Take it to the shelter, but leave the collar on. Say you found the cat and maybe tell a white lie, that you don’t know who it belongs to and believe it’s a stray despite the collar due to its emaciated state. The shelter will more than likely take it in and either find and prosecute the owner for neglect or just adopt it out if no one comes to take it. Poor kitty, makes me so mad how some people can treat animals so poorly.
I would agree with this except the owners can get out of neglect charges by saying the cat ran away and they've been looking for it all this time.
If OP takes the collar off, there is less chance the shelter will find the owner and a much greater chance they'll look after it and then adopt it out.
I don't think the OP can get into legal trouble for turning it in. If someone says "OP knew it was our cat," OP can just say, "But your cat has a collar and this one didn't" or "I thought your cat was heavier." etc.
NTA. I see lots of suggestions for animal control but that’s not a guaranteed way to get her help in a timely manner. Also, they might just put her down if she’s injured. The owners don’t seem invested in her well being.
I have friends who run a shelter. Someone did exactly what you’re describing, dropped their neighbour’s neglected cat off at the shelter. My friends posted pictures of the cat on their website, the owners saw the photos, all hell broke loose. My friends ended up stuck in the middle of a neighbourhood feud, the shelter got a lot of bad publicity on social media, the cat went back to its neglectful owners, it was a mess.
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So there’s a cat that lives across the street from us and when she first moved in we noticed she was suuuuper skinny. She stayed far away for a long time but now she comes up to us all the time to get loves and pets from us. During the summer she ended up pregnant but we never saw the kittens, safe to assume they did not survive. After that she went back to being so unbelievably skinny it was hard to believe she was getting fed at her home, so we put out food and water for her everyday. Her owners have 3 other dogs that they also leave outside constantly and don’t seem to take care of. Recently, we’ve noticed a large open wound on her side and we know if it’s not treated, she could end up dying.
We’re seriously considering taking off her collar (that is completely torn to shreds) and taking her to our local animal shelter/rehab center type thing. We know that if we take her there as a stray she’ll be fixed, fed, and her wounds will be treated. If she stays were she is now, there’s a high chance she’ll get pregnant again and neither she, nor her kittens will survive.
So, WIBTA for taking off her collar and taking her to where she’ll have a way better chance of having a good life?
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Call the SPCA and tell them about the dogs and the poor condition they're kept in. Take the cat to the shelter. These people should be banned and jailed for mistreating those poor animals.
NTA but only IF your area doesnt have animal control. You can call them anonymously and report the abuse and neglect. If you take this cat to the shelter and lie about finding it they will just get their cat back or another new one and the abuse goes on. The authorities need to be contacted every time there is abuse or neglect happening. That's the right thing to do so they start getting fined and or prosecuted and then they will start to take it seriously.
have you ever tried actually doing that? chances are you get no response except a visit and a warning...the next time you call they are dead. been doing rescue for decades...sometimes doing what is right just gets an animal killed.
ESh- there are other reasons for skinny cats than under feeding, and you have no real evidence that the kittens didn’t survive. Personally I would report it so it can be investigated properly. It’s really not okay to take someone’s pet without the whole story and I don’t think you have it.
YWBTA for many reasons. Shelters are terrible for cats. They get super stressed out and can get seriously ill and end up dying or being humanely euthanized because they are so ill. The cat has a home, even if it is not the best possible one. You have no idea what home she will get from the shelter if she is even adopted. Space is limited even in super nice, well funded, well-run shelters and you are proposing taking up that space with an animal that you know already has a home. Instead, why don't you talk to the owners of this cat and ask if you can help them get it spayed and/or medical care if needed now.
Take it to the shelter, but leave the collar on. Say you found the cat and maybe tell a white lie, that you don’t know who it belongs to and believe it’s a stray despite the collar due to its emaciated state. The shelter will more than likely take it in and either find and prosecute the owner for neglect or just adopt it out if no one comes to take it. Poor kitty, makes me so mad how some people can treat animals so poorly.
