To tell my sister not to pay for a dead cat?

[Pecano]

My sister went away and her friend offered to look after her kitten for the weekend (my sister didn’t ask, the friend offered). The kitten is very friendly, puts up with her kids wanting to play all the time etc, and the friend has several cats (like over 10!) herself so said it wasn’t any trouble for her to look after an extra one for a few days.

On the first day, her friends partner stopped my sisters ex in the playground when collecting the DC from school and gave him the cat, stating that it had to go back as it had killed one of their cats. He said their cat was a very expensive breed and she now owed them £80.

My sisters cat has never been vicious or anything, but presumably being around lots of new cats could have led to some fighting over territory etc -apparently the friend/her partner took my sisters cat home and then promptly left for the day, returning at the end of day to find her own cat dead with a neck wound, and my sisters cat with some blood on the fur near his mouth.

Surely if introducing a new cat, you’d supervise them for a while first, or keep them in separate roles to avoid this sort of thing? Obviously they should have arranged some visits or something beforehand but it was a bit last minute and my sister assumed someone who owned several cats would know how to handle this.

AIBU in telling my sister not to pay? She doesn’t have a spare £80 and I think that if you have an expensive cat then you must have insurance surely?? I appreciate that they have lost a beloved pet but it’s not as if it was intentional!

[TestingTestingWonTooFree]

I don’t think I’d pay. The friend was in control (or should have been).

[maxthemartian]

Slightly off topic but for cats it's better to have someone pop in or catsit. They are very territorial animals and being randomly taken to another house full of strange cats would be really stressful all round.

[RayRayBidet]

How old is the kitten? I mean is it little? Would it be strong enough?

[TheCountessofFitzdotterel]

She definitely shouldn't pay. Friend was utterly stupid putting the cat in with hers.

[Biggles398]

What's the £80 supposed to be for?
I was thinking vet bill, but it said that the cat was already dead (if it was vet bill, I'd try and donate some money).
Surely not the cost of the cat, as £80 is nothing compared to the price of a pedigree cat!

[TheBigFatMermaid]

Well, it could just as easily have ended up with your sisters cat being killed by the others.

I struggle to believe a kitten killed a cat in it's own environment.

I smell a big pile of bullshit, actually.

[reallyanotherone]

£80 is not an expensive cat. I paid that for my bog standard rescue.

“Expensive breeds” are easily £200+

For starters your sister was mad just handing her cat over to someone else to take home. Especially as that person had loads of cats, bound to be a fight.

And the friend was bonkers just leaving them together. She has no proof it was your cat. In fact your sister has no proof the cat is even dead.

Ask the “friend” to get a certificate from a vet that a) a cat caused the death, and b) a small kitten could have done it.

Other that that tell the friend to claim through the small claims court and you’ll pay if it finds in her favour.

[Pecano]

The cat is almost 6 months old. It’s not very large, but probably would have been able to attack/defend itself if necessary.

[RebootYourEngine]

There is no way i would pay. As a previous poster asked what is the £80 for.

[Pecano]

Sorry I don’t have cats so have no idea how much one would cost! In my mind £80 was a lot but obviously not 😳

[ADarkandStormyKnight]

Your poor kitten! What a very stressful situation to put her in. Anyone with 10 cats should know better.

[Pecano]

The £80 is the original cost of the cat apparently, which they want back as they no longer have said cat

[KatieMarieJ]

In 30 years or so of keeping cats I have never known a cat kill another, and whilst I accept that young kittens (sub 18 months) can be excessively aggressive in play it just doesn't seem likely that a 6 month old cat could've done that unless there was something already underlying with the deceased animal.

It sounds entirely irresponsible of the friend to be honest both for your sister's cat and her own.

[RayRayBidet]

I smell bullshit

[TeaByTheSeaside]

That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!

1. taking a kitten and putting it with 10 others.
   
   
2. accusing the kitten of killing one of the others.
   
   
3. keeping 10 cats!
   
   I'd be interested in seeing how this person is caring for these cats. It sounds like overcrowding and neglect to me.

[MoniBitchell]

kittens don't kill other cats

and fancy breeds do not cost £80. Something's not right here and as the friend didn't say they actually witnessed anything, there's no way I would pay.

[Dobbythesockelf]

I have owned cats all my adult life I have also volunteered at shelters since I was 15 and I have never heard of a cat killing another cat, especially one as young as 6 months. My cat got into a fight a couple of months ago, he got a big bite wound to the neck which needed stitches but he is still with us. Cats are pretty hardy in my experience. I would be asking for proof that the cat died due to another cat attacking it.

[Pecano]

He’s shown her a picture of the dead cat and her own cat with blood on him (although I suppose it could be a dead cat from anytime/place!). My sister does believe that their cat has died, although has said that she’s not convinced her own cat was responsible.

I think that her friend took responsibility for the cat (however much of a silly idea that was) and was therefore in charge of it at that time, not my sister.

Friends partner is now messaging my sister saying if she doesn’t pay they’re going to take her to court

[carr1e1977]

I'm with others who find it incredibly unlikely that the kitten killed a cat. My 2 cats went through a period of hating each other and would really go at each other, they most they had were a few scratches.

Sounds like utter nonsense to me

[carr1e1977]

Just seen your message about court, she should tell them go for it! Not a chance would anything ever come of it.
your sister needs to find better friends!

[ADarkandStormyKnight]

I think this is between the cat sitter and her partner. Cat sitter shouldn’t have brought a new cat into the house and left it unsupervised with her own cats. Her partner needs to take it up with her.

[Sorry10]

Load of crap
Cats don't kill other cats
If this woman had 10 cats she should know that cats are territorial so maybe a bit of hissing scraping etc but most likely the kitten to be hurt not her cat.
Tell her to do one .

[dementedpixie]

It wad a bloody stupid idea to put a strange kitten in with 10 unknown cats and then leave them alone. I would pay nothing

[ADarkandStormyKnight]

Your sister could demand £80 to cover the cost of getting her cat checked over by the vet.

[SissySpacekAteMyHamster]

Another one here smelling bullshit.

Let them take her to court. No way would a court force her to pay. Absolute chancers.