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!

I don't like the sound of that strange man harassing your sister. He's clearly behind it. Has she heard from her friend at all? The whole thing doesn't add up, there's no doubt she shouldn't pay the amount he's plucked out of thin air (or any amount!) but he needs to be told in no uncertain terms to stay well away.

Killer kitten?. Take her to court? CFery here. Absolute rubbish.

Have owned cats for 60 years. I can't imagine how a 6mo kitten could kill an adult cat. I really do think the friend is bullshitting. Seeing as they fell out before, does your sister really think this friend is worth the having?

I think there’s something funny going on. One of my cats once got very badly beaten up by another but it didn’t kill him. I’ve never heard of one cat killing another.

I've had cats since I was a small child, so over 50 years, and I've never heard of a cat killing another cat. I don't believe a word of it.

I don't know much about cats. I've never owned a cat. I'm allergic to them and frightened of them but there's one that lives in my garden (he has an actual home but his owners say he prefers my garden )

He loves a good scrap with the other neighbourhood cats and by God, it's loud and savage. The first time I heard it I honestly thought two adult women were fighting in my garden.

I can't see how a kitten could come out of that unscathed.

Have been a vet for 25 years and never even heard of a cat being killed by another cat. That’s crazy

Lol. I really don't see them winning this one in court.

I just can't imagine a cat killing another cat.

Fighting yes, even injuring yes, but not actually killing.

I’ve had cats for many years and again have never heard of a cat killing another cat. Lots and lots of noise, fur flying and scratching but nothing more.

My old cat used to sit on the kitten till it was 12 months and it got wise to stop jumping on her and keep out of the way. 6 month killer cat, no way!

My cat cost me £500

I could imagine the cat in my garden killing another cat going on the noise it makes when it attacks but it's not a kitten. It's massive.

Sounds bullshit to me, and a bit batshit.

This is full on batshit.

Id let them take your sister to court. Cant see they would even have a
case - its all hearsay. (what if their cat got hit by a car and they brought it indoors, had some bleeding somewhere, and your sisters cat happened to get the blood on him). Sounds like they are desperate for money tbh.

It would probably cost them at least £80 to take her to court, so think they are just bluffing.

Both parties are extreamly stupid and obviously know nothing about cats!
Firstly don’t pay.
£80is not an expensive cat that’s basically the adoption fee of any rescue centre. Expensive cats are over £200-£1000.
If this person was a decent owner they would claim on the insurance. ( I bet they don’t have Insurance).
10 cats ???? And then looks after a friends kitten and puts them in together??? Seriously stupid.

I doubt the kitten killed the cat call bullshit on that one.
But your sister needs to learn how to care for her kitten and that includes covering going away. You get somebody to pop in or use a cattery you do not drop your cat off in a house with other cats.
Oh and she needs to vaccinate, de worm , de flea and insure it. From the way you think £80 is an expensive cat I am rather suspicious how your sister has come to own a kitten?

I have never heard of domestic cats killing each other. They just wouldn't. Lots of injuries but not a bite to the jugular

My DH had a cat when he was growing up that killed several of the neighbours cats. Apparently a delight with people but a ruthless killer. But, as I said upthread, I think this is really uncommon.

Your sister can:

a) Stay quite while the crazy man froths.

b) Take her chnace to use the immortal line 'ok, see you in court!'.

This doesnt add up. A kitten killing a cat. £80 for what... cf or scam

Another cat owner whose cats got in the most awful scrapes with all sorts of wild animals and other cats in the countryside, and NEVER heard of a cat killing another.

One boy had his cheek torn open by a fox - still survived, still not a cat making the injury! Most of their fighting is strength assessing and dominance.

Agree with PPs, all v odd.

Friends of ours with lots of cats looked after ours a few times. Being experienced animal owners they put our cats in a separate room and took them out to their catio for fresh air and a run around. It would have been a disaster putting new cats in with their own from nowhere - ours would definitely have fought the others - but I'm pretty sure they wouldn't have been able to kill another cat.

I'd be more likely to believe (if they did actually lose a cat that day) that the friend's cat got run over / attacked by a dog and your sister's cat tried to lick the other cat's wounds clean...

Cats tend to go for the eyes or legs, not the throat.

How does your sister know that it wasn't the friend or partner that harmed the cat? That's more likely than a kitten.

YANBU, your sister's kitten was in their custody and control when the "incident" "happened"* so they are responsible for any costs incurred.

Your sister MUST NOT pay them anything!

*Which it didn't

Thats the first killer kitten ive ever heard of! ... I smell litter tray. Ignore ignore ignore. Let them take you to court and try and prove it was your tiny kitty that conveniently killed their cat and not one of the 9 other cats.