Guy Finds Lost Cat, Brings It To Its Owners, Asks For $500 Promised Reward, Gets Sneered At And Judged
You’d think that the person who returns your missing cat to you should be welcomed with open arms and proclaimed an honorary friend. However, that’s not always the case with lost pets. You see, there are some people out there who make promises they don’t plan to keep, just to get what they want.
One family promised a hefty sum of $500 reward money to whoever found their lost cat. When a person showed up on their doorstep with the pet cat in tow, the family was overjoyed. For about a minute. That’s when they realized that the Good Samaritan actually wanted the reward money and wasn’t just searcing for the hiding cat out of the kindness of his heart.
The man who found the family pet was so distraught by the experience that he turned to the ‘Am I the Assh*le’ community on Reddit to hear their verdict on what he should have done.
A man found a lost cat and decided to bring it back to its owners
Image credits: Alan Stanton (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Steve Baker (not the actual photo)
When he asked for the offered reward, he was met with an unexpected reaction
Image credits: kcmocats
Reddit user Kcmocats’ post on the AITA subreddit got over 15.7k upvotes. The redditor himself got 3 Silver Awards and was officially branded as ‘not the assh*le.’
The vast majority of community members thought that Kcmocats was in the right after reading his story. According to them, asking for the reward money was the right thing to do because the family promised it for returning their lost cat. After all, why make promises that you hope you won’t have to keep? And why would you get mad at someone for asking you to keep the promises that you made?
So then, should you or should you not offer a reward if you ever lose your pet? Unfortunately, the answer isn’t as clear-cut as you’d like.
According to Pet FBI, there’s a long-standing debate about whether or not owners should offer a reward to the people who find their lost pets. Pet FBI states that in the “vast majority of the successful reunions” that they document, a reward wasn’t involved. But it can help speed things along.
Sometimes, a reward can incentivize people to be on the lookout for lost pets. However, it’s not a good idea to state the exact amount of money you’re willing to give out. Some people feed and house lost pets before returning them to their owners. So it’s a good idea to at least reimburse their expenses.
On the other hand, offering rewards does have its downsides. For instance, some believe that it encourages pet-napping (i.e. kidnapping pets for profit).
Keep in mind that if somebody found your pet but refuses to let you have it unless you pay them money, that’s called extortion and you should phone 911 (or whatever the extension number for the police is where you are).
Have you ever found and returned a lost pet, dear Pandas? Perhaps someone returned your own pet to you? Let us know what happened and if you took/offered a reward in the comments below.
Most people thought that the cat-finder was in the right
But some people thought that the man was wrong to demand the reward money
I would be ashamed of myself if I offered an reward and then tried to weasel my way out of paying it. The owners had no clue if they really needed the money and spent hours looking for the cat just to be able to pay things like medical bills etc.
Side point, but the reward poster was in pounds - this therefore happened in Britain and we don't have medical bills.
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It really doesn't matter how much effort the guy put in to return the cat. The owners offered the reward in writing. He fulfilled his part of the deal, they had to pay. It's as simple as that. If the owners couldn't afford to pay that amount, they shouldn't have offered it.
why did they not just write "reward for who finds the cat" without an exact amount of money? so you can give the finder like 10$ and everybody is happy. when my cat got lost, i did this and the finder didn't want to have the money or a cup of coffee or anything..
I think you got it right. They probably offered a lot of money so people would go looking for them. How lazy. Anyway, they should've at least have the reward in hands when asking the guy to bring the cat over. I know /I/ wouldn't accept the money, but if they offered to pay, they shouldn't be mad to actually be asked to pay :S
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Same here...320$ is my grocery bill for the whole month.
Load More Replies... I would have asked to0 (and then donated it to a pet sanctuary, after buying my own flufballs a treat). They offered that much, I assume they can spend it.
Great idea Anne, they offered the reward, could afford to pay, a pet sanctuary would use it to help more pets in need.....and your own flufballs sure deserve a treat.
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I don't get why people are branding the redditor an ahole or selfish in this situation. It's not like he demanded the money. He'd noticed there was a reward, and when he brought it up to the family he even asked about it politely and said he understood if it didn't apply in this situation. I probably would have done the same thing; the understanding from the poster is that this family is totally willing to pay $500 if their cat is returned, why leave that money on the table? I would return a cat for free as well unless I spent a lot of money housing it before it got returned, which may be exactly why he asked if it would apply when they just found it a few blocks away. The couple are the ones who immediately got an attitude, and so OP defends himself by pointing out that a reward was promised, and they qualified for it, so it shouldn't be weird that they asked about it. Again, he still isn't demanding the money, just pointing out why he asked about it. (tbc)
And as someone with pets I love so much that I couldn't stand to lose, if I put up a reward for finding them I would 100% be willing to pay it. I wouldn't put up at reward if I didn't intend to pay it. Even if the finder refused the reward I probably would have insisted they take it because they freaking returned my baby! Even if they found him just down the road a few minutes ago. They still got my furry son home safe! I don't know what their financial status is, but it doesn't matter. I put up a reward, I'm going to pay it. And definitely not get an attitude with someone for politely asking about it.
