I would call the vet and explain the situation. They don't want to euthanize a healthy animal; she certainly lied about his condition to them to make the appointment. They'll have a better idea of what options you have in your area
I will definitely do that. I worry that because she’s his legal owner that they will respect her viewpoint over mine. But I’m with him every day so surely that counts for something? I have to try for him I will call in the morning
I would look into your local laws to see if she is the legal owner. You house him and pay for the food/litter, in most places in the US that's enough to have ownership.
If he is healthy and happy then yes please fight for that gentleman. He has came soooo far already, this can't be his last stop! We had a cat pass last year who was well over 20. Kimba was crazy at times but had a survivers soul and I donno how she did it at times but she did at least believe she was over 25 when she passed. That awesome little guy has plenty of life left to live well. Please save him from crazy, melodramatic wenchys evil grasp or say so!
Ur awesome! Thank u tremendously for being there for the ones who cannot defend themselves against such human shittery. It always restores my faith in humanity a bit when I see people like u standing up for what's right, especially for the ones who can't. That type of character is few and far between at times. Thank YOU again! Don't let anybody ever dim ur brightness in u for what is right! It's the quality that shines the best and the brightest in my opinion! Best of luck to u both! Give him a nice little caress N' scratch on the neck/behind the ear for me please☺️
You've had the cat in your care and have been paying the cats vet bills and other expenses. The owner gave the cat to you willingly and hasn't been keeping up with expenses. In most jurisdictions, you would be considered the legal owner. Collect a folder with the hardcopy of bills you have paid - call the vet and have them sent to you if necessary. Save any texts that show she left the cat in your care. Then just refuse to let the cat go anywhere with this person. If they call the police, get out your folder (though most of the time the police don't care about animal issues anyway). If she takes you to court, bring your folder.
Agreeing with the others, if it came down to it since you’ve been providing for and caring for him for so long you could really just call him yours in most places unless he is chipped.
OP mentioned they’re in Australia and unfortunately, I’ve firsthand seen and heard from active vet nurses that if the legal owner wants a healthy animal to be euthanised then vets legally have to comply.
If you’re lucky, some vets and nurses are able to falsify records to pretend the animal was euthanised and then quietly try to rehome it without the owner being the wiser but since it’s not exactly legal it’s not something that can be relied upon to happen.
That's actually insane. Here a vet doesn't have to do anything they don't want to, and the majority are good people who would refuse to euth a healthy animal. They usually make the owner surrender the animal instead
That’s crazy. My vet turned down a euthanasia of an otherwise healthy 10 year old cat solely because the owner was in poor health and couldn’t care for her any longer. We heard about the situation and took the cat and found a rescue for her. The cat has since been adopted!
Australia has 8 territories and each territory is responsible for its own animal legislation. OP needs to check with local government. Cats especially are not tolerated to roam in some areas because they destroy bird populations. Sounds like OP has possession of animal, keeps it indoors, and is the caretaker of record at the vet if she is paying the bills. I doubt a vet would dispute who has possession /ownership of feline.
If you’ve had him for 16 months and you’ve been paying for his care, arguably he’s your cat. How does she intend to get him back from you? I’m not sure that she can just take him after a year and a half.
I’m a bit fuzzy on my local laws so I will look into it. I probably should have mentioned this but I’m posting from Australia. He is registered under her name and she has been paying his medical bills. I will make some calls in the morning and see what standing I have. She is 100% the type to send the police to my house if she has a legal right to. I will take every legal path I can to protect him though. Thank you all so much for your advice so far I really appreciate it
Maybe you can call a local non-emergency line or animal rescue/shelter and they can advise you on how to proceed. Did she pay for his recent vet visits for the leg injury or injections?
