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

Faceuptoreality

CapeTown said:

Your alternative is to euthenise it.

and then buy a new kitten with the savings and then go out for meals once a week with what you have saved.

Justdontwasteit

I agree with those saying not to ask for money, it’s basically been their cat and personally I would be heartbroken if they had taken it away.
 A friend asked me if I would take on their mothers cat after she died. As the cat was 12 years old I said yes if they would pay any vet bills. In fact I got so fond of the cat I paid most of the bills, I only asked for a contribution when they needed an operation.

vanessaandrews

You have said yourself that you bonded with the cat and it seems as if you have willingly decided to keep the cat rather than regime. I would think therefore that the costs and upkeep now become your responsibility. I’m not sure how vet bills as a new owner could amount to £1000 but if that’s what you’ve paid, I don’t think you can ask the previous owner to contribute

peretz34

No. Your decision to take over ownership - it was a decent thing to do. The reward is your bond with the cat. 

Oldangrumpy

No, although you didn't want a cat, you now have one and all the expense that goes with it.. Smile sweetly, grit your teeth and you and the cat get on with life without the flat mate.

meknowalot-51

"I've taken over formal ownership"......you've answered your own dilema,no one asked you to invest all the time and money.....did they?You sound like a decent person so carry on looking after it,at least the cat will now have a much better excistance.

gloriouslyhappy

"My housemate adopted an older cat. I didn't agree as we're both busy people, and told her I wouldn't be responsible for its care. But I ended up looking after it while she was away, and began buying it food, toys etc. I bonded with the cat and, now my housemate's moving out, I've taken over formal ownership, paying to have its microchip updated etc. With vet bills and other costs, I've spent over £1,000. Should I ask my housemate to contribute, considering the cat was supposed to be hers?"

Cats are sentient beings - that should be 'he' or 'she', not 'it'. They're not disposable either - think carefully before you take on a pet!

phillw

"Ive been having an affair with a married woman, I've spent £1000 on toys for her and wonder if I should ask her ex to pay now that she has left her husband"
OK, not exactly the same but not too different either (and its not true either btw).

You should have had a financial agreement figured out before they went away. You may think the vets bills were necessary, but you chose to spend the money on the cat. By taking over ownership you missed the boat for putting on any emotional pressure to pay.

crmism

I'm not quite sure why you accepted responsibility for somebody else's cat which, from what you say, you didn't like when you first saw it, and don't like now.
I suggest your first step is to deposit the creature with your housemate at the earliest opportunity and hope it never finds its way back to you, otherwise you'll be stuck with it forever. Cats are independent creatures and can fend for themselves without your help, but some of them seem to have the same abilities as homing pigeons.
Your second step should be to hand your housemate a list of your expenses, and tell her to settle up in full. 
Your third step, an extreme one, might be to move to another address if there's any danger of the cat returning to where you are now. 

[Deleted User]

crmism said:

I'm not quite sure why you accepted responsibility for somebody else's cat which, from what you say, you didn't like when you first saw it, and don't like now.
I suggest your first step is to deposit the creature with your housemate at the earliest opportunity and hope it never finds its way back to you, otherwise you'll be stuck with it forever. Cats are independent creatures and can fend for themselves without your help, but some of them seem to have the same abilities as homing pigeons.
Your second step should be to hand your housemate a list of your expenses, and tell her to settle up in full. 
Your third step, an extreme one, might be to move to another address if there's any danger of the cat returning to where you are now. 

A cat's mental age is that of a toddler, i was told by the vet i use.
Applying human logic onto a cat and saying they're all able to fend for themselves is equivalent to saying a toddler could - so in turn, would you send a toddler out at night and let it fend for itself ?😣