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I've never in life asked for a reward for finding someone's lost pet (even if rewards were offered). But if I posted one for a lost pet of *mine*? I'd have the cash on hand to pay the reward. But I''m weirdly old and old-fashioned that way.
Same for me. When you look at this from an outside perspective, the people who think he’s an a**hole are putting themselves in his position and thinking, “I totally wouldn’t do that” and the people who sympathize with him are either thinking, “I wouldn’t do that but I don’t have a problem with it” or “if I lost my pet I would pay the reward tenfold” perspective is everything
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I'm going to say that he probably wouldn't have taken the money if offered it. The fact they posted a reward, got the cat back and then went to walk off, yep I'd of asked about the money.
Nailed it. Exactly what I was thinking and what I would have done.
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I don't like that the owners had such attitude about being asked for the reward they offered. But I think we should maybe focus on the positive and be thankful such a friendly and domesticated kitty got found and returned home before they got injured or worse. Thanks for taking him home and sorry to the poster for having to deal with such rude people.
I would pay everything to find my cat.. 3 years and it feels like yesterday..
they offered money and then they victimize themselves when they should rightfully give it? they are the butts in the situation
I waited in cold to return a lady's lost mobile phone I came across. She didn't offer any reward and I didn't ask for any, and I was perfectly fine with it. This guy printed it in large font and it was a contract that should have been honored
I found a cell phone that slid off someone's car as they exited a gas station. Contacted the owner and they were 110 miles away from me. I told them I would bring it to them the next weekend. The woman didn't offer me any cash to compensate for driving all that way, but she did give me a large bag of the best damn homemade oatmeal raisin cookies I'd ever had! I asked her for the recipe..she laughed saying her sister had made them from memory and she had no idea what she put in them or what measurements to use. Dang!
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Although I would return a lost pet that I found, reward or not, once a reward is offered I WILL expect to be paid. That same poster saying everything except the reward would result in my reactions being nearly identical. I bring you the cat, but this time I dont ask for the reward. If you offer it, you better be willing to pay it. PERIOD. (Edit: It is the right thing to do to bring the pet back, so I do. But it is the right thing to do to pay your debts, so they better. After all, I am doing the right thing to bring it to you, honor the agreement that YOU made on the poster. Otherwise you only offered the reward so that others will look for you and you can be lazy)
If the cat owner had tried to hand over the $500 without the finder asking for it then it would have been a good deed for the finder to turn it down but since the owner tried to get out of it the finder should definitely called him on it and accepted the money.
I am guessing those people who say TS an a*****e never really complained about empty promises yeah?
I offered a $200 award for Dougy, my Persian kitty, when he slipped out the door when I wasn't watching. He turned up almost at home, hiding behind a snowdrift. The mother of the boy who found him insisted $100 was more than enough reward. I had a hard time convincing her she should let him have the full reward because that was what I advertised. She eventually let him have the second $100. I was very happy to have Dougy back because he'd never been an outside kitty and I live near two major roads. He has the additional problem of being a lovable kitty. He got loose without a collar on, though he is microchipped and is known at his veterinarian's and groomer's. missing-ca...967d89.jpg 
The jerks are the ones who offered a bounty so their lazy asses didn't have to scour their neighborhood looking for their lost pet. They never had any intention of paying it. They just knew by offering a high amount of reward money it would entice people to look so they didn't have have to.
The purpose of offering a reward is to incentivise people to take the time to look around them to check if they see the lost pet and to take the time to call the owners in case they see something or when they're sure the pet is the lost one. I see lost pet signs all the time and I'm sure most people wouldn't even bother looking around, and let's not even talk about picking up a lost cat that can be scared and scratch you (grabbing a cat can be very time consumming), so most people just wouldn't even bother taking the lightest effort to find it. I would take it to their owners with or without a reward, but if they offered a reward and then take it back that's a shame on them.
I know it's not the actual reward poster from this story in that pic above but I really hate it when posters say the pet is missed by children. What? The parent/s don't miss it? Or... Please return - it's more important because we have kids?
More than likely the parents miss it too but using kids pulls more on the heart strings.
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They weren't super rude up to the point where they called him a d***
I would have walked back to the house and said on second thought I would like the full 500. I will wait while you go to the bank.
To be honest if I found someone's pet I wouldn't even want a reward. But if they couldn't afford $500 they shouldn't have posted it. Why not just say " reward"??
My daughter had a turtle from a local lake. It was a baby, but by the age of one she was full grown. She put the turtle outside, for just a minute, and when she returned the turtle was gone. They ARE faster than you think. After searching for hours, she couldn’t find her turtle. I suggested she put flyers up around our neighborhood. She was about 12 at the time. We had no picture of the turtle, so my daughter drew one. It looked kind of like a turtle, maybe a bit more cartoonish. Within hours we got a phone call. A woman said her daughter ( age 6 ) found a turtle and thought it might be ours!! Three blocks away and there was our turtle!! We are surrounded by a lake and feared that’s where the turtle would naturally go. Umm, not when there’s a 6 yr old around. I think we did say ‘reward’ if found, but I’m not sure. So we were so happy, we gave her $10. The mom said we didn’t have to do that, but my daughter insisted and had dad pay. I’ve had this turtle 28 yrs! She passed just b4 Xmas.
