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#1
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Rescued cat, angry neighbour
For the past month there had been a new cat hanging around the outside of
our house. He would spend long days sleeping in our garden and was even around at nighttime. I enquired with a neighbour friend and they told me that a lady who was renting a basement apartment in the house across the street never took her cat with her when she moved out, and so now they cat was just wandering around. This cat is neutered AND declawed. So I thought I would do a good thing and take this cat to our local no-kill animal shelter. Three days later (today), the neighbour from across the street shows up at my door absolutely livid, saying that I "kidnapped" their cat. Yes, the lady who previously owned the cat did move away, but the people living in the house had taken in the cat. I expressed to him that the cat had been sleeping in my garden and didn't seem to be taken care of because I had fed him several times... so I did what any animal lover would do (besides taking the cat in myself) and brought the cat to be adopted. I felt bad so I agreed to pay half the "claim" fee at the adoption agency. Well later on his wife called me back and was completely rude saying that I had better figure out a way to get her cat back by Monday or else she is going to call the police. Hmmmm. I explained to her that not being the owner of the cat, there is no way I can get the cat back and that she must go herself. I told her that I had agreed with her husband to pay half the fee..... then she says "No there is no deal... I'm not paying anything... you had better get my cat back or else". Does anyone have any ideas on how to deal with this situation?? I am an animal lover... I work at a vet clinic and have volunteer at numerous shelters and have saved many homeless cats. It's very frustrating to think you are doing something good and then getting in shi*t for it. Thanks. |
#2
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"Magic Mood Jeep©" wrote in message news:tDTVc.64457$TI1.49443@attbi_s52... I say they have no recourse unless they can prove ownership. Was the cat microchipped? do they have any vet bills for *that* cat (our vet has a brief description of the pet on every bill)? Rabies tag? State or county license tag (where applicable - some states/counties require them, others do not). If they have none of these, then they have no legal ground to stand on, and will get nowhere in a court of law. I'd say they are more into possessions than pets/companions, otherwise why did it take 3 days for them to notice the cat was gone? They would be better off with the type of cat that can be acquired at the local toy store. Better question: is there a leash law there? |
#3
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"Magic Mood Jeep©" wrote in message news:tDTVc.64457$TI1.49443@attbi_s52... I say they have no recourse unless they can prove ownership. Was the cat microchipped? do they have any vet bills for *that* cat (our vet has a brief description of the pet on every bill)? Rabies tag? State or county license tag (where applicable - some states/counties require them, others do not). If they have none of these, then they have no legal ground to stand on, and will get nowhere in a court of law. I'd say they are more into possessions than pets/companions, otherwise why did it take 3 days for them to notice the cat was gone? They would be better off with the type of cat that can be acquired at the local toy store. Better question: is there a leash law there? |
#4
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Does anyone have any ideas on how to deal with this situation?? I am an
animal lover... I work at a vet clinic and have volunteer at numerous shelters and have saved many homeless cats. It's very frustrating to think you are doing something good and then getting in shi*t for it. Thanks. That's tough. It makes you think the cat might end up better off with a new owner, if the neighbor lets it out declawed. Does it have a pretty good chance to get adopted, you think? You did the right thing. If they care enough about the cat, they'll cough up the fee to reclaim it. If she doesn't, she doesn't deserve to have the cat. Call her bluff. Since the cat was on your property, I don't think there's much she can do. Sherry |
#5
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Does anyone have any ideas on how to deal with this situation?? I am an
animal lover... I work at a vet clinic and have volunteer at numerous shelters and have saved many homeless cats. It's very frustrating to think you are doing something good and then getting in shi*t for it. Thanks. That's tough. It makes you think the cat might end up better off with a new owner, if the neighbor lets it out declawed. Does it have a pretty good chance to get adopted, you think? You did the right thing. If they care enough about the cat, they'll cough up the fee to reclaim it. If she doesn't, she doesn't deserve to have the cat. Call her bluff. Since the cat was on your property, I don't think there's much she can do. Sherry |
#6