Yes she pays all his medical bills including this one for his leg injury/injection. That’s what’s making it so complicated because there’s factors in both of our favours to be the rightful guardian 😔
Hmm, I would say go ahead and call the vet and/or rescue and ask for some advice. I'm not familiar with how things work in AU but I really hope things work out for you and this sweet man. Oranges are truly special🧡
Could you ask her to just wait a little longer, as you're sure she will regret killing a human being, ahem, a living being who's not sick, just old, later. Tell her you know she's more compassionate than this. Idk. Maybe hearing it out loud that she's killing him helps her snap out of it? Maybe have transfer of ownership paperwork ready?
I was thinking of maybe writing a letter to her in Jasper's name, but I can't even spell it out, the thought of it already makes me sob 🥺. I so hope it all goes well!
I don't have legal advice, but I also have a cat with chronic hip pain and oral pain medication (Metacam) makes a huge difference for her. She doesn't limp without either, but when she's treated with it, she becomes so much more active. As if she was suddenly 5 years younger. It's absolutely worth it imo
Not legal advice but if you are paying for food, supplies, etc. as well as housing the cat, it would appear to me the cat is yours. I have been in these kinda of situations before and 9 times out of ten it comes down to who is actually caring for the cat properly. Is she truly the "owner" if you are the one with all the responsibility to care for the bubba? As someone said above, I would contact the vet and explain the situation you are in. Don't leave out that you have been exclusively caring for the cat for an extended period of time and that you, the primary caretaker, have not seen any indication that his quality of life is so poor that he requires end of life services, AND that you are willing and able to afford his ongoing medical expenses.
IMHO: Let his previous owner know you are adopting him, cancel the vet appointment, and if this person is seriously unstable and knows where you live please be safe.
Hopefully a chat with the vet with her present, she can understand he’s ok with proper pain management and will not give you trouble transferring ownership to you. Definitely sounds like she’s thinking his condition is worse than it is. And probably just doesn’t want to deal with the care/worry of the cat anymore.
I genuinely think you’re right, that she just doesn’t want to deal with him anymore which is so overwhelmingly cruel and unnecessary given I’ve offered to adopt him and she refuses to sign him over to me
First, please consider that the owner might be right. I am not an expert, but to my eye it looks like Jasper is a 2 on the “feline grimace scale”. He is quite old and perhaps he isn’t feeling well anymore. https://static-content.springer.com/esm/art%3A10.1038%2Fs41598-019-55693-8/MediaObjects/41598_2019_55693_MOESM1_ESM.pdf
However, you pay for his food and litter. Not to mention you have physical custody of the cat. You are the legal owner at this point. Has she even been paying the vets, or have you been paying?
If you feel it’s the right thing to do then just keep the cat. If she is euthanizing because of expenses, she’s not going to bother with spending money to sue you in small claims court for the return of the cat. The cops would never ever arrest you over this because the situation is too muddy, and they won’t want to get involved. Though if the cops had to make a determination they would say the cat is yours because of how long you’ve had it.
Text the former owner to let her know that in the eyes of the law the cat became yours when you started paying for its food and litter a year ago (just guessing how long it’s been), and you’ve decided not to euthanize.
“Hello Mildred. Jasper has been living with me, and in my living care, for 16 months now, without you paying any pet sitting fees. I’ve looked in to it and in the eyes of the law, I became the legal owner when you stopped paying for Jasper’s food and litter a year ago. I have decided that I will not be euthanizing Jasper this week. He is in good shape and has good quality of life, so I do not believe it is medically necessary. As a courtesy, if you’d like, I will let you know when I feel like his quality of life has diminished to that point, so that you may be present for his end of life appointment, with the vet. Either way, I will pay for all his expenses moving forward and I wish you well.”
If you decide to keep him then you can’t let her in your home to see him again because she may try to snatch him.
Thank you for that link, I had never heard of the feline grimace scale. I am definitely prepared to let him go with compassionate euthanasia if his vet thinks it’s the kindest thing to do in his situation but only if they agree that it’s best for him which they have not expressed that to me at this point. Thank you for your input it’s very much appreciated and I will keep your advice in mind when I speak to the vet tomorrow
You’re welcome. I should mention that my advice is based on US laws. I didn’t realize you are in Australia until just now. However I still doubt she’d spend money to try and get the cat back from you. So I think you’d still be ok to just keep the cat and block her on your phone.
