"You really want us to give you $500?": Friendly couple finds lost neighborhood cat with $500 reward, returns it, then gets shamed by pawrents for asking to collect the reward

Author image for Blake Seidel
Blake Seidel • Managing Editor & Brand Manager
May 14, 2025 1:00 PM EDT

Good meowrning, feline fam. One of our cats went missing when we were kids, and we were pawsitively devastated. We helped our parents make lost posters, offered up a luxurious $100 reward ($50 was from our allowance, that's how much we wanted him back), and put them up all over the neighborhood. Thankfully, Whiskers came back a few days later all on his own. However, if someone had found our cat, we would have happily paid them all the money in our pockets (which happened to be $50) to thank them for returning our beloved Mr. Whiskers.

Sure, a good deed is its own reward, but if you offer up a reward, you should prrrobably be ready to pay that reward no matter the circumstances. Which is why this story below is so purrfectly ridiculous. After offering up a $500 reward for finding their lost cat, this family was seemingly stunned when a neighborhood couple found their cat and asked for the money they had advertised. What do you think - should they have not taken the money, or should they expect what was promised?

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  • 01

    [Am I wrong] for asking for the $500 reward money after I returned a lost cat?

    "I can't believe he took the money"
    via beavera

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 02
    My wife and I live in a very walkable area. We were walking to lunch the other day and noticed a few reward posters for a lost cat. We were talking about the lost cat as we walked because we have a few cats and always joke about how we are crazy cat people (we are in our 30's).
    via u/kcmocats
  • 03
    Well sure enough we see this cat just sitting on the roof of a car and it looked just like the one in the reward poster. I walked up to it and it was super nice. I took a pic of it then we walked a block back to the
    via u/kcmocats
  • 04
    poster to compare. It was the same cat. We went back and got the cat. It was real nice and let me pick it up. It just cuddled up. I think it was pretty scared. My wife called the number on the poster and they gave us their address and walked the cat 4 blocks to the house.
    via u/kcmocats
  • 05
    As we were walking up the sidewalk the kids in the house ran out and screamed in a happy way and grabbed the cat. The parents came out and thanked us for returning their cat. The mom had tears in her eyes. As they were walking back
    via u/kcmocats
  • 06
    inside I said, "oh, I noticed there was a $500 reward. Would that apply in this situation? If not, I totally understand." The dad just looked at me with daggers and the wife looked real confused. She said in a kinda
    via u/kcmocats
  • 07
    condescending way, "you really want us to give you $500?" | said, "I'm not trying to be awkward or anything, but you did offer a reward and we did find your cat." The dad said, "Jesus, hold on" and went inside
    via u/kcmocats

  • We're not sure what we would have done, honestly. We would be happy enough to return the lost fur baby to their family, but $500 is a tempting amount of money to pass up for something we technically deserve. 

  • 08
    and got $320. He comes back outside and said, "All I have is $320 cash on hand. I can get you the rest if it's really that big of a deal to you." I said, "no, that's fine and he handed me the $320." As they walked back
    via u/kcmocats
  • 09
    Cheezburger Image 10504762624
    via castenoid

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 10
    inside the wife said under her breath, "I can't believe he took the money" and the husband said, "yeah, what a ." They clearly said it loud enough for me to hear.
    via u/kcmocats
  • 11
    My wife is totally on my side. We live in a pretty affluent area so $500 (or $320) isn't a big deal to these people. I mean they had two Mercedes in their driveway nor is that money a big deal for me. However they did
    via u/kcmocats
  • 12
    offer a reward and we did our part. I told my friends at lunch that day and half think I was right to ask for it. The other half said I should have just "done the right thing" and not asked for it.
    via u/kcmocats
  • 13
    Edit: My wife's and my parents think I should have just given the cat back with no reward. They think I was totally the a hle for asking for the reward.
    via u/kcmocats
  • 14
    INFO... if you put up a reward you should be willing to pay it.
    via u/INFOTRODE_
  • 15
    henchwench89 NTA they offered a reward for finding their cat. $500 is a large amount of money. Did they really expect no one would try and claim it?
    via u/henchwench89
  • 16
    [deleted] NTA at all. If they didn't want to pay the reward they should not have offered it. If one of my dogs got lost, I would be ecstatic to pay the reward because it meant I had them back.
    via reddit
  • 17
    Zainecy NTA The offer for the reward was an offer for a unilateral contract, by returning the cat you accepted the contract. You were legally entitled to $500-they should have been grateful you accepted $320 as full payment.
    via u/Zainecy

  • In the end, money is money, and can always be replaced. A cat cannot. Be grateful that your cat was found and shell out the cash. It's worth it to have your cat back home, safe and sound.

  • 18
    You don't put out an offer for a reward and then get pissy when someone asks for it.
    via u/Zainecy
  • 19
    Cheezburger Image 10504762112
    via A. Chafouk Idrissi

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 20
    LeggingsAndSweaters NTA. Don't offer a reward if you don't want to pay. $500 is a lot for a cat but Im poor. And would have asked too.
    via u/LeggingsAndSweaters
  • 21
    dorothydunnit Plot twist: The kids put up the $500 reward without telling their parents.
    via u/dorothydunnit
  • 22
    Kolzerz So hear me out before you all downvote me to sh...
    via u/Kolzerz
  • 23
    Rewards are mainly posted for people to get back their pets from people who STEAL pets to extort money. People who steal pets know how much money pet owners are willing
    via u/Kolzerz
  • 24
    to shell out to get their pet back. You post a reward sign and suddenly your pet will show up the next day from some a hole demanding the money (not always, but you get my point).
    via u/Kolzerz
  • 25
    If you just happened to find the pet, the kind thing to do would be to just give the pet to their owners. Especially since you paid NOTHING to
    via u/Kolzerz
  • 26
    feed, house, or care for the pet. This was a 5 minute deviation from your walk. This kind of makes you an a h le. YTA.
    via u/Kolzerz

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Tags

neighborhood reward animal rescue shame feline cat rescue forever home Cats lost money animals rescue
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