Neighbor Neglecting Cat
Over the last two years I’ve tried to get my neighbor to take care of their cat. Just basic stuff. Keeping him indoors, taking him in for regular check-ups and vaccinations, getting him fixed. They have always blown me off, saying they’ll handle it, but they never did anything even if I offered to pay or provided resources like a carrier and contact information for low cost clinics and local vets.
Well now they came up to me over the weekend and said they can’t afford to take care of the cat anymore. They can’t feed him, can’t take him to the vet, can’t get him flea medicine. They won’t even let him inside their house because of the fleas. So the cat just roams around outside all day.
The poor guy is skin and bones. I leave water out for him and sometimes food, but he bothers my two indoor cats (fixed females) to the point that they now require medication in order to get along, so I don’t want to encourage him to hang around my house too much.
My neighbor asked me to take him to a shelter. They don’t want to drop him off themselves because it costs money to surrender a pet, but I can’t because he’s legally theirs. Besides, if they change their mind, they could say I stole him. I’ve talked to several shelters about my options (One Love, Islands Feral Cat Project, the Humane Society, Castaway Pet Rescue, maybe another one or two), but it really is up to my neighbor to do something. Based on my past experiences with them, though, I don’t think they will. I’m afraid this cat is going to starve to death or be hit by a car.
I don’t want to involve animal services because they would fine my neighbor. I’m sure that would piss them off, and they might retaliate. They would know it was me who called because I’ve been so on their case about the cat in the past.
What can I do for this cat? He’s doesn’t deserve this kind of life.