Real-life MMD: Should we pay vet's bill for the cat our neighbour stole from us?

patanne

Cats don't have owners. They mostly chose their own residence. Who is taking the cat to the vet? This sounds like blackmail and like all blackmailers will never go away. Unless you are taking the cat to the vet yourself or at least actually see the bill I would say don't pay. But then I don't believe in owning pets anymore, as they only exist to make their owners feel good, which I concede can sometimes be a good thing.

If you really want to be slaughtered on this site, suggest taking it to the vet yourself to be put down. But it would be very moneysaving, because if you pay once you will be stuck with it for the rest of the cats life, which could be another 10 years

LittleMonky1982

I agree that you abandoned your cat. Really you should have spoken to your neighbour 6 years ago to tell her to stop feeding her or to make sure that she could afford to look after the cat and maybe come to some sort of arrangement.
The PDSA may be able to help, however I believe that this is your responsibility until an arrangement is formalised.

Treevo

You should pay. Not least because your neighbour could always report you to the RSPCA for not providing much needed care for your cat.

stir_crazy

I don't agree that the OP abandoned her cat, there was a thread on here not long ago where the OP had their neighbour's cat trying to get in and posters were advising the OP NOT to feed the cat because the cat would try to move in. Cats have absolutely no loyalty whatsoever and will go where the bread is most thickly buttered.

The old lady has fed the cat regardless, either thinking she was helping or actively trying to get the cat to stick around. You don't feed and house someone else's cat for 6 YEARS then expect them to cough up when it needs the vet! I'd offer to either take the cat back (and then pay for treatment) or offer to get the microchip changed to the neighbour's details and point her in the direction of the PDSA if she couldn't afford vet treatment.

jazmad

I think 6 years is such a long time the cat is to all intents and purposes now the neighbour's cat and her responsibility.

However, presumably your neighbour has been meeting all the feeding costs of the cat and any smaller vet bills and therefore has only come to you because she really cannot afford the vet bills. You could therefore choose as an act of charity (for your neighbour and the cat) to pay the vet bill on this occassion but I would make it clear that you do not intend to do this again and recommend she gets pet insurance (shouldn't be that expensive for a 7 year-old cat). You should also amend the microchip details.

In my opinion, whether you abandoned the cat or the neighbour stole the cat really depends on circumstances at the time. If she knowingly fed the cat, especially if she knew it was your cat, then that would make it stealing in my opinion but it sounds like you could have put up much more of a fight to keep the cat (e.g. knocked on doors and told people not to feed your cat).

We took in a very timid, stray cat and put up found posters all over town. Long story short, his original owners contacted us to say he'd been missing for 6 months and he went back to them but he ran away again and came back to us. Turned out he was scared to go in his original home because the young children mishandled him. We told the original owners we'd look after him and he's now very much part of our family. We've had him microchipped, vaccinated and insured and would never consider asking his original owners to contribute to his costs.

Lagoon

bauhaus_modern wrote: »

It's appropriate to point out that this old lady has been paying all the cats living expenses for 6 years - without recognition or thanks. I'm sure she wouldn't have asked for financial assistance without proper consideration of her own circumstances.

Never in my life have I thanked someone for stealing something of mine, even if it ended up costing them money.

hamsterwings

If the lady is in reduced circumstances she could take the cat to the RSPCA for treatment.

moggymutt

Pay up- she never 'stole' the cat, it just preferred living with her. Often old people won't take on pets because of cost and fear of what will happen to the animal when they die. Your old lady probably has just thought she was being kind by feeding the cat- was she even aware that the cat had stopped coming back to you? Unless the cat stayed at her side 24 hrs a day, how was she to know that the cat wasn't going back to you every time she let I out.

janiebquick

So, the cat was chipped, but your neighbour has only now decided to look for the rightful owner? Your neighbour has taken responsibility for the cat for the last six years, therefore it is her responsibility to pay its vet's bill.

rob_s0

Absolutely not. The cat isn't your problem - this shouldn't even be an issue.