A Missing Cat Turns Up On A Balcony And Starts A Neighborhood Fight
A few months ago, three cats started showing up around OP’s townhouse like they owned the place.
One was an older black-and-white cat, while the other two were younger brown-and-black cats. They weren’t timid either. They showed up at all hours, hung around the front yard, and kept coming back like they already had a routine.
After a few days, OP and their household bought treats and started feeding them when they appeared. Neighbors noticed too.
Someone in the townhome group chat asked if the black-and-white cat belonged to anyone. No one claimed her. The neighbor even checked the people next door. Still nothing.
So, she took the black-and-white cat to the vet, found no chip, and ended up adopting her.
The two younger cats kept returning, especially one male. After another week of him popping up on and off, OP caught him and took him to the vet as well.
Same story. No chip. No collar. Not neutered. The vet checked him out, and OP adopted him.
Months passed, and the cat settled in. He got neutered, got chipped, and bonded with the household.
Recently, an issue that OP never expected popped up.
The cat was sitting outside when the next-door neighbor, not part of the townhome complex, apparently spotted him.
At this point, the neighbor took a picture, rang the doorbell, and when no one answered, came back later with his kids and left a note.
The note claimed this was their cat. They said he ran away a few months back, which coincided with the time the three cats first appeared at OP’s townhouse.
In addition, they explained that he was special, born in their daughter’s bed, and they wanted him back.
The problem is, OP and their family are not willing to let go of the cat just like that. They didn’t see any collar, and most importantly, they’ve bonded with him.
Keep reading and scroll through the screenshots below to see how a “stray” adoption turned into a messy fight.
Let’s dig into the details
Let’s dig into the details
One of OP’s neighbor’s took one of the three stray cats that was always showing up at their townhouse and adopted it
Later on, OP adopted one of the two remaining
Recently, another of OP’s neighbor’s took a picture of their cat and tried reaching out to them. After being unsuccessful, he left a note at OP’s door
Apparently, he claimed that the cat that OP adopted belonged to hos family. From what he wrote on the note, the cat ran away some months ago and is very special to their family
The thing is, OP doesn’t want to give the cat back. Their argument is that the cat never had a collar, and at the moment, OP has already paid for it to be neutered and chipped
First edit
Second edit
We gathered some interesting comments from the Reddit community
“I'd keep the cat because it must not be that important to them. I think you need more information before deciding here.”
“NTA! Keep the cat. It is safer and better off with you.”
“If he was as ‘special’ as they are saying, he would have at the very least had a collar and flyers put up, posts online etc.”
“If it was truly their cat that was ‘so special’, they’d have tons of pictures, vet bills, adoption records, etc”
“They can get another cat and now do everything they're supposed to make sure that if it gets lost, it'll be identifiable.”
This situation is messy because both sides can feel attached for real reasons. OP took in a cat that looked like a stray and did what responsible owners do by getting him neutered and chipped.
The neighbor is claiming a family bond and a history that can’t be replaced. At the same time, the missing details matter too, like no collar, no chip, and no lost-cat posts that anyone saw.
What resolution do you think is fair here? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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