Money Moral Dilemma: Should my housemate repay me for looking after her cat?

fabulous_at_any_age

No. You chose to do those things for the cat. So it was up to you. 

Silvertabby

You've already been repaid - with companionship, love, purrs and cuddles.

Claire102

But it sounds like the flatmate has never paid anything!  I think she should be asked to contribute something.  The cat was her idea but she's got out of taking any responsibility for it.   She can't expect someone to bail her out every time she makes an irresponsible choice.  Then the 3 can move on.  I love cats and have 2 but they are expensive.

pixiebel81

Claire102 said:

But it sounds like the flatmate has never paid anything!  I think she should be asked to contribute something.  The cat was her idea but she's got out of taking any responsibility for it.   She can't expect someone to bail her out every time she makes an irresponsible choice.  Then the 3 can move on.  I love cats and have 2 but they are expensive.

I agree, surely the flatmate should pay for anything spent before the OP actually adopted the cat?

hannerrbabes

Seriously, it's a cat; not a child. You don't get custody, you don't get maintenance payments...
You decided to to take 'formal ownership' of the cat, thus you are accepting all costs that come with it. You didn't have to do that.

aremgee

Question is how much did you spend while housemate was away and were you asked to do so.  I wouldn't expect you to see the cat starve or ill and do nothing about it, however, you didn't need to buy toys etc.  You must have known and taken into account before buying items, whether or not you were likely to be reimbursed.  Yes, you could ask for repayment for money spent on food (cat food is not expensive) and vets bills up until the time you took ownership.  Everything else is definitely up to you.  Be glad and happy with your new companion.

John_Gray

Yet another cat-astrophic moral non-dilemma...

PrudentEllie

I agree with WoodlandFairy and Silvertabby - and others - and as Silvertabby said 'You've already been repaid - with companionship, love, purrs and cuddles. ' - that is why we love them so.  So try and put money from your mind in the case of welfare of family members (such as your cat) - and welcome to the club!

[Deleted User]

Nothing stops you asking I suppose, you must know this person better then us. Be aware though if you had ‘rescued’ the cat from a charity, you would highly likely have been asked for an contribution/adopt fee anyhow whether the cat’s previous owners had cat spayed before abandoning/giving up, so I wouldn’t sweat it just be glad if you know the cat’s real age and history xx Enjoy your fur baby a decade with your pet will go quicker then you believe. The worst part is end of life, you wouldn’t approach any previous owner then.

REJP

No.  You took it on, it is your responsibilty.
Enjoy it or rehome it.