Shelter says they're too busy to send letters to owners if their phone info is outdated. However, they're not too busy to care for your animal for a month, knowing you're looking for it, before adopting it out to someone else.

"Woman says Midcoast shelter gave away cat, shelter tells different story"
MAINE -- A Midcoast woman says the Pope Memorial Humane Society of Knox County gave away her family's cat, but the shelter is telling a different story.

Lisa Prior of Thomaston says her cat, Pumpkins, vanished in May. She gave her contact information to the shelter that she got Pumpkins from in case someone found it.

  

  

Gracy says Pumpkins never bit, that she would give him "love bites"

An animal control officer brought Pumpkins to the shelter in July, but the shelter says none of Ms. Prior's contact information worked.

Shelter workers say they held onto Pumpkins for a month, hoping Ms. Prior would show up, but she didn't, so they allowed new owners to adopt it.

Her contact information included her address! A lot of people change their phone numbers. What if the phone number on file was from when she originally adopted the cat from them? That could have been a few years ago. She was probably at home thinking they'll call her if her cat is brought in.

Prior says she saw a Facebook posting of Pumpkins with its new owner.

The shelter says it didn't contact prior by mail because that's not part of their normal procedure and they're too busy for it.

Shelter officials say they legally can't make a new owner give back a cat to its original owner, it would have to be the new owner's decision.

(WGME - Nov 24, 2014)