[FailedSlacker]

Oh I figured they were lying about it. That would just be my snarky-a** response back.

 

[BlacDog]

Oh I figured they were lying about it. That would just be my snarky-a** response back.

Ha! Well they lied about a lot of things, if it weren't for the picture of the kitten, I would've assumed they were lying about everything

 

[TiggerBounce]

Here's a pic of mine!

He's a rescue as well. Found him in the engine compartment of my car when he was a kitten....There's a small shelf by the coolant tank and the wheel well just big enough. Pretty sure I brought him back all the way from LA (2 hour drive), and I darn near accidentally killed him because I didn't know he was there. Luckily he has a loud mouth and I was able to find him when my car started to meow. Nursed him back to health and had to keep him.

Even having been through all that, he's the sweetest cat ever.

 

[BlacDog]

Here's a pic of mine!

He's a rescue as well. Found him in the engine compartment of my car when he was a kitten....There's a small shelf by the coolant tank and the wheel well just big enough. Pretty sure I brought him back all the way from LA (2 hour drive), and I darn near accidentally killed him because I didn't know he was there. Luckily he has a loud mouth and I was able to find him when my car started to meow. Nursed him back to health and had to keep him.

Even having been through all that, he's the sweetest cat ever.

AWWWWWWWWWWWWW
I see he gets along fine with your pup too haha
That's awesome though. I got in the habit of checking around my car for cats since all the ones in my previous neighbourhood loved to sleep under and inside different areas of my vehicle... unfortunately sometimes you just can't see them either, especially if they slink off somewhere you wouldn't notice.
Glad he was a loud mouth and got himself a good home!

 

[Rain]

I know the shelters do their best, but due to his infection, he would have likely been put down the next week.

Did the other family contact the shelter before his time would have been up? Would they have bothered to if the other neighbor hadn't been told that was where the kitten was?

They likely knew he was sick when they let him out, were they even treating him? I'd want to see vet records. If they weren't then what's the odds that they'll get him medical care if he gets sick in the future?

They're letting him out to wander, is he up to date on all his shots?

Personally I would just keep the kitten and sleep well at night.

 

[Rain]

Here's a pic of mine!

He's a rescue as well. Found him in the engine compartment of my car when he was a kitten....There's a small shelf by the coolant tank and the wheel well just big enough. Pretty sure I brought him back all the way from LA (2 hour drive), and I darn near accidentally killed him because I didn't know he was there. Luckily he has a loud mouth and I was able to find him when my car started to meow. Nursed him back to health and had to keep him.

Even having been through all that, he's the sweetest cat ever.

ROFL! I can just picture you calling a mechanic friend and telling him your car is making a weird noise.

I'm so glad that he survived the ordeal and got himself a great home with you.

He looks like Kit Kat, the cat that I rescued back in October. He was microchipped though and got to go back to his original owner.

 

[BlacDog]

Did the other family contact the shelter before his time would have been up? Would they have bothered to if the other neighbor hadn't been told that was where the kitten was?

They likely knew he was sick when they let him out, were they even treating him? I'd want to see vet records. If they weren't then what's the odds that they'll get him medical care if he gets sick in the future?

They're letting him out to wander, is he up to date on all his shots?

Personally I would just keep the kitten and sleep well at night.

No the family never bothered to contact the shelter and I sincerely doubt they would have bothered without the neighbour talking to them. That's what bothers me. If it was my sick kitten who got away, I'd be looking for him everywhere. Most small towns have a local animal control that will keep the animal if they look owned, or take them to the shelter if not. Animal control would've been the smartest place to check first.
Shelter has him UTD on shots, not sure if he was before.
Their excuse was that they didn't have a working phone for a few days.. which is hilarious because I don't own a phone and I get by just fine. There's many alternatives like sending emails to shelters, knocking on doors, asking around, putting flyers up locally, etc. I can even make calls using a gmail account when I need to. There are plenty of ways they could've tried much harder to avoid this entire situation.

 

[emeric delczeg]

I was speaking to the shelter who gave me this information on behalf of the previous owner. I guess I could have phrased that a little better! And yeah they are absolutely not allowed to give me any information the previous owner does not allow.



here's a few pictures

Unfortunately true :/ she was saying its her children's kitten which made me feel worse, but obviously kittens are not toys... and whatever next animal she gets will make her kids just as happy... and the animal just as miserable


thanks to everyone for your input... its reassuring and very helpful!

Kip the kitten, and the kids should not get any pets till the parents learn that the kitten has to be treated as a family member.

 

[myrottenones]

Their excuse was that they didn't have a working phone for a few days..

