My customer left their cat with me...

I am honestly losing my mind right now over how I ended up in this mess, so I’m writing this out here in the hopes that someone might actually have a decent idea of what I should do. A few months back, I finally bought an apartment. It felt like such a steal through the agency, and because there was so much interest from other buyers, I knew I had to jump on it fast. Now, the guy I bought it from lived with his cat. To be completely blunt, he told me upfront that the cat wouldn't be coming with me and that he’d just let him go out into the wild. The agent brushed it off, promising everything would be sorted out, so I went ahead and signed the papers. But then, on moving day, the agent—without even providing a receipt or any official paperwork—pocketed a massive commission, the seller moved out to another state, and I was left staring at a cat. Look, don't get me wrong, I am not some animal hater, but I really, truly do not want a cat living in my home. I have terrible allergies to pet hair, so the poor thing is stuck out on the balcony, which just feels absolutely heart-wrenching. Every time I talk to the former owner, who has relocated to a different city, he asks about the cat, and when I suggest bringing him over, he immediately starts whining about how he has nowhere to take him. I’ve even had these dark, desperate thoughts about just packing him up in a carrier and leaving him right in front of the real estate office. I feel so bad for the little guy; the previous owner actually found him with broken legs and nursed him back to health, but he wasn't compassionate enough to actually take him along. I’ve tried listing him on all sorts of local adoption sites and Craigslist, but nobody is biting.

There are plenty of non-profits and volunteers out there (and judging by what I see on this forum, even here) who might actually want to step up and help.

Donna Collins56 said:I am honestly losing my mind right now over how I ended up in this mess, so I’m writing this out here in the hopes that someone might actually have a decent idea of what I should do. A few months back, I finally bought an apartment. It felt like such a steal through the agency, and because there was so much interest from other buyers, I knew I had to jump on it fast. Now, the guy I bought it from lived with his cat. To be completely blunt, he told me upfront that the cat wouldn't be coming with me and that he’d just let him go out into the wild. The agent brushed it off, promising everything would be sorted out, so I went ahead and signed the papers. But then, on moving day, the agent—without even providing a receipt or any official paperwork—pocketed a massive commission, the seller moved out to another state, and I was left staring at a cat. Look, don't get me wrong, I am not some animal hater, but I really, truly do not want a cat living in my home. I have terrible allergies to pet hair, so the poor thing is stuck out on the balcony, which just feels absolutely heart-wrenching. Every time I talk to the former owner, who has relocated to a different city, he asks about the cat, and when I suggest bringing him over, he immediately starts whining about how he has nowhere to take him. I’ve even had these dark, desperate thoughts about just packing him up in a carrier and leaving him right in front of the real estate office. I feel so bad for the little guy; the previous owner actually found him with broken legs and nursed him back to health, but he wasn't compassionate enough to actually take him along. I’ve tried listing him on all sorts of local adoption sites and Craigslist, but nobody is biting.

If nobody wants to adopt him, you don't have much choice but to perform a midnight DISLOCATION. But maybe try a place similar to this:

Check out the 'Blue Paw' subforum over there; you’ll run into a bunch of total fanatics who foster cats of every single breed, color, and size imaginable.
Just write some heart-wrenching story about a stray, and I guarantee you'll have a hundred people hooked on you in no time.

Michael Morgan5 said:Check out the 'Blue Paw' subforum over there; you’ll run into a bunch of total fanatics who foster cats of every single breed, color, and size imaginable.
Just write some heart-wrenching story about a stray, and I guarantee you'll have a hundred people hooked on you in no time.

It looks like quite a few have already been rehomed:

You're keeping him on the balcony!!! 🙂 👎 😱 🤦 It’s freaking negative 15 degrees out there. 🤦 Do you at least have one room inside for him so the poor guy doesn't freeze to death??? 🙂 🙂 🙂 And yeah, get him posted on the FBI and here on repatriation of cats.

Adam Barrett said:You're keeping him on the balcony!!! 🙂 👎 😱 🤦 It’s freaking negative 15 degrees out there. 🤦 Do you at least have one room inside for him so the poor guy doesn't freeze to death??? 🙂 🙂 🙂 And yeah, get him posted on the FBI and here on repatriation of cats.

I honestly knew this kind of reaction was coming my way. No, I don't have a spare room available right now, but if any of you actually want to take him in, please reach out to me—I would be so grateful. Thank you. I've already posted his info on Craigslist and several other sites, but so far, I haven't heard a single word back from anyone.

If you can’t find it in your heart to actually keep him, then just put the poor thing in a cat carrier, hop in your car, and drop him right back on the previous owner's doorstep. Since they were the ones who left him with you in the first place, you might as well return the favor and hand him right back.

I mean, look, it’s just a damn cat, not a freaking alligator or something, but still...🤔
Just let the little guy stay somewhere warm and cozy, and instead, you go out and subject yourself to this brutal winter weather and see how much you enjoy that...
At the end of the day, the cat was doing perfectly fine until you showed up and decided to close on that house along with the former owner, which was honestly just a pretty mindless move. 👎

I don't see how this relates to real estate or any legal matters. 🤔 An agency isn't responsible for taking in someone's abandoned pets unless they explicitly signed a contract stating they would handle pet care. When an agent says "we'll take care of it," it usually means absolutely nothing and carries no legal obligation. Handing them a cat doesn't change that reality.

