Hi Reddit,
This has been eating at me and I genuinely want to know if I went too far.

A few months ago, my cousin “Lila” (26F) asked me (29F) for a huge favor. She was going out of town for a week and needed someone to watch her cat, Luna. I’ve had pets my whole life, I work from home, and I live alone in a pet-friendly place so it wasn’t a huge ask at the time. I agreed under the condition that it would just be for the one week she mentioned.

Luna is a sweet cat, but she came with a lot of issues. She was under-socialized, anxious, and not litter-trained properly. I spent the whole week deep-cleaning after accidents, trying to coax her into eating, and dealing with random 3 a.m. yowling. Not the worst, but definitely more than I expected. Still, I kept reminding myself: it’s just a week.

Well, that week came and went. And then another. And then another.

Lila kept giving me excuses. First it was that her flight got delayed. Then she was “having a really hard time” and needed more time. Then she claimed her apartment wasn’t allowing pets anymore and she was “working on it.” I asked for a timeline she said “soon.”

After four full weeks with no concrete plan, I told her I couldn’t keep Luna much longer. I wasn’t prepared to be a full-time pet owner again, and my lease technically allows pets temporarily not long term. I gave her a week’s notice that I would need her to come get Luna or find another arrangement.

She ghosted me for three more days.

At that point, I started asking around, and a friend of mine (who’s been looking to adopt a cat) offered to take Luna in. She’s incredibly responsible, has a calm home, no other pets, and honestly it’s the best situation Luna could’ve asked for. I made the decision and let her go to this new home. I texted Lila with the update, and then she blew up my phone.

She accused me of stealing and “giving away her child” and said I had no right. She posted on Facebook about how I “betrayed family” and made herself out to be a victim of some heartless scheme. Several relatives are now saying I should’ve “just waited a little longer” or “kept her in the family.”

I feel torn. On one hand, I did give away someone else's pet. On the other, she abandoned her with me for over a month with no clear plan and barely any communication. I wasn’t trying to be cruel I just didn’t want to be taken advantage of anymore, and I wanted Luna to have stability.

So… AITA for rehoming my cousin’s pet after she left her with me for over a month with no plan to take her back?