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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to steal the cat

140 replies

ChilliNoodleGoodness · 20/10/2023 13:08

I know IABU and I would never do it but I feel so sorry for it.

A neighbour of mine has a few cats, one of which became pregnant and had kittens. One of the kittens she kept has gone on to have her own kittens - she is so small too.

She gave birth a few months back and is pregnant again! She is covered in fleas and worms and always crying outside peoples houses.

Have asked Cats Protection for advice and they have provided me with details of cheap neutering which I have anonymously posted through her door.

Part of me wants to just take the cat to the vets and get her treatment and have her speyed but I know in real life that is not the best thing to do :(

WWYD?

OP posts:
CatChant · 20/10/2023 14:15

Steal her. It really is the best thing to do.

Callipygion · 20/10/2023 14:16

We did that, but years ago now. We had an elderly cat that didn’t eat much and a young cat from a few doors up the road kept coming round pinching our cat’s food. It was always wary of coming in our house but seemed starving. One day it was bleeding from its back end and there was a dead kitten in our yard. My mum and me bundled it up and took it to the vet and had it treated (had another dead kitten still inside) and spayed. We kept it in our house and she lived with us after that! The neighbours never said anything.

verdantverdure · 20/10/2023 14:23

Oh god. Poor cat @Callipygion Sad

Crunchymum · 20/10/2023 14:25

What is the deal with the other cats? You said neighbour has a few? (Including the mother of the pregnant young cat)

Any idea what happened to all the kittens? There'll be the litter the pregnant cat was part of plus the litter she had herself?

Poor little lamb. Do you feed her?

SwearyBetty · 20/10/2023 14:27

This is the second thread I read today about arsehole neighbours mistreating their cats! Some people are awful.

DiscoBeat · 20/10/2023 14:27

I would do it if I could definitely see that level of neglect, yes.

DiscoBeat · 20/10/2023 14:28

Are they actually your neighbour's cats or feral ones living in her garden that she's feeding?

PoliticallyIncorrectHitchling · 20/10/2023 14:28

Do it OP, Be kind to an animal thats suffering as the selfish owner isnt doing what they are supposed to do

Intriguedbythis · 20/10/2023 14:29

@verdantverdure very well said and thank you for being a guardian angel to that cat 💜

payriseday · 20/10/2023 14:37

I stole a cat in similar circumstances. Totally neglected. Pregnant. Not chipped (as it turned out). Crying at our place all the time and I didn't blame her. Took her in, fed her, boxed her up and took her to a rescue about 50 miles away, said I'd found her at the side of the road.
She had her kittens, was spayed and found a nice home. No regrets.

SabbatWheel · 20/10/2023 14:41

My aunt had a neighbour in this situation.
Turns out there was serious illness in the household, the neighbour wasn’t coping and, unfortunately, the cat was the last of their worries. My aunt offered to have the cat spayed which was accepted quite gratefully and there were no more kittens. The neighbour’s husband died not long after.

Maybe there are other things going on - could you befriend them enough to offer a spaying?

horseyhorsey17 · 20/10/2023 14:41

I think if you're doing this, you'd be better off taking the cat and either spaying her then rehoming her somewhere else, or just giving her to an animal shelter and saying she's a pregnant stray you found. Don't give her back to her original owner. It might cause neighbour wars, and if the cat completely vanishes she'll just think it's been run over if she notices at all.

Lavenderosa · 20/10/2023 14:43

Yes take the poor cat and do the right thing for her.

Wowzawow · 20/10/2023 14:44

A few years ago we found a cat who looked really ill. I took it home and realised it only had 3 legs and was COVERED in fleas. I got some cat food and when she was chewing it sounded horrendous. I took her to the vets and got her checked for a chip, she didn’t have one. I arranged an appointment for the next day to have all of the blood work done etc. I got her a bed, food, and a comb to brush the (now dead) fleas out.

I went back the next day and informed the vet that I was keeping the cat so she would have a chance at a nice life, as the owners clearly didn’t give a fuck about their cat. Unfortunately, the poor cat had 2 tumours on it’s kidneys and would need to be put to sleep. I felt so heartbroken for this poor angel! I told the vet that I would arrange this, but she told me that I can’t because the owner has a right to know where their cat is and how ill she is. So she posted on Facebook and the owner came forward and it turns out that where I had found the cat was literally on the other side of the fucking street from where it’s owner lived. I had to take the cat home to this absolute c*nt who had treated this poor animal like dirt. She claimed she didn’t realise how ill the poor cat was (lies!!) and told us she would take her to the vet tomorrow. I told her I would pay for the appointment if she needed the money (as I wanted to make sure she actually took the cat and didn’t just chuck it outside and let it die alone). I took her number, and the next day she told me the cat died in her partners arms at the vets, and I didn’t see the cat again, so I assumed she was telling the truth.

OP, people might tell you that you can’t take another person’s pet, but if the pet is being treated like shit, you’re doing the right thing to protect it! I wouldn’t give a shit what their humans thought or how they feel, they don’t matter, the poor innocent animal is all that matters! Humans don’t get to play god with animals lives.

OhDoSitDownAndShutUp · 20/10/2023 14:46

Take the cat. Get it speyed. THEN KEEP IT. Irresponsible owners enrage me

HerMammy · 20/10/2023 14:48

Definitely take her to be speyed and save her a life of misery

toadasoda · 20/10/2023 14:48

Do the right thing by the cat but tell the neighbours. Are you sure its not a feral cat that lives on their land? We had this issue when I was a teenager. A wild cat had kittens under our shed and as soon as the kittens became confident and were being fed by us, she disappeared. We kept one and rehomed the rest. Next Summer the same thing happened, and the 2 Summers after that. We kept 3 altogether, my parents were embarrassed by the constant rehoming posters etc. We couldn't catch the mother she was terrified of humans. We considered drugging her to bring her to the vet but we were told it was too risky as she could pass out somewhere dangerous and die a horrible death. In the end after I think 4 litters she never returned.

Lavender14 · 20/10/2023 14:52

In this occasion I'd take the cat. I'd also contact your local animal welfare team and raise your concerns for the other cats living there.

Bellabluea · 20/10/2023 15:01

You also need to update us. I’m invested.

SomeCatFromJapan · 20/10/2023 15:02

Please do this, TNR is the responsible thing to do in these situations even if the animal is nominally "owned".

NotObligedToArgueWithStrangers · 20/10/2023 15:03

Have you asked the neighbour if you could have her? Worth a try, if they're overrun they might be glad to offload one.

Autumnleaves89 · 20/10/2023 15:06

I’d do it. I wouldn’t even care if the neighbour found out. Poor thing!

TeeedleDum · 20/10/2023 22:58

I'd take the cat to the vets to at least get her flea and worming medication; then see what shape the vet says she's in. If she's not in a good way I'd keep her

Original poster
ChilliNoodleGoodness · 20/10/2023 23:22

To answer a few questions:

The owner is rather...unsavoury shall we say. Her house looks a tip from the outside, broken blinds etc. She's OK to talk to but I don't bother with her.

She has a few cats, one of which is beautiful and does look well looked after.

This one climbs in through my window, screams for food and my dp does feed it. Especially when she was pregnant. I have a tom cat (neutered) so wouldn't want to bring it into mine just in case. My SIL said she wants it, she feels sorry for it but I'm not sure stealing it is the correct road to go down. I may knock and ask if she has any kittens for sale. Get some more info

OP posts:
Original poster
ChilliNoodleGoodness · 20/10/2023 23:26

I don't believe she is feral, she's so affectionate. When I drive up street she chases my car!

OP posts:
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