Take a look at the "Pets" PDF and the accompanying document regarding the adoption of stray dogs and cats. You'll find forum members suggesting specific organizations to contact for help with rehoming, depending on which city you're in. If you're in Washington, D.C., there's the ACLU that works with abandoned cats. Otherwise, you just have to be proactive and persistent with your listings.

It’s good that you didn't just toss him out onto the street, but keeping him on a balcony isn't much better. I really hope there's some kind of shelter on that balcony where he can hide from this cold weather until you find him a permanent home...

Michelle Evans said:I don't see how this relates to real estate or any legal matters. 🤔 An agency isn't responsible for taking in someone's abandoned pets unless they explicitly signed a contract stating they would handle pet care. When an agent says "we'll take care of it," it usually means absolutely nothing and carries no legal obligation. Handing them a cat doesn't change that reality.

Take a look at the "Pets" PDF and the accompanying document regarding the adoption of stray dogs and cats. You'll find forum members suggesting specific organizations to contact for help with rehoming, depending on which city you're in. If you're in Washington, D.C., there's the ACLU that works with abandoned cats. Otherwise, you just have to be proactive and persistent with your listings.

It’s good that you didn't just toss him out onto the street, but keeping him on a balcony isn't much better. I really hope there's some kind of shelter on that balcony where he can hide from this cold weather until you find him a permanent home...

I've wrapped his little house in some faux fur to keep him warm, and I'm making sure he gets fed. I actually have a pretty bad hair allergy, so I just can't bring him inside the house.

I noticed in the intro post that you deal with allergies.

You might want to look for some specific advice over at Pet Central.
I'm not sure where you're located, but if you're in the Washington, D.C. area, you could start by reaching out to them to see what they suggest...

Michelle Evans said:I don't see how this relates to real estate or any legal matters. 🤔 An agency isn't responsible for taking in someone's abandoned pets unless they explicitly signed a contract stating they would handle pet care. When an agent says "we'll take care of it," it usually means absolutely nothing and carries no legal obligation. Handing them a cat doesn't change that reality.

Take a look at the "Pets" PDF and the accompanying document regarding the adoption of stray dogs and cats. You'll find forum members suggesting specific organizations to contact for help with rehoming, depending on which city you're in. If you're in Washington, D.C., there's the ACLU that works with abandoned cats. Otherwise, you just have to be proactive and persistent with your listings.

It’s good that you didn't just toss him out onto the street, but keeping him on a balcony isn't much better. I really hope there's some kind of shelter on that balcony where he can hide from this cold weather until you find him a permanent home...

And apparently, reading comprehension is also an issue here.
Just get that animal back to the owner who sneakily dumped it—it's not exactly the responsibility of a real estate agent, is it?

Poor little kitty. Just freezing out there on the balcony.
Look, I know you’re a total animal lover and this is hitting you hard. That former owner sounds like an absolute jerk—just a heartless piece of work, honestly.
I seriously can't stand people who don't care about animals or treat them like garbage.
Like, why even get one in the first place? A pet isn't some cheap toy you can just toss aside—they have souls, you know?

Kate Hill3 said:And apparently, reading comprehension is also an issue here.
Just get that animal back to the owner who sneakily dumped it—it's not exactly the responsibility of a real estate agent, is it?

I don't get it. I was specifically referring to her suggestion in the opening post about leaving a pet in a carrier outside the agency. What part is confusing?...

Donna Collins56 said:I am honestly losing my mind right now over how I ended up in this mess, so I’m writing this out here in the hopes that someone might actually have a decent idea of what I should do. A few months back, I finally bought an apartment. It felt like such a steal through the agency, and because there was so much interest from other buyers, I knew I had to jump on it fast. Now, the guy I bought it from lived with his cat. To be completely blunt, he told me upfront that the cat wouldn't be coming with me and that he’d just let him go out into the wild. The agent brushed it off, promising everything would be sorted out, so I went ahead and signed the papers. But then, on moving day, the agent—without even providing a receipt or any official paperwork—pocketed a massive commission, the seller moved out to another state, and I was left staring at a cat. Look, don't get me wrong, I am not some animal hater, but I really, truly do not want a cat living in my home. I have terrible allergies to pet hair, so the poor thing is stuck out on the balcony, which just feels absolutely heart-wrenching. Every time I talk to the former owner, who has relocated to a different city, he asks about the cat, and when I suggest bringing him over, he immediately starts whining about how he has nowhere to take him. I’ve even had these dark, desperate thoughts about just packing him up in a carrier and leaving him right in front of the real estate office. I feel so bad for the little guy; the previous owner actually found him with broken legs and nursed him back to health, but he wasn't compassionate enough to actually take him along. I’ve tried listing him on all sorts of local adoption sites and Craigslist, but nobody is biting.

That agent is a total scammer—you really need to get on his case!

What does a cat have to do with some damn real estate agency?? And you actually found a legit PDF for your "issue".. 🤣 If you don't want it, just give it back to the owner and be done with it.. 🤷 It's just a regular cat.. it's not a freaking hippo 😬
There's an entire PDF on this forum dedicated to pets and the adoption process.. If all else fails, take the cat to a local animal shelter and explain what's going on.
Poor little thing 😢

Oh, man. That old classic move where you "sell someone a house just to get rid of the cat."

Total classic.

-Steve