Animal Law

Would the “owners” of this cat have any legal recourse against me for anything that happens to this cat?

Location: Florida

- Neighbors abandoned elderly cat to my care. They repeatedly said “she’s not our cat” that she is “feral” and that they had never pet her. Apparently she’s an outdoor cat that sometimes shelters in their garage. When we found this cat, she was displaying signs of being hit by a vehicle. We take her to their driveway where the man is outside. We ask is this your cat? “No, we just feed her. She’s feral.” Okay…well I’m not just gonna let this cat die on the street. So we take her to vet to find she wasn’t hit by a car, just old and disoriented and possibly experiencing a blood clot.

The vet recommends against euthanasia and says she needs to transition to living inside. I call the people and ask what they want to do…they don’t know. I ask if they would like me to make the decision, they say yes and relinquish the care of this animal to me. I agree with the vets assessment of giving her a second chance. The people are fine with that over the phone, they even offered the remaining food they had for her.

I go to get the food and am ambushed by the woman demanding we put this cat down and that her daughter is a vet and she knows what to do. I said that won’t be happening, that the vet recommended against euthanasia and that her ability to make the decision is gone since it was given to me. I tell her it was ridiculous that I am even involved in the situation considering I just took what was their responsibility to the vet. Fast forward to today, she called the vet we took her to and chewed them out, mentioning getting the authorities involved. I am obviously not a lawyer but I don’t understand how she would have any avenue for recourse in this situation. They repeatedly affirmed that not only this wasn’t their cat, but I was to make the decision regarding what to do with her. Now that I made the decision, this woman disagrees and is upset.

Does she have any legal or civil recourse for what happens to this cat? I have a second vet visit today to get a second opinion, with euthanasia potentially on the table. Could I be held legally or financially responsible for damages?