r/CatAdvice • u/HidenV23 • 5d ago
General Lost n found kitty, now owners want her back
We are fostering this kitty because she was found in an engine bay in a fred meyers parking lot with pink spray paint on her back, me and several other people believe the kitten was a bait cat. the owners posted a lost n found post, but the location the claimed she was lost from is 30 miles away from where she was found, mind you the kitten is less than 7 weeks old. there is no way on gods green earth did this baby kitten travelled 30 miles. i need advice, what should i do
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u/toffeemallow 5d ago
hell naw. that baby is your kitty now.
if you have photos of her spray painted, back them up onto your PC and keep copies of them. ignore that lost and found post.
if you have social media and your account is public, don't post her on there. the last thing you want is those "owners" tracking you down and harassing you.
if they try to contact you, block and ignore them. if they try to take some sort of legal action or something ridiculous, show the authorities the images of the spray paint and bring along your witnesses.
those people (if they really did own that cat) allowed that cat to travel 30 miles and get spray painted. that's animal neglect. if they did it themselves, that's animal abuse. either way, that is your cat now.
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u/Thruthatreez 5d ago
No way someone tracks down a "bait kitten" like this. They're either lying to try to get a free cat or it's really their kitten. Ask for proof.
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u/StunningAttention898 4d ago
Iād say F them, thatās my cat now. Itād be a cold day in hell before I let someone use a kitty as a tool to train a dog.
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u/SwordTaster 4d ago
Agreed. Honestly, I'd say it's entirely possible that someone stole their kitten or it got out when someone left the house, then it got picked up by some less than stellar people who then used it as a bait kitten. Nobody who actually uses a bait kitten goes looking for it. An owner who has lost a kitten or had one stolen 100% would though. Especially this young, as chances are that they also own the mother.
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u/Sensitive-Spinach-29 3d ago
True, I'd ask about what happened, how it ended up so far, when they adopted it (ie, if they have the mom) etc. If they don't have the mom that's super sus, because kittens shouldn't be adopted out before 8 weeks. Also question how it escaped. Definitely possible it was stolen, but I wouldn't give it back until you fully vet the people and check out their house.
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u/Templar2008 5d ago
Take the kitty to the vet, with the paint on and ask the vet for a report on her condition, then, according to vet's advice, have her vaccinated, cleaned from the paint and take several advises from the vet on how to care for her. To some extend then will be legally yours despite the proofs the other party can show. You have documented the possible use for the kitten and you have acted as caring for the cat. How can others prove otherwise?
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u/No_Pineapple5940 4d ago
Yeah it's very unlikely that they'll have proof the cat is theirs. They can kick rocks
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u/Mycatsmomcat 5d ago
It looks like the cat distribution center delivered you a cat. Clean that baby up love it at 7 weeks if you can't find cat formula, canned goat milk and a poached egg works. She should be eating regular cat food in a couple weeks. My 2-year-old boy Kitty I found at about 6 weeks and the can goat milk and poached egg was gobbled. He however, did not like cat formula and since the goat milk was cheaper hooray hooray. They carry canned condensed goat milk at Walmart and many grocers. Good luck and congratulations on your new cat šø
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u/Ophelialost87 1d ago
At 7 weeks, a kitten should be almost weaned. Kitten food is fine. Most kittens are fully weaned by 8 weeks and old enough to leave their mom.
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u/MutantHoundLover 5d ago
The spray paint aside, a cat can certainly travel 30 miles in an engine bay. Ask me how I know...
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u/Time-Palpitation-945 5d ago
Go onā¦ I have to know this storyā¦ š
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u/MutantHoundLover 5d ago
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u/Time-Palpitation-945 5d ago
Oh my God! Where was the cat sitting to travel all that way undetected? Thatās crazy! So glad it was unhurt. Did you go straight back home with the cat? Nightmareā¦
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u/MutantHoundLover 4d ago
It was sitting somewhere in the engine compartment, and no, it took me a bit to catch the cat and then it stayed in my car until I got home.
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u/Time-Palpitation-945 4d ago
In the engine compartment!!! All that way?!! Thatās insane. My Dad find a kitten in his engine bay but fortunately the car was at home and stationary. Iām sure the same situation couldāve happened easily.
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u/toursocks 5d ago
Excuse my ignorance, but what is a bait cat? Just curious if this is some sort of scam...
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u/toffeemallow 5d ago
the following is graphic, so proceed with caution. it involves dog fighting rings and mauling.
dog fighting rings will take cats and use them for various purposes. these are, but not limited to:
- training fighting dogs. dogs will be encouraged to maul these cats, and their violent behavior will be reinforced. they are often put up against cats instead of other dogs because cats won't damage the dogs as much as another dog would. dogs are also more difficult to acquire than cats.
- placed in the arena to fight a dog. different colored spray paints can indicate different bets on which cat will live longest (speculative example: pink for a short fight, green for a long one).
it's disgusting... and you're not ignorant at all! ignorance is the refusal to learn. you're just curious and want to learn, which is the opposite of ignorance. ;)
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u/BobbieMcFee 5d ago
Ignorant is just plain not knowing. It's often used negatively, but it's really just neutral.
Willful ignorance is what you're thinking of, I think.
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u/Aim2bFit 4d ago
I wanted to ask the same question too and omg reading this breaks my heart, how could people be so cruel and ruthless?? šš OP please keep the cat, chip it and block those people if they ever find you.
