'They had every resource to find the cat, and they just haven't yet': Neighbors borderline steal neglected cat, turn it into a shelter for adoption, then wonder if they did the right thing

Author image for Blake Seidel
Blake Seidel • Managing Editor & Brand Manager
May 17, 2025 1:00 PM EDT

What makes a cat a pet? Is it that you feed them every day? Is it because you give them a place to sleep? Because they come when you call their name? Who knows what really makes a cat someone's pet, but this idea will be crucial for the remainder of this article. When you have an outdoor cat, you have to accept that they will go out and be a part of other families. It's in the cat's nature to seek comfort from hoomans.

But if the cat keeps coming to you, despite being the "neighbor's cat", when do you start to take ownership of it if they clearly aren't? When do you take matters into your own paws? Well, we're not sure there's a "right" answer to that question, but a decision must be made. When one family started feeling that their neighbor's outdoor cat was being neglected, they took the kitty and turned them into the shelter. The neighbors still have not come to get their fluffy feline. Did they do the right thing, or did they steal someone's cat?

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  • 01

    Took a neighbor cat to the shelter… he’s now up for adoption and we aren’t sure what to do

    'The hold is up tomorrow, and the owners still haven't picked [him] up'
    via Jelena990

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

  • 02
    To make a long story short, there is a cat that has been coming to my house about once a week for the last 2 months or so. He looks to be about 8 months old, is not neutered, no collar. After about a month of seeing him, we figured that he
    via u/fool4eggz
  • 03
    might be someone's lost pet because he was so friendly and cuddly, and would inhale any kind of food or water we gave him. Also we live along a river, which means not only is there a large feral community here, but
    via u/fool4eggz
  • 04
    there are also several raccoons and other large animals. These are pretty dangerous conditions for a young and unneutered cat, so we took him in for the weekend so we could check for a chip that Monday.
    via u/fool4eggz
  • 05
    We ended up locating the owner before we could check for a chip, and they said he was an indoor cat who kept getting out. But when we went to go give them their cat back, they were super ride about the whole situation and borderline refused
    via u/fool4eggz
  • 06
    to fix their cat when we advised them to do so. They then contacted us 2 hours later saying their cat got out again, and then the same thing again THAT SAME NIGHT. Since then, the cat has come back about 3 times in the last few weeks, still
    via u/fool4eggz
  • 07
    not neutered. This last time that he came to our house, we decided enough was enough and we took him to the shelter. We did this because the shelter would offer free or low-cost neutering when the owners
    via u/fool4eggz

  • The first thing you do when you get a cat is you take them to the vet, get vaccinated, and get a microchip. That way, even if something happens to your cat, there is always a way to trace it back to you. This family didn't even do that.

  • 08
    came to get him, and we wanted to kind of nudge them in the right direction. We find out at the shelter that the cat isn't microchipped, and therefore is
    via u/fool4eggz
  • 09
    most likely not vaccinated either. So his owners were letting a young, unneutered, and unvaccinated cat roam free, which is incredibly dangerous.
    via u/fool4eggz
  • 10
    Cheezburger Image 10505635840
    via corelens

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

  • 11
    Because there was no chip, the cat was put on a hold to give the owners a chance to claim him. After about 2 days the neighbors posted about him being missing again, so I directed them towards the
    via u/fool4eggz
  • 12
    shelter website. Well, the hold is up tomorrow and the owners still haven't picked up their cat. We feel guilty for borderline stealing and now displacing. their cat, but they also had every resource to find the cat
    via u/fool4eggz
  • 13
    and just haven't yet. We also feel like it's obvious that they don't care a whole lot about this cat's wellbeing. We are nervous about adopting the cat ourselves because the neighbors live so close to us and we worry he will try and get
    via u/fool4eggz
  • 14
    out as he was allowed to roam free for so long. We also would be incredibly sad to leave him in the shelter on the off-chance no one adopts him.
    via u/fool4eggz
  • 15
    So any and all advice would be much appreciated. Should we notify the owners? Adopt him ourselves? TIA!
    via u/fool4eggz
  • 16
    Cheezburger Image 10505635584
    via PamWalker68

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

  • We would adopt the cat and give them limited visitation rights. You have to think about the cat's best interests - and those are to be safe, protected, and not to cause more problems with other cats. 

  • 17
    lotteoddities • 23h ago We adopted a neighborhood kitty that was clearly someone's cat. We eventually found whose cat it was and they were grateful we adopted her because we could afford to get her fixed and pay for her
    via u/lotteoddities
  • 18
    vet bills. She never tried to get out again after she got out one time because she realized we don't leave a door open like her old owners used to. At their house she was miserable, so
    via u/lotteoddities
  • 19
    she spent most of her time outside and when she was inside she would spray everywhere. She was also chronically pregnant because they couldn't afford to fix her. She had her last litter with us
    via u/lotteoddities
  • 20
    and most of her kittens survived for the first time ever, we found them all homes and they also all got fixed. She has never sprayed in our house and loves being an indoor kitty.
    via u/lotteoddities
  • 21
    I say adopt the cat. Keep it indoors. It will get used to it, just give it plenty of enrichment and make indoors fun.
    via u/lotteoddities
  • 22
    ThatAnteater8868 23h ago If you can offer him a good home, then you should.
    via u/ThatAnteater8868
  • 23
    No-Activity-8371 • 22h ago . I literally took two cats that were starving and sleeping outside someone's house. Around the corner from mine. They apparently lived there for years, but in horrendous shape. Not chipped. I literally grabbed
    via u/No-Activity-8371
  • 24
    a blanket and took them home from a front yard - they were sleeping outside in the middle of winter!! Even if they were 'owned' they were neglected. No one answered the front door btw.
    via u/No-Activity-8371
  • 25
    I probably 'stole' them. No one came looking for them. One was put down sadly. The other recovered, living her best life now. She goes outside but she never goes further than 10 feet. She knows where she's loved
    via u/No-Activity-8371

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neighbors adoption right stealing animal rescue feline cat rescue neglect animal shelter Cats animals rescue
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