2 years ago our ginger cat who we had for 5 yrs from a kitten moved in with a lady up the road from us.

We asked her to stop feeding him / letting him in the house etc but she carried on :-(

We bought him back to the house 3 times, keeping him in longer each time but he kept returning to his 'new' home. In the end we left him to it! We still see him around & give him a bit of food!

Yesterday the lady bought him back to me with an absess on his leg, saying as he is not her cat I cant expect her to pay the vets bill!!
I took him to the vets & he is shut in my daughters bedroom getting better.

My dog will not tolerate him now & is trying to get at him through the door which is upsetting the cat :-(

My question is what will I do with him when he is better? If I let him out he will go back to his second home (he cant stay indoors all the time as he wont use a tray - only go outside)- then what happens next time he is ill?
All my animals are insured & I dont want to insure a cat that has not lived with us for 2 yrs - but then I cant afford vets bills if he needs a lot of treatment?

Any ideas anyone?

Jo
xxx

Could you not go and have a polite word with the woman explaining your predicament, saying if she continues to feed it and home it then perhaps she should shoulder the responsibility in his health care too?

She seems a tad selfish to readily accept his companionship but neglect him when he needs it.

I would send her the vets bill, along with a note stating that if she is going to continue feeding the cat she should be responsible for the care of it. Then state that if she is unwilling to care for the cat (which includes vet bills) you will have no option but to rehome the cat elsewhere. See what she says to that.

Personally I'd try to rehome the cat as far away as possible.  This woman has enticed your cat away by feeding it and enjoyed the company of your cat for the last two years, yet the minute he gets a health problem she suddenly 'remembers' he yours!! :rolleyes:  she doesn't deserve to get him back and will probably keep bringing him back whenever he needs treatment.

Sorry if I sound harsh but she never considered your feelings in this despite you talking to her about it.  She doesn't deserve your consideration now ;)

As you can probably guess I'm gobsmacked at this womans cheek!!

I would definately have a good word with her also.... The nerve of some people :( How RUDE!!!

I agree with LindyLou send her the vet bill, poor cat, what a cheek some people have.

I also agree with rehoming him as far away as possible :)

A similar thing happened to me many years ago.  I had a boy and a girl cat living happily together, both spayed, until they where about 2 years old.  I was then offered another boy cat.  It was okay until the new boy began to mature.  The older cat then went to live with an old couple at the end of the street.  He came back from time to time but I stopped feeding him as the old couple lavished care and attention on him.  When they decided to leave the area they told me I should have the cat back, after about 12 months.  I had done all the things you have done, tried to reason with them, asked them why they didn't return him when he first started visiting  (12 months on they insisted they thought he was a stray - hard to believe considering he had a collar and was in tip top condition).

He did not fit in with my group anymore, fights ensued and he went back to his adopted family.  They moved house; you've got it, without the cat.  He had to be re-homed. 

I took him to the cat rescue, which I know sounds a bit drastic but when I explained the situation they were very supportive, and they did indeed look after him.  He went to live many miles away from me but I was told through the rescue that he was very settled in his new home.  They do vet all people wishing to take animals on.  You need to put your mind at rest and find your cat a good home.  Your neighbour may only abandon him if you take him back to her.

I agree with echo - I would still send them the bill though ;) :D

ide send her the vet bill and tell her if shes not preperd to pay then you will have to rehome him as you can no longer keep him due to him living with her for the past 2 yrs! i rearly cant see her paying coz i know if i had a cat for 2yrs i would be the 1 to pay for health care.i wouldnt dare to go back to the previous owners and ask them to pay .shes had the cat for 2yrs so tecnicaly the cat is hers! if she cared about the cat she would never of come to you in the first place! :(

Thanx for all your replies.

I spoke to the lady again & told her I would have to rehome him & she said she did not mind feeding him ect but as she allready has 2 cats she cant afford the vets bills for a third!!!

Anyway I phoned the cat protection league who will take him for us - I have said we will keep him untill he is better & pay  for treatment first.
They also told me the new owner could get in to serious trouble for neglecting the cat by not taking him to a vets - but I would have to prove he was hers now.

I do feel a bit sad having to do this - but I can not keep him here because of the dog - even if I could he would run off again I think :-(

Thanx again

Jo

You are doing the right thing Jo, this woman would have kept bringing him to you for all further care into his old age.  What I would have done though is tell her a fib and say I was not prepared to pay vets bills either and had him put down ;) (not really of course :)) that might have upset her enough to prevent her thinking of doing something like this again.  Perhaps it is not too late to do that?

I like your thinking Isabel - pure evil :D :p

Oh but only for the purest of motives :p :D

lol didnt think you had it in you isabel! :d :d :d

Stop it girls, I'm begining to feel guilty about that poor old lady (and I'm imagining she is a pensioner) weeping over the pot of "ashes" Jo could make up out of scrapings from the local pub ashtrays..............?!!........whoops I've done it again :o :p

LOL  - I can see Jo now, going round the pubs filling up an urn from the ash trays :D :D

isabel you are on form today lol :)

Is it worth talking to your vet - tell them that it has not been your cat for two years but because you realised that she would not take it to the vets you took it yourself, ask them to send her the bill!

lol - love the bit about the ashes :-)

I think I will tell her I have had him put down - it may make her think about not doing it to anyone elses cat - great idea!!!

She is about 30-40yrs old so not a pensioner - if she was, I would of understood a bit more.

I have allready paid the vet - or I think I would of took the advice to send the bill on to her!

Cat is fine - absess has burst - which is a bit yukky! but he is ok in himself.

Thanx again for your replies

Jo

I too like the idea about pts, thats a good one :D