Can I kidnap my neighbor's cat?

[mamasaurus]

They let it roam around the neighborhood. It is a replacement for their last cat, which got hit by a car on the busy street 1 block from us. We also have coyotes, and another neighbor's cat was eaten by one last year. I keep telling myself to butt out when I see it in my yard, scaring birds away from my feeders, or when I see it dart into the road. Today it killed a bird and left the carcass right in front of my garage, where it is currently attracting flies. I am SO pissed at that cat right now. I am even more pissed at my neighbors.

I know it would be wrong to snatch the cat next time it is in my yard and take it to a no-kill shelter. Even if it is a really cute, sweet cat who would find a new home really fast, and even if the shelter would at least neuter him. It's wrong, and I shouldn't do it. Right? Right?

ETA: Toledo, let me know if you want me to describe the cat.

[amandasw]

do not do this

ETA: it has a loving home and enjoys going outside - why rip it away from its family in hopes that it will find another home in an overcrowded shelter?

[iamgrace]

Uh, no you shouldn't.

[So_Fetch]

You should only kidnap it if you're going to keep it - or if you plan to neuter it, recover it, and send him back on his merry way.

[mamasaurus]

Jul 10, 2012 12:29:13 GMT -5 toledo said:

Actually, I'd like you to describe the magical no-kill shelter with immediate openings where it would find a home "really fast."

I have a friend who works at one and would pull some strings (she did this for the litter of kittens I found in a dumpster and said she would do it again). I know that would just bump another cat who needs to be there, but I can see it licking oily water off a driveway right now and the logical part of me is getting drowned out by the part that is screaming about how my neighbors don't deserve a cat.

[VeryViolet]

I totally understand why you want to do this but if you do they will have another cat next week, next month whatever and you will have not solved the problem.

[amandasw]

Jul 10, 2012 12:41:25 GMT -5 mamasaurus said:

Jul 10, 2012 12:29:13 GMT -5 toledo said:

Actually, I'd like you to describe the magical no-kill shelter with immediate openings where it would find a home "really fast."

I have a friend who works at one and would pull some strings (she did this for the litter of kittens I found in a dumpster and said she would do it again). I know that would just bump another cat who needs to be there, but I can see it licking oily water off a driveway right now and the logical part of me is getting drowned out by the part that is screaming about how my neighbors don't deserve a cat.

why don't they deserve a cat? do they torture it?

[hubes]

It must be hard to be so perfect.

[mamasaurus]

Jul 10, 2012 12:32:46 GMT -5 So_Fetch said:

You should only kidnap it if you're going to keep it - or if you plan to neuter it, recover it, and send him back on his merry way.

I would like to do this. If PETA's mobile spay/neuter unit is around ever, I probably would. He was banging some lady cat on somebody's roof the other night, so he needs those balls chopped.

[amandasw]

Jul 10, 2012 12:44:03 GMT -5 @tambcat said:

Jul 10, 2012 12:43:10 GMT -5 @amandasw said:

why don't they deserve a cat? do they torture it?

Well gee, their last cat got hit by a car, and they can't be bothered to keep this one out of the road?

I don't think that really counts as torture... plenty of cats do really well outside and love it. accidents happen (even people get hit by cars), I'm not sure that means ALL cats must be kept inside.

[So_Fetch]

Jul 10, 2012 12:45:55 GMT -5 @amandasw said:

Jul 10, 2012 12:44:03 GMT -5 @tambcat said:

Well gee, their last cat got hit by a car, and they can't be bothered to keep this one out of the road?

I don't think that really counts as torture... plenty of cats do really well outside and love it. accidents happen (even people get hit by cars), I'm not sure that means ALL cats must be kept inside.

where is that popcorn gif?

[wrathofkuus]

I see we have one of those outdoor cat people here. Ugh.

[alzi]

I "kidnapped" a cat once. It was wandering around the apt complex I lived in. I took it in and ended up boarding it at my vet until I could figure out what to do. It was microchipped and the POS owner just let it wander in a freakin parking lot. She didn't show for days to pick it up. The vet staff was hoping she wouldn't so that they could adopt her out.

Eventually she picked her up though. I vowed that if I ever saw her wandering again I was stealing her for good.

[mamasaurus]

Jul 10, 2012 12:44:03 GMT -5 @tambcat said:

Jul 10, 2012 12:43:10 GMT -5 @amandasw said:

why don't they deserve a cat? do they torture it?

