What to do if someone tries to give your pet away.

Question

My friend is in a highly volatile situation with her roommate, and she is currently trying to get out of it. She managed to move most of her stuff out of the apartment, but for the time being she has to leave her cat. Her roommate who has been threatening and intimidating her consistently has threatened to give her cat away for adoption without her consent. My friend is currently trying to figure out how to get her out, but for the time being she can't. Worst case scenario, if her roommate ends up doing just that before she can figure something out, is there anything my friend can do about it?

Answer

Worse case scenario? There are a few. First, your friend gets charged with abandoning the cat. Second, the roommate abandons the cat or the cat’s whereabouts become unknown. The cat might be lucky to be brought to an animal shelter where he/she could have a chance of being adopted. Your friend should take action now to protect her cat. After the cat is rehomed, it is highly unlikely she will get the cat back and there is certainly no guarantee the shelter would return the cat to her under the circumstances you described. People who are confronted with changes in their lives which make them temporarily unable to care for their pet and who cannot get a friend or relative to care for the animal, should consider boarding the animal with a reputable boarding facility or veterinarian. Some rescues also provide this service.