AIBU by saying no to looking after the 'outdoor cat' which I've just been informed will be staying with the house for 'a few weeks' after completion?

[ExchangedCat]

Having recently exchanged the seller has been in touch to say they're taking all the pets except their 'outdoor cat' and could we look after it got a few weeks until they're settled?

We won't be moving in fully for the first few weeks as the house and garden need a fair bit of work. I'm also slightly worried that we have no idea where the cat is given the neglected state of the garden.

Voting:
YANBU - say no to the cat
YABU - say yes to the cat

Nimble and clever

‘With regret we cannot look after the cat as we will not be there for a few weeks and I am allergic to fur - please make other arrangements.’
Then check the garden regularly in case they have actually abandoned the poor mog.

"Vacant possession" means no animals left behind! CF's.

Every time I think I've heard it all...

No. Absolutely not. It's a cat not a pot plant.

Their cat. Their responsibility.

Yeah that’s mad. Their options are take it, cattery or rehome. You won’t even be living there full time to look after it! Good luck!

They sound like shitty owners!!

WAtching for updates on your new cat....

@pinkstripeycat don’t worry, the manufacturer assured me that the spikes are just uncomfortable for the cats and won’t actually pierce their paws or hurt them.

And I hardly think it’s fair to say I deserve to have cats poo in my garden! Before we got them we couldn’t let our toddler play in the garden without doing a thorough check with a shovel and a bin bag because it was literally everywhere, we had one neighbour with a dozen cats plus all the other neighbours with normal amount of cats so it was truly disgusting and as a non cat owner I don’t really want to have to pick up cat shit thank you very much!

@stCharlotte - you sound like a lovely lady. If OP cannot look after the cat, Cats Protection or RSPCA should be informed immediately, the cat needs to be cared for, nobody should abandon animals. I understand some people do not like pets but a phone call to an animal charity will take care of the cat’s needs and it can be looked after by those who have the correct environment.

@petlover9 we will ensure it is rescued if we find it has been left behind - we aren't able to take it on but that doesn't mean we don't want to see it properly cared for

My parents did this years ago when they moved - had a cat which was very shy and they couldn't catch it to take it away. We all spent ages trying to get it even after the new people moved in, but never succeeded. It lived 'outdoors' there for a while and eventually got run over I think. The purchasers were very nice about it but I don't know if they fed it.

It may be a similar scenario - the previous people might have no choice.

We've now completed. As many of you predicted the seller has said the cat is still here, but our new neighbour has confirmed that they're feeding it and taking responsibility for it.

We haven't been around much yet but haven't seen any sign of a cat when we have been, nor any sign of cat-related paraphernalia. It's all exceedingly odd.

Say no. If they care about their cat they can use a cattery to care for it.

Maybe all the cat-related stuff is at the neighbour's place since they've taken on the job.

Yes, I hope so. We don't know what the cat looks like, either (beyond the usual four legs, tail, ears, furry, staring eyes, etc., presumably).

Years ago our NDN had a cat who liked playing with ours. They then had to move 200 miles away for work and asked us to foster him temporarily while they rented a property before finding somewhere to buy. We loved that cat nd agreed, hoping against hope that they’d never come back. Lo nd behold, 6 months later they did come back for him. I remember standing at my front door crying my eyes out as they drove away. I loved that cat

They could have out cat in a cattery or fostered her out via a charity

Did they come back for the cat OP?