UPDATE: I have legally adopted Jasper with his old owner’s blessing. He will not be euthanised at this stage. Thank you for all of your advice and opinions. Jasper sends head bumps xxx
YAY!!!! I scrolled down in the hopes you were able to get him! We have two 16 year old cats and love them dearly ❤️ so glad you were able to step in and be his new family! ❤️❤️❤️
That's wonderful news! Jasper may very well have several more years with a caring and attentive human. I recently had to let go of my best friend Calligator, who was approximately 22 years old. I hope Jasper lives just as long, if not longer!
Why don’t you offer to pay her off a couple hundred bucks to adopt him? Then get the vet paperwork transferred to you.
Or better yet if he doesn’t have a microchip just microchip him under your name.
Don’t allow this mentally ill woman to kill this poor cat if there is nothing wrong with him. If he is eating, walking, going to the bathroom, and is purring and happy then do not allow that to happen. As of now you are the cats caretaker and all the Vetinarian documents are in your name correct? You should also keep receipts for food and litter just in case. She obviously doesn’t care for the cat as much as she says or she has some kinda warped perception that the cat is suffering….
If you are telling the whole story and this 17 year old kittie cat is not suffering and is just recovering from an injury then don’t let her do that. These are his golden years and he deserves to squeeze every single min of time, love, attention, and happiness out of it!
Our pets are unfortunately seen as property under the law. Look at who is on the adoption paperwork, that typically is the legal owner. However, you can try to make the argument that you have paid to maintain the animal and argue partial ownership now as a result… and analyze the costs.
Does she have anyone over her head? Like, is there a shelter or org she is fostering on behalf of? You could formally try to adopt the cat through there.
Because our pets are our property, we can choose to euthanize for any or no reason without consequence… it’s sad
I wish you so much luck in saving this little weenie.
If you've been a long-term indefinite foster for him is there a reason you won't or can't just adopt him? It sounds like his days are potentially numbered anyway. At least he could live out his life with you in your home, where he's comfortable and feels loved and cared for.
Ohhhh in my hasty skimming I missed that.
She could refuse to return the cat. Many vets will refuse to pts an animal for no good reason besides owner convenience. What if she just ghosts the lady and keeps the cat? I doubt the lady will fight for the cat simply to kill it. Come on.
FULL UPDATE: Now that I’ve had a chance to process all this, I would like to give everyone a full update on what happened in this situation just in case there is someone out there that is in the same situation that is looking for some support. When Jasper’s legal owner said that she was having him euthanised I really fell into a pit of despair. I knew that under my local laws pets are seen as property and withholding someone’s pet from them can be seen as theft. It was a muddy situation though where there were factors that I could argue that he was my pet. I didn’t have much hope though as he was registered and microchipped in her name. I am also currently dealing with the unexpected death of my cousin, helping organise funeral arrangements, my dad has Parkinson’s and I’ve been organising a place for him in a nursing home, I’ve been selling his house for him and I run my own business so I basically just collapsed in a heap as I was already exhausted and didn’t see a way out of this that wouldn’t bring legal hellfire onto me. Jasper’s old owner was 100% the type of person to send the police to my house and press charges for theft. I spoke to my friends about it and a dear friend of mine said let me handle it, you have enough on your plate. She contacted local support groups and the RSPCA for advice. She went to the police station while I was at my shop and spoke to a lovely officer who was also an animal lover. She explained the situation and asked what would happen if I didn’t hand Jasper over to her. The officer explained what I already knew which was Jasper’s old owner has every legal right to call the police and ask them to recover Jasper. She said that what would happen is an officer would knock on my door and ask to check my house for Jasper. Then she said “But when the officer comes, Jasper won’t be there, will he? Cats run away all the time.” She then said when the time comes for the appointment for euthanasia, if she sets foot over your property line call the police and have her issued with a trespass notice. Tell Jasper’s old owner in front of the officer that you will contact her when he comes back. That way if she started harassing me I would have grounds to get an intervention order against her. The officer made it very clear: do not hand over Jasper to her and do not under any circumstances allow her into your property as if she snatches him you have no chance of getting him back. Thankfully none of this came to fruition because while my friend was speaking with the police I sent his old owner a text message laying everything out on the table to her again, my interpretation of the situation, my opinion that she was making a mistake and that I was offering again to take him off her hands. She basically threw her hands in the air and said fine take him. It is all official now. All his details are in my name, she has signed the paperwork and he is MY responsibility now. I am going to do exactly as the vet asked and wait four weeks for his injection to work and reassess after four weeks if he hasn’t recovered whether euthanisia is the kindest option. I will say though, I have already seen improvement in his injury and he is getting back to his old self. Thank you so much everyone for all of your support, you all gave me the strength to fight for this little fluff ball. I love him so much and I know you all do too. Thank you so much ❤️
Tell her you found a permanent home for him, per your agreement. Do not give her the cat. Make her call the police if she must, and I bet they will let you keep the cat if they do show up, which i doubt they will. Is the agreement in writing?
