'She asked me if she can have her kitten back': After 21-year-old adopts a shelter kitten, former owner tracks her on social media and tries to reclaim her, but this new pawrent isn't budging

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Sarah Brown • Writer and Editor
Sep 17, 2025 6:00 PM EDT

Two weeks ago, a 21-year-old hooman met a six-month-old heart-stealer at the shelter: friendly, road-rescued, dog-bite survivor, and in need of a furever home. Paperwork? Pawfect. Vax, spay, chip? Check. Once cleared, the kitten sashayed into her new home like she'd always paid the rent.

But then came a whiskery plot twist. An unknown caller found the pawrent and claims she's the owner and wants the kitten back. Cash on the table, photos in the DMs, origin story included. The tale features a move, a landlord "maybe," outdoor wanderings, and one very missing cat who later turned up at the shelter healing from a dog bite. The new pawrent, now officially listed and chipped, replied with a firm pawlite no. This kitty is spoken fur.

Today the whiskers point forward. Paperwork is signed, the microchip is registered, and a calm routine is taking root. No return label, no takebacks. Just a purrmanent home, a warm lap, and nine lives scheduled for love and snacksinstead of street drama.

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  • 01
    'She was found in the road, abandoned and bitten by a dog'
    via Portafolio Celiafoto / Canva

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

  • 02
    I (21F) went to an animal shelter about 2 weeks ago and fell in love with this gorgeous 6 month old kitten, who was so friendly and needed a home. I asked the team about her history to find out why she was here and they said she was found in the road, abandoned and bitten by a dog. I
    via anonymousmeowww
  • 03
    immediately filled in the adoption paperwork for this kitty but she was still healing so I couldn't take her home straight away. On Saturday she was finally spayed, microchipped and ready to come to her new home which she has slotted into perfectly.
    via anonymousmeowww
  • 04
    So tonight I received a call and message from an unknown number that says she is the owner of my kitten and she wants her back. She said she saw a post on Facebook that I had adopted her kitten and tracked me down on Instagram to find my phone number on my business's
    via anonymousmeowww
  • 05
    account. She explained that she moved out of her parents' house where the kitten lived and that she had to wait for her new landlord to tell her if she can have a kitten or not. She said the kitten kept trying to find her and one morning the kitten went outside to find and wasn't seen again.
    via anonymousmeowww
  • 06
    Cheezburger Image 10554400256
    via tatyana_tomsickova / Canva

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

  • 07
    She asked me if she can have her kitten back, she will even pay for her because she's been looking for her for a month and sent me photos to prove it is hers. I told her that I adopted her from an animal shelter where she was recovering from a dog bite and kept in a cage and that I am NOT interested in giving her back. Am I the a_h_le?
    via anonymousmeowww
  • 08
    Cheezburger Image 10554396160
    via IsoSvet / Canva

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

  • 09
    Ok-Complex5075 NTA. I would be completely uncomfortable if someone found my information like that and tried to convince me to give them my kitten (I adopted an abandoned kitten in 2023). I'd block her.
    via Ok-Complex5075
  • 10
    You adopted that kitten, followed all the procedures, and if she had had that kitten previously, she clearly didn't look hard enough, as you found her in a shelter. If my cat got out, the first places I'd be looking are shelters.
    via Ok-Complex5075
  • 11
    eventhoughitsnotr... NTA, The kitten wasn't chipped. There's no documentation proving she owned the cat. Block her and move on.
    via eventhoughitsnotreal
  • 12
    settledownbessye In my area we have a 7 day stray hold to allow owners the opportunity to get their pets back. If they don't within that timeframe, then the animal is up for adoption. As long as the shelter followed their standard process for strays, the kitten is yours.
    via settledownbessye
  • 13
    Why didn't she contact the shelter immediately to see if her kitten was picked up? When our cat escaped and went missing, I contacted every shelter in my area and provided pictures and info about him. They all posted the pics and info on their social media and kept an
    via settledownbessye
  • 14
    eye out for him in their intakes. He didn't show up, but if he had I would have been notified (even disregarding that he was chipped anyway).
    via settledownbessye

  • If she didn’t bother looking for the cat until now, it shows she doesn’t really care. You stepped up, got her safe, and gave her a real forever home.

  • 15
    IcePrincess_Not_... NTA - I volunteer for an animal rescue and when people who care, lose their pets, they're contacting every shelter, rescue, posting online, making flyers, etc. to try to find their pet. The shelter took the kitten in, had the kitten long enough to have it heal from an injury, and then fix, vaccinate, and microchip the pet.
    via IcePrincess_Not_Sk8r
  • 16
    If the person had invested even the amount of time in finding the kitten, that they did tracking you down via the internet, they would have found them at the local shelter. That's YOUR cat. Not theirs.
    via IcePrincess_Not_Sk8r
  • 17
    Cosi-grl Absolutely NTA. The kitten wasn't chipped, was left out on the street. No way was the kitten "trying to find her", and who knows if it's even the same kitten.
    via Cosi-grl
  • 18
    heathers-damage NTA, This person has no proof that it's their cat besides some pictures and didn't even get this kitten microchipped in the first place. This isn't a cat she had for 8 years you plucked off the street, it was a kitten lucky enough to end up In a
    via heathers-damage
  • 19
    shelter where you adopted them and not eaten by a dog or some other predator. This is your cat, but I would document any kind of escalation from her bc the level of online stalking is unhinged.
    via heathers-damage
  • 20
    L2N2 Anyone legit who loses a pet is in touch with every shelter around them. Congrats on your new kitten.
    via L2N2
  • 21
    Cheeseburgers_ If my kitten was lost, I'd be messaging every shelter nearby to make sure they keep a lookout for her and alert me asap. She wasn't looking that hard, and definitely shouldn't be given your kitten. NTA.
    via Cheeseburgers_
  • 22
    Traditional-Swan-... You legally adopted her, and she's safe now. The previous owner lost that right when she abandoned the kitten
    via Traditional-Swan-130
  • 23
    Strange-Gazelle-9... NTA shelters have stray holds where they must legally keep the cat for a certain amount of time before adopting the animal out. After that time, the animal can legally be adopted out. It's a sad situation for the previous owner, but the cat is yours.
    via Strange-Gazelle-9007
  • 24
    Artistic_Animator... NTA, funny how she could do all of this research to find out how to contact you, but did no research to find her "beloved kitten".
    via Artistic_Animator_46
  • 25
    Jerseygirl2468 NTA while if it was her kitten it's sad for her, you adopted this cat through the shelter and are the owner. She can talk to them if she wants, but if she didn't have the kitten chipped and has no record of ownership, she's out of luck. She also moved out and abandoned it with her parents, right? Not a great pet owner.
    via Jerseygirl2468

  • If there was no microchip or official record when the cat went missing, it’s hard to prove prior ownership. You followed the process and now you’re the registered, responsible pawrent.

  • 26
    ehsole & if the landlord said no then what? glad that baby found a good home
    via ehsole
  • 27
    Ti... NTA - her situation is unfortunate but you legally own the cat. (also lock down your social media)
    via Timely_Egg_6827
  • 28
    Kxnkyliv NTA. You rescued an animal she didn't take care of the first time, you don't deserve to have your heartbroken to give her a second chance to fumble it.
    via Kxnkyliv

  • She had her chance to give this kitty a safe, secure life and lost it. You stepped up, gave both yourself and the cat a fresh start, and built something better.

     

  • 29
    Medusa_7898 Block her and contact the animal shelter as well. You have done nothing wrong.
    via Medusa_7898

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pets kitten adopted cat owners feline pawrents animal shelter Cats rescue
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