That’s a really tricky situation! Finding something — or in this case, a living being like a cat — and not realizing it belongs to someone else can definitely lead to an ethical dilemma. In the story you mentioned, the woman probably thought she was helping a stray, which is a kind-hearted act on the surface. But once she found out the cat had an owner, it turned into a gray area of responsibility and morality.
Posting on the Am I The Asshole? subreddit was a smart move to get some perspective. Many people might argue that the right thing to do would have been to investigate more thoroughly before assuming the cat was a stray. Cats do tend to wander, and it’s common for pets to visit other homes. However, others might understand her good intentions of helping what she believed was a homeless cat.
In the end, while her heart was in the right place, the lesson here is to always try and investigate more before taking in a lost or stray animal. You never know if they’re just visiting or belong to someone else nearby. It’s a moral gray area but certainly an interesting one to explore!
Scroll Down to Read the Story:
1. We’ve all been through this dilemma at least once in our life. OP faces it with regards to a cat.
Source: r/AmItheAsshole
2. So a cat randomly started showing up at their house who seemed pretty friendly but had trust issues.
Source: r/AmItheAsshole
3. 4 months into the regular meeting, the cat finally started trusting the woman and she took him to the vet for a clean-up as he was converted in fleas and dirt when she let the cat in.
Source: r/AmItheAsshole
4. Visit to the vet was the right choice as the doctors diagnosed the cat with a lot of infections, worms, and problems. He was definitely not in a good shape.
Source: r/AmItheAsshole
5. Wow, OP ended up taking on the responsibility to get the cat fixed by all means necessary. He ended up losing an eye but it had to be done for her survival. And all other infections and related issues were dealt with as well.
Source: r/AmItheAsshole
6. Uh ho, a twist in the tale. The cat actually belongs to someone else and OP had taken it in thinking it was a stray.
Source: r/AmItheAsshole
7. OP got trashed for “stealing” the cat. Apparently, they had made a post on Instagram (their only social media account) inquiring about the cat but no one responded.
Source: r/AmItheAsshole
8. The women actually showed up at OP’s house. OP demanded that the woman prove ownership before handing over the cat. After all, they had done a lot for it.
Source: r/AmItheAsshole
9. What kind of owners don’t pay medical attention to their pets? A very important question.
Source: r/AmItheAsshole
10. OP had clearly done way too much for the cat to be declared as his true owner. And the cat now literally looks like someone else now after all that treatment.
Source: r/AmItheAsshole
11. OP was clearly in a dilemma.
Source: r/AmItheAsshole
12. The condition she found the cat in, the cat had to be put first.
Source: r/AmItheAsshole
13. The question was posed to the internet to decide whether she was right or wrong.
Source: r/AmItheAsshole
Here’s what the internet had to say on this:
14. The sister was a major AH in this situation as well.
Source: r/AmItheAsshole
15. OP had all records of what she did for the cat. She is the owner.
Source: r/AmItheAsshole
16. Exactly what I said, the option at the time was to take that cat in, or else it would’ve died.
Source: r/AmItheAsshole
17. They were always meant to meet.
Source: r/AmItheAsshole
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this post on Bufzy.com! We hope you found it insightful and enjoyable. If you did, please feel free to share it with your friends and family—it means the world to us. Don’t forget to check back often for more exciting content. Your support helps Bufzy.com grow, and we can’t wait to share more with you. See you again soon!
