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Q: Guy stole my cat. Advice?
Maybe scavenged would be a better term. 3 weeks ago my cat slipped outside and we didn't see her again. She normally doesn't go out so we assumed she was up on the roof of our apartment or wherever cats go. Last night I heard her meowing outside my window. My other cat also heard her and started meowing back. I walked outside and could see her peeking out through a crack in the neighbor's window. She has very unique markings (uglier than all hell) so I was sure it was her.
This morning my wife and I went to the guys door with a lost cat poster we had made. I had put a bunch of them up around the apartment but noticed that some jackhole had been tearing them down. An old man answered the door and got super defensive when we told him I saw the cat in his window. He kept trying to convince us that we were wrong and saying we didn't make sense. Raised his voice like a scared little b#tch when we wouldn't piss off. In the end, we decided to wait until we heard or saw her again and plan to confront the guy immediately rather than waiting until morning.
Also plan on talking to the apartment security guys but I'm not sure what they can do. Anything else I can do?
I would get the police. Find some documentation that this is your cat (old photos) At first, nice of the guy to take it in if he thinks it's homeless, but when the owners show up, best to hand back the cat.
Note. When you get your cat back, if it has liked it at Mr Cat Thiefs place, then maybe it would want to go back.
The reason you should act fast is the weekend is approaching and maybe the cat is part of a fancy saturday evening dinner party.
A farmer's mentality Chinese neighbour. I've lost 2 cats to one already. They complained that our cats were killing their pigeons, my wife didn't offer to compensate, and they ended up dead at the bottom of the 7 storey flat. Our 3rd only survived a fall, and was safe because he couldn't climb to the neigbour's roof terrace due to broken legs, but I recently saw him jumping over again...
Either they're a nuisance trespassing on their property, and they'll eat, kill or hurt it for fun. Or you might live in a province where cats aren't entirely worthless, and he plans to sell it.
There's also a possibility that the cat sneaked into a window while the old man was out. When he got home he closed the windows and locked in the cat. I fear he might have killed it like we'd kill a rat, before he knew it was his neighbour's pet. Maybe that's why he's all defensive - he'd give it back but he can't. I wish people over here learned to think before acting.
Don't you have a dog?
take the dog with you to the Guys home and ask him again while restraining the dog
Then again better not , the guy might think it is a meal delivery service .
You could ask him for compensation that seams to wake people up in China
Just don't try to get any vengeance on the neighbour. The general consensus will be that he did nothing wrong, and as a foreigner you will always lose by getting belligerent. "Curiosity killed the cat" is a Chinese expression, I'm afraid. It actually is!
Understand that you are in China, pets are property not living things. If you left your pen on a table and someone else picks it up, the pen now belongs to them. If you let your pet escape and you do not have some sort of implant (collars can be removed), the pet will belong to whoever takes it. The police will do nothing, maybe try to convince the other people to voluntarily give up the cat. But of course bribes to the right people can make anything possible.
Get a pet that can't be eaten. erm...........
erm.....
still thinking.......
Yup. A pet Panda is the only thing I can think of that I have never seen on a menu.
My first thought was: thank him.
2nd thought: don't order the mystery meat at the local restaurant.
3rd thought: nah, too much thinking.
Scandinavian:
as much as I am a dog person, cats are people too. any living animal has value and a pet has more value to it's people than an old pair of socks.
Your cat is most likely in mortal danger. ie. this guy probably collects stray cats and sells them to restaurants, meat vendors, etc.
Do whatever you can to get it back if you don't wish upon it a terrible death. I think only money would work. And maybe getting an older chinese lady on your side to argue with him at his home.
I would be worried sick. Sorry about this.
If he's just some old guy.. barge into his home and get your cat back. Then just give him a little money and laugh like it was all a big misunderstanding... Chinese love doing that when things get bad.
Just make sure the cat is in there when you do it. You should have done it right away when you heard the cat meowing...
Any update?
have you got your cat back ?
hope to hear some good news.
He's still got my cat but is keeping her away from the window. We used an app that amplifies sound and can hear her meowing her head off in his house. Thanks for the honest advice from the handful who gave it. However it still looks like a bunch of unfunny twats are still point farming with nonsense answers.
Robk:
Record it, and then use it as evidence after you knock on the door.
Honestly though, if someone took my cat... I would be pissed and break down their door. Get the police involved, bribe a cop to go to his house and then walk in and get your cat, then fine the old man for stealing it or something.
You got to take a little more aggressive action rather than watching your cat from the window or recording it using mobile applications. Don't wait too long to build up a case... this guy may go in to panic mode and kill it and then deny everything and you got nothing.
This guy stole your cat, to me that would be like stealing a family member... you don't wait around do you?
coineineagh:
You know she's alive? Gladto hear it. That changes things. Go back there and demand your property back. Ask your partner to drum up family for support if things get hairy; pull locals from the street if need be. He'l scream bloody murder, but with enough locals to explain things for you, hopefully popular opinion will be against the petty thief. You could try the police first, but if they're a bunch of entitled gov't boys in a bad mood, they might choose to work against you. Trust on peer pressure - that's the best way to get things done here.
did you get your cat back yet? Hope so.
beaufortninja:
nope. haven't seen or heard from her for about 2 weeks. I wrote "a child molester lives here" in Chinese by the old man's door.
JanShanghai:
I'm so so sorry. I hope she turns up by some miracle. But maybe it's best to say "goodbye" in your heart. I live on the 4th floor of an apartment building. I was going to let my cat roam the hallways at night to alleviate boredom. But your story is making me think twice.
My cats in Canada are indoor only, if one got out and I was sure someone had it, I'd barg in when they opened the door and look. I could appologize later if wrong or beat the crap out of him if right. My pets mean more to me than any trouble I'd get into. I'd be sick if I were in your shoes.
Scandinavian:
but it's just a stoopind animal. Mr Wang will just laugh back at you. Who cares about stoopid animals.
That being said, with you all the way, the animals we take in deserve we take care of them. They have no voice, that doesn't mean they should be robbed of being treated well.
TedDBayer:
I actually don't see my pets as animals, I see them as other living creatures and my friends. They are devoted friends except I can't trust them with things like my bacon.
And you can learn a lot from animals, they smell your emotions, know your state of mind. If my dog doesn't like you that really says something. If my girl friend doesn't like you that means nothing.
Sounds like you should steal his.................... life........... with a bullet to the head.
This sounds like a chapter out of "Friends" where Mr Heckels steals/kidnaps the monkey