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"Cathy Friedmann" wrote in message ... I don't have any advice, but... if she is so attached to this cat, then why the hell is she demanding that you somehow get the cat back, instead of marching over to the shelter _herself_, pronto, & explaining the situation to the staff? And not wanting to compromise & pay anything? I don't know what her problem is, but this just doesn't add up, IMO. Cathy Exactly what I'm thinking. Why not just pay half and be done with it, instead of blowing off about calling the police and all this crap. In which case the police will do nothing anyway because I didn't steal the cat in any stretch of the imagination. He's not in my possession. He was assumed a stray and taken to a shelter. Period. End of story. But for some weird reason she keeps insisting that I must have known it was their cat, since he was in such "good condition". Give me a break. I've seen hundreds of cats dumped by their owners that look in great condition because they were only recently abandoned. I've decided I'm going to call the shelter on Monday, see if they will waive the claim fee (being a previous volunteer I know one of the adoption clerks rather well).... but if not, give the owner one more chance to accept me paying half. If not, there's nothing else I'm doing for her. She can call her lawyer or the police or whatever she wants to do. Although I would much rather it didn't come down to that. |
#7
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"Cathy Friedmann" wrote in message ... I don't have any advice, but... if she is so attached to this cat, then why the hell is she demanding that you somehow get the cat back, instead of marching over to the shelter _herself_, pronto, & explaining the situation to the staff? And not wanting to compromise & pay anything? I don't know what her problem is, but this just doesn't add up, IMO. Cathy Exactly what I'm thinking. Why not just pay half and be done with it, instead of blowing off about calling the police and all this crap. In which case the police will do nothing anyway because I didn't steal the cat in any stretch of the imagination. He's not in my possession. He was assumed a stray and taken to a shelter. Period. End of story. But for some weird reason she keeps insisting that I must have known it was their cat, since he was in such "good condition". Give me a break. I've seen hundreds of cats dumped by their owners that look in great condition because they were only recently abandoned. I've decided I'm going to call the shelter on Monday, see if they will waive the claim fee (being a previous volunteer I know one of the adoption clerks rather well).... but if not, give the owner one more chance to accept me paying half. If not, there's nothing else I'm doing for her. She can call her lawyer or the police or whatever she wants to do. Although I would much rather it didn't come down to that. |
#8
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"Sherry " wrote in message ... Does anyone have any ideas on how to deal with this situation?? I am an animal lover... I work at a vet clinic and have volunteer at numerous shelters and have saved many homeless cats. It's very frustrating to think you are doing something good and then getting in shi*t for it. Thanks. That's tough. It makes you think the cat might end up better off with a new owner, if the neighbor lets it out declawed. Does it have a pretty good chance to get adopted, you think? You did the right thing. If they care enough about the cat, they'll cough up the fee to reclaim it. If she doesn't, she doesn't deserve to have the cat. Call her bluff. Since the cat was on your property, I don't think there's much she can do. Well I think she is just threatening to try and scare me into paying the fee and doing all the work for her of picking up the cat. My fiancee was in training for police and says there's nothing they can do legally. I would like to see the cat in a new indoor home, as he is completely adoptable (and young, 10 mths). But I know that they will end up getting the cat back and he will once again be in my yard. sigh Poor fella. |
#9
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"Sherry " wrote in message ... Does anyone have any ideas on how to deal with this situation?? I am an animal lover... I work at a vet clinic and have volunteer at numerous shelters and have saved many homeless cats. It's very frustrating to think you are doing something good and then getting in shi*t for it. Thanks. That's tough. It makes you think the cat might end up better off with a new owner, if the neighbor lets it out declawed. Does it have a pretty good chance to get adopted, you think? You did the right thing. If they care enough about the cat, they'll cough up the fee to reclaim it. If she doesn't, she doesn't deserve to have the cat. Call her bluff. Since the cat was on your property, I don't think there's much she can do. Well I think she is just threatening to try and scare me into paying the fee and doing all the work for her of picking up the cat. My fiancee was in training for police and says there's nothing they can do legally. I would like to see the cat in a new indoor home, as he is completely adoptable (and young, 10 mths). But I know that they will end up getting the cat back and he will once again be in my yard. sigh Poor fella. |
#10
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"Mary" wrote in message . .. "Magic Mood Jeep©" wrote in message news:tDTVc.64457$TI1.49443@attbi_s52... I say they have no recourse unless they can prove ownership. Was the cat microchipped? do they have any vet bills for *that* cat (our vet has a brief description of the pet on every bill)? Rabies tag? State or county license tag (where applicable - some states/counties require them, others do not). If they have none of these, then they have no legal ground to stand on, and will get nowhere in a court of law. I'd say they are more into possessions than pets/companions, otherwise why did it take 3 days for them to notice the cat was gone? They would be better off with the type of cat that can be acquired at the local toy store. Better question: is there a leash law there? No I'm in Ontario Canada. Many people have cats that are indoor/outdoor. But this one was outdoors probably 18 hours of the day, if it was in fact owned. |
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