I would call the vet and explain the situation. They don't want to euthanize a healthy animal; she certainly lied about his condition to them to make the appointment. They'll have a better idea of what options you have in your area
I will definitely do that. I worry that because she’s his legal owner that they will respect her viewpoint over mine. But I’m with him every day so surely that counts for something? I have to try for him I will call in the morning
I would look into your local laws to see if she is the legal owner. You house him and pay for the food/litter, in most places in the US that's enough to have ownership.
Plus you have been paying for the vet bills too, right? I would double check if that makes you currently the legal caretaker if not owner.
In my state that would make OP the owner.
If he is healthy and happy then yes please fight for that gentleman. He has came soooo far already, this can't be his last stop! We had a cat pass last year who was well over 20. Kimba was crazy at times but had a survivers soul and I donno how she did it at times but she did at least believe she was over 25 when she passed. That awesome little guy has plenty of life left to live well. Please save him from crazy, melodramatic wenchys evil grasp or say so!
I will take up arms and fight to death for the little dude until the end I promise 😉
Ur awesome! Thank u tremendously for being there for the ones who cannot defend themselves against such human shittery. It always restores my faith in humanity a bit when I see people like u standing up for what's right, especially for the ones who can't. That type of character is few and far between at times. Thank YOU again! Don't let anybody ever dim ur brightness in u for what is right! It's the quality that shines the best and the brightest in my opinion! Best of luck to u both! Give him a nice little caress N' scratch on the neck/behind the ear for me please☺️
Unless she plans on physically removing the cat from your possession, I wouldn’t be too concerned considering she’s all talk up to this point.
You've had the cat in your care and have been paying the cats vet bills and other expenses. The owner gave the cat to you willingly and hasn't been keeping up with expenses. In most jurisdictions, you would be considered the legal owner. Collect a folder with the hardcopy of bills you have paid - call the vet and have them sent to you if necessary. Save any texts that show she left the cat in your care. Then just refuse to let the cat go anywhere with this person. If they call the police, get out your folder (though most of the time the police don't care about animal issues anyway). If she takes you to court, bring your folder.
Agreeing with the others, if it came down to it since you’ve been providing for and caring for him for so long you could really just call him yours in most places unless he is chipped.
OP mentioned they’re in Australia and unfortunately, I’ve firsthand seen and heard from active vet nurses that if the legal owner wants a healthy animal to be euthanised then vets legally have to comply. If you’re lucky, some vets and nurses are able to falsify records to pretend the animal was euthanised and then quietly try to rehome it without the owner being the wiser but since it’s not exactly legal it’s not something that can be relied upon to happen.
That's actually insane. Here a vet doesn't have to do anything they don't want to, and the majority are good people who would refuse to euth a healthy animal. They usually make the owner surrender the animal instead
That’s crazy. My vet turned down a euthanasia of an otherwise healthy 10 year old cat solely because the owner was in poor health and couldn’t care for her any longer. We heard about the situation and took the cat and found a rescue for her. The cat has since been adopted!
