'AITA for legally adopting my roommate's cat?' 'I called Animal Control.'

"AITA for legally adopting my roommate's cat after she abandoned it?"

I (25F) need some outside perspective here. My roommate Jenny (24F) and I shared an apartment for two years, and she had this beautiful Persian cat Luna. Everything was fine until Jenny got a new job that had her traveling constantly.

Instead of finding proper care for Luna, Jenny would just leave out huge bowls of food and water when she'd go away for weeks at a time. Her excuse was always "cats are independent!" But Luna's a Persian - she needs daily grooming and has health issues requiring regular meds.

I ended up becoming Luna's default caretaker. I cleaned her litter box (Jenny never did), took her to vet appointments (Jenny kept "forgetting"), paid for food (never got paid back), and handled all the grooming and medication.

Things went sideways when Jenny left for what was supposed to be a two-week trip. Three weeks passed with no word from her. Her rent was late, her phone got disconnected, and I couldn't reach her anywhere - calls, texts, email, social media, even her work.

Then Luna got really sick with a UTI that needed emergency treatment. The vet bill was $1,800, which I paid because I couldn't let her suffer. Still no response from Jenny despite trying every possible way to contact her.

After six weeks of complete silence, I called Animal Control for advice. They walked me through the legal process for claiming an abandoned pet. I did everything properly - posted notices, documented all contact attempts, kept all vet records and bills. Two weeks later, I legally adopted Luna and updated her microchip.

Yesterday, four months after disappearing, Jenny shows up at our old apartment (I had to move since I couldn't afford it alone). Turns out she decided to spontaneously backpack around Thailand and "didn't think it was a big deal" to tell anyone. Now she's threatening to sue me for "stealing" her cat.

I showed her all the documentation - vet bills, abandonment papers, adoption records, texts showing her neglect. She says none of that matters because she "always planned to come back" and I should've just kept caring for Luna indefinitely.

Now she's blasting me on social media as a pet thief. Some friends say I did the right thing for Luna's wellbeing, others think I should've waited longer. But like...I gave her every chance to be a decent pet owner, and Luna deserves better than being treated like a houseplant you can abandon for months. AITA for legally adopting Luna when Jenny disappeared?

Here's what people had to say to OP:

fliccolo said:

NTA: My god I hate to say this but return fire on your socials with all the receipts.

Classic-Delivery3875 said:

NTA. 4 months!

F0rever916 said:

NTA! You stepped up and did what she didn’t and took full responsibility for the cat without having to. She should be a better owner if she wants a pet. And there is no way she would win in a lawsuit against you because she would have to admit she abandoned the cat in the first place.

Allaboutbird said:

NTA. Jenny should never be allowed to have a pet. The kitty is lucky to have you.

MochaMellie said:

NTA pets aren't toys she can collect and then leave in a corner for whenever she wants to play with them. You did the right thing, f your roommate. If you didn't adopt the cat, the next best thing would have been to give it to someone else or bring it to a shelter, because that is ABSOLUTELY neglect.

Cubadog said:

NTA...I am so sick of people that get a pet and stop taking care of them. I hate leaving my dog Pablo when I travel. I check on him every day. I can't imagine leaving him for 4 months.

StAlvis said:

NTA. PLEASE sue her.