Pregnant sister-in-law "temporarily rehomes" her cat because she "couldn't deal with her right now", without telling the new owners it's temporary, they fall in love with the kitty and refuse to give her back: '[She says] I'm stealing her cat'

Mariel Ruvinsky • Writer and Editor

Apr 23, 2026 11:00 AM EDT

"Rehoming" is a word that has a meaning. Don't use it if you don't intend to follow through with it.

Rehoming a cat because of a baby has to be one of the most difficult decisions to make. One of our worst nightmares is having a baby who is deathly allergic to cats. So far, that hasn't happened, and we don't know what we will do if it does. So, in some ways, we have sympathy for the woman in this story. In all other ways, we're inclined to think that she's a liar.

Keep your story straight. That is what we would tell her. At first, she was tossing her cat onto her sister-in-law because she "couldn't handle her right now". Then, it was because her toddler was allergic to cats. First, it was a permanent rehoming of the cat. Then, she returned, demanding the cat back as if it was always the plan for her to do so. Something is off about the whole thing, but the only thing that we know for sure is that the cat seems much happier in his new home than in his old one, and we don't think that a person like this woman is someone who should have any pets at all.

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"[Am I wrong] for not giving my sister-in-law back her cat after she “rehomed” it to me without telling me it was temporary?"

via Unsplash / Oksana Lysenko - gorchinska88

Picture of a pretty and fluffy cat by a window.
Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.
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via stellaellee
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There are so many red flags about the sister-in-law in this story, we don't even know where to start. From her not making sure that you knew this was a temporary arrangement, to her excuse being her allergic baby who is suddenly not allergic anymore, to the cat having a rotting tooth that was not taken care of beforehand, all the way to how she came back with demands and accusations instead of apologies and thankfulness. Red flags. She should not own any animals right now.
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via Unsplash / Oksana Lysenko - gorchinska88

Picture of a pretty and fluffy cat by a window.
Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.
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via Not-a-Cranky-Panda
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via SnooDrawings888
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via Unsplash / Oksana Lysenko - gorchinska88

Picture of a pretty and fluffy cat.
Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.
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via itsdandito
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via Unsplash / Oksana Lysenko - gorchinska88

Picture of a pretty and fluffy cat under blankets.
Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.
We do agree with some of the comments here. We think that if she had seen the vet bill and were made to understand that this is something that might happen again, a payment that might need to be given again, she would go off running. This is not a person who wants to take care of a cat. This cat seems to be just a toy for them.
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via Unsplash / Oksana Lysenko - gorchinska88

Picture of a pretty and fluffy cat under blankets.
Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.
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via AetherIdol