A moral problem
By savypat
@savypat (20216)
United States
October 9, 2012 11:02am CST
We have this very nice kitty who has come to stay with us, we know who he lives with and have returned him there. But he comes back, the big problem is that he crosses a very dangerous street to get back to us. Hubby wants to try to keep him but I don't think that he will be happy as a house cat, he is use to wondering. We can't not feed him because he is not the only cat that eats here. My problem is that I don't know how often I need to alert his previous owners that he is here. I tend to want to discuss this with them and come to some type of agreement that will allow the cat to stay away from the street. I'd just hate to find him dead by the road. Hubby says no, he feels they don't take good care of the kitty. Any suggestions?
4 people like this
13 responses
@barehugs (8973)
• Canada
10 Oct 12
Those of us who are not dried in the wool Christians know that there is no such thing as chance,luck,or coincidence, so there is no sense worrying about the dangerous street. Lets face it, if you're feeding the cat he's your cat, so why not face up to it? If his previous owners had fed and looked after him he would still be their cat, ( so lets not worry over that) I agree whole-heartedly with your husband!
1 person likes this
@shaztasticyeah (75)
• United States
11 Oct 12
I agree. The cat knows who loves it and cares for it.
This reminds me of something that happened when I was younger. We were moving and we had a cat named Precious. She was my mothers and we really loved her. She was very well taken care of.
When we were in the process of moving the cat got out and we couldn't find her after that. We looked for her several times but never found her. A year later we were back in that area and we thought we saw her. Sure enough she saw us and hopped in our car. It was crazy. Even after a year she knew us.
@marguicha (223010)
• Chile
12 Oct 12
I don`t think that your neighbors will change their ways, no matter what you say. Surely they should have understoood there was a problem after you took the kitten back so many times. But if you feed the cat, it will not stop going to your place. Cats are like that. Just pray for the kitty, if it is what you want to do.
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
10 Oct 12
It is the nature of a cat to want to roam the streets and then return home to eat and sleep. There are some cats that spend a lot of time indoors, but the majority will always be roaming. Whether you choose to adopt the cat or insist on returning it, you are unlikely to be able to ensure any degree of safety in respect of a dangerous road. It may be difficult to accept, but you have to trust that the cat will protect itself by remaining alert at such times and avoiding traffic.
1 person likes this
@wilsongoddard (7291)
• United States
11 Oct 12
If it were me, I would take the cat in and keep him. He would be perfectly fine as a house cat... and would be safe.
Obviously, the people who are supposed to be taking care of him are not doing a proper job. If they were, they would be taking measures to make sure that he was not out roaming across busy streets.
1 person likes this
@jaiho2009 (39141)
• Philippines
11 Oct 12
I believe that if the cat owner is a good one, the cat won't keep coming back to your house.
Therefore, I assume that the cat is not properly cared- so he keep coming back to your house where he felt he is being cared.
If the owner is not looking for the cat every time it comes back to your house, maybe then you can keep him for a while until such time the owner will look for him.
If the owner won't come looking for the cat- that only means, the owner is not a a responsible pet owner.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
11 Oct 12
That is a big dilemma to have to deal with. I know that for us, we try to keep our kitties inside as much as possible, but we do let them out from time to time. However, we do live away from the major roads so that isn't something that I worry about as much.
It really does make you wonder why the cat keeps coming back to you when you return him to his owner's home. I think I would probably be tempted to keep him as well.
1 person likes this
@flowerchilde (12529)
• United States
9 Oct 12
If it were me, I would likely say a little prayer for safety for the cat whenever I worried about it.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
9 Oct 12
I would say that you have told his family where he chooses to be, and they know to come look for him there if they really care where he is right now. It would be better not to keep taking him across the street as he is sure to get hit eventually. Feed him along with your other kitties. I bet he will stay.
1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
9 Oct 12
If you can afford to feed another cat you should keep him. Cats stay where they are welcome and it's obvious he's not happy at home. Why don't you try him as a house cat? With the weather getting colder I'm sure he would enjoy it.
Unless his owners come looking for him, I wouldn't worry about them. You've told them he stays with you and if they don't care enough to keep him on their property they don't really want him. Let him stay and enjoy his company.
1 person likes this
@hilarion (72)
• Philippines
9 Oct 12
well it appears the owner of the kitty doesnt really concern with it, because they could take good care of it. if he is ur friend i suggest you could at least ask a favor to keep the kitten for safety reasons. it really depends if he would agree or not but at least try to discuss him your concerns, i believe it wont offend him. if ever he didnt agree, tell him some ways to take good care of it.
1 person likes this
@courtknee525 (3742)
• United States
9 Oct 12
It seems like he keeps choosing you guys as his people. If you don't mind having him around maybe try feeding him and possibly bringing him inside and see if he likes it. The worst that could happen is that he's unhappy being a housecat and he'd just live outside your house and you could take care of him that way.
1 person likes this
@kokomo (1867)
• Philippines
10 Oct 12
You are right. You should talk to the owner of that kitty so that they will be aware about their kitty most especially in crossing the road to reach your house.If they'll agree that you would take good care their kitty then its good or you.At least you are not bothered anymore about the kitty.;-)
1 person likes this
@shaztasticyeah (75)
• United States
9 Oct 12
That is a tough one. He is an outside cat and he'll want to continue to be an outside cat for sure. The other owners may just have the mind set that he's a cat and he'll be okay no matter what but I have owned a few cats that lost their lives to busy streets. I say either way the cat will still want to be an outside cat and as much as it makes you worry he'll be happier outside. It's good to see other people worrying about our small furry friends.
1 person likes this
