'I am not condoning stealing, however…': Cat lover notices neighbor neglecting their cats, now they have to decide whether to nab the kittens or leave them outside furrever

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Blake Seidel • Managing Editor & Brand Manager
Sep 24, 2025 10:00 AM EDT

We all have to make impurrtant decisions in our lives. Do we eat the salmon or the tuna? Do we give our cats 500 forehead kisses or let them sleep peacefully? And sometimes, we even have to choose between going to work or staying home with them because they look sad. But none of those choices can compare to the choice of a cat lover seeing a neglected cat. Do you leave them in their situation, or make the choice to give them a better life with you? We can't tell you which is the right answer, but it is an unfortunate situation that many people find themselves in.

One thing we can say for sure, though, is that it is not safe to leave your cats outside. There are many natural predators of cats that live out there, and you can't account for a human mistake hurting your purrecious feline. Even worse than that are intact cats living outside because they will overpopulate and create future generations of cats that need to be saved from the streets.

After noticing their neighbor neglecting their outdoor cats (who now has kittens), one cat lover comes to a crossroads: do they steal the kitten and attempt to spay/neuter the other cats? Or do they leave them outside furrever?

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  • 01

    Would it be okay to [steal] a kitten from my neighbor knowing she's up for a life of neglect?

    Cat eating outside including 'Do it... that baby needs you!”
    via onlyfabrizio

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 02
    It needs some context, so my neighbor previously got a cat and didn't neuter her, leading to her having 3 kittens, now she doesn't allow them to come inside, one of my other neighbor paid to neuter the mom, the 3 boys aren't neutered and they're all living outside full time for
    via Sweet_Muffin27
  • 03
    over a year. My neighbor and I feed them every day, they're very feral and won't let us get close. We called shelters but they weren't unable to take them in unfortunately.
    via Sweet_Muffin27

  • Why even get a cat if you don't want them in your house? We understand that cats can make a mess of things, but if you don't want the mess, then don't get a cat in the first place! You'd be surprised how many people can't understand this simple logic.

  • 04
    A couple of days, when I went to feed them I found out a small kitten, maybe 4 months old, maybe less, she was starving, it turns out that neglectful neighbor got her and unfortunately she's going to end up pregnant as soon as she can
    via Sweet_Muffin27
  • 05
    and will be living outside as well. I know that neighbor won't take care of her, she's just a baby and already is outside most the time if not 100% of the time, I saw her on the road today, a couple of street from where she lives, I was afraid she gets hit by
    via Sweet_Muffin27
  • 06
    a car.. I just want to take her in but I don't know, I'm worry they gonna do something, they're alcolic so they get heated. really fast, but I'm gonna feel so guilty if she end up pregnant by 6 months or k ed.
    via Sweet_Muffin27
  • 07
    Cats outside
    via ferrerivideo

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 08
    gingerful 19h ago Maybe I'm morally gray in this case, but I'm willing to bet they won't notice the absence of you take the kitten. There is a house a block from us that was doing the same with cats, and one of them ended up with a broken tail
    via gingerful_
  • 09
    - as if they grabbed it by the tail. It's tail was an S-shape and had an unhealed wound on it. Their new neighbor took the cat, took it to the vet, and started caring for it themselves. It has since
    via gingerful_
  • 10
    become an indoor cat and the original owners haven't noticed. Neighbors also trapped, neutered, and released the rest of the cats with the help of a local rescue. I say do it.
    via gingerful_

  • Who knows what the “right” answer is. Is it right to leave a cat in a situation where it isn't being taken care of? Is it right to steal someone's pet? Can it really even be considered their pet if it isn't allowed inside their house?

  • 11
    not_originalusername yeah take her
    via not_originalusername
  • 12
    bruhwutwedoin 19h ago Just take the cat and keep it indoors. They won't know. Take photos before and if they report you then you can claim neglect on their end.
    via bruhwutwedoin
  • 13
    Kitten held in a hand
    via Lucia Kindernayova

