Person Demands The Payment They're Owed For Taking Care Of Their Friend's Cat, Warns They'll Keep the Fluffy Feline For Themselves

Author image for Mariel Ruvinsky
Mariel Ruvinsky • Writer and Editor
May 31, 2024 10:00 AM EDT

Part of the experience of being a cat owner who has a whole bunch of friends who are also cat owners is that, when needed, every once in a while, we will end up cat-sitting for one another. The second cat of that experience is making sure to take care of the cat financially and pay for what they cost during that time. It's fair. Because even though cats are generally low maintenance animals, they sure can cost a lot sometimes. 

Even if you don't buy expensive cat trees or expensive cat toys - that they probably won't use anyway, unexpected vet visits can cost a lot… and our cats break expensive things sometimes. And sometimes, we need help with the payments, sure, but we always make sure to get the money back to our friends, because that's how it works. We never refuse to pay for our cats, because paying for our cats means caring for our cats. And we will always pay for them. 

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  • 01
    Posted by u/Deep_Owl-420 6 days ago AITA for threatening to Keep an old friends cat if she doesn't pay me back?
    via u/Deep_Owl-420

    Our first gut reaction, based on the caption alone, was, we have to say, not the best one. It is hard for us to imagine any circumstances in which threatening to keep another person's cat is in any way okay, but we think that… it kind of makes sense in this case. 

  • 02
    So this situation is frustrating and stressful so please forgive any typos! Back in March 2024, an old family friend reached out to see if I can house her cat for a while so she can get back on her feet. She couldn't bring her cat with her to her temp
    via u/Deep_Owl-420

    Cats love their owners a lot, whether they show it openly or not, and they get attached. You see it when a cat's owner passes away, for example. But neglect is never okay. And being a neglectful cat owner is perhaps one of the only reasons where separating the cat from them could be justified. 

  • 03
    housing arraignment and didn't want to surrender her cat. We came up with an agreement that if I take in her cat, she will have to send me money for her necessities (Cat food and cat litter) and money to pay for her housing as I rent my home. She agreed to this and also said that she has a litter box, litter, food, cat bowls, cat carrier, and a cat water fountain.
    via u/Deep_Owl-420
  • 04
    When we arrived, NOTHING was ready to go and the cat and several other cats were going inside and outside of the home. There was no cat carrier, litter box, food or litter.
    via u/Deep_Owl-420
  • 05
    the only thing we got was the cat, bowls and water fountain( I also want to include that I had to get a new water fountain as the one she gave me was full of cat s**t, I made her aware of this before I bought one). I should have taken this as my sign to say never mind I can't as this should have been very clear to me with what I was getting into. But I didn't
    via u/Deep_Owl-420
  • 06
    Because there was no food or litter like she promised to send with us, she said she would pay us money the next week when she got paid and we agreed to this. I had to go on a late run to a corner store to get a small package of food and litter(this would only last for like a day) for the cat and then the next day I got food that would last longer and more litter too,
    via u/Deep_Owl-420
  • 07
    and the water fountain. I texted her the total of all this so she knew what to send the following week and she turned around and asked ME to send her money to pay off her cash-app debt. I told her absolutely not and was shocked that she had the audacity to ask me that. she insisted she'd pay it back and wasn't asking for money (literally was).
    via u/Deep_Owl-420
  • 08
    Each week since, she would change the day she would be able to send money and now she owes even more. It has been about two months since and she owes even more now than before.. I had enough of this song and dance with her.
    via u/Deep_Owl-420
  • 09
    I texted her that if she doesn't pay me what she owes she has these options. 1. She can pay me in full by the 31st and she can come get her cat after I get the money 2. If no payment is made by the 31st then I will keep the cat and block her
    via u/Deep_Owl-420
  • 10
    or a third option that could help her get back on her feet and allow both parties to be happy: 3. She pays me $50 a month to go towards what she owes and the cat necessities. She currently owes me $230. This may not seem like a lot to everyone but it is to me.
    via u/Deep_Owl-420
  • 11
    I feel like option 3 is far more graceful than the others and could allow her room to breathe. I am trying to take into consideration that she has a child she is taking care of and I don't want to put her in a bind either.
    via u/Deep_Owl-420
  • 12
    She says I'm TA for calling her a liar and threatening to steal her cat. A few friends and family say I'm in the right and being nicer than I should while others say I'm the jerk. AITA?
    via u/Deep_Owl-420
  • 13
    just a small update: after speaking with a few people on here, I'm going to present her this idea 1. she takes her cat back now and I forgive the amount owed or 2. I keep the cat and forgive the amount owed.
    via u/Deep_Owl-420
  • 14
    its becoming more and more clear that I cannot expect any form of payment so regardless I'm at a loss. at the end of the day this cat will be well taken care of while in my care. It's things like this that make it hard to help people out.
    via u/Deep_Owl-420
  • 15
    Deep Owl-420 OP 6 days ago I want to add this here as idk if it is relevant? Her cat did have 2 kittens before we took her in, when we got mom cat and the two babies (She only had two) friend asked if we wanted to keep the kittens so we do have three cats in our home now lol.
    via u/Deep_Owl-420
  • 16
    I haven't been charging her for 3 cats. I only charge her for the mom cat. Mom cat is not fixed and I don't want to pay money to fix a cat that isn't yet mine
    via u/Deep_Owl-420
  • 17
    • FYourAppLeave MeAlone 6 days ago Get her fixed anyway. Keeps cats from peeing everywhere, and escaping while in heat, not to mention the awful yelling. By October it will be an issue.
    via u/FYourAppLeaveMeAlone
  • 18
    Deep Owl-420 OP 6 days ago the howling and yelling is already a daily thing. I just don't have the funds to get her fixed. she's been going in and out of heat since mid april... I talked to my vet and she said. she won't be in harm for going in and out of heat but if she has another litter it can kill her
    via u/Deep_Owl-420
  • 19
    Brainjacker 6 days ago Pooperintendant [54] How would your "friend" have afforded the cat's things if it still lived with her, considering she's not paying for them now? Either she's abandoned her cat to someone else's care or would have neglected it had it remained in hers. Congrats on your new cat. NTA
    via u/Brainjacker
  • 20
    Deep Owl-420 OP · 6 days ago This. I didn't even think of this.
    via u/Deep_Owl-420
  • 21
    • fallingintopolkadots 6 days ago Supreme Court Just- [128] Mostly NTA. She basically did surrender her cat -- she's not paying you and she didn't even supply you with the necessities when you picked kitty up. You've had to supply everything yourself from the get-go and she hasn't covered any of "her" cat's costs.
    via u/fallingintopolkadots
  • 22
    Do you love and have bonded with this cat? This would be even more understanding if you are. There is a tinge of keeping the cat hostage because of your friend's money issues. You could just surrender or try to find someone else (even a different friend of your friend's) to take in the cat (as in adopt it) and just consider the money and friendship a loss.
    via u/fallingintopolkadots
  • 23
    Deep Owl-420 OP 6 days ago I have bonded with the kitty a bit and I try not too as i know that ideally she wouldn't be staying with me in the long run. But I give her lots of affection and cuddles and play with her
    via u/Deep_Owl-420

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