Killed my neighbours cat!

cjmumto2

If the person has rescued it and were trying to bring it back to good health there is no way they would have let it out, you always keep a new cat in for an number of weeks especially a new cat. And fleas dont happen over night but can be gotten rid of fairly quickly, so honestly stop worrying so much, you did the best you could for the poor cat.

Deeperblue

A quick update.

I went round to have a look at the photo in their window, and yes its the same cat and been missing a couple of days. Weirdly it looks pretty healthy in the picture they have put up which makes me think that it's got into the state it was in while they were 'taking care of it'. What stopped me knocking on the door was that the picture stuck up also had another cat in it... meaning that could be in the same state of the one found.

What I've decided to do is give the Cats Protection people a ring tomorrow and tell them that the neighbours seem to have been keeping the cat in that state and see if they think it's something that should be taken any further and also if they'll tell them a 'member of the public handed in their cat'. I don't know if it's their place to tell the owners off for keeping it like that, but maybe they would?

Misstress - yeah, it was cow's milk initially and it was only later we discovered about some cats being lactose intolerant or something. Neither of us have had one before! But we did get it a little carton of cats milk from Wilko's after reading up on the internet.

Pineapple - OMG! Thats scary stuff! I do worry a bit about what they would do if they take it badly.

I'll let you know what CPL say tomorrow. Thank you all again for our suggestions.

pinkcandyflossprincess

i did read this thread yesterday with a virtual cushion over my head! I feel for you, I really do I think it depends on how able you are able to take backlash from your neighbours really.
In this instance considering the state the cat was in (and now possibly a second cat!) I do think you are doing the best thing getting an outside agency involved.
I would ask the vets though if they could maybe call the person or pop a note through door (under darkness and unsigned:eek:) as to what has happened.
that way it may help you stop feeling guilty and although you did do absolutely the right thing in helping the cat and taking it to the vet, those of us that do care like you do cant help but feeling guilty- even though there is no need!

krlyr

cjmumto2 wrote: »

If the person has rescued it and were trying to bring it back to good health there is no way they would have let it out, you always keep a new cat in for an number of weeks especially a new cat. And fleas dont happen over night but can be gotten rid of fairly quickly, so honestly stop worrying so much, you did the best you could for the poor cat.

It may have escaped though, and a couple of days straying is enough to pick up fleas.

Don't know the situation or the family though so can't really assume anything, just thought it was odd for a vet to PTS so quickly without any attempt, even just half an hour if they thought the cat was in a bad way, to locate an owner. I know of many genuine, decent owners who's pets would look mistreated or ill if they were found straying - if one of my dogs had got loose not long after we got her, people would probably assume we starved her as she was quite underweight. Ditto with the other dog actually, underweight, teeth in poor condition and his fur had a bit of a mind of its own (think the previous owners shaved it and it had grown back weirdly as he's a long but double coated breed). I've had elderly dogs who've not looked great at all externally but have had a relatively good quality of life and been under vet advice. So first appearances can be deceiving at times.
Personally I'd just leave an anonymous note saying you found the cat and took it to X vet and leave it up to them to find out if you're worried about any backlash. Other people's pets are not your responsibilty and you've done more than most would so don't feel guilty. Not sure if the Cats Protection could do much unless the second cat came from them, might be worth contacting the RSPCA to express your concerns as they're the ones who could pay a visit.
Seems a little odd to me that they've put posters up for the cat if they have been mistreating it - if they just didn't care then why be bothered where it's gone, or if they felt they had something to hide then would they want the cat associated with them?

Mupette

I'm with the others, YOU did NOT kill the cat, the cat was poorly, not well kept by the sounds of it, the fact that you and your hubby took time out to care for it and vets too... lots of other people wouldnt of bothered, so thanks for what you did, it wasn't your fault the cat was pts, it was probably kinder to do it.

sazzybum

Mupette wrote: »

I'm with the others, YOU did NOT kill the cat, the cat was poorly, not well kept by the sounds of it, the fact that you and your hubby took time out to care for it and vets too... lots of other people wouldnt of bothered, so thanks for what you did, it wasn't your fault the cat was pts, it was probably kinder to do it.

I echo Mupettes view here. A vet doesn't put a cat to sleep after a 'couple of days' of straying. It must have been in a bad way for this action.

Don't feel guilty OP- you did what you thought was right, and it was for the poor thing.

Antimony

You did the right thing - you were kind enough to take the young cat in and try to help.

You did NOT put the cat down/'kill it'. You are not an expert in animal health or matters (I oresume?), whereas the professional who saw the cat is (and most likely made the judgment on his knowledge and past experiences).

The outcome would likely have been the same if your neighbour had retrieved the cat and seeked medical help for it.

wm3010

I think you absolutely did the right thing, it seems really unlikely to me that the vet would have had the poor cat pts unless things were desperate. You can hardly be expected to question his/her decision on that, particularly as you are not a cat owner yourself.

PS Don't worry about the milk thing, a lot of cats are lactose intolerant but a lot are not, such as my cats and although they don't often get given milk they do like it and show no ill effects afterwards.

looopylala

Hi Deeperblue, what did the CPL say can they pay the owner a visit and check the welfare of the second cat?

Deeperblue

Hi everyone, and thanks again for reading and advice.

So, firstly I popped into the vets since it was close by, to get their opinion which was that it wasn't their responsibility (in a nice way) to tell the owners and that we should contact CPL. I did this and they took the owners details and said they would have a chat with the vet and others at the CPL and get back to me with what they were going to do.

I got a call about 2 hours later from the woman that I'd spoken to on the Monday about the cat and she basically said that the cat was in such a wretched state that the veterinary nurses had actually be in tears about it and that getting it put down was by far the best thing for the cat. Interestingly they also said that unless I really felt I had to that I shouldn't bother telling the owner and they weren't going to either unless they contacted them personally to report it missing. She also said that if they made any complaint about it being put down they would likely get prosecuted for keeping the cat in that way. I suppose the reason they aren't going down the prosecution route now is that it'd be very difficult to prove the cat was theirs unless they own up to it.

So there we have it. I guess I'll just keep my mouth shut and keep an eye out for their other cats. :undecided It makes my heart sink every time I see that cat photo in their window though and I'm trying to avoid eye contact!