‘I just “stole” a kitten’: Caring neighbor rescues 3-month-old kitten left out in the cold, only to be accused by the feline's foster family of crossing a line

Author image for Blake Seidel
Blake Seidel • Managing Editor & Brand Manager
Jan 6, 2026 1:00 PM EST

A real pawrent would never leave a "sick" kitten outside in the cold.

How many times do we have to say that cats don't belong outside? Cats are meant for the comfy, cozy interior of your homes, where they can rule you like the servant you are. They are meant to choose to sleep on the wooden table instead of their purrfect plethora of plushy cat beds you buy for them. Sure, there are some instances where cats must be separated from others (for example, if one is sick), but usually that means isolating one in the bathroom while the others free-roam around the house. If an adult cat shouldn't be left outside to fend for itself, a 3-month-old kitten certainly shouldn't.

One feline family claimed to fostering a cute kitten, who they claimed got their other cats sick. They appawrently received "advice" to keep the cat outside, but one caring neighbor stepped in to save the poor kitten from a night out in the cold. The foster family agreed, and the neighbor and her new kitten happily stayed together in their heartwarming home. Then, a week later, the foster family basically accused the neighbor of stealing "their" cat, even though they were basically going to abandon it outside anyway.

Well, all that meowtters is that the kitten is with a family that loves it and it's safely inside and healthy. If they really wanted another kitten so badly, maybe they shouldn't have left their first one outside in the furst place!

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  • 01

    Cat left outside by neighbor for supposedly only one night and I took the cat

    close up photography of a tortoiseshell kitten including 'I took the kitten into my apartment, which the neighbor knew I did'
    via burak kostak from Pexels

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

  • 02
    Hi, I wanted to know if I was in the wrong. A couple of days ago, around Sunday night, I caught my neighbor outside feeding a 3 month old kitten they had inside their house they said they were fostering.
    via Madam_J100
  • 03
    I asked them what they were doing and they said that this kitten got their other cat sick despite having them together for 2 months indoors with no problems.
    via Madam_J100
  • 04
    They said they tried to take the kitten to the pound, but the pound was full and they tried the humane society, but the HS was full and claimed the kitten has an upper respiratory infection (the kitten doesn't and is not sickly at all).
    via Madam_J100
  • 05
    The pound told them to put the kitty outside and the neighbor said that if the kitten was still around tomorrow, they would keep the kitten.
    via Madam_J100

  • If the kitten was still around tomorrow? So they're purrfectly fine with just leaving a “sick” kitten outside and hoping it sticks around? Absolutely not, not on our watch. Who even says something like that? Put the cat in the bathroom, in a bedroom with the door closed, literally anywhere except outside. This isn't the Hunger Games for cats; this cat is supposedly your responsibility, so act like it. Sorry for getting so frustrated, but this kind of attitude pawsitively rubs us the wrong way.

  • 06
    It was a bit warm out that day, but the temperature was going to plummet and start raining that night.
    via Madam_J100
  • 07
    So I took the kitten into my apartment, which the neighbor knew I did. Even told them I had the next day off and that I didn't have a phone yet since I broke my other one.
    via Madam_J100
  • 08
    young girl holding a tabby kitten in her arms
    via Hatice from Pexels

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

  • 09
    Next day, I waited to see if the neighbor would come by for the kitten. They never did.
    via Madam_J100
  • 10
    I will admit I could have done more to communicate with them like leave a note or knock on their door.
    via Madam_J100
  • 11
    But the same can be said for them. Heard nothing from them for an entire week.
    via Madam_J100
  • 12
    So I bought cat food, cat litter, cat pan, and even a pink collar for the kitten.
    via Madam_J100
  • 13
    It was yesterday morning when the neighbor finally knocked on our door. They asked if we had the cat and, honestly, I could not remember a majority of that conversation since they woke me up from a deep sleep.
    via Madam_J100
  • 14
    I do remember that I told them we (my parent and I) may keep the kitty and the neighbor seemed happy about that since they have been trying to find a home for it.
    via Madam_J100
  • 15
    kitten perched on wood pile outside
    via MajaMarjanovic

