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    '[He's] meowing his soul out, and nobody cares at all': Elderly cat whose owner moved to assisted home is given to the new occupants, who immediately neglect him, so the neighbor steps in and gives the cat the retirement he deserves

    Losing your cat is hard. But for a cat to lose its owner could be even harder. 

    It doesn't even have to be a rainbow bridge situation. Sometimes, life just happens. For this cat, his loving elderly owner, who loved him with her whole heart, who took care of him, giving him everything he could ever need, simply couldn't take care of him any longer. She didn't abandon her cat. She had to move to an assisted home, and he, sadly, couldn't come with her. She did the best that she could, leaving him to the new residents in her old home, people who had cats, understood cats, who should, by all accounts, have been good to her cat. Except that they weren't. 

    These new owners neglected the cat right away. It barely took a few days before they decided that he couldn't be in their - his - home full-time. They left the cat out in freezing temperatures, and he would cry for help, and "nobody cares at all". That's what their neighbor said. Except that wasn't entirely true. Because the neighbor cared. The neighbor, who knew about the situation, and who wanted to do something about it actually went and did it. 

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    Author image for Mariel Ruvinsky Mariel Ruvinsky
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    • 01

      "Is this a CDS sign? What to do with elderly, neglected neighbor's cat?"

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      via doodlewithcats
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    • 02
      Hello! I'm usually the one giving advice when it comes to cats but I'm at a loss here and need outside perspectives.
      via doodlewithcats
    • 03
      I will try to be concise but there is some backstory necessary: My neighbors inherited an elderly cat, 16yo male. My neighbors are my aunt and uncle, and that's the only reason why I hold back from calling them idiots, but in reality they pretty much are, especially when it comes to animals.
      via doodlewithcats
    • 04
      We live in a small village, and the person they inherited the cat from is an old lady who absolutely LOVED her cats. Like taking the bus and walking to the vet kind of love even tho she's +80yo and her hip hurts. Now she's in an assisted home and she couldn't keep the cat. Her cat was always with her, 90% of time inside, as far as I understood, and rarely outside.
      via doodlewithcats
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    • 05
      Now, kitty has been in kitty pension last week because neighbors were on vacation. Apparently all went good there. She's now at my neighbor's home, but ONLY outside, because apparently, the cat is not litter- trained, and poops and pees everywhere.
      via doodlewithcats
    • 06
      Her living setup is terrible. In the heater room, there is a hole leading outside, and basically she has to sleep there at night. The place is dirty. I wouldn't want to take a shit there either. The dishes are not clean imo, and there are paw prints in the litterbox. Cheap kibbles. Apart from the heater room, it's literaly -5 to 0 degrees Celsius outside.
      via doodlewithcats
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    • 07
      He meows all day in front of our window, tried to get into my dad's flat, into my flat too, and meows ate their window.
      via doodlewithcats
    • 08
      He comes running when called and asks for scritches and cuddles, it just breaks my heart to see her like that. He looks freaking sad and I hate my neighbors. Poor thing lost her beloved granma, now lives outside in the european mountains' cold, and is meowing her soul out of him, and nobody cares at all.
      via doodlewithcats
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    • 09
      I had an investigative talk with my aunt (she's a terrible woman, it really took me some courage to ring there), and apparently the male cat shits everywhere and isn't "as easy" as her last cat who just lived outside. She apparently tried and had to clean all day. I don't know how she can pretend that she tried, considering that the cat has been around her home for 4 whole days.
      via doodlewithcats
    • 10
      Anyway, I gave her the option of taking him in, and she replied "do you really want to inflict that on yourself? You'll just clean 24/7."
      via doodlewithcats
    • 11
      We continued to talk and in the end, we agreed on looking how the cat is adapting this week. She asked me not to feed her. I felt like she became a bit defensive so I let it be. I think she just keeps finding excuses to not take the cat in. I don't know why she is so reluctant to give me the poor thing.
      via doodlewithcats
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    • 12
      I'm gonna be honest here, I don't wanna steal a pet, but this cat is being neglected from my point of view, because that is no way to live for a 16 yo cat... Maybe the pooping/peeing comes from having her habits completely changed.
      via doodlewithcats
    • 13
      Maybe he's sick from being outside. Maybe the terrible setup is the issue. Heck, I don't even know of the cat is intact or not (trouble puffs looked small but what can I know).
      via doodlewithcats
    • 14
      I would hate myself forever if that cat died outside in the cold, just because my aunt can't get over herself to clean after her mom's old cat, or is too proud to give him away.
      via doodlewithcats
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    • 15
      I'm tempted to take him inside and try. Bath him, treat him for fleas, quarantine him (I have 3. cats already), go to the vet. But what if he doesn't adapt? I can't just abandon him all over again. What if he really poops and pees everywhere? I never had that issue with any cat. I can't let him roam inside/outside, my cats are strictly indoors.
      via doodlewithcats
    • 16
      I'm really in a dilemma. I want to do something for that cat that is sure, but no idea if it will work. Maybe some of you made the experience and can give me advice?
      via doodlewithcats
    • 17
      As addendum to his health: I'm pretty sure the cat is also going blind in one eye, or at least has cataract. It seemed a bit confused, but that could be the new environment. It was very needy and drooled when scratched. It looks a bit thin.
      via doodlewithcats
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    • 18
      The fur is roughed up (maybe even matted?) and needs proper brushing and cleaning. The eyes and nose are not clean. Imho the front paws' ankles look weird, but that may be due to his age (weird angle). What would you do?
      via doodlewithcats