The people who lost the cat were the a******s...don't offer a reward that you don't intend on paying, then shame the people who ask for the reward that you promised. They put the couple in an awkward situation when they RIGHTFULLY asked for it, then called them names?!
No, the cat’s owners were still the a******s in this scenario. They offered a reward, in writing, for the return of their cat. I think the cat finders probably would’ve turned the money down if the cat owners had immediately offered to pay without prompting. But the fact that the cat finders had to ask, and keep asking, while the cat owners kept trying to shirk paying what they promised on the flier, is why the cat finders took the (smaller amount of) money that was ultimately offered. Plus, the cat owners then proceeded to double down on their dickishness by making snide remarks within earshot of the cat finders. So the cat owners deserve the title of a******s.
The lost cat poster offered £500... British Pounds. In USD that's $656.67.
wow how rude. They are in the wrong, they offered a reward, an insane amount of an award so that was stupid on their part. Then to talk badly about you after you did them a solid? Says alot about them
For the people who think he's the a*****e for asking for money, do you think he would have paid much attention to the flyers if it hadn't been for the reward? Would he have doubled back to verify that that was the same cat from the picture? Maybe, maybe not. But I'm pretty sure the reward gave him incentive to reunite the cat with the owner and therefore the reward should be paid. Otherwise that cat could still be out there roaming the streets having the time of his life. The owner on the other hand is willing to deceive the public into thinking he will pay a reward to have his cat returned knowing full well that he doesn't have the cash. That makes him the true a*****e.
wait-isn't it 500 POUNDS as on the sign, instead of DOLLARS??? i know those are different amounts of money but also that's not the point
Why does Boredpanda post so many stories about people behaving badly? Not only are these stories always one-sided, unable to be verified as true, but there were about meanness and ugliness. Can't Boredpanda find better stories than this?
John Louis, as far as I am aware no one forces you to go to the BP site and no one forces you to read ANY of the posts.
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That's pretty dumb of those people. If you didn't want to give away your money then why the hell would you offer it in your damn posters? What morons.
I think both sides are responsible for making this exchange awkward, and both are a******s. The owners should keep their promise and fork out the reward without having to be asked for it, and the guy should not ask for the reward since it was hardly a task to return that cat to its owners. Owners should offer & guy should decline, that's the acceptable order of the transaction. Maybe owner can then offer the guy a beer or cake or something. That's the neighbourly thing to do. But when reading it, I kind of sided with the guy, since the owners shouldn't have offered a reward (or specific amount) if he doesn't expect to pay. If I was the guy, I'd probably decline if the owner offered, but because the owner acted as if he can just disregard his reward offer and just walk away, then I would've interjected & mentioned that reward, just to gauge his response to having his false promise pointed out.
NTA! they offered the reward and had plenty of money. The owners were the a******s because they didn't immediately hand over the Cash!
Simple. They should have paid the entire reward WITH A SMILE. Then they should have gone to the nearest hardware store and bought window screens and screen doors for every entrance and exit door in the house and every window that opens. Put them up and keep the cat inside. We have done this every place we have lived for the past 53 years and never had a cat get out. AND we have a 52 year old child, so that isn't an excuse.
I've been on both sides of this, we lost a precious and rare indoor kitten once, the cat was returned, by them throwing him over the fence, then they showed up the next day claiming to be the ones who returned him and demanding a reward, neighbor returned after being away and showed us her surveillance footage of the "wife" stealing the cat from our yard, by leaning over our gate and putting him in her coat and walking away. We have returned lost pets where a reward was offered, we did not accept, we asked them to donate it to the rescue we work with, they always donate more than was offered.
I brought back a bag I found in my garden once, but the money was gone. (There was plenty of home keys, credit card and letter with one address) They guy immediately suggest I was the thief. Thanks
Geez - I would only offer a reward if I could afford it. I would not make a promise like that and not fulfill it. If my dog went missing I would give as much as I could to get them back. If those people found my dog they would get the reward and a massive hug from me for bringing my baby back home.
Yes. They should have given him the reward. The cat owners acted like a******s. That said, if someone had offered me a reward for doing the same thing, I wouldn't have taken it. Pets are more important than money. Here's hoping the a*****e owners quit letting their cat wander. One day, he would be able to come back.
If the cat was that easy to find, then the owners could have found it themselves. They offered a reward and it should be paid. Both owners were at home, not out actually looking for the cat themselves. So I can offer a reward for someone (to do something that I could and should do myself)and then get ugly when the finders expect to receive what was offered? Whether or not you think it was tacky to ask about the reward, it was offered for finding and returning the cat. Pet owners: Pay it, don't complain and don't offer next time.
So in some of these folk's opinion no matter what the post said, you are supposed to just be an over the top good guy and not expect them to hold up to what they said? nope nope nope. I lost my dog when we first moved here. I posted on FB, on Lost Pets you name it. I did not even put a reward down. When she was found I rushed to the house who had her, It was a poor house, their first house. If i had had the money I would have given them $500 but all I had was $100 and I gladly gave it to them. the A*s H, in this case, are the owners of the cat who expected something for nothing and if they had been so worried they could have been out walking around and found her themselves for free. But they weren't
Plot twist: The cat was trying to escape that coldhearted family and now it is back to zero and all we are talking about is money???
