'She showed up at my house with the cops': After five years and thousands in vet care, feline foster mom refuses to give cat back to original owner after they abandoned him 'temporarily'

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Blake Seidel • Managing Editor & Brand Manager
Jul 21, 2025 12:00 PM EDT

Feline fam, we're frankly feline some type of way. We understand that life happens and things get in the way of your plans, but you can't give someone your cat as a 'temporary' foster, then come back 5 years later and expect them to comply.

The cat has moved on, and you should move on as well. If you really cared about the cat, you would want what is best for it, and we all know how disruptive it can be to continually move a cat around to new homes.

This is why we say this (almost every time) - cats are a 15-20 year commitment. In the purrfect scenario, your cat survives to be a sweet, soft senior cat who just cuddles and sleeps all day. But if something happens and you and your cat have to be separated for some reason, prepurr to say goodbye, unless it's for a short amount of time. It's not fair to the new pawrents who developed a bond and probably spent thousands on their care while you were gone.

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  • 01
    Alright I got a doozy of a question. So Five years ago this November I took a cat in for foster. It was supposed to be a temp thing for a friend while she worked on getting her kid back, and finding housing.
    via cosmic-kats
  • 02
    Cheezburger Image 10531992576
    via cosmic-kats
  • 03
    Well, after her bf kidnapped their kid, she went back to him. They in turn moved 10 hours away and left the cat with me. I had to have him neutered due to spraying and then save his life when he got urinary crystals.
    via cosmic-kats
  • 04
    About eight months after that she showed up at my house with the cops, demanding her cat back. After paying a few thousand in vet care, I told the cops that the cat was mine, and they agreed due to me having vet bills to prove ownership.
    via cosmic-kats

  • If the cops agreed that the cat was hers, then the cat is hers. She could officially seal the deal by changing the microchip to her name, and then it would be all but set in stone. We're sympathetic to a lot of things, but this is not one of them.

  • 05
    Fast forward FOUR YEARS, and she messages me randomly at 2am. Begging to know what happened to him. I lied and said he d d and proceeded to block her after she freaked out and said a bunch of lies about my parenting.
    via cosmic-kats
  • 06
    Going eight months in the future again, her sister messaged me, said sister knew I had the cat and approved. My question now is: do I just ignore the message? Do I bother tell the truth? Should I unblock the OG owner and be kind and say the cats alive and well and maybe send a photo?
    via cosmic-kats
  • 07
    Cheezburger Image 10532005120
    via Daga_Roszkowska from Pixabay

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

  • 08
    I've worked in animal rescue for a decade now but I've never experienced something like. THIS. What would you all do? Photo of said baby for tax
    via cosmic-kats
  • 09
    ColoradolnNJ I would probably just ignore the message. She knows you have the cat and approves? Who cares? It's your cat. Responding just keeps this person on the edges of your life longer. That handsome boy is home with you. Who cares what his flaky former owner thinks or says about that?
    via ColoradolnNJ
  • 10
    Mohavor Law enforcement determined its your pet. You're not beholden to the previous owners' wishes in any way, and you're not obligated to maintain contact or fulfill requests for information. The previous owner essentially abandoned the cat that you took full responsibility for. Just keep blocking and ignoring the other party.
    via Mohavor
  • 11
    Strange_Thanks_7420 Ignore those people. It's weird they'd even reach out lol anyway that's a beautiful cat, reminds me of my old cat before he passed
    via Strange_Thanks_7420
  • 12
    Cheezburger Image 10531995648
    via Strange_Thanks_7420
  • 13
    LilNausicca When she left the cat with you for that amount of time, She legally abandoned the cat. Keep the all the vet bills/records, make sure they are microchipped and ignore all communications to spare yourself the drama and enjoy your precious kitty
    via LilNausicca

  • The only thing we can say is for her to let the papers do the talking. Save every bill, every vet prescription, every photo you've taken of her. She is your cat now and if you have the evidence to prove it, you have nothing to worry about.

  • 14
    Xiterok You're not the step owner, you're the owner that stepped up.
    via Xiterok
  • 15
    Mindless_Freedom9243 Just ignore this person/their sister/whoever is associated with them bc they seem extremely unwell and re-igniting this conversation about the cat could lead to more drama.
    via Mindless_Freedom9243
  • 16
    The cat is with you and you are both happy? If so, who cares what this other person has to say about it? I would move on with my life, continuing to block this person, but I am an ice queen so...
    via Mindless_Freedom9243
  • 17
    ekobres Siberian A cat would just ignore them. Pretend you're a cat.
    via ekobres
  • 18
    0173512084103 Do not engage with her. Do not unblock her number. Do not talk with the sister any longer. Do not send a photograph no matter how much empathy you have for the original guardian. Law enforcement already confirmed it's your cat. Lock your windows and doors. People are freakin nuts.
    via 0173512084103
  • 19
    xoxkxox Don't answer. You don't owe them anything, even a reply.
    via xoxkxox
  • 20
    Dongma... I'm adding to the idea that said previous owner is mentally unwell, anyone with an ounce of care for animals (or sense in their brain, really) would be perfectly satisfied knowing their previous pet had someone pay ANYTHING out of pocket to ensure its safety and well-being.
    via DongmanSupreme
  • 21
    Four years pass by without a word and suddenly they're thinking about this cat like it's been nagging at their cerebral? They get their sister to message you close to five years later - not the day after the cat was decided to be yours, not the day
    via DongmanSupreme
  • 22
    after the 2am freakout, not anytime in between, but close to half a decade later? That's someone that either has some bulls going on in their personal life, or fighting demons in the brain.
    via DongmanSupreme
  • 23
    You are not beholden to fixing that in any way shape or form. Especially if the sister KNOWS you have the cat and has passed the info that it's fine back to her, and it still isn't good enough. That's a gigantic headache for both you and the cat that you'll
    via DongmanSupreme
  • 24
    be grateful you avoided, or entirely regretful you ever unleashed if you decided to reach out again. Seriously, block and let go. It's true that we as humans should look out for one another, but that also includes
    via DongmanSupreme
  • 25
    looking out for yourself. If it's a can of worms you're seriously prepared to open and deal with, then by all means go for it - but you need to be seriously well prepared for any scenario.
    via DongmanSupreme

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cops demands adoption cat adoption foster cat owners cat rescue Cats animals
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