Appeal for missing kitten turns cat-astrophic with $1,000 fee request and police reports
The search for a missing cat turned tense when the woman who found it questioned the owner's claim and requested $1,000 payment for vet and food costs.
Stomper Lily shared with Stomp a Facebook post by user Emellia Lullaby, who had appealed for help to locate and retrieve her missing orange maine coon kitten after disagreements broke out with the people who found and fostered it.
The case has since escalated, with both parties claiming to have filed police reports.
Kitten allegedly missing from home
According to Emellia Lullaby, her kitten went missing from her home on Nov 13. She said her helper realised the animal was gone at around 9am.
At about 2pm, before printing out posters, Emellia said she checked the Facebook group Lost and found pets in Singapore and discovered a post by a user named Cammy Kmzz, who had allegedly found a kitten that resembled hers.
She said she immediately messaged Cammy Kmzz and commented on the post. However, the post was deleted at around 6pm.
Dispute over kitten's identity
Emellia Lullaby said Cammy Kmzz told her the kitten in her photo did not match the one found, as the paw colours were different.
She added that Cammy Kmzz later got another Facebook user, Bloom Siistax Chikaboomz, to contact her, and the call allegedly turned confrontational and he sounded "agitated".
"He asked what colour the paws were. I said white. He then asked if I dyed the cat's paws, which obviously not," wrote Emellia. "He also asked if I'm willing to pay $1k for vet and food expenses, which I agreed to."
She claimed he told her that "whoever microchips the cat is legally the owner", and hung up when she mentioned filing a police report.
Emellia Lullaby said she continued posting evidence that the kitten was hers, but her posts were deleted by the group admin. She also alleged that Cammy Kmzz and their friend made their Facebook accounts private after her posts gained traction.
"I just want my oyen back," she wrote, adding that she had even provided her home address for them to bring the kitten over to see if it recognised the place, but received no response.
Emellia Lullaby later updated her Facebook post to explain that she had mistakenly sent a photo of the kitten's brother, which explained the difference in paw colour.
One commenter, Yanty Seni, claimed: "Because it is maine coon. If it is a normal tabby she sure return back to the owner."
Fosterer refutes claims, says they cannot confirm ownership
In a separate post, Cammy Kmzz disputed Emellia Lullaby's account and said they had also filed a police report.
Cammy Kmzz said the kitten was found on Nov 13 before midnight, and that they had volunteered to foster it while looking for the owner. According to Cammy Kmzz, a vet visit on Nov 14 showed the kitten had ringworm, no microchip and was underweight.
They said Emellia Lullaby only reached out at 3.19pm that day and sent a photo with mismatched paw colours, which the vet "confirmed would not change over time".
Cammy Kmzz said Emellia Lullaby later posted about the situation to "pressure" them, and that during a call at around 6.45pm, she allegedly could not explain the difference in the paws.
The mention of a $1,000 fee, Cammy Kmzz explained, was used as a deterrent against false claimants, adding that they had recorded all expenses.
"Even the kitten's condition was wrong. She said fleas at first, then only during the call she found out about the ringworms," Cammy Kmzz wrote.
Cammy Kmzz also questioned why Emellia Lullaby did not rush down immediately if the kitten was truly hers.
"My purpose and priority have always been the kitten's health and well-being, as well as its return to its rightful owner," Cammy Kmzz wrote. "With no concrete proof, do I just return this kitten blindly to this person?"
Cammy Kmzz said they are open to returning the kitten "through proper channels" if the owner provides solid evidence and demonstrates competence in caring for pets.
In her latest update, Emellia Lullaby said that she and Cammy Kmzz have agreed to let the police handle the case.
She appealed to the public not to harass Cammy Kmzz or their loved ones, as the original intention of her post was to get her kitten back.