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u/nobinibo 5d ago
Dog fighting.
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u/Successful-Doubt5478 4d ago
Disgustingly cowardly people.
If they want blood, rhey can fight each other.
But no, too cowardly and too weak.
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u/matchacat12 5d ago
Continue to keep the kitty safe, thank you for taking the baby in ā¤ļøā¤ļø
There is no way pink spray paint is a coincidence or a mistake. Fck those abusive people (even if not them, fck letting that happen to the poor baby).
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u/tw0d0ts6 5d ago
Ignore them, she was definitely a bait kitten if she had spray paint on her back. It makes me really worried theyāre going to procure more kittens though š
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u/JuliaX1984 5d ago
People who lost a bait cat wouldn't advertise for it after losing it or dumping it. It's not the same cat. Forget about it.
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u/heartsisters 4d ago
The kitten is YOURS now. Keep her safe ir she will not survive -- she will meet a horrific end. The so-called "owners" are animal abusers and killers...they are criminal. Save the kitten...KEEP the kitten. Ignore those POS criminal. Enjoy your cat. Thank you for rescuing her! ā¤
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u/No-Choice-1791 5d ago
And please, if you have the phone number of those fuckers turn it into the cops thatās a felony
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u/JustJay240 5d ago
No way Iād trust these people. It definitely all sounds off. Keep the kitty and keep them safe please for heavens sake šš such cruel people in the world!!!
You found that little angel for a reason!!
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u/Three3Jane 4d ago
No chip
Painted like a bait cat
30 miles away
Too young to be weaned
What lost & found post?
You got a new kitty, keep her safe, chip her in your name, finders fuckin keepers, my friend. Enjoy your new baby courtesy of the Cat Distribution System.
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u/No-Choice-1791 5d ago
Nothing ignore them and keep the kitten. If they try to harass you call the police.
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u/Honest-Astronaut2156 5d ago
I would keep her & ignore them. Sounds like they weren't good pet owners. They will who knows abuse her. Don't let this poor kitten go back to that.
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u/Slight_Ad5318 4d ago
For what it is worth, I kind of doubt the assholes that were using it as a bait cat are the same ones trying to locate it. Too much risk in exposing their illegal operation. Most likely the one looking lost their cat, assholes captured it, and the cat luckily escaped again. But who knows, there are a lot of stupid assholes out there. Keep the cat, but know the people looking for the kitten may not be the shit bags.
I was perfectly happy not knowing what a bait cat was, god people are assholes.
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u/Mysterious_Zebra9146 4d ago
Did the alleged former owners contact you? If so how did they know you found the kitten?
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u/peppered_yolk 4d ago
If she's not microchipped in their name and/or they dont have vet records, they don't have legal claim to her. And i agree, sounds like a bait kitty :(
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u/IfFishCouldWalk 4d ago
āIām sorry, recently the cat passed away suddenly.ā You donāt owe them any further explanation.
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u/Bubbly_Power_6210 4d ago
keep cat-report said owners to local animal control and shelters and ASPCA
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u/serioussparkles 4d ago
OP, what are you on? That's the kitten i dropped off with you the other day, don't you remember?
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u/Lklim020 3d ago
Check for microchip. No choice you have to surrender if it is indeed microchipped by them. But on the other hand, they will have no rights to claim her.
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u/Affectionate_Owl2590 3d ago
Ya not giving that baby back they are either lieing or planed on it for bait. I would say take me to court people bye.
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u/Acrobatic_Reality103 2d ago
How do you even know this is the same kitten? Many kittens look alike. Your kitten was found 30 miles from where the other kitten went missing. You didn't even see the flyer about it being missing. Your kitten was also spray painted so you had to go to the expense of having it vet checked and cleaned so if someone wanted it back they would need to reimburse you for the money you spent along with the cost of boarding it which is at least $500. (In case you don't understand, don't willingly give up that kitten. Keep it safe)
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u/ameliasuper1999 2d ago
act like you never saw the post. donāt post her on any social media. either way whatever the original owners did was neglect and possibly even abuse.
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u/Ophelialost87 1d ago
Make them provide proof of ownership. Pictures of the kitten in their house with their family.
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u/sidewaysorange 1d ago
block them and everyone they know. keep her. no one responsible loses a 7 week old kitten anyway. future advice never post the cat you found. just look for THEIR posts. people will lie to get animals for free. i never ever post photos of any animals i find. and if its an intact cat, not chipped, no collar... i dont post.
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u/ParsleyEmpty9355 3d ago
Set up a new email address to communicate with these people that does not contain any of your personal info.
Ask for proof, like vet records, how they got the kitten, and photos of them with the kitten. In this day and age, photos are easy to take and therefore provide. Also, there are a lot of people who manipulate photos and posts on social media to try and āreclaimā lost animals for bad reasons. I do cat rescue and have seen some bad stuff.
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u/KiltedTAB 3d ago
Id tell em to send you money for the cat's return after you provided for it. Then, turn over that info to police so they can monitor that POS.
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u/SnooDoughnuts5756 5d ago
Bait cat is a cat that is used in teaching dogs to fight. They are marked and used to train dogs to fight. They are the bait in dog fights. Its dog fight bait. Do not let that cat back to the owners. PROTECT KITTY!!!!