I feel sorry for the cat. Will people like that really take care of it properly? Maybe they do. But when their ethics are so lacking, I have to wonder what other character flaws they have.
Not the a*****e. Who ever offers a reward should be damn willing and happy to pay when the "contract" is completed. If you don't want to pay or can't, don't offer. In your poster you say how bad the family cat is missing and how much you feel for your pet. But to LIE about a reward in the off chance you get your pet back and you knew you weren't gonna pay, totally makes you the a*****e and no one else. You made deal with the world. You better be ready to pay.
In general, I understand people are desperate to find their pets and offer rewards even when it poses a financial burden to honor them. In such cases I would not demand the reward payment. Life is not always as simple as it seems to be at the first glance.
Have we really reached parity day? I know we approached that back in the 1980s, but I thought a pound was worth around $1.30.
just do a good thing and not ask for something in return...especially if you call yourself a cat person. they probably shouldn't have offered a reward but i get why they were shocked you wanted it.
I think I would have kept a sum of say 200 and given the rest back - this would be a fair deal in my eyes. Well such people have to keep their promises but they could not out of ignorance. It might be fair to keep all the money - it would be a lesson for 'em.
To begin with, the family did offer a reward, the cat was found. Now, if the cat owner had even offered to give the reward it would be different. They did not, they assumed the finder would walk away. I would have done the same thing as the finder. Asked for the money because the owner was rude. If they would have offered the reward and I didn’t need it I would have said no.
WTF is up with the people that say the redditor is an a*****e. Like the last post by “Justhere_2020”. If you don’t want to pay a reward don’t offer one plain and simple. If you offer a reward pay it. It would have been just as easy to walk way from the cat.
The only thing wrong with asking for the promised reward is that you shouldn't have to ask. It should have been offered to you immediately. I once offered a $1,000 reward for a missing cat. Some neighbors saw her and told me. They turned down the reward when I offered it, which was truly nice of them, but I would have kept my word.
I'm confused. I see that the images are not the real images, so perhaps that's why the reward say 500 POUNDS while the comments all refer to DOLLARS. 500 Pounds is a bit more than 500 dollars. Also, the person finding the cat did say he would totally understand if under the circumstances there was no reward. They say they are cat lovers. Given the number of petnappings I've heard about I'd wonder if the "find" was legitimate, but as a confirmed cat lover myself, I would certainly not go looking for support for myself asking for the reward given the circumstances. As a previous poster said, there was no out of pocket expense incurred caring for the cat, it was just a lucky chance that the cat was hanging around. A coincidence. It would be payment enough I think, for most folks, to see the joy on the family's faces to have their beloved cat back at home. Quite likely the reward amount was posted at a time of deep personal stress and worry about their cat.
How can you call someone an a$$hole for pretty much reiterating what was written, by the family, in black and white? To note... assuming this story is truthfully told, the pet-finder didn't say "Hey, where's my $500? Gimme". He said "Does that apply" and "If not, I understand". Could the family sheepishly admit "Well, we put a large price because we were desperate... we actually can't..." or... even... "we're grateful, but it's a lot all at once, can we negotiate?" - Seriously. Whoever says "I can't believe you asked"... I wonder if those people regularly make promises then get offended when asked to follow through... and are trying to justify themselves. You go to a store "Say, the advertised sale price is... "... oh my gawd.. you expect the thing that's on sale to actually be the the listed price??? How DARE you? yeesh.
I would never ask for money like that. In my opinion (unless you reeeeally need it) its at the very least considered rude. But its just as rude to state an award and then not pay up, no questions needed. Both are equally "wrong" here imo
In this case, the "right thing to do" is for people who offered the reward... to pay it. That's it. Nothing else. Any other opinion is wrong. The people who found and returned it, should not have even had to ask. Had they not seen the reward poster, they would not have know that particular cat was missing, let alone even noticed it. What kind of people tell others they will pay for something, then don't pay when they get what they want?
NTA. Someone said think how you would feel if someone returned your cat to you and then demanded an award. The difference being that the OP may not, in the same situation, put up posters offering a $500 reward. The fact is..don't post it if you're not willing to pay it. It would be the same as saying "Bring cans of food for donation and you can be entered in a contest for a new bicycle..one entry per can" only to find out there is no bicycle. That's called false advertising and that is a breach of contract. If the OP wanted to get pissy about it..he could have sued for them to fulfill their end. As I said...if you're not willing to pay it, don't post it.
If I had gotten there and returned the cat, and they were giving me the money, I would have turned it down. However, if they did NOT offer the money, I would have brought it up just as your did... (and then maybe still turn it down.) if they behaved as s****y as they did, I would have called the police and demand the other $180.... DAMNIT!!!
Worst thing is to b***h in front of the finders of your beloved pet. What maroons.