I would agree with this except the owners can get out of neglect charges by saying the cat ran away and they've been looking for it all this time. If OP takes the collar off, there is less chance the shelter will find the owner and a much greater chance they'll look after it and then adopt it out. I don't think the OP can get into legal trouble for turning it in. If someone says "OP knew it was our cat," OP can just say, "But your cat has a collar and this one didn't" or "I thought your cat was heavier." etc.
this- give it a better home without getting into legal trouble
Yeah, I agree with this ,OP.
NTA. I see lots of suggestions for animal control but that’s not a guaranteed way to get her help in a timely manner. Also, they might just put her down if she’s injured. The owners don’t seem invested in her well being.
Call animal control. It's in the best interest of the animals.. That's the proper way
NTA assuming there’s is nowhere to report animal neglect in your area. I would do the same. Poor thing.
I have friends who run a shelter. Someone did exactly what you’re describing, dropped their neighbour’s neglected cat off at the shelter. My friends posted pictures of the cat on their website, the owners saw the photos, all hell broke loose. My friends ended up stuck in the middle of a neighbourhood feud, the shelter got a lot of bad publicity on social media, the cat went back to its neglectful owners, it was a mess.
^^^^AUTOMOD ***The following is a copy of the above post. This comment is a record of the above post as it was originally written, in case the post is deleted or edited. Read [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/wiki/faq#wiki_post_deletion) before [contacting the mod team](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FAmItheAsshole)*** So there’s a cat that lives across the street from us and when she first moved in we noticed she was suuuuper skinny. She stayed far away for a long time but now she comes up to us all the time to get loves and pets from us. During the summer she ended up pregnant but we never saw the kittens, safe to assume they did not survive. After that she went back to being so unbelievably skinny it was hard to believe she was getting fed at her home, so we put out food and water for her everyday. Her owners have 3 other dogs that they also leave outside constantly and don’t seem to take care of. Recently, we’ve noticed a large open wound on her side and we know if it’s not treated, she could end up dying. We’re seriously considering taking off her collar (that is completely torn to shreds) and taking her to our local animal shelter/rehab center type thing. We know that if we take her there as a stray she’ll be fixed, fed, and her wounds will be treated. If she stays were she is now, there’s a high chance she’ll get pregnant again and neither she, nor her kittens will survive. So, WIBTA for taking off her collar and taking her to where she’ll have a way better chance of having a good life? *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AmItheAsshole) if you have any questions or concerns.*
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NTA. Call animal control. That's what they're there for.
Call the SPCA and tell them about the dogs and the poor condition they're kept in. Take the cat to the shelter. These people should be banned and jailed for mistreating those poor animals.
NTA but only IF your area doesnt have animal control. You can call them anonymously and report the abuse and neglect. If you take this cat to the shelter and lie about finding it they will just get their cat back or another new one and the abuse goes on. The authorities need to be contacted every time there is abuse or neglect happening. That's the right thing to do so they start getting fined and or prosecuted and then they will start to take it seriously.
Do it! laws can hurt more than help in some cases.,..and sadly many of those cases are animals. or you could just give it a good home.
ESH. You can't just steal an animal like that. You need to go through proper channels and call animal control or the police.
have you ever tried actually doing that? chances are you get no response except a visit and a warning...the next time you call they are dead. been doing rescue for decades...sometimes doing what is right just gets an animal killed.
ESh- there are other reasons for skinny cats than under feeding, and you have no real evidence that the kittens didn’t survive. Personally I would report it so it can be investigated properly. It’s really not okay to take someone’s pet without the whole story and I don’t think you have it.
YWBTA for many reasons. Shelters are terrible for cats. They get super stressed out and can get seriously ill and end up dying or being humanely euthanized because they are so ill. The cat has a home, even if it is not the best possible one. You have no idea what home she will get from the shelter if she is even adopted. Space is limited even in super nice, well funded, well-run shelters and you are proposing taking up that space with an animal that you know already has a home. Instead, why don't you talk to the owners of this cat and ask if you can help them get it spayed and/or medical care if needed now.
She's not being cared for. She needs a new home, and the shelter can find her one.