CDS delivers an old, injured, hungry orange cat to human who's eager to help him, but 5 months later, his original owners notice that their cat went missing, demand him back, and post on social media, slandering the person who saved "their" cat's life

Mariel Ruvinsky • Writer and Editor

Jun 8, 2026 10:15 AM EDT

If it took you five months to notice that your cat was missing and do something about it, were you ever really the cat's owner?

We think that every cat owner in the world can agree that their cat running away is one of their worst fears. We know what our cats are like. We know how spoiled our cats are, how dependent our cats are on our love and care, even if our cats would deny it. We know it. Which is why the thought of our little innocent fluffball running out of the house and disappearing couldn't scare us more. We think that's part of what makes us good cat owners. We know what our cats are and what they need.

The people who came back for "their" cat in this story, as shared on online, were not good cat owners. We don't know if they could be called cat owners at all. How could they- when it took them five months to notice that their cat was missing and actually do something about it? It's lucky that the cat's new owner found him in time. It's lucky that they took him in and nursed him back to health. There's no telling how long he would have survived on his own like this. The last thing that should happen is that cat going back to the people who didn't care about him, and there is no question about that at all.

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"[Am I wrong] for not returning a cat to their old owners?"

via Unsplash / Alex Preusser - a_preusser

Calm cat represented by a meowdel.
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via ElecStarGazin
Whatever you do, do not give this cat back to these people. If it took us five months to notice that our cat was missing and actually do something about it, then something would have to be very wrong with us. We would be running around like headless chickens the second that it happens, calling out for them, making posters, posting online. You wouldn't get us to shut up about it if our cat ran away. They obviously didn't - and wouldn't - care about him at all.
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via ElecStarGazin
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via Unsplash / Doncoombez

The image of a napping cat is purrfectly represented by a cat model.
This is a smart thing to do. This kitty clearly has a penchant for adventure. Even without knowing that the original owners would be coming back with demands, this was the right thing to do for him. And it shows how much you care. It shows, in one simple action, that you are a much better fit for him than his old family ever could be. And we are 100% sure that he knows this too.
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via Unsplash / Ira E - irae_fotografi

A cute cat licking its own paw, as represented by a model.
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via MastersKitten31
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via Unsplash / Uros Miloradovic

Cat chilling in a calm space, represented by the cutest cat model.
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via leodoesgaming