ESH (Everyone's S****y Here) would be the jargon over at AITA
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You're brain dead if you think that guy was an a$$hole for asking for the reward, the reward THAT WAS OFFERED IN THE FIRST PLACE. If you think that, then just do society a favor and end yourself.
Wut? I mean yes, it is in pounds but what are you suggesting?
Load More Replies... Would you have returned the cat if there's wasn't a reward? And if you're so "affluent" couldn't you do without the $500?
Everyone sucks here. Even if a reward was offered, I couldn't live with myself if I took the money. Can't people just do something because it's the right thing to do? Did it really cost them to walk a couple blocks to return the poor, scared cat? I would feel like a sack of human garbage to expect a reward for bringing back a beloved family pet. Also, the family shouldn't have offered that amount. They should have just said 'reward' and given them like 20 bucks. I still wouldn't take it, though. Just knowing kitty was back home and safe would be enough for me. But some people need to be paid to be civilized human beings. Whatever happened to paying it forward or a good deed being its own reward? I hate people.
It is "morally wrong" to ask for something that was promised and advertised? If you tell me that if I do this thing you will give me X....and I do the thing....how is it "morally wrong" for me to expect you to give me X? How is holding someone to their word...wrong? He would not have expected anything if THEY would not have offered it.
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I would be ashamed of myself if I offered an reward and then tried to weasel my way out of paying it. The owners had no clue if they really needed the money and spent hours looking for the cat just to be able to pay things like medical bills etc.
Side point, but the reward poster was in pounds - this therefore happened in Britain and we don't have medical bills.
Load More Replies... It really doesn't matter how much effort the guy put in to return the cat. The owners offered the reward in writing. He fulfilled his part of the deal, they had to pay. It's as simple as that. If the owners couldn't afford to pay that amount, they shouldn't have offered it.
why did they not just write "reward for who finds the cat" without an exact amount of money? so you can give the finder like 10$ and everybody is happy. when my cat got lost, i did this and the finder didn't want to have the money or a cup of coffee or anything..
I think you got it right. They probably offered a lot of money so people would go looking for them. How lazy. Anyway, they should've at least have the reward in hands when asking the guy to bring the cat over. I know /I/ wouldn't accept the money, but if they offered to pay, they shouldn't be mad to actually be asked to pay :S
Load More Replies... Same here...320$ is my grocery bill for the whole month.
Load More Replies... I would have asked to0 (and then donated it to a pet sanctuary, after buying my own flufballs a treat). They offered that much, I assume they can spend it.
Great idea Anne, they offered the reward, could afford to pay, a pet sanctuary would use it to help more pets in need.....and your own flufballs sure deserve a treat.
Load More Replies... I don't get why people are branding the redditor an ahole or selfish in this situation. It's not like he demanded the money. He'd noticed there was a reward, and when he brought it up to the family he even asked about it politely and said he understood if it didn't apply in this situation. I probably would have done the same thing; the understanding from the poster is that this family is totally willing to pay $500 if their cat is returned, why leave that money on the table? I would return a cat for free as well unless I spent a lot of money housing it before it got returned, which may be exactly why he asked if it would apply when they just found it a few blocks away. The couple are the ones who immediately got an attitude, and so OP defends himself by pointing out that a reward was promised, and they qualified for it, so it shouldn't be weird that they asked about it. Again, he still isn't demanding the money, just pointing out why he asked about it. (tbc)
And as someone with pets I love so much that I couldn't stand to lose, if I put up a reward for finding them I would 100% be willing to pay it. I wouldn't put up at reward if I didn't intend to pay it. Even if the finder refused the reward I probably would have insisted they take it because they freaking returned my baby! Even if they found him just down the road a few minutes ago. They still got my furry son home safe! I don't know what their financial status is, but it doesn't matter. I put up a reward, I'm going to pay it. And definitely not get an attitude with someone for politely asking about it.
Load More Replies... I've never in life asked for a reward for finding someone's lost pet (even if rewards were offered). But if I posted one for a lost pet of *mine*? I'd have the cash on hand to pay the reward. But I''m weirdly old and old-fashioned that way.
Same for me. When you look at this from an outside perspective, the people who think he’s an a**hole are putting themselves in his position and thinking, “I totally wouldn’t do that” and the people who sympathize with him are either thinking, “I wouldn’t do that but I don’t have a problem with it” or “if I lost my pet I would pay the reward tenfold” perspective is everything
Load More Replies... I'm going to say that he probably wouldn't have taken the money if offered it. The fact they posted a reward, got the cat back and then went to walk off, yep I'd of asked about the money.
Nailed it. Exactly what I was thinking and what I would have done.
Load More Replies... I don't like that the owners had such attitude about being asked for the reward they offered. But I think we should maybe focus on the positive and be thankful such a friendly and domesticated kitty got found and returned home before they got injured or worse. Thanks for taking him home and sorry to the poster for having to deal with such rude people.
