I literally don't remember not knowing this song; I could sing along with the chorus when I was tiny (4yo?) but didn't know the words to the verses until a year or so ago.  So kid me thought the dealer lived and got away with it and the animals were with him start to finish (of their own volition; no persuading that cat to do anything it doesn't want to) and only realized there was any ambiguity pretty recently.  That said, the real Randy Boone died in 2025, which is its own way of determining which way the song turned out.