
    thesefloralbones 10 hr. ago • How long was the cat reported as lost, and how was that advertised? How distinct does this cat look? Overall, I'd say you did your due diligence to find the owner and if the cat was obviously neglected then this guy doesn't have much of a claim to it. If it's something generic like a solid black cat, it might not even be the same cat anyway.
    via u/thesefloralbones
  • 14
    c-_-Second_Last âš« 8 hr. ago Just live your life and don't worry about the neighbor. You did everything you could to try to find an owner
    via u/c-_-Second_Last
  • 15
    WanderWorlder · 4 hr. ago . This cat is better off inside with you in your loving home. You took him in and gave him vet care. Please keep him inside. He does not belong to your neighbors and you have records to the contrary. They are in the wrong and they are not good owners of their own cat. Congrats on your new cat. Do not feel badly. If they calm down, you could offer to let the kids visit your cat but do not feel obligated.
    via u/WanderWorlder
  • 16
    aspenjohnston3 - 6 hr. ago She said she couldn't take the cat. You adopted the cat, so it's your cat. He's your indoor cat, not her kids outdoor cat. If she has an issue with that, that's on her. It's your cat, not hers
    via u/aspenjohnston3
  • 17
    mjh8212 5 hr. ago I had a cat follow me inside my house like she always lived here I posted everywhere and no one claimed her. We'd taken her to the vet for frostbite and she had no chip. We've had her two years now. We have her chipped with our info. She's indoor like all me and my fiancés cats.
    via u/mjh8212
  • 18
    Accomplished-Lack721 · 6 hr. ago This neighbor really has no claim on the cat and is being unreasonable. It's also better for the cat if you keep it entirely indoors. But there's no reason to meet hostility with hostility. You could offer to let her kids come over for occasional visits with the cat. That may diffuse the situation, and it sounds nice for the kids. Next time you're out of town, they could even help care for the cat and keep it company for brief visits while you're away.
    via u/Accomplished-Lack721
  • 19
    . evebella 5 hr. ago · edited 4 hr. ago Outdoor cats can not "claimed" to be owned unless they are microchipped and even then the laws are iffy based on who is actually the main caretaker of the cat.
    via u/evebella
  • 20
    I have been a cat welfare volunteer for 20+ years and received a call about a small calico that kept coming and crying at this family's back door. They would feed the cat tuna. Little did the family know, this was one smart cat who had a home but took advantage of collecting treats around the neighborhood. However, this is the issue with "roaming cats".
    via u/evebella
  • 21
    I was contacted and had the cat scanned for a microchip which was not registered to the owners, but to where the cat was adopted from. To adopt a cat from that facility, you must sign a contract saying that you will not let you adopt a cat if you plan on having that cat be an outdoor cat.
    via u/evebella
  • 22
    Since the owners had breached their contract, I was in no position legally or otherwise to return the little calico to them (even though I was happy to take their phone calls and listen to them yell at me) - THEY broke their contract. They started blaming the neighbors feeding the tuna to which I explain that it doesn't matter if the people down the street were giving out kitty crack, if their cat was indoors, the cat would be none the wiser,
    via u/evebella
  • 23
    Shoshawi 3 hr. ago This is rough, but it sounds like you did nothing wrong. Their actions as well as their words indicate that they will not be a proper loving home, and they even approved prior. I am guessing that legally it is your cat now, too.
    via u/Shoshawi
  • 24
    Try to think of it as a rescue situation. Not as intense but my late void had a collar...blatantly not feral and even had the mannerisms of a sheltered purebred...but his habits indicated neglect, and the collar had no identifying info and he had no chip. I definitely might have stolen him (after he watched me for three months and picked a perfect moment when I was alone to charm me with SSS tier "take me home"), but if I did steal him, I still rescued him. I brought him to the
    via u/Shoshawi
  • 25
    vet the next day for a checkup and they told me to proceed like it was my cat if I was willing to adopt him, and I spent like $180 on his basic vaccinations etc. He was my best friend for over a decade. Home is where you're loved and taken care of, not where you're kept because you're seen as property. Especially not if you have to sleep on the doorstep too
    via u/Shoshawi

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stray cats demands neighbors adoption stealing kids cat adoption demanding neighborhood-drama animal rescue fuzzy heroic feline cat rescue play Cats stray animals
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