Here’s the situation: we own a duplex, and no one lives in the other half. A couple of months ago, a young woman (close friend of my oldest daughter) adopted a cat. Problem: she and her boyfriend live temporarily with the boyfriend’s brother, and he won’t let them keep the cat there. So J (the girl) approaches me: can she keep the cat in the unused half of our house, provided she comes over every day or two to feed him, play with him and change his littlerbox? Well, J’s boyfriend, P, did us a favor or two last year, and I figure I owe them one, so I say “sure”. They bring the kitty over; nice little thing. Friendly. For the first couple of weeks, they are here every day or two to play with and care for the kitty. About three weeks ago, it was five days between visits, then seven days, now it’s been almost two weeks since they’ve been here. I’ve been feeding the poor little thing, but don’t have any litter for it, as my cat is an indoor/outdoor cat; I don’t want to bring it over to my side of the house, as I’m certain my cat would fight with it. There’s no way to reach these people by phone. I don’t feel comfortable taking the cat to the pound without telling them first, and giving them a chance to rectify the situation. I don’t want to adopt the cat myself, because I don’t want my five-year-old to get attached to him and then have J and P come to take him away.
I think the cat is now yours. Eventually, your cat and the new one will get along.
Which reminds me, I read about how having only one cat is considered cruel and unusual punishment in some countries, and by law, kitties must be bought/sold in pairs.
Apparently cats show amazing signs of anxiety/depression/lonliness without another one around.
Neither one of them works. So I have to wait until they borrow a phone to call here.
Actually, no the kitty is not doing it’s business on the carpet, it’s using old litter. I never really thought about buying litter or how much it costs. See, our current cat is my first cat, as I’m allergic to many cats, and ours adopted us (I’m not allergic to her) when she was already old, and set in her ways. I will be buying some litter for poor little Ponch. However, I think hubby and I need to discuss and set a date, when, if we haven’t seen J and P, we will take the cat to the pound. I just hate to do it, as I told them they could keep it here, and I know what’s likely to happen to cats that are taken to the pound. As I said, I really like the little thing (and don’t seem to be allergic to him), but if I bring him over here on our side, I’m afraid our little one will get attached, and then J and P will come and take him, and my girl will be heartbroken.
I agree–it sounds like kitty belongs to you now. But, if you want to take it to a shelter, check around your area for no-kill shelters. A lot of vet’s offices have adoption programs, so that might be a place to start, or they might be able to refer you.
As far as getting along with your cat goes, we adopted one about a year and a half ago when we already had two (11 and 12 years old). It took some time, but everyone adjusted. It would probably work if you wanted to do it.
Keep the cat, bring it over to your side of the house. If these guys come back to get the cat, tell them firmly that since they couldn’t handle their responsibility, you took over and will not be giving the cat back. If they fuss, tell them to be thankful you didn’t report them to the Humane Society. If you bring the cat over, be prepared to give it a few weeks for it to get along with the existing cat. Then, pat yourself on the back for doing something good for a helpless animal.
I’d say you could confidently tell them they lost custody of the cat when they abandonded him. If you want to keep him, do it. If not, try to find a home for him.
Well, that’s a sucky situation. They just stopped coming to see and feed and play with their kitty? Do they even know who is looking after their cat so it doesn’t starve? I understand where you’re coming from, norinew, but in my opinion, not only should they lose this kitty, they should never have another one. They obviously aren’t prepared to be responsible for kitty’s fuzzy little life. I would suggest you adopt the cat yourself, or take it to a shelter or find it a good home. They lost all claim on this little beasty when they stopped looking after it properly.
Dang it, I forgot to say that cats are very sociable animals, and should not be left alone for weeks at a time like that. My cats follow me from room to room in the house (one is sitting four feet away from me at the moment). It is not kind to keep a cat alone in a house. They like to be with people.
To start off, I would report them to the authorities as having abandoned an animal. Most states have a law against this.
The reason people abandon their animals is because they can. They can get away with it, so they do it. If more people reported them, and more people were made to suffer the consequences, less people would do it.
I think your kitty will get used to the idea, and probably like to have kitty company.
The coneheads that were supposed to be looking after him lost all rights after they decided not to show up for 2 weeks. While a kitten probably wouldn’t actually starve in that time, it would certainly dehydrate and die. And don’t give me some crap about it drinking out of the toilet - it’s supposed to be a pet.
I think he would make a lovely addition to your family.
What I would do? Adopt the kitty. Absolutely. 1) It’s been too long, they have no claim to it. 2) Your other kitty will adapt and eventually come to like having another kitty around. (even if they don’t seem to get along, cats like the company).
If you don’t want it, take it to the animal shelter.
Two weeks is inexcusable. They knew where their cat was, they’ve had a chance all this time so I don’t think there’s a need for you to give them “one last chance.” If/When they argue, tell them that they’re lucky you aren’t reporting them to the authorities, and if you hear another word out of them you might do just that.
Well, J called here about five nights ago and said she couldn’t come over that day (she had promised to do so), and asked my 13-year-old daughter if we would feed it. I think they are assuming (rightly) that I would not let a cat starve to death or die of dehydration.
The votes seem to be strongly in favor of “keep”, so I will discuss the situation with hubby this weekend, and unless he is strongly opposed, we will keep the kitty.
Wow. That poor little kitty being left alone for so long leaves my stomach in knots.
You really shouldn’t have been put in this situation and I would personally take the cat (if I could) or find it a new home. Two weeks?! A cat locked in a house will live adequately on its own for two weeks.
Because I’m also a bit of a wuss… I might keep feeding it and playing with it… and the next time I hear from either of these jerks, tell them that I need a number where I can reach them and that I would be glad to adopt the kitty if they are going to be unable to care for it, but that leaving it alone for two weeks is incredibly cruel to the little munchkin.
Well, it’s settled: we have a new kitty. I was talking to hubby on the phone earlier, and told him that Sunday, I want to go to where J and P live and give them an ultimatum: come get the cat, or we’ll adopt him. Then, a half hour after I talked to hubby, P called and said that he has a job now and hasn’t had time for the cat; he said J has plenty of time, but just doesn’t get around to it. He asked me if I thought I could find a home for the cat, and I said we’d take him. He’s had all of his shots and has been fixed, so it’s all good. My little one is very happy.
I’m with the people who say Keep It. The kitty is yours now. You belong to Kitty. I’ve been known to pick up strays and cast offs, and they have always gotten along. Don’t push them together, let them set their own pace.