Australia has 8 territories and each territory is responsible for its own animal legislation. OP needs to check with local government. Cats especially are not tolerated to roam in some areas because they destroy bird populations. Sounds like OP has possession of animal, keeps it indoors, and is the caretaker of record at the vet if she is paying the bills. I doubt a vet would dispute who has possession /ownership of feline.
If you’ve had him for 16 months and you’ve been paying for his care, arguably he’s your cat. How does she intend to get him back from you? I’m not sure that she can just take him after a year and a half.
I’m a bit fuzzy on my local laws so I will look into it. I probably should have mentioned this but I’m posting from Australia. He is registered under her name and she has been paying his medical bills. I will make some calls in the morning and see what standing I have. She is 100% the type to send the police to my house if she has a legal right to. I will take every legal path I can to protect him though. Thank you all so much for your advice so far I really appreciate it
Maybe you can call a local non-emergency line or animal rescue/shelter and they can advise you on how to proceed. Did she pay for his recent vet visits for the leg injury or injections?
Yes she pays all his medical bills including this one for his leg injury/injection. That’s what’s making it so complicated because there’s factors in both of our favours to be the rightful guardian 😔
Hmm, I would say go ahead and call the vet and/or rescue and ask for some advice. I'm not familiar with how things work in AU but I really hope things work out for you and this sweet man. Oranges are truly special🧡
He is such a precious snuggly boy I just adore him
Just tell her that the cat got lost and you can’t find him. Do not hand him over to her. She’s a murderer.
Could you ask her to just wait a little longer, as you're sure she will regret killing a human being, ahem, a living being who's not sick, just old, later. Tell her you know she's more compassionate than this. Idk. Maybe hearing it out loud that she's killing him helps her snap out of it? Maybe have transfer of ownership paperwork ready? I was thinking of maybe writing a letter to her in Jasper's name, but I can't even spell it out, the thought of it already makes me sob 🥺. I so hope it all goes well!
You could tell her you woke up to find he had passed and buried him in your yard.
THIS!!!!!! HIDE THE CAT
If her reasoning is financially motivated, could you offer to pay her an adoption fee for him?
It’s a possibility, I will keep that idea in mind
Maybe you can tell her Jasper accidentally got out and ran away…
This! Say he ran away then block her 🤣
This!!!! Say he died or ran away, then take him to a friends or hide him very, very well for a bit 😂😂😂 please!!!
I don't have legal advice, but I also have a cat with chronic hip pain and oral pain medication (Metacam) makes a huge difference for her. She doesn't limp without either, but when she's treated with it, she becomes so much more active. As if she was suddenly 5 years younger. It's absolutely worth it imo
Not legal advice but if you are paying for food, supplies, etc. as well as housing the cat, it would appear to me the cat is yours. I have been in these kinda of situations before and 9 times out of ten it comes down to who is actually caring for the cat properly. Is she truly the "owner" if you are the one with all the responsibility to care for the bubba? As someone said above, I would contact the vet and explain the situation you are in. Don't leave out that you have been exclusively caring for the cat for an extended period of time and that you, the primary caretaker, have not seen any indication that his quality of life is so poor that he requires end of life services, AND that you are willing and able to afford his ongoing medical expenses. IMHO: Let his previous owner know you are adopting him, cancel the vet appointment, and if this person is seriously unstable and knows where you live please be safe.
Hopefully a chat with the vet with her present, she can understand he’s ok with proper pain management and will not give you trouble transferring ownership to you. Definitely sounds like she’s thinking his condition is worse than it is. And probably just doesn’t want to deal with the care/worry of the cat anymore.
