Money Moral Dilemma: Is it wrong I don't want to adopt the cat I feed and have to pay vet bills?

kesbee

Firstly, if you find a cat that you are worried about because it looks unhealthy and appears to be stray, take a photo, and post on any local Facebook pages to see whether anyone recognises it - it could be a lost cat rather than a stray cat. Secondly, put a paper collar on it with your phone number & a message asking the owner to contact you. Thirdly, you can take the cat to a local vet and have it scanned for a chip. If these things do not bring results your options are to take the cat in - in which case you are basically assuming full responsibility and should have it neutered, wormed etc. OR you can contact a local cat rescue who will look after the cat properly, and rehome it with someone who actually wants one,

I think feeding the cat a couple of times if it genuinely looks starving is fine, but only as a precursor to the above. If you have actually allowed the cat to move in full time, then I think you have to accept that it's the result of your actions, and should therefore take full responsibility. Vets bills aren't generally horrendous, and if you are on benefits/ universal credit etc, you can get a reduced rate at the PDSA. You could also take out insurance. It seems really mean that you would allow a cat to bond with you and come to rely on you and then be so unwilling to take responsibility for it properly. 

Katecooks

A lot of people have said here that you shouldn't feed a cat that doesn't belong to you. Please read the post: "It didn't have a collar and looked thin, and when it began spending most of the day at mine, I started buying it food. Eventually I found out it belonged to a neighbour"
So initially it was assumed to be a stray and looked thin. Most compassionate people would feed a stray cat - nothing wrong with that. But, after a couple of days you should have asked neighbours if they know who the cat belonged to, then stopped feeding. If a cat is a genuine stray and you don't want the responsibility of vets bills, take it to a re-homing centre where they will try to track the owners (all good owners have their animals micro-chipped), then re-home if necessary with someone who does want to 'adopt' fully. 

Delbert_Wilkins

My wife and I receive many feline visitors to our garden and we merely put food out on a first come, first served basis (we don't own cats).  Also, any food put in the garden isn't just intended for the cats. We welcome many visitors and also happy to seem them.

We haven't got time to perform due diligence on every cat that turns up. 

But what we don't do is let the wildlife settle in our house. That's asking for trouble and easier to keep a distance.

Gromace

AccountantJim said:

Gromace said:

🙄 this is why my poor cat is overweight, someone has decided to feed her for whatever reason and she's at risk of heart and thyroid problems, vet is forever getting on at me, but I barely feed her now to make up for this. Don't feed someone else's cat!

I have exactly the same problem! 

A lot of people don't seem to understand that cats shouldn't routinely wear collars (they can cause serious injury), or what a healthy weight looks like on a cat (it's generally slimmer than most people think).

The best way to tell the difference between a cat with a home and a stray is by asking people. Unkempt fur might be a sign a cat is a stray, but it could just be old. If in doubt, ask a vet to check for a microchip. 

Exactly! I tried my cat with collar that should come off easily if caught on something, but she's a rescue and wasn't used to one by the looks of things, she would have been fur-bare if I'd kept it on, she started scratching at it straight away.

Aye most folk don't think my cat looks overweight either, so it makes me think this cat might not have been too thin

Lavendyr

I haven't read all the comments. 

Was the cat micro-chipped? If so, talk to the owners. When one of my cats started inviting himself into a neighbour's house and eating their cats food, they caught him, took him to the vets and then came to us. For reference our cat was not thin or "stray" looking, he was perfectly healthy - just greedy and opportunistic..! This is the nature of cats. 

Even if the cat is not microchipped, you absolutely should not feed it. Why would anyone feed a cat and welcome it in without checking its ownership??!  For context, before I owned cats, I used to have a cat visiting my house regularly but we never fed it. We never let it make its home with us. We gave it fuss (sometimes it snoozed in our conservatory when the doors were open) and we found its owner and talked to her about the situation.

And since the asker of the question clearly does know the cat is owned, the asker should now back off. You might think the cat is underfed and thin. But you do not know what is going on. The cat could have hyperthyroidism. It could have any number of issues. It could just be at its natural weight - a lot of people think cats are underweight when actually, they are not.

Either way, if you don't want to formally adopt the cat, and the owner does not want you to do so, then you do not feed it. You do not invite it in. You do not pay vet bills. Conversely, if you want to adopt the cat, then you feed it, you care for it, and that includes vet bills. Cats are not toys to be played with and then given back. And if you are worried about its wellbeing, then you either take care of it properly - which includes taking it to the vet if you think its owners are not doing so, and then you pay - or you contact the RSPCA. 

nero33

One cat used to turn up to my place of work at night and sneak in.  Had been doing it for years but I'd make sure Windows and doors were shut but it's still make its way in because other employees encouraged it and fed it and let it sleep on sofas etc.

The owner knew this and came in once in a huff and puff about how the cat hadn't been home for 4-5 days.  And got extra annoyed when I refused to call it by its name.

Every time it came in on my shift, I'd 'shoo' it out however sad it tried to act.

It definitely did not like me over time. 

Not my cat.  Not my pet. Not my responsibility

Lavendyr

Delbert_Wilkins said:

My wife and I receive many feline visitors to our garden and we merely put food out on a first come, first served basis (we don't own cats).  Also, any food put in the garden isn't just intended for the cats. We welcome many visitors and also happy to seem them.

We haven't got time to perform due diligence on every cat that turns up. 

But what we don't do is let the wildlife settle in our house. That's asking for trouble and easier to keep a distance.

I really wish people wouldn't do this. Perhaps you are in a rural setting, but in any suburban setting this is extremely inappropriate.You could be attracting rats, for instance. If you don't have time to perform due diligence then don't put the food out. 

Littledaler

Unbelievable!  MSE_Kelvin was kind enough to feed a {clearly} unloved and uncared for cat yet he's receiving nasty comments from e.g. kam0108, keithyno.1 and honestcove.  The only person whose morals should be questioned are the cat's owner.  

Pollycat

Littledaler said:

Unbelievable!  MSE_Kelvin was kind enough to feed a {clearly} unloved and uncared for cat yet he's receiving nasty comments from e.g. kam0108, keithyno.1 and honestcove.  The only person whose morals should be questioned are the cat's owner.  

MSE_Kelvin didn't feed the cat. 

MSE_Kelvin said:

This week's MoneySaver who wants advice asks...

Last summer, a cat began coming into my house. It didn't have a collar and looked thin, and when it began spending most of the day at mine, I started buying it food. Eventually I found out it belonged to a neighbour, who has several other pets. They asked if I wanted to adopt the cat since it now effectively lives with me. I said no, because to me that just means paying vet bills... the neighbour didn't seem happy. Am I in the wrong, or should they be thankful I'm already paying for their cat's food?

Unfortunately the MSE team can't answer Money Moral Dilemma questions as contributions are emailed in or suggested in person. 

MSE_Kelvin posts a different dilemma each week.
They aren't his dilemmas.

DavePom

The poser of this dilemma could find their hand forced. They started feeding the cat due to it appearing underfed. What if it appears in their garden unwell or injured will they refuse to take it to the vet? The 'owner' may also decline to take it to the vet as they are no longer getting the benefits of ownership. Do what's right and take on full responsibility or step away.