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

  • 16
    Heck, they even asked the week before if we wanted the kitty (we weren't ready yet and were honestly thinking of getting an older kitty, like 6 months or older).
    via Madam_J100
  • 17
    But later I received a text message from them in a rather rude way about how they felt my parent and I judged them as a bad cat parent, how they asked for help (they didn't ask for help with anything), and how we can keep the cat since we "took" her from them (no, you were going to leave the poor indoor kitten outside when it was going to get cold and rainy).
    via Madam_J100
  • 18
    How they won't bother us anymore (they barely talked to us). I was just shocked, sad, and a bit mad since we were on good terms before.
    via Madam_J100
  • 19
    But I just wanted to know if I was in the wrong for not giving the kitty back.
    via Madam_J100

  • You were not wrong for not giving the kitten back. They were ready to let fate/nature run its course by leaving it outside to see if it made it through. You saved that cat's life, and it will repay you for the rest of your life with love, cuddles, and meows announcing that it is hungry nearly every hour of the day. Who knows what would have happened if you hadn't stepped in.

  • 20
    (Extra notes: the neighbor told us three times they were just fostering the kitty, never took the kitty to a vet nor told the apartment complex they had a second cat in their apartment, and would hold the kitten in one hand as she thrashed around in their hand and let out loud meows)
    via Madam_J100
  • 21
    pinkflakes12 Keep the cat. A real owner never risks them like this
    via pinkflakes12
  • 22
    DoubleoSavant Nope. I have a neighbor who is basically breeding more strays. They get kittens for their kids, leave them outside, don't desex them, more kittens, cats and kittens go missing (presumably dead). I've taken three so far, and plan to take more. Don't give a rats rear end what they think.
    via DoubleoSavant
  • 23
    Penelope742 Please keep the cat
    via Penelope742
  • 24
    Alohafarms I foster. They are not fosters. You are screened well before you are allowed to foster and you have to have quite a bit of knowledge to take on the babies and the sick ones. I hospice foster as well. I could never just set an animal outside, much less one that is sick. That's abuse.
    via Alohafarms
  • 25
    You are saving this baby. No need to feel guilty at all. Keep it and if you think you cannot manage it's care find a no kill shelter in your area. Thank you for saving this baby.
    via Alohafarms
  • 26
    karinchup Keep the kitten. Help it. They clearly didn't want it and no "Foster" doesn't vet or puts it out.
    via karinchup
  • 27
    OhLovelyPersephone As someone who has fostered for both private and city organizations, if the cat was sick, the rescue would have gotten it taken care of. Full.stop!
    via OhLovelyPersephone
  • 28
    This is just a person who probably got a cat and now the cat is old enough that it should be giving its first round of veterinary stuff or possibly is being a kitten and clawing at stuff, they decided to toss it outside, because people are assholes.
    via OhLovelyPersephone
  • 29
    Congratulations on your new kitten.Get them to the vet asap and get them chipped with your name.
    via OhLovelyPersephone
  • 30
    Fast_Ad7292 Keep the kitten, get her microchipped, and register the microchip to you in case your neighbor decides to try to take legal action to get the kitten back. Keep all your receipts for supplies, vet visits, etc, so you have a paper trail
    via Fast_Ad7292
  • 31
    Setsailshipwreck I just "stole" a kitten from my neighbor in a similar situation. Was younger (4-6weeks) and would have 100% died if it was left out. I rehomed it to some very nice people and have zero regrets. Anyone who leaves a cat, especially a kitten out like that clearly doesn't want that cat. My neighbors didn't even look for mine. Sounds like your neighbors just felt guilty, which they should. Don't sweat it, keep the cat
    via Setsailshipwreck

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neighbors stealing foster family kitten animal rescue feline cat rescue Cats animals
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