After a family's cat went missing, it was then adopted and that's when things got ugly.

Where to start? This is such a sad situation and avoidable. The Bangor Humane Society posted on their Facebook to address the internet storm they lit on fire.

In essence, the Bangor Humane Society tells us a story about the adoption of a cat who was found as a stray. When the cat was brought into the BHS, it had no identification of any sort, including no microchip. This is not the cat, just a cute cat.

The shelter had no way of knowing that the cat was adopted through them. The owners said it was seven years ago before BHS started microchipping. The shelter is obligated to hold the animal for 48 hours before adoption, which they did. They also put online immediately that a stray was brought in. There was no word, and the cat was adopted by a family.

Shortly after the adoption, the family who lost the cat went to the Bangor Humane Society! They were frantic, and late. The cat was with a new family and the owners were upset. I understand how they were upset, but I also understand how the shelter was just doing what shelters do – putting animals in loving homes.

All they could do at this point was contact the family who adopted the cat, tell them the situation, and ask for the cat back, which they did. The family said they've bonded with the cat and are not giving him back. That's what blew up on the internet. Some wanted the address of the new family posted so that others could plead with them. BHS addressed that in the Facebook post:

Bangor Human Society takes very seriously the commitment from a new adopter to care for the animal in their charge and we will not act in a way that weakens the trust inherent in this process. Providing to anyone the personal information of adopters or original owners would be a gross compromise of confidentiality on our part and we will never share contact details without explicit permission. Ever.

 

How can something like this be avoided?

Microchip your pet! Keep up with the registrations and fees. It's a responsibility to own a pet and ultimately, it is up to us as pet owners to keep them safe and protected. This is a horrible situation as cats have a sneaky way of getting out. Please, if your pet is not microchipped, do it today!