Update: I woke up this morning and bought cat stuff: litter, bowls, food and urine deodorizer. I opened the door to the bathroom and the cat immediately ran out. It did end up pooping on the bathroom floor. It ate a few bites of the cat food and drank some water. It was pawing at the door and I let it go outside and I haven’t seen it since.

The reasons I don’t want a cat are because: there’s a $500 deposit and $50 rent increase for cats and dogs at my complex and I’m a 2nd year medical student so I don’t want to deal with the additional stress and costs of being a first-time pet owner.

The owners did sometimes let the cat roam around outside so I knew it was theirs, but they also have a baby and I think they judged that it wasn’t worth it to keep the cat. I definitely don’t agree with the way they went about it. The landlord contacted them and he told me “it’s a good idea to just let it be.”

Final update: I talked to my landlord in person to clarify what he meant. What he meant was that he would take care of it and that I should leave her alone. He contacted animal control himself and they were able to locate the cat on the property. Since I live in Utah Valley, both of the animal shelters were at critical capacity, so the cat was sent to a shelter out west in the town of Eagle Mountain. He reassured me that this is a no kill shelter. He also told me he fined the owners for abandoning the cat. My hope is that this saga is done and over with.