AITA for bringing in my neighbors cat even after they told me not to let him in?

A Reddit user shares their heartfelt story about a neighborhood cat they believed to be a stray, only to discover he has owners who have asked them not to bring him inside. Despite this, the cat keeps returning to their home, waiting in the cold to be let in. The user struggles with whether they should respect the owners’ wishes or continue offering the cat warmth and shelter, as it seems neglected and unhappy outdoors. What would you do in their shoes? Read the full story below.

‘ AITA for bringing in my neighbors cat even after they told me not to let him in?’

Okay so I’d been feeding and bringing in what I assumed was a stray cat because of how dirty and skinny he was. After we gave him a bath and everything we started bringing him in and he’d sleep in my house every night for the past 5 weeks or more and he got along fine with my other cats but we’d still let him out whenever he’d walk up to the door and because we assumed he wanted to go out and the weather was nice.

I put my number on a collar and put it on him to see if he did in fact have a home. About an hour later I get a call saying he does have a home and he’s taken care of and they have 7 other cats and I asked if he (the cats dad) wanted me stop letting him come in my house ( id only bring him in at night unless it was raining) and the guys wife said stop bringing him inside.

But for the past 3 nights he has sat outside on my car by my gate waiting for me to let him come inside and this is at different hours of the night I look out and he’s stitting there from 3pm-2am just waiting and it’s been getting cold at night.

Personally I don’t think they care about him as much as they are saying (besides the fact that he’s been sleeping in my house for the past 5 weeks every single night) because if any of my cats went out to adventure and didn’t come home the 1st night I’d be outside and knocking on doors to see if anyone has seen my cat. I’ve also seen him outside for the past 4 years I’ve lived here and we thought he was a stray.

Even just now I opened my door and he came running from a block away and its currently 34 degrees and it’s almost 1 am he ran right in rubbed up on my leg and went and got in his spot in my bed. Am I in the wrong here??

Here’s what the community had to contribute:

Aggressive_Cattle320 −  NTA. As far as I’m concerned, this cat is abandoned. He is not cared for properly. No given proper food and shelter. No pet cat should be outdoors. They are exposed to all sort of diseases and dangers that indoor cats are safe from. And they hunt and kill native birds and wildlife and are the bane of much of society.

dca_user −  I think you need to post this question in your local subreddit. It sounds like this family has 7 cats that they’re neglecting.

canvasshoes2 −  NTA. All’s fair in love and war. And you’re providing this cat love and they’re not. Simple. Poor kitty.

Mediocre_Ant_437 −  NTA and I would call the ASPCA and report it as animal abuse. I would also start leaving food and water outside for the other cats and maybe a large doghouse in case they need shelter, something very enclosed with a washable soft mat or old towel or something.

DigitalDonutNL −  The cat distribution system is never wrong… 2 cats of mine liked it more at two of my neighbours (my other cats got kitten’s and the 2 males didn’t like being in the house with a bunch of crazy kittens), so they went to live there.. Their life, their choices…

ittetsu1988 −  Seems like they don’t know where he’s at anyway during the night, so I say let the baby in.

CheckIntelligent7828 −  NTA. Keep letting him in and feeding him. If they want to have him so badly they can goddamned well act like responsible pet parents. Please don’t let this cat suffer outside just because the first humans it stayed with are assholes of the first degree. Oh, and report them for hoarding and animal abuse. Pronto.

MyPath2Follow −  NTA, but – I would refrain from judging them. It’s easy to say ‘They don’t care about him’ when he’s outside. I HATE when people let their cats outside, however I know from experience that sometimes a cat will just do what it wants to do. We had a cat, Sadie, who was feral. We tried to bring her in, but she’d run out every chance she got. She’d NEVER stay in.

If a door opened even a crack, she’d bulldoze through. I wouldn’t be mad if someone let her in to shelter her, but I would be upset if people tried to keep her, which might be what this family is afraid of given you put your number and a collar on the cat? All in all, def not an ahole though. Caring about and taking care of an animal is never going to make you a bad guy. I would HOPE the owner would be understanding of the situation and if they aren’t, then THEY are def an a-hole.

Dittoheadforever −  You’re NTA. Cats decide who their servants are, and this one chose you. I hope the neighbors are taking better car of their other cats than they seemed to be taking care of this one.

hadMcDofordinner −  Take him in or have him re-homed. Of course he’s at your place, he knows he can relax and be warm there. He may be getting older, or may be sick, and he rightly judged that your place provided the better care for him.. NTA.