Well gee, their last cat got hit by a car, and they can't be bothered to keep this one out of the road?

This, and also I don't think it has ever been to the vet, I don't think it is treated for fleas or worms, and the last time I saw them actually interacting with the cat, they were complaining about how it smelled bad and kicked it out of the house again. When I had a cat, if it smelled, I gave it a bath. Also, my pets go to the vet. If you can't afford the vet, you can't afford the pet. If you are just too lazy to go to the vet, you don't deserve the pet.

Flame me if you will, but I have no clue why somebody would get a pet if they don't actually want to pet it, play with it, or care for it. I am not anti-letting cats outside. My last cat would hang out in the yard with me, and he had a good time doing it. I am anti-treating cats like they are disposable and anti-bird carcasses in my driveway.

[Deleted]

I am not a cat owner, and this seems like a good thread to ask my question.

Is it common to let cats roam freely outside?

There is a cat who comes to our backyard every day. He has even brought four toys to our place, and one time I found him in our bedroom when we had our glass doors open.

I'm positive he belongs to someone (because of the toys), but it appears he'd rather live with us. LOL.

[kellbell191]

In response to multiple people:
1) the average outdoor cat lives two years. Yup, that's one awesome life there! There is a video out there from some scientists who attached a camera to indoor/outdoor cats collars and found them doing all kinds of horrible and dangerous shit. Like running through the sewers.
2) I used to volunteer for one of the best no kills in the country and it took adult cats an average of 6 months to get adopted. Worse during kitten season. That's a long time to be sitting in a tiny ass cage 23 hours and 50 minutes of every day.
3) I used to TNR and set a trap on my property. So many people's cats disappeared for two days, came back speutered and they never seemed to notice. Muahahahahaha.
4) I apparently like to quote averages today.

[mamasaurus]

Jul 10, 2012 12:43:14 GMT -5 hubes said:

It must be hard to be so perfect.

It is! One of these days, i am going to sprain my wrist doing it. I better take it easy before a perfectness-related injury prevents me from attaining further perfection.

[wrathofkuus]

Jul 10, 2012 12:51:42 GMT -5 @misoangry said:

I am not a cat owner, and this seems like a good thread to ask my question.

Is it common to let cats roam freely outside?

There is a cat who comes to our backyard every day. He has even brought four toys to our place, and one time I found him in our bedroom when we had our glass doors open.

I'm positive he belongs to someone (because of the toys), but it appears he'd rather live with us. LOL.

It's common for white trash!

Yeah, I'm still on last week's discussions.

[Deleted]

But the preferred way to keep a cat is to keep your cat indoors, correct?

[wrathofkuus]

Correct.

[mamasaurus]

Jul 10, 2012 12:51:42 GMT -5 @misoangry said:

I am not a cat owner, and this seems like a good thread to ask my question.

Is it common to let cats roam freely outside?

There is a cat who comes to our backyard every day. He has even brought four toys to our place, and one time I found him in our bedroom when we had our glass doors open.

I'm positive he belongs to someone (because of the toys), but it appears he'd rather live with us. LOL.

Sadly, it is. The last place I lived, we had a cat breaking and entering. It then had bloody diarrhea all over the carpet. Tamb said something about bad neighbors--THIS is the perfect example! I walked the cat over and said, "Hey, your cat is sick, it needs a vet," and she was all, "NO, it's fine, don't you tell me what to do!" Then it promptly shit everywhere again, as if to illustrate how not fine it was.

It sneaked into the apartment below mine, and the guy kept it for 2 weeks, took it to the vet, etc without the owners ever knowing. For real. 2 weeks.

[mrssavy42112]

Jul 10, 2012 12:58:46 GMT -5 @tambcat said:

It is unfortunately very common.

Maybe where you live, but not here. 90% of the cats you see on the streets here are strays and do not belong to anyone. Cats are kept indoors for their protection. Many shelters won't let you adopt if you say that they will be an indoor/outdoor cat (although who can stop the person from just lying).

OP, my heart would be breaking too. I'd really REALLY want to do something, but at the end of the day, it doesn't belong to you. Like PP said, if you take this one, they'll just get another. My friend's neighbor had a puppy that they let roam the streets alone, for hours, no leash, no supervision. They live in a busy neighborhood with lots of cars. At 9mo it was hit by a car & died a few hours later. One week later they had a new puppy. Clearly these people don't learn their lesson.