    • As much as it is painful to hear about the way that this cat had been treated by his new “owners”, this story, at the end of the day, to us, is one of hope. This could have gone on forever. They would have been leaving him outside, at this elderly age, and things would have escalated beyond anything that we can imagine. If you weren't there. The fact that there was someone around him, who noticed that he was in need of help, who cared enough to make the effort to actually do something about it, even though it wasn't easy - that is what matters in this story. And that is something to be extremely thankful for. 

    • 19
      DiveCat I would take the cat without hesitation. An elderly cat who has lost their human, going from indoors to outdoors, battling senior cat things (possibly some dementia, even), forcing him to stay outside is just plain cruelty.
      via DiveCat
    • 20
      Your "neighbours" are not only neglectful and cruel, they don't want anyone else to step in and remedy their neglect and cruelty. Gross people. Sorry you are related to them.
      via DiveCat
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    • 21
      You aren't "stealing" what they are not even caring for. I doubt he WANTS to be outside. A lot of your fears are just based on what your neglectful and cruel neighbours are saying, I would not listen to them, and I would not borrow trouble in advance. Take care of the cat's immediate needs and worry about rest later.
      via DiveCat
    • 22
      doodlewithcats OP You're rught, my bf also asked why I hesitate. I guess it's because I don't like confrontation, but I can't watch plain cruelty happen and do nothing about it. I hate my neighbors/"relatives" for totally unrelated reasons, but this takes the cake. My aunt is a terrible woman and sadly very intimidating.
      via doodlewithcats
    • 23
      Considering he didn't really want to leave the entry hall, I'm 100% convinced he hates it outside, especially in this cold and windy weather. I'm getting a flat litterbox and senior food after work. He will have a quarantined, but warm and comfy room until the vet visit!!
      via doodlewithcats
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    • 24

      "Update: neighbor's elderly cat, now called Mumune, is now safe inside"

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      via doodlewithcats
    • 25
      He's eating like he hasn't eaten in days. His breathing is a bit loud, but he's monitored and we have a vet appt saturday morning. He now has food for seniors, warm beds, lots of peepads and a clean litterbox. Welcome Mumune I hope you'll like it here
      via doodlewithcats
    • 26

      "2nd Update - thank you all so much for encouraging me to save little Mumune"

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    • 27
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    • Just from looking at him in these pictures, you can see that he is doing so much better. Finally, he is back in the hands of someone who actually cares about him. We can only imagine how difficult it was to be separated from his first loving owner the way that he was. We know that this may be a lot to ask for, but if you can, if you have any way of doing it, we think that it would make his elderly owner so happy to see a picture or two of him - of him happy and calm in his new forever home. 

    • 29
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