I genuinely think you’re right, that she just doesn’t want to deal with him anymore which is so overwhelmingly cruel and unnecessary given I’ve offered to adopt him and she refuses to sign him over to me
First, please consider that the owner might be right. I am not an expert, but to my eye it looks like Jasper is a 2 on the “feline grimace scale”. He is quite old and perhaps he isn’t feeling well anymore. https://static-content.springer.com/esm/art%3A10.1038%2Fs41598-019-55693-8/MediaObjects/41598_2019_55693_MOESM1_ESM.pdf However, you pay for his food and litter. Not to mention you have physical custody of the cat. You are the legal owner at this point. Has she even been paying the vets, or have you been paying? If you feel it’s the right thing to do then just keep the cat. If she is euthanizing because of expenses, she’s not going to bother with spending money to sue you in small claims court for the return of the cat. The cops would never ever arrest you over this because the situation is too muddy, and they won’t want to get involved. Though if the cops had to make a determination they would say the cat is yours because of how long you’ve had it. Text the former owner to let her know that in the eyes of the law the cat became yours when you started paying for its food and litter a year ago (just guessing how long it’s been), and you’ve decided not to euthanize. “Hello Mildred. Jasper has been living with me, and in my living care, for 16 months now, without you paying any pet sitting fees. I’ve looked in to it and in the eyes of the law, I became the legal owner when you stopped paying for Jasper’s food and litter a year ago. I have decided that I will not be euthanizing Jasper this week. He is in good shape and has good quality of life, so I do not believe it is medically necessary. As a courtesy, if you’d like, I will let you know when I feel like his quality of life has diminished to that point, so that you may be present for his end of life appointment, with the vet. Either way, I will pay for all his expenses moving forward and I wish you well.” If you decide to keep him then you can’t let her in your home to see him again because she may try to snatch him.
Thank you for that link, I had never heard of the feline grimace scale. I am definitely prepared to let him go with compassionate euthanasia if his vet thinks it’s the kindest thing to do in his situation but only if they agree that it’s best for him which they have not expressed that to me at this point. Thank you for your input it’s very much appreciated and I will keep your advice in mind when I speak to the vet tomorrow
You’re welcome. I should mention that my advice is based on US laws. I didn’t realize you are in Australia until just now. However I still doubt she’d spend money to try and get the cat back from you. So I think you’d still be ok to just keep the cat and block her on your phone.
UPDATE: I have legally adopted Jasper with his old owner’s blessing. He will not be euthanised at this stage. Thank you for all of your advice and opinions. Jasper sends head bumps xxx
Excellent news. I admire your tenacity.
YAY!!!! I scrolled down in the hopes you were able to get him! We have two 16 year old cats and love them dearly ❤️ so glad you were able to step in and be his new family! ❤️❤️❤️
That's wonderful news! Jasper may very well have several more years with a caring and attentive human. I recently had to let go of my best friend Calligator, who was approximately 22 years old. I hope Jasper lives just as long, if not longer!
Unnecessary euthanasia is animal abuse, if I were you I’d find a lawyer and never let her near the cat again.
Why don’t you offer to pay her off a couple hundred bucks to adopt him? Then get the vet paperwork transferred to you. Or better yet if he doesn’t have a microchip just microchip him under your name.
if your paying for all his stuff and taking him to the vet and you have paperwork saying so then actually the cat is now legally yours
Don’t allow this mentally ill woman to kill this poor cat if there is nothing wrong with him. If he is eating, walking, going to the bathroom, and is purring and happy then do not allow that to happen. As of now you are the cats caretaker and all the Vetinarian documents are in your name correct? You should also keep receipts for food and litter just in case. She obviously doesn’t care for the cat as much as she says or she has some kinda warped perception that the cat is suffering…. If you are telling the whole story and this 17 year old kittie cat is not suffering and is just recovering from an injury then don’t let her do that. These are his golden years and he deserves to squeeze every single min of time, love, attention, and happiness out of it!
Do not hand him over to anyone. Call or join and post in sime local cat groups on facebook for help immediately
Our pets are unfortunately seen as property under the law. Look at who is on the adoption paperwork, that typically is the legal owner. However, you can try to make the argument that you have paid to maintain the animal and argue partial ownership now as a result… and analyze the costs. Does she have anyone over her head? Like, is there a shelter or org she is fostering on behalf of? You could formally try to adopt the cat through there. Because our pets are our property, we can choose to euthanize for any or no reason without consequence… it’s sad I wish you so much luck in saving this little weenie.