[TrickyBob]

You know; I grew up on a non busy road, we had a couple cats. They were in door/out door cats. None of them ever got hit by a car or anything. They were fixed too. They just, wandered around.

It wasn't until I got older that I found out most of the population frowns against people letting their cats outdoors.

Now I'm a firm believer that if you live near a road, as in; you walk out your front door and there the road is and you don't have to walk any long way to get to it, then keep them in doors. I now live in a house where we are pretty close to a road, country road, but it gets used a lot. Our cats do NOT go out doors. I brought my oldest cat from my parents house and he meows up a storm to go out; he's not getting out.

But I always thought it was fine for people who lived in remote country areas to let them roam free, long as they are fixed.

I feel so confused now. haha.

[spitforspat]

I wish someone would kidnap my cat.

[Lauren88]

We had a 2 different cats growing up that were indoor/outdoor and we learned the hard way what happens to them when they were both killed by a car hitting them.
After that happened I've always kept our new cats inside. They love sitting going in a screened in porch or sitting at the screen door looking out.

I hate seeing kitties outside because I'm so scared for them.

[mrssavy42112]

Jul 10, 2012 13:22:00 GMT -5 TrickyBob said:

You know; I grew up on a non busy road, we had a couple cats. They were in door/out door cats. None of them ever got hit by a car or anything. They were fixed too. They just, wandered around.

It wasn't until I got older that I found out most of the population frowns against people letting their cats outdoors.

Now I'm a firm believer that if you live near a road, as in; you walk out your front door and there the road is and you don't have to walk any long way to get to it, then keep them in doors. I now live in a house where we are pretty close to a road, country road, but it gets used a lot. Our cats do NOT go out doors. I brought my oldest cat from my parents house and he meows up a storm to go out; he's not getting out.

But I always thought it was fine for people who lived in remote country areas to let them roam free, long as they are fixed.

I feel so confused now. haha.

Even if they are fixed and are too far away from cars to get hit, they still can have all the other issues. They can & usually do get diseases, fights with other animals, fights with other cats...so on. They don't live as long. My other issue is the cleanliness. The idea of a cat roaming around, rolling in lord knows what, eating who knows what, then coming to sit on my furniture? Yeah, not ok.

[jerseygrl]

I had a cat for 17 years before she died. She was strictly an indoor cat. My coworker (who claims to be a cat expert) told me I was cruel because I never let her outside. She had me in tears one day because she died when my parents were away and I was checking on her every other day. My CW told me that she died because she was lonely

[mrssavy42112]

Jul 10, 2012 13:47:21 GMT -5 jerseygrl said:

I had a cat for 17 years before she died. She was strictly an indoor cat. My coworker (who claims to be a cat expert) told me I was cruel because I never let her outside. She had me in tears one day because she died when my parents were away and I was checking on her every other day. My CW told me that she died because she was lonely

Your coworker is a terribly stupid person for not only thinking that, but then telling you that.

[Deleted]

I kidnapped a neighbors cat once. Our old neighborhood had a ton of stray cats and they were always in our yard, up and down the block and one day there was a new one. She came right up to us when we called her and was still there at 10:00 pm so we fed her. Then, since she was so friendly and obviously scared we took her into our house. We kept her for a week and kept and eye out for flyers for lost cat etc...checked local humane society lost and found page etc....took her to the vet, got shots and all that jazz. Nothing. I finally found a home friend who I trusted would take good care of her and she has. 4 years later, the kitty is well cared for and loved...one day, ONE stinkin day after I found the cat a home...a flyer goes up. Evidently they left for vacation after they lost the cat but never thought to put up flyers. Yup. I never said anything to them. And I felt bad for about a minute, but I know for a fact she is in a good home. Not a shelter. All the shelters around us our overflowing and can't even take cats.

[jerseygrl]

Jul 10, 2012 13:57:45 GMT -5 mrssavy42112 said:

Jul 10, 2012 13:47:21 GMT -5 jerseygrl said:

I had a cat for 17 years before she died. She was strictly an indoor cat. My coworker (who claims to be a cat expert) told me I was cruel because I never let her outside. She had me in tears one day because she died when my parents were away and I was checking on her every other day. My CW told me that she died because she was lonely

Your coworker is a terribly stupid person for not only thinking that, but then telling you that.

She has no filter. That was about 4 years ago. She has gotten terribly worse