đź“Ť Location: Kentucky
Hi all! On june 17th a coworker of mine whom was evicted from their (very unsafe… roaches, mold, etc) trailer brought their cat over for me to watch for a while.
I was not offered ANY financial compensation for housing this cat and have put my own money into doing so. Said coworker mistreated the cat- I have witnesses to her stating that she would let the cats water bowl go empty after the cat would dump it because it would grow algae and get nasty. She has openly admitted in words that the cat one time had to go days, even a week without food due to her not having the money for food for it.
When i offered to take it for a while and watch it, I forewarned her that I made no promises it would get along well with my cats and that i’d be able to keep it for her. It’s tiny, not skin and bones, but definitely not cared for properly. Flinches at everything like it’s been hit in the past, though I have no proof of that.
I don’t believe she’s fit or stable enough to take the cat back and she’s asked to come pick her up tomorrow. She’s currently living with her father who has fleas.
So TLDR, my question is, Can I get in any legal trouble for refusing to give her the cat back due to her being unsuitable to care for it? She got the cat for free from a “friend” so she definitely has no paperwork or legal proof of ownership, nor would she have the money to take me to court I don’t believe, and I just want the best for the animal overall.
Thank you in advance!