Family leaves a cat they’ve cared for (along with her nursing kittens) behind when they move out of state

A very distressing cat rescue took place earlier this week in Monroe, North Carolina. The situation has drawn a lot of criticism on how a family who was moving decided to leave a mother cat and her kittens behind. The family had been feeding the cat but claims the cat and her kittens didn’t belong to them.

thanks to cat advocates this abandoned family is safe

“REMINDER. WE HAVE UNTIL END OF DAY, EARLY MORNING TO RESCUE. FAMILY MOVING TO CHICAGO LEAVING NURSING MOM BEHIND.
Wanted to let everyone know that we are still working on rescue for this family, this mom and babies will be left behind in the morning, we are absolutely full with no extra space, we have got to branch out and find a reputable rescue. Family is moving to Chicago permanently and this mama/ babies will be left without any food or water or shelter, please share this as far and wide as you can!

This is my cell number, **********, it will be pointless to try and convince the family what they’re doing is wrong, if people don’t get it by now, some people just do not care.

The family is claiming that although they have taken care of this mommy for a long time.
They say she’s not their cat..

Everyone please share, this is located in Monroe, North Carolina, and is in Union County.”

One person who claims to know this family said the cat just took over the home. Really? Cats tend to do that. It’s one of the quirks (and joys) of having a cat. Was it fair for the cat to be abandoned along with her kittens?

The law in North Carolina, according to a comment by someone who lives there, is if you feed a cat for seven days and take over its care, the cat is your responsibility. Please correct me if I’m wrong on that one, as it could be more of a belief than an actual law.

People contact cat advocates all the time and tell them that they’ve been taking care of an animal for two or three years and it’s not really theirs. This family was adamant the cat was not their responsibility, so the call for a rescue or foster went out.

Do they soothe their guilty conscience by telling themselves the cat isn’t really theirs? IS the cat theirs? How do you feed and love a cat and then leave it? Would it have been worse for the family to have taken the cat and her kittens to a local shelter?

There are things worse than a cat and her family being turned over to an animal shelter. Being torn apart by coyotes, for one. Check out Michael’s recent article here. Coyotes are horrible in the south these days and while I’d hate to think of a cat family being killed at a shelter, I believe being coyote food would be even worse. Or starvation. Or being hit by a car.

This isn’t a unique situation. People abandon cats every day in the U.S. We don’t like it or approve of it but it’s a reality that isn’t likely to change in the near future. The best we can hope for is to bring cat fosterers, rescues, and crossposting advocates together to get the word out via social media so as many as possible can be saved.

The family did say they attempted to rehome this cat they fed and cared for but wasn’t theirs. I wonder how long and how hard they tried. Moving to another state doesn’t usually occur overnight.

Luckily, cat advocates joined together and this little family is safe in foster care.

Elisa

9 thoughts on “Family leaves a cat they’ve cared for (along with her nursing kittens) behind when they move out of state”

  1. The author of the best comment will receive an Amazon gift of their choice at Christmas! Please comment as they can add to the article and pass on your valuable experience.
  2. People like this should have thier name plastered everywhere..and yes..we can judge how wrong this was!!!
    They had other options! IF YOU FEED..YOU HAVE RESPONSIBILITY FOR!!!

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  3. While I would never do such a thing, I dont feel that prosecution would be beneficial. In fact, it would make more people inclined to just leave cats to starve. Without knowing the family, we cant judge what their exact circumstances were. But,shame, shame, shame on a community that lacks the compassion to establish a program that helps ensure the neutering and care of homeless kitties. Clearly, the kittens’father (s) need/s to be neutered as well.And many areas do not offer low/no cost spay/neuter programs.

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  4. Sad. I wonder how much they tried to rehome. Probably not long or hard. At least they didn’t list them n Craigslist – a sure death sentence. I have 3 outside cats left from my original 10 and would not ever leave them to fend for themselves. One inside. All fixed

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  5. The General Statutes cover this. Most anti cruelty laws are covered in NC General Status Amendment 14-360. The bigger issue is why law enforcement does not file charges in these cases. Even when witnessed, several advocates have been told they (the person who witnessed it) would have to file the charges and pursue. Personally, I think it is because they know most individuals will not pursue it and therefore they don’t burden the legal system. I call it lazy.

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    • We can’t even get punishment for those who admit to abandoning animals, much less a case like this one. If it went before a jury there would be at least one person who would side with the family and the courts know this. No charges would likely be filed even if they could.

      Reply
  6. § 14-361.1. Abandonment of animals.
    Any person being the owner or possessor, or having charge or custody of an animal, who
    willfully and without justifiable excuse abandons the animal is guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor.
    (1979, c. 687; 1985 (Reg. Sess., 1986), c. 967, s. 2; 1989, c. 670, s. 3; 1993, c. 539, s. 241; 1994,

    Reply
    • So the family would be the “possessor.” I wonder whether that applies to outdoor cats as well. This doesn’t sound like a colony feeding. It sounds like a cat showed up to eat every night at their home and so they fed it and don’t consider it theirs.

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  7. The family did say they’d been trying to find a home for the mama cat and her kittens. To leave this cat and her kittens to starve or be hit by a car or be eaten by coyotes was likely something the family never considered would happen. Or they just didn’t care.

    Reply

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