'She was so scared but trusted me right away': Hiker witnesses cat owners abandoning their senior feline in real time, but doesn't fail to do the right thing

Author image for Blake Seidel
Blake Seidel • Managing Editor & Brand Manager
Apr 12, 2026 3:00 PM EDT

What would you do if you saw someone abandoning their pet right in front of you?

Just like you have to pass a test to be a police officer or a firefighter, we think you should have to pass a test to be a pet owner. We see all these adorable videos of puppies and kittens on Instagram, which give us a beautiful, but false, narrative of the purrfect like of a pet owner. It's not all cuddles and cute meowments. It's coming home to your new chair completely ruined from scratching, it's waking up at 1, 3, and 5 AM to calm down your kitten or take your puppy out to use the bathroom.

Because of this, people don't understand how much your life changes when you get a pet, even a cat. And because people don't understand this, when they realize how much they will have to sacrifice in order to give their pet the life it deserves, many will take the cowardly way of abandoning their pet and never looking back.

Thankfully, there are usually some helpful heroes around who will rescue and give them a proper home, but this could all be solved if we properly educated people on what it truly means to be a pawrent.

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    Cheezburger Image 10622010112
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  • 02
    returning to my car after my taking my dog to play in the river, there's just one other car in the lot by the boat ramp.
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  • 03
    I see the passenger door open and close, then the car backs out and pulls away.
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  • It's pawsitively astounding to us that there are no laws against abandoning pets already. Come on, it's 2026, how is this still a legal thing to do? It would teach people that adopting a pet is a 10-20 year responsibility, and not a decision that comes because you love kitten videos on Instagram. When you find out that having a kitten is like having a 2-year-old with claws, they aren't so cute all the time. But it's all part of the process. No one is purrfect, not even kittens.

  • 04
    sitting there in the spot is this poor cat, flattening herself to the ground and frozen still i load my dog into the car and walk over, shes st frozen and flat with huge eyes.
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  • 05
    I ask "are you okay? Do you need help?" and she starts immediately yowling and crying.
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  • 06
    I crouch down and after just a few seconds she slinks over and hides under my knees, still crying, but she starts rubbing her face on my leg in between yells I enlisted the help the next person to pull up to the lot since I had my dog in the car.
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  • 07
    we brought her to the vet to get scanned for a microchip, but found nothing the vet thinks she's around 10 years old, she had fleas but all her bld work and other tests came back fine.
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  • 08
    super sweet, she tolerated everything the vet did, and she hasn't hissed or growled once at us, she's just so scared.
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  • 09
    She found a spot under the futon in the home office, so she now has a bed and litter box there.
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  • 10
    Its only been a few days, but we've been able to keep the door open and our two other cats have given her space though they know she's in there and will occasionally go in there for a Quick Look before running off.
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  • 11
    i didn't get a license plate from the car that left her, but I don't think it matters as I doubt anything would come of it.
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  • 12
    She was so scared but trusted me right away. I hate that this happened to her, at least I'm the one to find her I guess, I had no issue covering for all her vaccinations and tests, and if we discover anything else then I'll help her with that too
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    Dull_Bat9518 Very lucky baby to find you some people are horrible
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  • Talk about being in the right place at the right time! We're not huge fans of the saying “everything happens for a reason”, but it really does seem like someone was pulling the strings of this feline's fate.

  • 14

    The neighbor's cat

    tmoney523
    via tmoney523

    "Our neighbor abandoned their cat as they faced eviction and as much as I'm trying not to judge, I can't help but feel so upset. I'm a teacher who lives on a budget and have spent what little savings I have to help.. meanwhile the neighbor isn't held accountable. He started coming around about 3-4 months ago and we thought he was an outdoor cat until we found out his backstory. Took him to the vet Friday for vaccinations, bloodwork, ear mite and flea treatment, and he will hopefully be taken to his new home tomorrow! If our cat could live with another cat we would've kept him. We've had to board him at the vet until his new home was ready because we couldn't find a foster. Thank you for being there for that sweet girl. I couldn't fathom leaving my cat somewhere that wasn't safe"

  • 15
    CanadiangirlEH It turns my stomach how someone can so casually discard a living, breathing thing like trash. Poor little thing.
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  • 16
    Swimming-Tip-6312 The world needs more people like you
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    90sBurnoutKing I don't understand what's so hard about caring for an animal you chose to get? Like, id rather live under a freeway than get rid of my boy, im all hes ever known, and all he'll ever know, people s kso glad you were there
    via 90sBurnoutKing
  • 18
    logitaunt What a beautiful baby, glad you took her in
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  • 19
    Opening-Scallion6459 She definitely landed in the right hands
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  • 20
    OrneryNectarine5630 So glad she found someone caring-she deserves a peaceful, loving home now.
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  • 21
    Aron-St-Bernard Thank you for taking her in, shes beautiful!! I took in a stray who was dumped at my complex a few months ago, and its wonderful having her despite it taking a while for her to trust me. Thank you so much for caring for this precious baby too!
    via Aron-St-Bernard
  • 22
    Dudefoxlive Reminds me of when my dad saw someone drop off a baby orange kitten in a grocery store parking lot. He brought him home that day. Some people...
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  • 23
    Classic_Focus_212 Adopted her she lives fine with my dog
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Hiking scared cat owners feline cat rescue trust Cats senior cats animals
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