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From your recent post, I would also give the cat's owner the benefit of the doubt, that she truly cares about the cat. But she does need to step up and take better charge of her cats welfare. The first priority is to find someone more responsible to look after the cat while she's away. The daughter obviously isn't up to the task. The neighbor is very lucky that her daughter's inattentiveness didn't end much worse than it did (thanks to you).
I'm glad it all ended well for the cat, and hopefully the neighbor learned something from it.
I have to say the mats in Roxy's fur did give me pause. Not so much the mats on her stomach--in the week I had her, I was only able to get a few of them out because she obviously hated it so much and I didn't want to stress her, so I don't blame her owner for not effectively dealing with them--but the big one on her back. I don't know how long it would even take for a cat to develop such a large mat on her back or how you could not notice it until it got that big. I was able to clip it off in just a few moments.
But my neighbor seemed very well aware of everything that was going on with her. I didn't bring anything specific up--she was the one to mention the hearty appetite combined with weight loss, the increased thirst, the need for wet food, even the mats. So I just could not say that she was ignorant of Roxy's condition. I am sorry that she had not taken her to the vet to address any of these problems, but I can also sort of understand that some people might be reluctant to take a 20-year-old cat to the vet, because they would not be able to afford much treatment for age-related ailments.
And yes, she said she was very upset when her daughter texted her that Roxy was missing. She thought she would never see her again and "didn't even get to say good-bye," and even stopped texting her daughter back for a while because she was so angry with her. So I have to think she is fond of Roxy, in her way. Maybe she doesn't give her as much attention as we were doing, but hopefully I can go over and love her up regularly.
And I also have to think that Roxy is probably happy to be back in her old house. After all, she's lived there for 20 years. When she was here, it did occur to me that she was probably unsettled and wondering where she was and if she would be able to go back.
I would love to adopt an old cat. It's something that's been on my mind for a long time. However, after we lost our last old cat, Rusty, one by one three young cats kind of found us. They were all rescues. We would have made it work if we'd been able to keep Roxy, but technically we are not supposed to have more than three pets according to our HOA. Someday, when I can, I will absolutely go and adopt that "oldest cat" that needs a home.
So the woman was on vacation in Europe, but she couldn't afford a vet visit which, including blood tests, would likely cost well under $200? She knew the cat has health issues, but left her anyway and couldn't even be bothered to take her to the vet first? And she left her with someone who obviously does not give a damn about the cat? I wouldn't believe a word this woman says, she was probably afraid you would turn her in for animal abuse/neglect and trying to do damage control.
... She also asked me if I’d cut off some of her mats and I said yes. She said the mat on her back was originally even larger and she had been gradually working on it, but because Roxy really doesn’t like being handled that much, she had been taking it slow. She was also aware of the mats on her stomach and realized that Roxy wasn't grooming herself much anymore....
Sorry, no. How does a cat get mats so big that it takes someone "gradually working on it" because it was even BIGGER than what you saw, if the cat is well cared for?
HOW?
Someone please explain to me HOW that happens.
Old cat? I have a 16 year old cat, she doesn't have mats on her anywhere, at. all.
I have a very fluffy cat, he has 0 mats on him at. all. I brush him daily. I pet him daily. If I feel a tiny, miniscule mat start to form, because I brush him and pet him all the time, then it's taken care of immediately.
So again, please, someone tell me how a cat that is "cared for" so much can get giant mats that take so much time to "gradually work through"?
Not buying this story.
OP, you of course will do what you think is right, I just hope that you keep a really close eye on that cat. If she's ever out again...well...I think I'd be living with my blinds and curtains closed for awhile as the cat lived with me until she passed on...and that's coming from someone who usually tells people that it's not right to keep someone elses pet...but the mat thing...nope. No.
So glad you did the right thing, even if it was begrudgingly at first. A big HIGH FIVE to your good husband. That end result has got to feel better than the catnapping alternative. And you were also really wise to offer to care for her if they ever go out of town again and need their pets looked after. That was very kind of you, Roxy is very lucky to have such a good neighbor.
As far as cats with mats: I know from experience that some cats really are very sensitive and it is very difficult to remove mats. They won't sit still for longer periods of time will you do that, or even at all, or it becomes a very stressful experience for them. So it makes total sense to me that Roxy's owner would take it small bits at a time if Roxy was protesting. Ideally people would groom their cats regularly so mats won't form, but people often don't because they get too busy in their lives or whatever. It's not right, but it's very common unfortunately. I have a cat with very long and very thick fur, and if I go even three days without combing him (we use a flea comb because that is what he prefers over the various brushes we have), he will have mats about the size of a dime or nickel near his tail. He's an older cat and our good vet says older cats have trouble grooming themselves especially in the hind legs and tail area. A lot of pet owners don't seem to think they need to groom their cats, but as they get older you do really need to help them along.
So glad you did the right thing, even if it was begrudgingly at first. A big HIGH FIVE to your good husband. That end result has got to feel better than the catnapping alternative. And you were also really wise to offer to care for her if they ever go out of town again and need their pets looked after. That was very kind of you, Roxy is very lucky to have such a good neighbor.
As far as cats with mats: I know from experience that some cats really are very sensitive and it is very difficult to remove mats. They won't sit still for longer periods of time will you do that, or even at all, or it becomes a very stressful experience for them. So it makes total sense to me that Roxy's owner would take it small bits at a time if Roxy was protesting. Ideally people would groom their cats regularly so mats won't form, but people often don't because they get too busy in their lives or whatever. It's not right, but it's very common unfortunately. I have a cat with very long and very thick fur, and if I go even three days without combing him (we use a flea comb because that is what he prefers over the various brushes we have), he will have mats about the size of a dime or nickel near his tail. He's an older cat and our good vet says older cats have trouble grooming themselves especially in the hind legs and tail area. A lot of pet owners don't seem to think they need to groom their cats, but as they get older you do really need to help them along.
I have to agree with this, as I have just such a cat. My only long-hair is Sheba, and she does not tolerate brushing/grooming of any sort. Any more than 2 or 3 strokes of a comb she will growl & try to bite me. She gets mats almost every year (usually in the spring), and I try to catch them early. The only chance I have to work on them is when she's laying in my lap, or eating. If I'm careful she'll let me snip on them for a few minutes at a time, but the whole process can take a few sessions over a few days. This year she had some particularly large ones close to her rear end, and she was quite reluctant to let me mess with them. Altogether it took a couple of weeks to get them cut off. I almost took her to the vet for a shave, but kept at it & didn't have too in the end.
Mats are definitely a problem if you have a long-hair that won't allow grooming. The mistake we made was not training her to the brush. In Sheba's case there was a reason that didn't happen, but that's another long story by itself.
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That end result has got to feel better than the catnapping alternative. And you were also really wise to offer to care for her if they ever go out of town again and need their pets looked after. That was very kind of you, Roxy is very lucky to have such a good neighbor. 
