Not Good. : (

As B just said, No good deed goes unpunished.

Today, the neighbor kids came over to sled. I invited them in for hot chocolate and cinnamon rolls that I had just baked (from scratch!). Of course, my kids showed off our new kittens, and explained the unfortunate circumstances of their arrival at our house.

The neighbors pointed out that they were, in fact, their kittens. Tom and Jerry, they called them. They had put them outside so they could be "inside/outside" cats. Apparently they had their shots and everything.

The kids' mom has been looking for them for days, and was worried that they had died or been eaten, etc.

To be fair, those people do have a house on the farm where I fed my neighbor's horses (he does not live on that property). I guess I should have asked them if they were, in fact, their kittens. However, nobody was around, and truthfully, I never even stopped to consider that they could have been someone's cats, for as emaciated and sick as they were.

So what do you think? Do you think I should give them their cats back? Nobody has called or come over to say that they want them back, but it hasn't been that long since the kids left. If she comes over, should I give them back? How can I be sure that they will not make them "inside/outside" cats again? Is it my business if they do that or not?

I am trying to play the devil's advocate. It's really hard, because I have the emotional investment, the financial investment (the food, litterbox, vet bills, 5 cans of KMR). I also can't stand to see an animal suffer, and both of these animals were suffering greatly. I had a visitor the day I took the sick kitty inside-- she begged me to bring him inside and I emailed her today to tell her how he was. She told me today that she nearly took him home that night because she was mortified at his state (I told her I couldn't have any more cats!). Of course, there is also the vet who saw him on Wednesday, and was surprised at his declined state. He was also the one who told me he really thought they were dumped, because they were so friendly. We both cursed the SOBs who would do such a thing.

I will struggle with this one. I don't want to be a cat thief. But, if it were not for me, these cats would be dead.

What should I do?