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

JayD

It is a pity you didn't sort this out a lot earlier when you knew she had 'adopted' your cat - and when you replaced it. At that time, you should have had a discussion with her along the lines of allowing her to keep the cat but that it must then be registered to her and she must be totally responsible for it. Yes, that is hindsight and not much help now.

Now I think you should consider making her an offer to pay the vet bills this one time but when you do so, you will have that chip removed and the cat re-registered to her - and from then on she will be responsible for all bills relating to it.

If she refuses that offer, I think you either turn her away and tell her to take the cat to the PDSA where they treat animals of owners who are in real financial need without charge (or for minimum cost), or you re-possess your cat.

onesixfive

This is like saying you loaned me your car 6 years ago - I've put petrol in & taxed it & enjoyed it all this time, but now its broken & I cant fix or replace it, I want you to pay.
Not your problem!

maumau

It's your cat. You should have spoken to the lady when the cat first disappeared and confirmed that you were transferring ownership. The neighbour obviously cares about the cat as she recognises it needs treatment. If she genuinely can't afford it, perhaps you can pay half each. If she refuses, just get the cat treatment and work out how to pay for it after. The cat's welfare MUST come first!

SandraDJ

People don't own cats - cats own people.

I had a situation when I moved into my previous house in the mid-1980s that my neighbour's cat preferred to spend time in my house. She would come in and make herself at home. There were times when we even went out and forgot she was there!

I came to an arrangement with the neighbour. Every evening I would put Blodwyn in the porch so that she could spend the night in her own house!

Having been adopted by her, I think I would have accepted paying a vet bill if necessary.

In a reverse situation, I wouldn't want the cat to suffer so would probably offer a contribution towards the vet bill.

Life is not straightforward when you share your life with a cat. I wish I knew where mine spends most of her time!

happy2B

I had a friend with a similar-ish situation. He had a cat from a rescue shelter and a neighbour looked after it if he was away. But as he worked and the neighbour was at home during the day, the cat chose to spend more and more time with the neighbour. Both were content with the situation - but the crunch point came when he moved house, and had to decide whether the cat should go with him or not. In the end, they discussed it together and decided that it was in the cat's best interests to remain on familiar territory and the neighbour was happy to assume ownership.

The difference with this though, was that there was a clear-cut point when ownership transferred, and both were in agreement. Your problem has arisen because both parties let it drift and there is no clarity of rights and responsibilities. I know that doesn't help your current situation, but it's a warning to others to deal with it BEFORE this sort of problem arises.

kitticat

I don't usually post on forums, but assuming this is a question from a genuine individual I dislike the suggestion that they have somehow "abandoned" or neglected their cat. You cannot force a cat to live anywhere other than where it chooses. This has happened to me both ways. I had a cat which moved to a different home, and after retrieving it twice only for it to go back, I accepted the inevitable and the new owners agreed to keep it. I subsequently moved away without leaving forwarding details and that was that. Cats are not disloyal but they are choosy, and sometimes want a home that is quieter, with less other pets, children etc etc. On the other side, a few years ago now, my neighbour's cat chose to live with me. I repeatedly tried to deter it, but it fell in love with my other two cats, and cried if left outside. My neighbour moved away recently and we formally agreed that I would take him on. I accepted that I paid the microchip transfer fee, and I have restarted his vaccinations, and did in fact pay several vets bills even before the formal transfer of ownership. In response to the question, I agree that it should be the responsibility of the new owner, but in case of genuine financial difficulty, if the PDSA could not help, I expect I would simply because I couldn't stand any animal being untreated.

Tiptaker

Ok, so the cat decided to leave home and find another for warmer bed/better food/better company or whatever reason, however chances are the old lady encouraged it or it wouldn't have decided that home was the better option. So she effectively stole your cat. She knew you were the owner and did nothing to help you reclaim it? We "have" a cat - or more accurately the cat has us as she obviously owns the house complete with human servants! We also get other cats visiting (brought home by our cat) but we make it clear they aren't welcome and they go. The old lady obviously encouraged your cat so the responsibility for its welfare is hers and she should be told that she should consider this before stealing other people's pets. I believe the pdsa offer free treatment for best cases and I would offer to drive her there. She has obviously visited a vet before or how would she know the cat is microchipped. I think the woman has a cheek to expect you to pay (unless of course there is more to this than meets the eye - did you agree to her looking after the cat?)

paulineb_2

Doesnt really look like the original owner did much to try and get their cat back, in fact because it seemed happy, they replaced it

As a cat owner thats not what I would have done.

As the microchip is still registered to you, Id be making a contribution towards the vet bills, because even if a cat did !!!!!! off and live somewhere else, Id still have an attachment to it and why should the cat suffer because two sets of people cant agree on who is to pay.

warehouse

If another neighbour called and asked you to pay their vet bill would you?

So what's the difference here? It's her cat.

Augustus_the_Strong

It's not really about ownership - it's more about whether you care about the cat. If its well-being concerns you, & you can afford it, pay the vet's bill. If you don't really care what happens to it, then forget about it.