Yeah... :eyeroll:

One of my cats managed to dash out the door a couple of weeks ago.
He was gone for 24 hours and in that time, I had walked about a mile radius around my house, knocked on doors to ask people to let me know if they saw him, I put up posters, I went to the couple of corner stores we have here, posted on facebook, went to the townhall, drove 2 towns over to where animal control for our area is and handed them a picture and all info on him and I managed to nap for a total of 2 hours that night. Every 30 minutes or so I would go out around with a treat bag and call his name.
I drove to different parts of town and walked around. Left food and water outside my door. I was devastated!

I can't even fathom how much of a wreck I would have been if he had some sort of medical condition or if he was older or very young!

Granted, I've been told I'm a little crazy when it comes to my animals so I'm not saying you should be home crying your eyes out when your cat has been gone 6 hours...
There is a middle ground here that I assume most people would take!

 

[younglady]

I'd say keep the cat, which I am figuring you already decided.
IMO, they didn't take any pro active methods to be sure that the kitten was safe (no microchip and no tags) Also, it doesn't seem like they contacted the shelter when he first went "missing" if thats what happened, which is what most pet owners would do firstly.

I always try to remember to do whats in the best interest of the animal, sure it may have been a child's pet but if the parents weren't up to the responsibility and it was a young kid, thats not always the best environment for the animal.

 

[TiggerBounce]

ROFL! I can just picture you calling a mechanic friend and telling him your car is making a weird noise.

I'm so glad that he survived the ordeal and got himself a great home with you.

He looks like Kit Kat, the cat that I rescued back in October. He was microchipped though and got to go back to his original owner.

LOL actually as soon as I heard my car meowing, I opened the hood and was looking all around. I was really hoping nobody would pull over (I was parked on the street!) and ask if I needed help, since I was a woman looking at the engine of a corvette with a very confused expression

 

[BlacDog]

Yeah... :eyeroll:

One of my cats managed to dash out the door a couple of weeks ago.
He was gone for 24 hours and in that time, I had walked about a mile radius around my house, knocked on doors to ask people to let me know if they saw him, I put up posters, I went to the couple of corner stores we have here, posted on facebook, went to the townhall, drove 2 towns over to where animal control for our area is and handed them a picture and all info on him and I managed to nap for a total of 2 hours that night. Every 30 minutes or so I would go out around with a treat bag and call his name.
I drove to different parts of town and walked around. Left food and water outside my door. I was devastated!

I can't even fathom how much of a wreck I would have been if he had some sort of medical condition or if he was older or very young!

Granted, I've been told I'm a little crazy when it comes to my animals so I'm not saying you should be home crying your eyes out when your cat has been gone 6 hours...
There is a middle ground here that I assume most people would take!

Honestly I would've done the same.. I don't think its crazy at all. We're extremely cautious with letting this kitten out and even still he did manage to dash through THREE doors as they were all closing when my boyfriend went outside. But all he did when he got outside was roll around at my feet and purr... I have no idea how he "ran away" from these other people. I swear this kitten just has separation anxiety, every time we leave (with the dog) he starts meowing obsessively until we get home, at which point he just chirps obnoxiously.

How much you "freak out" really depends on the circumstances and your pet. I know people with outdoor cats, but theyre all tagged or microchipped, fixed, healthy adult cats that return home every few hours or only go so far as the yard/driveway. So for them, its more of a panic when their cat doesn't come home at the time they usually do, especially when they live in high traffic/busy areas. Friends in smaller towns with outdoor cats might worry if they don't see them at least once a day or two. But yes, a sick kitten gone for any period of time is definitely something to worry about.

I'd say keep the cat, which I am figuring you already decided.
IMO, they didn't take any pro active methods to be sure that the kitten was safe (no microchip and no tags) Also, it doesn't seem like they contacted the shelter when he first went "missing" if thats what happened, which is what most pet owners would do firstly.

I always try to remember to do whats in the best interest of the animal, sure it may have been a child's pet but if the parents weren't up to the responsibility and it was a young kid, thats not always the best environment for the animal.

Yeah, I've decided to keep him. My biggest conflict was obviously just worrying I was taking a pet away from well meaning people... but meaning well doesn't mean you're doing well for the kitten.

 

[JudyG]

Really pleased you have decided to keep him :thumbsup: he deserves a lovely family to care for him. Have you had any problems since telling the rescue you are keeping him?

 

[BlacDog]

Really pleased you have decided to keep him :thumbsup: he deserves a lovely family to care for him. Have you had any problems since telling the rescue you are keeping him?

No issues. Never heard back from the shelter... but I assume everything is okay. And thank you, Im glad I decided to keep him too