6 years ago I found a baby kitten-Mikey hiding from the rain under the bushes in front of my condo. The neighbor was allergic so she didnt want him in the house. So i brought him food and a box and blanket. We always leave the sliding door open for our other cat, Leo, and Mikey made a home for himself. Ever since he has come in and ate and slept and we love him and he loves us. He has never been her cat.

A couple years ago the crazy neighbor lady got into an argument with us that we stole her cat. We explained that he simply chooses to come in and the door is always open for Leo, and that was that.

We just found out she is moving. Should we approach her about it before she takes Mikey and we never see him again? Should we offer money? Or should we just make sure shes not planning on taking him?

What type of proof of ownership could she have?

Would the owner of the cat provided the medical care the cat needed if she had been given the chance? Who knows. Maybe the cat only got sick after the neighbors took it into their home. The article suggests that the owner let the neighbors visit the cat, not the other way around. Merlin may have chosen the neighbors over his owner and if that’s the obvious case then I, as a consummate cat person, would be inclined to accept that arrangement: I’ve met cats that did not take to me as a person and vice versa, thankfully I never had one in my home. However, the cat certainly won’t be taking the stand in a court of law, that is a simple fact that no amount of debate can resolve. Someone’s going to wind up hurt and angry in this situation, moreso than they all ready are. Frankly, I just hope it’s not the cat.

MaineMom - that so cool that you helped the colony out. I had a colony where I lived in NC, but had to relocate them before I left. I didn’t trust the folks on the lake to really take care of them like I would hope. There was one lady that I think would do okay with them, but who knows how long she would live there.

i have 2 former ferals living indoors with me. used to have 4, but 2 are waiting at the bridge. my current ones have been living indoors for about 15yrs :) was a tad rocky in the beginning, but things have been fine since the adjustment. one did slip out once to a rainy rooftop. she literally jumped into my arms when i climbed out to get her! lol!~ i’d say her desire to go back outside after that has been a big fat ZERO!

of course, he ended up living in our barn, which was heated( sometimes i think my grand dad kept it heated for Sinatra) and we always made sure there was food for him. i was just a kid at the time and times were indeed very different then-in the country indoor cats were a rariety. i used to brush him and flea powder him. he was the best cat- a real sweety who looked like a big battle scarred thug.he ended up being our cat although nothing was ever said publically about it because these neighbors were just the kind of cretins who only cared about something and ‘ wanted’ it if someone else appeared to show interest. they could have given a flying blank about that cat but the mere scent of us taking it in to save it from abuse would have erupted in damage to our cars or our property in retaliation.or they would have beat the crap out of me at the bus stop. such charmers.

we really can’t have people decalring the property of other people(and pets in most SANE states are considered personal property not equiped with the reasoning faculties and rights and choice making abilities of full grown adult humans) to be theirs because the cat” wants it”. that’s like baby snatching because you think a 3 month old would rather be with you-it’s kidnapping not baby willed replacement of parents.of course abuse is an entirely different matter. and i mean real abuse and neglect not just letting the cat outside. i have personally broken the law to save pets from real physical abuse and neglect and gladly so. i have assumed other people’s pets which they sort of stopped taking care of but couldnt quite bring themselves to vocalize the fact that they really were dumping their cat off on me( and to be honest the cats really had chosen me but that’s hardly provable by the law.) but i would never be so arrogant to start roaming the streets and stealing other people’s pets because i think i know what’s right for them. control freakery and mental illness. people need to mind their own damn business unless they see real abuse and neglect. it’s basically coveting. go get your own damn cat- contrary to wing nut opinion the shelters are full of them even after kitten season.

When I was growing up - there was a kid who’s mom worked two jobs to make ends meet and consequently the kid was latchkey from a very early age. My mom was a stay at home mom. Where do you think this kid hung out alot? Yes, he instinctively knew that my mom would give him lunch, put a bandaid on his boo-boos etc. So I guess my mom should have just called his mom and said that she was keeping him.

We’re back to the old dilemma of how good is good enough. BTW - I should mention that there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that this kid’s mom loved her son. Why else was she working two jobs to keep a roof over their heads? Was his life as ‘enriched’ or ’supervised’ as mine. No. But his mom was not a bad, uncaring person.