I would pay everything to find my cat.. 3 years and it feels like yesterday..
they offered money and then they victimize themselves when they should rightfully give it? they are the butts in the situation
I waited in cold to return a lady's lost mobile phone I came across. She didn't offer any reward and I didn't ask for any, and I was perfectly fine with it. This guy printed it in large font and it was a contract that should have been honored
I found a cell phone that slid off someone's car as they exited a gas station. Contacted the owner and they were 110 miles away from me. I told them I would bring it to them the next weekend. The woman didn't offer me any cash to compensate for driving all that way, but she did give me a large bag of the best damn homemade oatmeal raisin cookies I'd ever had! I asked her for the recipe..she laughed saying her sister had made them from memory and she had no idea what she put in them or what measurements to use. Dang!
Load More Replies... Although I would return a lost pet that I found, reward or not, once a reward is offered I WILL expect to be paid. That same poster saying everything except the reward would result in my reactions being nearly identical. I bring you the cat, but this time I dont ask for the reward. If you offer it, you better be willing to pay it. PERIOD. (Edit: It is the right thing to do to bring the pet back, so I do. But it is the right thing to do to pay your debts, so they better. After all, I am doing the right thing to bring it to you, honor the agreement that YOU made on the poster. Otherwise you only offered the reward so that others will look for you and you can be lazy)
If the cat owner had tried to hand over the $500 without the finder asking for it then it would have been a good deed for the finder to turn it down but since the owner tried to get out of it the finder should definitely called him on it and accepted the money.
I am guessing those people who say TS an a*****e never really complained about empty promises yeah?
I offered a $200 award for Dougy, my Persian kitty, when he slipped out the door when I wasn't watching. He turned up almost at home, hiding behind a snowdrift. The mother of the boy who found him insisted $100 was more than enough reward. I had a hard time convincing her she should let him have the full reward because that was what I advertised. She eventually let him have the second $100. I was very happy to have Dougy back because he'd never been an outside kitty and I live near two major roads. He has the additional problem of being a lovable kitty. He got loose without a collar on, though he is microchipped and is known at his veterinarian's and groomer's. missing-ca...967d89.jpg
The jerks are the ones who offered a bounty so their lazy asses didn't have to scour their neighborhood looking for their lost pet. They never had any intention of paying it. They just knew by offering a high amount of reward money it would entice people to look so they didn't have have to.
The purpose of offering a reward is to incentivise people to take the time to look around them to check if they see the lost pet and to take the time to call the owners in case they see something or when they're sure the pet is the lost one. I see lost pet signs all the time and I'm sure most people wouldn't even bother looking around, and let's not even talk about picking up a lost cat that can be scared and scratch you (grabbing a cat can be very time consumming), so most people just wouldn't even bother taking the lightest effort to find it. I would take it to their owners with or without a reward, but if they offered a reward and then take it back that's a shame on them.
I know it's not the actual reward poster from this story in that pic above but I really hate it when posters say the pet is missed by children. What? The parent/s don't miss it? Or... Please return - it's more important because we have kids?
More than likely the parents miss it too but using kids pulls more on the heart strings.
Load More Replies... They weren't super rude up to the point where they called him a d***
I would have walked back to the house and said on second thought I would like the full 500. I will wait while you go to the bank.
To be honest if I found someone's pet I wouldn't even want a reward. But if they couldn't afford $500 they shouldn't have posted it. Why not just say " reward"??
My daughter had a turtle from a local lake. It was a baby, but by the age of one she was full grown. She put the turtle outside, for just a minute, and when she returned the turtle was gone. They ARE faster than you think. After searching for hours, she couldn’t find her turtle. I suggested she put flyers up around our neighborhood. She was about 12 at the time. We had no picture of the turtle, so my daughter drew one. It looked kind of like a turtle, maybe a bit more cartoonish. Within hours we got a phone call. A woman said her daughter ( age 6 ) found a turtle and thought it might be ours!! Three blocks away and there was our turtle!! We are surrounded by a lake and feared that’s where the turtle would naturally go. Umm, not when there’s a 6 yr old around. I think we did say ‘reward’ if found, but I’m not sure. So we were so happy, we gave her $10. The mom said we didn’t have to do that, but my daughter insisted and had dad pay. I’ve had this turtle 28 yrs! She passed just b4 Xmas.
The people who lost the cat were the a******s...don't offer a reward that you don't intend on paying, then shame the people who ask for the reward that you promised. They put the couple in an awkward situation when they RIGHTFULLY asked for it, then called them names?!
No, the cat’s owners were still the a******s in this scenario. They offered a reward, in writing, for the return of their cat. I think the cat finders probably would’ve turned the money down if the cat owners had immediately offered to pay without prompting. But the fact that the cat finders had to ask, and keep asking, while the cat owners kept trying to shirk paying what they promised on the flier, is why the cat finders took the (smaller amount of) money that was ultimately offered. Plus, the cat owners then proceeded to double down on their dickishness by making snide remarks within earshot of the cat finders. So the cat owners deserve the title of a******s.
