Who "owns" this cat?

No one actually owns cats.
The cat owns them.
just what i think.

Your friend owns the cat

This is absurd.

I feel for your friend, it’s hard to feel like you’re losing something because of circumstances beyond one’s control, like illness.

I would talk to the friend. Show her pictures of how happy the cat is and how much the family loves their adopted kitty. Have the ‘homewreckers’ send her pictures and updates about the cat. Exchange email addy’s.

I think the cat should stay with them- they pay for the food, they clean the litter and they take it to the vet. I feel that her claim on the cat, which looks good in theory, isn’t really holding water in recent history of the real world.

Yeah, I should have prefaced by saying that my belief is that nobody can “own” a cat, but a cat can claim you. Part of why I figure he’s better off with the neighbors even though they were wrong to start feeding him.

He must be one heck of a cat!I would say that your parents are the owners now.If your friend paid for the upkeep of this cat,I would say it’s hers.The neighbors would be wrong to take the cat.

[ Mod Note:] Please do not post negative opinions of questions instead of input. If you do not care for a question please just move on.

@chesspiece Do you care to elaborate on what you feel is absurd?

Possession is 9/10ths the law. It sounds like the cat is happy and well cared for and in the possession of the neighbors. I would just let the cat go.

His health has become a concern? I’d take him right back.
And I don’t even like cats.

@lucillelucillelucille: he IS one of the two greatest cats on earth, in my biased opinion :)

If you feel my parents have the right to take him back, how should they go about it?

@anon: yes. He always had a tendancy to over-eat if he could. I think the reason he stays over there is because they allow him to be the glutton he wants to be. He is positively gargantuan at this point.

Wow, what a situation. Have you spoken to your parents’ neighbours about giving up the cat? I think you should try at least once, in person, plead your best friend’s case and all that, on the off chance they’re amenable and give you the cat. If they refuse you, what can you do? Break in and steal the cat? Pull a gun on them? At least you tried and, while your friend may be upset at first, eventually the reasonableness of your case will make her accept the situation and move on. Your whole story is very much, I mean what could you do, really? You’ve tried your best, so make this last-ditch effort and then move on.

Thank your parents for loving and caring for the cat, but if you get the cat back I think it should go to your best friend. And if you don’t get the cat back, apologize to everyone but I think the clear bad-guys here are the neighbours.

The other issue here is the cat’s health, but I’m not sure you can do anything about it. I mean if you accuse the neighbours of not taking good care of the cat they’ll become defensive and definitely won’t give it back to you. And it’s not so bad that you could call the authorities or anything, it’s just obesity.

Just a sad situation, I guess.

@LC_Beta If I were your parents and wanted the cat,I would just tell the neighbors that you are taking your cat back,offer to compensate them for any expenses that you’ll send them updates and photos of him after they move.I just hink it’s really weird that they just “took over” the cat like that!My two stay indoors.It makes it so much easier that way for alot of reasons.I wish your parents luck and hope they find a way to keep him :)

The neighbors knew the cat lived at your parents? They are in the wrong. This is not their cat. How much have you and your parents tried to communicate with them? It seems to me that communication is the issue. Just because you bribe the cat with food does not make you the owner.

You have vet records, right? Have the neighbors been taking the cat to the vet since they took it in?

It’s unfortunate that the situation has gone on so long without clear boundaries communicated. Be upfront and firm about the situation… but if they are not willing to part with the cat, there is not much you can do.

I feel bad for your friend.

You can’t do anything really, if they want to leave with the cat they are going to. I would just let the cat go, even they really “are morally degenerate cat-thieving homewreckers”. :)

I should also have mentioned above that my friend suffers from serious depression, and that I think this cat situation is making things pretty hard for her right now.

The first thing I thought of, in forming an opinion here, is of a cat I thought was a stray several years ago. My landlord had a non-negotiable no pet policy, so I started feeding the most lovey, sweet little orange kitty on my porch. He had no collar or anything. He was great and I loved taking care of him, but my neighbor next door mentioned who the owners were, told me the cat’s name, etc. These neighbors had a small zoo at their house and took minimal care of these animals. Even so, knowing the cat belonged to someone else, I could not rightly keep him.

I think the neighbors are way out of line here. It’s one thing to feed a cat who makes the rounds in the neighborhood and another to basically steal him for no reason other than you really want him. That shows a lack of respect for the rightful owners and it is pure selfishness. Not to mention overfeeding him to the point of obesity is just ridiculous and their lack of self-discipline is incredible (obviously they cannot say “no” to him when they view him as being hungry).

So, looking at all the factors, your parents have every right to confront these neighbors and get the cat back. The cat is not a stray or up for grabs if it already has an owner. Vet records and such should help prove their case

I do have vet records and I actually had the cat “tagged” with a microchip when I took him to my mom’s, that has her name and address on it, because I was worried that he would get lost in his new environment and get picked up. So, I can definitely prove his origins. Now I’m just concerned with whether that is the right thing to do.

@LC_Beta In my opinion it is the right thing to do. Right for the cat, your friend and probably your parents…

There are so so many wonderful kitties being put to death every single day for no other reason than their time is up at the shelter.

I agree that this is a really unfortunate situation that has gone on for so long with no clear communication.

Someone needs to step up here and be a hero. Yes, the neighbors were wrong to appropriate an animal not rightfully theirs. But I also believe that cats choose their people as much as the reverse, even tho this particular cats motive is
predictably shallow :)

Why not try educate both your friend, your parents, and the neighbors to the horrible plight of equally loving cats sitting in shelters facing death because there is no one to love them.

See which of the parties involved would be willing to consider giving one of the death row cats a chance. Perhaps offer to go to a shelter or rescue group and pay the adoption donation for them.

So much energy and money would be spent in a dispute over this cat which could just as easily save the life of several other loving kitties just waiting for someone to rescue them.

Perspective, folks, perspective.

Try to see the larger picture.

I think the cat belongs to your parents.

Your friend couldn’t keep the cat and left it with you – the cat became yours. Cat sitting doesn’t last for three years. It was your cat.

When you could no longer care for the cat due to reasons listed in your OP, you passed it on to your parents. They wanted and cared for the cat.

The neighbors were wrong to entice the cat to become theirs. They knew the cat was being cared for in a good home. They are responsible pet owners. Allowing the cat to become so obese is abuse, IMO. He may be happy there, but he is not healthy and it is their doing.

Not very nice neighbors but short of going to court over it what can your parents do? Your friend could write a letter to them but I doubt if they’d care.

If the neighbors want him so bad, in my opinion, they should take him. It’s obvious from your description that you were no longer able to fully care for him, and the neighbors have conveniently taken on the responsibility…to the point that the cat is overweight! Let them deal with his weight issue and I say let dogs lie. Also, the cat knows and likes the neighbors, whereas the cat may have forgotten your friend, your friend is still unable to care for this cat. Who is being responsible here?

Your friend, when she is on her feet again, can adopt another cat from a shelter. God knows there are enough abandoned cats out there, that there should not be a lack of finding one.

Fifty years of living with cats have taught me that if what you want is loyalty, you don’t have a cat. Cats please themselves.

This is a sad situation, but it could have a happy ending for everybody. May I humbly suggest that all these truly sincere cat-loving folks visit a shelter and adopt a cat that no one wants?