‘I catnapped someone’s cat by accident’: Guy adopts a “stray” then learns he belongs to his elderly neighbor, and they end up co-parenting in a friendly arrangement

Advertisement
  • I accidentally kidnapped a cat and now we share custody

    Orange Tabby Cat Lying on rug
  • Advertisement
  • I moved into a new apartment back in May. Quiet place. Mostly retirees who spend too much time in the courtyard talking about neighborhood drama and whose tulips are clearly overwatered.
  • I don't have pets. Or plants. Or anything that requires emotional commitment. So you can imagine my surprise when this orange cat started showing up outside my door, meowing like I owed him money.
  • No collar. Kind a crusty. Loud. So obviously I assumed: stray.
  • Advertisement
  • Orange Tabby Cat Lying on rug
  • I called him Meatball. I gave him tuna twice. He started showing up every day. Then he started walking in like he lived there.
  • He'd take naps on my bathmat. Sit on my keyboard when I worked. Once I found him asleep in my laundry basket like he paid rent.
  • Advertisement
  • We settled into a routine. He was basically my part-time emotional support roommate. Then I met my neighbor down the hall. Elderly lady. Real sweet, until she saw me one morning and said:
  • Orange Tabby Cat Lying on rug
  • Have you seen an orange cat? He's been missing for three weeks. He needs thyroid meds twice a day.
  • Advertisement
  • Cue internal screaming. Me, playing dumb: Uh... does he answer to Meatball?
  • Her eyes go wide. You FOUND HIM?! His name is Mr. Snickerdoodle! I thought he was GONE forever! We were about to make flyers!
  • Anyway, turns out I was harboring a senior citizen's cat who just decided he liked my apartment better.
  • Advertisement
  • Mr. Snickerdoodle had zero regrets, by the way. When I picked him up to take him home, he bit me. No gratitude. No shame. Just vibes.
  • Now we apparently have an agreement. He spends 3-4 days a week with me and the rest with his actual family.
  • I still call him Meatball. He ignores both names.
  • Advertisement
  • So yeah. I catnapped someone's elderly thyroid cat by accident. But now we're kind of in a joint custody situation.
  • And my bathmat has never been furrier.

Tags

Scroll Down For The Next Article