The lost cat poster offered £500... British Pounds. In USD that's $656.67.
wow how rude. They are in the wrong, they offered a reward, an insane amount of an award so that was stupid on their part. Then to talk badly about you after you did them a solid? Says alot about them
For the people who think he's the a*****e for asking for money, do you think he would have paid much attention to the flyers if it hadn't been for the reward? Would he have doubled back to verify that that was the same cat from the picture? Maybe, maybe not. But I'm pretty sure the reward gave him incentive to reunite the cat with the owner and therefore the reward should be paid. Otherwise that cat could still be out there roaming the streets having the time of his life. The owner on the other hand is willing to deceive the public into thinking he will pay a reward to have his cat returned knowing full well that he doesn't have the cash. That makes him the true a*****e.
wait-isn't it 500 POUNDS as on the sign, instead of DOLLARS??? i know those are different amounts of money but also that's not the point
Why does Boredpanda post so many stories about people behaving badly? Not only are these stories always one-sided, unable to be verified as true, but there were about meanness and ugliness. Can't Boredpanda find better stories than this?
John Louis, as far as I am aware no one forces you to go to the BP site and no one forces you to read ANY of the posts.
Load More Replies... That's pretty dumb of those people. If you didn't want to give away your money then why the hell would you offer it in your damn posters? What morons.
I think both sides are responsible for making this exchange awkward, and both are a******s. The owners should keep their promise and fork out the reward without having to be asked for it, and the guy should not ask for the reward since it was hardly a task to return that cat to its owners. Owners should offer & guy should decline, that's the acceptable order of the transaction. Maybe owner can then offer the guy a beer or cake or something. That's the neighbourly thing to do. But when reading it, I kind of sided with the guy, since the owners shouldn't have offered a reward (or specific amount) if he doesn't expect to pay. If I was the guy, I'd probably decline if the owner offered, but because the owner acted as if he can just disregard his reward offer and just walk away, then I would've interjected & mentioned that reward, just to gauge his response to having his false promise pointed out.
NTA! they offered the reward and had plenty of money. The owners were the a******s because they didn't immediately hand over the Cash!
Simple. They should have paid the entire reward WITH A SMILE. Then they should have gone to the nearest hardware store and bought window screens and screen doors for every entrance and exit door in the house and every window that opens. Put them up and keep the cat inside. We have done this every place we have lived for the past 53 years and never had a cat get out. AND we have a 52 year old child, so that isn't an excuse.
I've been on both sides of this, we lost a precious and rare indoor kitten once, the cat was returned, by them throwing him over the fence, then they showed up the next day claiming to be the ones who returned him and demanding a reward, neighbor returned after being away and showed us her surveillance footage of the "wife" stealing the cat from our yard, by leaning over our gate and putting him in her coat and walking away. We have returned lost pets where a reward was offered, we did not accept, we asked them to donate it to the rescue we work with, they always donate more than was offered.
I brought back a bag I found in my garden once, but the money was gone. (There was plenty of home keys, credit card and letter with one address) They guy immediately suggest I was the thief. Thanks
Geez - I would only offer a reward if I could afford it. I would not make a promise like that and not fulfill it. If my dog went missing I would give as much as I could to get them back. If those people found my dog they would get the reward and a massive hug from me for bringing my baby back home.
Yes. They should have given him the reward. The cat owners acted like a******s. That said, if someone had offered me a reward for doing the same thing, I wouldn't have taken it. Pets are more important than money. Here's hoping the a*****e owners quit letting their cat wander. One day, he would be able to come back.
If the cat was that easy to find, then the owners could have found it themselves. They offered a reward and it should be paid. Both owners were at home, not out actually looking for the cat themselves. So I can offer a reward for someone (to do something that I could and should do myself)and then get ugly when the finders expect to receive what was offered? Whether or not you think it was tacky to ask about the reward, it was offered for finding and returning the cat. Pet owners: Pay it, don't complain and don't offer next time.
So in some of these folk's opinion no matter what the post said, you are supposed to just be an over the top good guy and not expect them to hold up to what they said? nope nope nope. I lost my dog when we first moved here. I posted on FB, on Lost Pets you name it. I did not even put a reward down. When she was found I rushed to the house who had her, It was a poor house, their first house. If i had had the money I would have given them $500 but all I had was $100 and I gladly gave it to them. the A*s H, in this case, are the owners of the cat who expected something for nothing and if they had been so worried they could have been out walking around and found her themselves for free. But they weren't
Plot twist: The cat was trying to escape that coldhearted family and now it is back to zero and all we are talking about is money???
I feel sorry for the cat. Will people like that really take care of it properly? Maybe they do. But when their ethics are so lacking, I have to wonder what other character flaws they have.
Not the a*****e. Who ever offers a reward should be damn willing and happy to pay when the "contract" is completed. If you don't want to pay or can't, don't offer. In your poster you say how bad the family cat is missing and how much you feel for your pet. But to LIE about a reward in the off chance you get your pet back and you knew you weren't gonna pay, totally makes you the a*****e and no one else. You made deal with the world. You better be ready to pay.
In general, I understand people are desperate to find their pets and offer rewards even when it poses a financial burden to honor them. In such cases I would not demand the reward payment. Life is not always as simple as it seems to be at the first glance.
Have we really reached parity day? I know we approached that back in the 1980s, but I thought a pound was worth around $1.30.
just do a good thing and not ask for something in return...especially if you call yourself a cat person. they probably shouldn't have offered a reward but i get why they were shocked you wanted it.
