AITA for not returning a cat to their old owners?
I’m going to try and keep this brief. About 5 and a half months ago the cat distribution system chose me and an underweight and heavily injured adult orange cat, with no collar, tried real hard to get into my car with me.
I brought him to the closest vet, no microchip, and no collar, so I was the one on the hook for the tail and leg amputation, meds, aftercare, etc. luckily I was able to afford it and everything he needed at home and he’s recovered beautifully. He spends all his free time in my lap, ekekeking at birds from my window, or zooming around being chaos incarnate.
During the first few days of his recovery (So I could get better pics since he was clean) I put out posts on my local Facebook, ring, and put out posters around where I found him and the only grocery store in town, but no one called.
30 days went by and legally that’s when he became mine after trying everything reasonable to find his owner(s) so I took down most the posts/posters but must have missed at least one poster since 4 months and a few days after finding my new buddy Traffic Cone (who I call TC) I got a text from someone claiming that they’re his old owners.
They sent a picture of their cat and I can admit it probably is TC. When I asked when was the last time they saw him they said “a while” and I told them that I’ve had TC for months now and legally he’s mine. They got really upset and said that TC always returns home after a couple days and they thought he’d been coming home and that it was unfair of me to keep him.
I told him of the condition I found TC in, where he was, and when it was and told them I paid and I’ve had him for months. They claim I had just put the poster up since they just noticed it near the store. I said that was months ago and they were too late now and hung up.
The old owners made a post on our local Facebook about me stealing their 10 y/o’s cat and whatnot so I posted a Censored before and after pictures, with dates from the vet, and pettily added that the legal timeframe to claim a pet is 30 days not 164 days.
While Most of the comments are on my side the majority of my friends/family and people not on my side say that I’m an ass for not giving TC back, or at least asking if they could pay me back and then give TC back. But like, TC is mine legally, and even if they did pay me back I still want him, in all his orange chaotic glory, and while I don’t feel like an asshole I thought I’d ask to make sure.
So, Reddit, AITA for not giving TC back to his old owners?
Edit: Cat tax posted!