My Wife And Took A Cat To The Er After It Had Been Hit By A Car. Turns Out…

It was the neighbor's cat. They had let him out a few days before Christmas, and he ended up hit by a car crossing the road in front of our house. We spent 1600 getting the cat to live (shocker of a bill for one, first time taking a cat to the ER). With no collar or microchip, we assumed he was a stray.

After the neighbor found out we had been caring for the cat, we returned the him since it was Christmas Day, and the cat belonged to the neighbor's kids. They promised to pay cash when picking him up, but when they showed up they said "It's Christmas, we don't have any money." Holding the cat hostage until we got the money back seemed like an evil move, so we let him go. We have countless messages going back and forth where they promise to pay, but there's no guarantee of how or when it will happen. Looking back, I should have drafted a contract of some sort before handing the cat back over.

When we saved the cat, we wanted to give him a home and a life that was almost stolen from him... we got attached and suddenly he's gone with 1600 bucks. I've even told them I'll foot 400 and ask for 1200 when they can manage that.

Any advice?