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 14
    markersandtea 18h ago . None of us are going to say no.
    via markersandtea
  • 15
    _Lasagna_Del_Rey · 18h ago Yes. A friend of mine actually did this. The cat grew up fat and happy and loving life.
    via _Lasagna_Del_Rey
  • 16
    SherlockWSHolmes 19h ago . Start talking about how you're getting a kitty and then kidnap/liberate said kitty. Keep her inside and hidden as best as able. Neighbors won't care if they neglect it like they do the others. They'll just think its a coincidence you've got one that resembles their lost one.
    via SherlockWSHolmes
  • 17
    MangoSalsa89 · 18h ago I guess check for a microchip just to be safe. I doubt your neighbor is responsible enough to have even taken her to a vet. There is no way to prove that the cat even belongs to your neighbor since they ignore and neglect them and they're free to roam outside. Take the kitty in and give her a good life.
    via MangoSalsa89
  • 18
    shyprof 18h ago Edited 14h ago . • I'd take the kitten, but I'd also take the other cats to get fixed. There are free clinics near me if you let them tip the ears, and then I'd just release them when I'm sure the neighbors aren't
    via shyprof
  • 19
    looking. The clinic also does vaccines. If they don't want their cats fixed they need to keep them inside. Worth checking if something like that is around you. It's a kind impulse to feed them, but if you don't also fix them it's not ethical-you're going to end up with hundreds of cats and eventually you won't be able to feed them all.
    via shyprof
  • 20
    But yeah take the kitten if you're willing. That's a good deed. Edit: Maybe Google trap/neuter/release (TNR) and your location to see if there's a local group to help you get the adults fixed. If nothing exists in
    via shyprof
  • 21
    your area, local shelters may have programs to loan out traps for free and get free or low-cost neutering. It is work and I know you have to be careful not to get caught, but you can always claim
    via shyprof
  • 22
    you thought they were strays. And a bit of work now to get them neutered will save hundreds of lives of future cats. You simply cannot be feeding these cats but not get them fixed. They will overpopulate like mad.
    via shyprof
  • 23
    Nomadloner69 · 18h ago Go get her! She'll live a much happier life inside with you full belly of food and places to sleep with warm sunshine protected from the elements
    via Nomadloner69
  • 24
    CaptWrath 17h ago • If she forces them all to live out side and hasn't paid for them to be spayed or neutered AND doesn't even feed them? They are NOT her cats. Do whatever you need to help the poor stray cats.
    via CaptWrath
  • 25
    Effective-Yak3627 18h ago . Take her, Reach out to local rescues who can trap and adopt the other kittens even feral cats can be rehired as barn cats
    via Effective-Yak3627
  • 26
    inkdemon83 • 18h ago I am not condoning stealing, however, I'd do the same if it was an animal that was being neglected or ab ed.
    via inkdemon83
  • 27
    Diane1967 • 19h ago As long as there's no risk of like them seeing it sitting in your window or anything they won't even know you took it. Please take it in and give it a fair chance instead of just for br sad. Good luck! ing. So
    via Diane1967
  • 28
    resting_up ⚫ 19h ago Encourage the kitten with food to move in with you and then tell your neighbor that the kitten wants to live with you. Get the kitten chipped and then it's undisputably yours.
    via resting_up
  • 29
    Pixichixi 18h ago If she was on the road, just grab her. Don't let the neighbor see her. Get her vetted and microchipped. If the neighbor eventually notices, hey, you found a stray wandering around
    via Pixichixi
  • 30
    and adopted her. They don't have a kitten. They just occasionally allow a stray cat in their home. You can't steal a cat that's wandering around without care because you're rescuing a stray cat in that case
    via @
  • 31
    . justanotherfacexxx · 18h ago Take the cat. Keep the cat inside and if anyone asks, play ignorance. Neighbor - "That's my cat!"
    via @
  • 32
    Op- "What? No, I adopted her a week ago" bonus points if you say you've had her for longer than you have
    via @
  • 33
    leatpurplepickles • 18h ago . Not a cat but I stole the neighbors dog and I'd do it. again! That poor baby was living under the front porch in a muddy hole, starving, and tiny. I fed her everyday and one day I led her to
    via @
  • 34
    my porch to "feed her" and I took her in my front door, straight out my back door, into a car to a better home! She lived with her new family and her little girl until she d d of old age! I even helped them look for her, hanging signs on posts! No regrets! DO IT, OP. THAT BABY NEEDS YOU!
    via @

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stray cats neighbors neighborhood drama adoption stealing strange kitten animal rescue adopted feline cat rescue forever home outdoor cats Cats loving cute kittens animals rescue
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