OH the cat is defiantly an asshole.
5 Likes
Dick move…
I picked up two dogs on the road and kept them over night. Called some shelters and found the owner who was looking for them. He offered $50 but I refused.
5 Likes
I have the impression that it is now widely regarded as a hub for creative writing.
9 Likes
And, with the finder asking for the reward, the owners should have said, Right! Of course! Let me go get it…Oh dear, I only have $320. Can you come back tomorrow for the rest?
On the other hand, they could have up the douchebaggery by saying, Right! Of course! Let me just get your social security number so I can issue a 1099…
4 Likes
From an old New Yorker Magazine cartoon (per my memory): A box of kittens on the sidewalk, with a sign reading “Kittens for Sale $1”. Says one kitten to the other, “This does absolutely nothing for my self-esteem.”
15 Likes
Came here for this, thx!
1 Like
In the end, the cat won.
3 Likes
My wife is totally on my side. We live in a pretty affluent area so $500 (or $320) isn’t a big deal to these people. I mean they had two Mercedes in their driveway nor is that money a big deal for me.
I’ve lived in enough places for long enough to know that where a person lives or what they drive doesn’t necessarily reflect on that person’s station in life or whether $500 is something that person can afford to part with.
You know what DOES indicate whether $500 is something a person can part with? Advertising a $500 reward for something.
21 Likes
LOL fair enough haha! Hey, at least the cat was cool about being picked up by strangers. Very likely still an asshole as all/most cats are by their very nature, but hey, maybe on the lesser end of the spectrum, at least. 
1 Like
The cat owners are definitely in the wrong. Anyway, this should have been hashed out on Judge Judy.
8 Likes
The person returning the cat should have insisted on not taking the reward.
If you’re offering the reward to entice people to look for the cat then you should be prepared to pay it.
If you think the reward is only to attract attention then why not offer a ridiculous sum and have everyone in the city looking for the cat.
(phone rings)
“We have your cat, if you want to see her again alive put $500 in unmarked bills in a brown paper bag and meet us under the boardwalk near the House Of Fun. Come alone, or the cat gets it!”
5 Likes
Anyone who’s carrying around $320 petty cash in their wallet, could easily afford to write a check for $500. That $180 gap, represents how much they think their kid’s happiness is really worth.
4 Likes
I have never changed my habitual route walking through the neighborhood to avoid a particular cat
dogs, on the other hand …
11 Likes
This was the middle of the Great Recession, when I was stuck in Kansas after the hiring freeze and couldn’t find a job for the amount of proto-Trumpians who were rather open about their dislike for Obama, government, etc.
I really could have used that money.
7 Likes
Look you can’t get rich by honoring every agreement. Every time you rip someone off that’s a little more wealth you’ve made.
7 Likes
This whole situation invites a deep dive into politeness and consideration, and the specifics given in the original post are important, but I definitely think the reward-requester was not being an asshole and the reward offerers were being huge assholes - like the hugest.
13 Likes
I wonder if offering the reward on paper constitutes a contract or something akin to it. I would presume that it one wanted to take the cat owner to small claims court they might have a case, not that i’m advocating that they should… i’m just thinking out loud if the posted reward holds up as a contract or what have you.
There is a universal truth in what you say here, and I think some iteration of it is responsible for a great deal of “economies of scale”. Beyond some undetermined point, further gains mostly have to do with efficiently externalizing costs, rather than effeciently making goods.
1 Like
$500 isn’t enough to need to issue a 1099. Now if a second cat was found then it would be appropriate.
1 Like
