After an elderly neighbor passes away, his cat walks a street over and adopts a new family entirely on his own; now they're negotiating with the late owner's daughter to keep him for good: 'The kids would love to have him.'

Author image for Ayala Sorotsky
Ayala Sorotsky • Writer and Editor
Jul 2, 2026 11:00 AM EDT

What should a cat do if their human is the one to cross over the rainbow bridge?

A cat who lost their human has just lost everything. To us, cats are a huge part of our world and essence, of what we are as "cat people". But to cats, their humans are their entire world. To us, our cat is our best friend. To our cat, their human is their only friend. The cat-human connection is everything for a cat - so when a cat loses their human, it can truly be traumatic. And that's exactly what happened to the cat of u/FantasticVast01's neighbor, and so he went to tell the tale to the online feline family.

This one's a cat who belonged to an elderly person. And you know the sad truth - everyone has a time to go, and if it's an old person we're talking about, it's usually a matter of time. And that person… had to go. But their cat had nowhere to go. That's a sad start, for sure, but a cat being a cat is usually what happens - and this cat took matters into his own paws. He walked a street away, right to a family's home, and sort of decided "I live here now."

The problem is that the cat still belongs to the neighbor's family. You see, his daughter moved in, but she's not a cat fan (how could anybody not adore cats, we will never understand - especially if they were already technically family). But as we understand, the family is doing everything in their power to transfer the cat to their home for good, and adopt him officially. Sometimes, a cat changing hands is the best outcome for them. It depends on a lot of parameters, but in this case, it seems like the right solution.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to start your Caturday with the funniest felines on the internet!

Add as a preferred
source on Google
Advertisement
  • 01
    My neighbours cat wants to live with us
    via FantasticVast01
  • 02
    Cheezburger Image 10643347200
    via FantasticVast01
  • 03
    My neighbour sadly dod last month. He got a kitten last year who he treated like his child.
    via FantasticVast01
  • 04
    His daughter who now owns the house doesn't like cats. The cat decided the dislike was mutual and tried to
    via FantasticVast01
  • 05
    move into our house a street away. We had no say in this.
    via FantasticVast01
  • 06
    He comes every day and refuses to leave. Our young daughter's are very happy, our
    via FantasticVast01
  • 07
    teenage son grumbles about the cat tripping him up all the time but we've caught him
    via FantasticVast01
  • 08
    cuddling the cat a few times when he thought no one was around
    via FantasticVast01
  • 09
    Edit: First time poster on this sub and i would like to just say what a nice and supportive group you all are. Thanks for the awards and all the kind words.
    via FantasticVast01
  • 10
    Some people were a bit worried about the cat's safety but rest assured that though she isn't a fan of cats,
    via FantasticVast01
  • 11
    the daughter is a nice person (well as nice as a non cat lover can be lol) and would never hurt him
    via FantasticVast01
  • 12
    VoiceEnFuego Sorry if this was asked but lots of comments. Have you talked to the daughter about taking ownership of the cat
    via VoiceEnFuego
  • 13
    Fantastic Vast01 OP Yes. She is happy we are taking care of him and expressed concern what would happen to him when she sold the house and was very thankful when i said the kids would love to have him
    via FantasticVast01

  • It seems like the late neighbor's daughter has her heart in the right place. Sure, she might've lost her dad, and probably needs to deal with a lot of bureaucracy at the moment, but she realizes she needs to also put the best interests of the cat up there on top of the list. She might not be a cat lover, but she's definitely giving off the impression of a good-hearted person. We hope her mourning process is going smoothly, and she'll at least have peace of mind from the cat, who will spend his time in a loving home.

  • 14
    46rubberduck So glad the cat has a safe home. An certain his dad would have thanked you if he could
    via 46rubberduck
  • 15
    Fantastic Vast01 OP Thank you
    via FantasticVast01
  • 16
    21stCenturyGW Congratulations on your new cat. Fantastic Vast01 OP Lol Thanks
    via 21stCenturyGW | FantasticVast01
  • 17
    Lovable Dazzling2 he knew exactly where to find another loving family
    via LovableDazzling2
  • 18
    FantasticVast01 OP We feel blessed as there are quite a few families in the area he could.have chosen lol
    via FantasticVast01
  • 19
    kegido You are a Cat owner! Fantastic Vast01 OP It seems i am now a multiple cat owner lol
    via kegido | FantasticVast01
  • 20
    The_Honkai Scholar Your son is pretty cute! Secretly loving the cat is a nice sign.
    via The_Honkai_Scholar
  • 21
    the MightBoop Just make him your cat. I am sure the neighbor won't care
    via theMightBoop
  • 22
    ThippusHorribilus It must know you are good people. Let it live with you. Make it official. If it has a microchip arrange it with your neighbours daughter to get the details transferred into your name.
    via ThippusHorribilus
  • 23
    Federal-Waltz-8645 This is how we ended up with an extra cat and dog. She explicitly asked us to take them though. Thanks for being a good neighbor.
    via Federal-Waltz-8645

Want More? Follow Us and Add Us as a Preferred Source on Google.

Tags

wholesome cat neighbors adorable adoption heartwarming cat adoption adopted family Cats
Scroll Down For The Next Article