AITA for taking a “stray” cat to a rescue?
A woman who regularly cares for local feral cats took a neglected tomcat to a rescue after observing its poor condition—matted fur, fleas, underweight, and clear signs of illness. The cat turned out to have FIV, heartworms, and other severe health issues requiring immediate attention.
Shortly after, her neighbors claimed the cat was theirs, accusing her of taking their pet and threatening police involvement. She stood by her decision, believing the cat was not well-cared for, but now wonders if she overstepped. read the original story below…
‘ AITA for taking a “stray” cat to a rescue?’
so basically, i have lived in this house for two years. there are a ton of stray cats around, mostly ferals. i have been taking kittens to a rescue when they pop up for the entire time, no problem. there has been a tomcat outside for a long time, i know him and feed all the cats.
he has always been more social than the others, but he is clearly neglected. the things i noticed off the bat is just the immense matting in his fur and how underweight he is for his size. he has fleas and all that as well. indistinguishable from the other ferals, just a little friendlier.
i see this cat outside every day, at all hours. eventually i can pick him up and he follows me around all the time. i was grappling with taking him in, and ultimately couldn’t. however the rescue i work with tells me they have a space for him. excellent. i take him there about two weeks ago.
the day after, they send me the vet report. he is underweight and dehydrated, has FIV, fleas, and heartworms. he has rotting teeth that need to be pulled. he has to be sedated and completely shaved down to get him clean at this point.
prognosis not good, basically managing symptoms and hoping he doesn’t die. but he is with a foster somewhere, and comfortable. cut to yesterday. my neighbors come over, tell me they’ve seen the cat near my house and want to know where he is. i say, rescue. they tell me it’s their cat.
i tell them i’m sorry, there was no chip, nothing. the cat is extremely sick and did not look cared for (tried to phrase it nicer but…). they want to know where it is, i honestly have no idea. the interaction got aggressive quickly, and ended with them threatening to call the police. i basically said, okay.
no cops showed up, didn’t think they would even if they did call (my area sucks so). but i feel a little bad. in my opinion, they were not taking care of him in an appropriate way and it kills me to see animals treated this way, but they claim he’s been theirs “forever” but he’s “hard to get inside” (was not my experience). but, what does everyone else think? AITA?
Here’s the comments of Reddit users:
DevilsAdvocate7391 − NTA. That cat was clearly being neglected, and you did the right thing by bringing it to the shelter. Those people clearly aren’t responsible enough to own a pet, and I hope that the cat is okay, wherever it is!
Neenknits − “He is yours? Had I known that, given his poor condition, I would have called animal control to report you for n**lect, rather than bringing him to the shelter for treatment, as a stray”. NTA
akasha111182 − NTA. If they wanted him back that badly, they could have started calling rescues themselves. If he was in such bad shape, which it sounds like, they didn’t care about him FOR YEARS until someone took “their property” away from them.
Is_He_A_Ham − Absolutely NTA, it’d have been different if you picked up a completely healthy and well taken care of cat and took it to a rescue when it was clear he had a home, but you didn’t, you took a very obviously neglected and sick feline to get the help he need and hopefully a nice future home where they actually take care of him.
Edit: And even people with cats that are hard to keep inside don’t have severely neglected cats like that.
mishpaa − NTA. this is unfortunately not out of the ordinary. This cat has a much better chance at a better quality of life now that you’ve intervened. Saying they were not taking appropriate care of him is an understatement, this is a case of severe n**lect.. You did the right thing.
iwantaponytoo − NTA. If they threaten you with the Police again, threaten them with the ASPCA (or equivalent) as they were obviously neglecting the cat. Enjoy your clear conscience- you absolutely did the right thing.
likeahike − NTA, cats who are loved and cared for are not hard to get inside. This cat was severely neglected and deserved better. You saved him from their cruelty.
kittyhm − NTA. And I would have been cheeky and blurted out “Oh, so YOU are the ones the authorities want to speak with about the animal abuse and n**lect. I’ll be sure to pass on your information.” Watch them backpedal.
FaelingJester − That’s great news. I was really worried about him given how sick he is but I’m sure XYZ will be glad they can get reimbursed. He’ll have to be indoor only since as you know he’s got FIV and heartworm but they can go over that with you.
Tiresometruth − NTA. Feral cats are a nuisance and a danger to wildlife, especially songbirds. People should be cognizant of the effect free-ranging pets have on others and on the environment and not let them roam unsupervised. Bringing it to a shelter was the correct thing to do.
Did she do the right thing by prioritizing the cat’s health, or should she have confirmed the cat’s ownership first? How responsible are the neighbors for the cat’s condition? Share your thoughts below!