I stole my neighbor's cat!

[aniela]

What an adorable cat. I would have stolen him too!

I probably stole my cat too. I was vacationing at Lake of the Ozarks in 2011, and my ex and I stumbled upon a "stray." No one we spoke to knew anything about him or where he came from. He just showed up one day a month or two prior. He was a very friendly cat so I took him home with me when I left. To my defense he was very skinny, unaltered, and had fleas and ticks! If someone did own him they were completely failing at caring for him.

[LilRed]

He is beautiful and looks very loved and happy now! I'm glad you "stole" him. I "stole" my neighbors dog. They left him outside all the time, even in the snow and rain without even a dog house. He would come over to our covered back deck and curl up in one of the chairs so we started letting him in to visit. One of our other neighbors told us they didn't think his people were feeding him so we started feeding him everyday with our dogs. Once a few days went by without any sight of Scooter so I asked his people if they had seen him. They said they had been bringing him in at night and though they didn't know where he was at the moment, they were sure he was around somewhere. The next day he showed up. A few days later, I met a woman passing by who told me Scooter had followed her home and she had kept him for a few days while she posted flyers and looked for his home. Then he escaped from her house (and found his way back home to us). I knew then that Scooter's people had lied to me about them bringing him in at night cause he had been with this other woman the whole time. Not only did they not care he was missing but tried to blow off the only people who did care. After that, he was mine. I did "ask" them shortly after that if they had any issues with us vetting him, getting him neutered and taking him to some training classes with our dogs. They didn't and admitted they just didn't have time for the dog and that they were never able to fully housebreak him. He has never had an accident in our home. They have never asked how he was doing or how the training classes went. They do have a 9 year old son who Scooter was obtained for originally. He comes over occasionally to visit and play with Scooter. I tell him Scooter is still his dog but its best if he lives with us since we have other dogs & we can take good care of him. I hope I am setting an example for Luke (the 9yr old) on how a dog should be taken care of so Luke doesn't grow up to be like his parents.

Sorry to be so long and hope I didn't distract from your thread! Sometimes it does take a village cause somebody has to protect the innocent from the ignorant.

[kittyhawk]

That is hilarious! You did the right thing. Our nextdoor neighbor (who is also our landlord -_-) and the neighbor across the street both have cats that stay outside 24/7. The landlord's cat has tempted me many times. I feed him, give him treats and water, etc. I'm worried they'd evict me if they found him in our house snoozing! Lol! I feel bad for them both. We almost ran them over coming home one night while they were playing chase. It's a shame.

P.s. - I have that exact same quilt! Lol

[Malaika219]

He is gorgeous!
Thank you for giving him a home. He certainly looks like he knows a good thing when he sees one.

[Lineth]

Don't feel bad, you did the right thing. I stole a cat from my neighbors too. If people are not going to take care of their pets, then why did they get one of the first place? You did the right thing. The cat is better with you!!!

[binkyhoo]

Good for you!! My cousin owns 3 cats of which just showed up one day, hung out and decided to stay. The one is named Porch.

[britishvixen21]

I think this is a lovely story. and you should not feel bad for what you did.

I was thinking that if your neighbors have not even wondered where he has been for like a whole year they cant care that much.

[Kyla Grace]

What a great story! I took care of a cat for awhile that seemed to have been abandoned by it's owners - however it had obviously not had much contact with humans, because although it would let me sit near it, I could never touch it. I think it was a he, but I'm not positive. He was a petite white cat with one green eye and one china blue one - so beautiful. I fed him everyday and gave him fresh water, but was never able to coax him into human contact, and eventually he stopped coming, despite my leaving food and water for him. I can just hope that he is either now someone's loving pet, or is waiting at the rainbow bridge peacefully, with all the food he can eat.

Anyways, great story and testimony. I think most cat lovers would agree you did the right thing. If they don't seem to miss him, he's better off with you anyways.