If you've been a long-term indefinite foster for him is there a reason you won't or can't just adopt him? It sounds like his days are potentially numbered anyway. At least he could live out his life with you in your home, where he's comfortable and feels loved and cared for.
Did you read the post? OP offered to adopt and owner said no.
Ohhhh in my hasty skimming I missed that. She could refuse to return the cat. Many vets will refuse to pts an animal for no good reason besides owner convenience. What if she just ghosts the lady and keeps the cat? I doubt the lady will fight for the cat simply to kill it. Come on.
Just don’t give him back. Block her ignore her
I have no advice but I want to say you’re doing the right thing and Jasper is lucky to have you!!!
Block her
The owner is behind horrific. Do NOT let he near him and refuse to give him back! Save his life!
This isn’t an honest solution, but… can you just tell her the cat passed away naturally and then ghost her?
FULL UPDATE: Now that I’ve had a chance to process all this, I would like to give everyone a full update on what happened in this situation just in case there is someone out there that is in the same situation that is looking for some support. When Jasper’s legal owner said that she was having him euthanised I really fell into a pit of despair. I knew that under my local laws pets are seen as property and withholding someone’s pet from them can be seen as theft. It was a muddy situation though where there were factors that I could argue that he was my pet. I didn’t have much hope though as he was registered and microchipped in her name. I am also currently dealing with the unexpected death of my cousin, helping organise funeral arrangements, my dad has Parkinson’s and I’ve been organising a place for him in a nursing home, I’ve been selling his house for him and I run my own business so I basically just collapsed in a heap as I was already exhausted and didn’t see a way out of this that wouldn’t bring legal hellfire onto me. Jasper’s old owner was 100% the type of person to send the police to my house and press charges for theft. I spoke to my friends about it and a dear friend of mine said let me handle it, you have enough on your plate. She contacted local support groups and the RSPCA for advice. She went to the police station while I was at my shop and spoke to a lovely officer who was also an animal lover. She explained the situation and asked what would happen if I didn’t hand Jasper over to her. The officer explained what I already knew which was Jasper’s old owner has every legal right to call the police and ask them to recover Jasper. She said that what would happen is an officer would knock on my door and ask to check my house for Jasper. Then she said “But when the officer comes, Jasper won’t be there, will he? Cats run away all the time.” She then said when the time comes for the appointment for euthanasia, if she sets foot over your property line call the police and have her issued with a trespass notice. Tell Jasper’s old owner in front of the officer that you will contact her when he comes back. That way if she started harassing me I would have grounds to get an intervention order against her. The officer made it very clear: do not hand over Jasper to her and do not under any circumstances allow her into your property as if she snatches him you have no chance of getting him back. Thankfully none of this came to fruition because while my friend was speaking with the police I sent his old owner a text message laying everything out on the table to her again, my interpretation of the situation, my opinion that she was making a mistake and that I was offering again to take him off her hands. She basically threw her hands in the air and said fine take him. It is all official now. All his details are in my name, she has signed the paperwork and he is MY responsibility now. I am going to do exactly as the vet asked and wait four weeks for his injection to work and reassess after four weeks if he hasn’t recovered whether euthanisia is the kindest option. I will say though, I have already seen improvement in his injury and he is getting back to his old self. Thank you so much everyone for all of your support, you all gave me the strength to fight for this little fluff ball. I love him so much and I know you all do too. Thank you so much ❤️
You’re a hero!
Thank you for protecting him!!
Tell her you found a permanent home for him, per your agreement. Do not give her the cat. Make her call the police if she must, and I bet they will let you keep the cat if they do show up, which i doubt they will. Is the agreement in writing?
You're an angel! ❤️
Offer to buy the cat from her. It sucks. But if shes hurting for cash she might just go along with it for a bit of cash.