I think I would have kept a sum of say 200 and given the rest back - this would be a fair deal in my eyes. Well such people have to keep their promises but they could not out of ignorance. It might be fair to keep all the money - it would be a lesson for 'em.
To begin with, the family did offer a reward, the cat was found. Now, if the cat owner had even offered to give the reward it would be different. They did not, they assumed the finder would walk away. I would have done the same thing as the finder. Asked for the money because the owner was rude. If they would have offered the reward and I didn’t need it I would have said no.
WTF is up with the people that say the redditor is an a*****e. Like the last post by “Justhere_2020”. If you don’t want to pay a reward don’t offer one plain and simple. If you offer a reward pay it. It would have been just as easy to walk way from the cat.
The only thing wrong with asking for the promised reward is that you shouldn't have to ask. It should have been offered to you immediately. I once offered a $1,000 reward for a missing cat. Some neighbors saw her and told me. They turned down the reward when I offered it, which was truly nice of them, but I would have kept my word.
I'm confused. I see that the images are not the real images, so perhaps that's why the reward say 500 POUNDS while the comments all refer to DOLLARS. 500 Pounds is a bit more than 500 dollars. Also, the person finding the cat did say he would totally understand if under the circumstances there was no reward. They say they are cat lovers. Given the number of petnappings I've heard about I'd wonder if the "find" was legitimate, but as a confirmed cat lover myself, I would certainly not go looking for support for myself asking for the reward given the circumstances. As a previous poster said, there was no out of pocket expense incurred caring for the cat, it was just a lucky chance that the cat was hanging around. A coincidence. It would be payment enough I think, for most folks, to see the joy on the family's faces to have their beloved cat back at home. Quite likely the reward amount was posted at a time of deep personal stress and worry about their cat.
How can you call someone an a$$hole for pretty much reiterating what was written, by the family, in black and white? To note... assuming this story is truthfully told, the pet-finder didn't say "Hey, where's my $500? Gimme". He said "Does that apply" and "If not, I understand". Could the family sheepishly admit "Well, we put a large price because we were desperate... we actually can't..." or... even... "we're grateful, but it's a lot all at once, can we negotiate?" - Seriously. Whoever says "I can't believe you asked"... I wonder if those people regularly make promises then get offended when asked to follow through... and are trying to justify themselves. You go to a store "Say, the advertised sale price is... "... oh my gawd.. you expect the thing that's on sale to actually be the the listed price??? How DARE you? yeesh.
I would never ask for money like that. In my opinion (unless you reeeeally need it) its at the very least considered rude. But its just as rude to state an award and then not pay up, no questions needed. Both are equally "wrong" here imo
In this case, the "right thing to do" is for people who offered the reward... to pay it. That's it. Nothing else. Any other opinion is wrong. The people who found and returned it, should not have even had to ask. Had they not seen the reward poster, they would not have know that particular cat was missing, let alone even noticed it. What kind of people tell others they will pay for something, then don't pay when they get what they want?
NTA. Someone said think how you would feel if someone returned your cat to you and then demanded an award. The difference being that the OP may not, in the same situation, put up posters offering a $500 reward. The fact is..don't post it if you're not willing to pay it. It would be the same as saying "Bring cans of food for donation and you can be entered in a contest for a new bicycle..one entry per can" only to find out there is no bicycle. That's called false advertising and that is a breach of contract. If the OP wanted to get pissy about it..he could have sued for them to fulfill their end. As I said...if you're not willing to pay it, don't post it.
If I had gotten there and returned the cat, and they were giving me the money, I would have turned it down. However, if they did NOT offer the money, I would have brought it up just as your did... (and then maybe still turn it down.) if they behaved as s****y as they did, I would have called the police and demand the other $180.... DAMNIT!!!
Worst thing is to b***h in front of the finders of your beloved pet. What maroons.
ESH (Everyone's S****y Here) would be the jargon over at AITA
Load More Replies... You're brain dead if you think that guy was an a$$hole for asking for the reward, the reward THAT WAS OFFERED IN THE FIRST PLACE. If you think that, then just do society a favor and end yourself.
Wut? I mean yes, it is in pounds but what are you suggesting?
Load More Replies... Would you have returned the cat if there's wasn't a reward? And if you're so "affluent" couldn't you do without the $500?
Everyone sucks here. Even if a reward was offered, I couldn't live with myself if I took the money. Can't people just do something because it's the right thing to do? Did it really cost them to walk a couple blocks to return the poor, scared cat? I would feel like a sack of human garbage to expect a reward for bringing back a beloved family pet. Also, the family shouldn't have offered that amount. They should have just said 'reward' and given them like 20 bucks. I still wouldn't take it, though. Just knowing kitty was back home and safe would be enough for me. But some people need to be paid to be civilized human beings. Whatever happened to paying it forward or a good deed being its own reward? I hate people.
It is "morally wrong" to ask for something that was promised and advertised? If you tell me that if I do this thing you will give me X....and I do the thing....how is it "morally wrong" for me to expect you to give me X? How is holding someone to their word...wrong? He would not have expected anything if THEY would not have offered it.
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