Neighbor’s Dogs Kill Kind Elderly Woman’s Cat So She Ruins Their Holiday

When a neighbor's dog fatally attacked the cherished cat of a kind elderly woman, they had no idea she had already devised the perfect plan to make them pay for what they had done. This turn of events transformed their holiday, leaving everyone curious about her next move.

On December 21, 2019, an anonymous poster turned to Reddit's "Pro Revenge" forum, sharing a story they had witnessed but not directly been involved in. They recounted how everyone in their community knew Margot as a kind elderly woman.

Margot, a sweet 65-year-old receptionist at a vet clinic, had worked there for over four decades, spreading warmth with her smiles, jokes, compliments, and birthday baked goods. She was universally adored, with a network of acquaintances extending from loyal clients to the mailman's granddaughter.

However, Margot's tranquil existence was marred by a family of unruly neighbors who lived next door. These neighbors possessed two ferocious pit bulls, notorious for their aggressive behavior, and these dogs regularly escaped, terrorizing the neighborhood and even attempting to invade Margot's home.

It was assumed that she would take a few days off to be with her family before returning to her normal routine.

Despite Margot's pleas for them to restrain their dogs, mainly due to the threat they posed to her elderly, portly cat named Smokestack, the neighbors callously disregarded her concerns. Dismissing her requests, "the family basically told her to rot in hell, that they knew what they were doing, how dare she accuse the breed..."

Margot was well aware of previous reports filed against her neighbors, but little had been done to address the issue. In response, she took measures to safeguard Smokestack, keeping him indoors and vigilant to ensure his safety.

What Happened to Smokestack?

Three weeks before Christmas, Margot had a day off and was in the garage with Smokestack, working on some Christmas decorations. Unbeknownst to her, the neighbors' pit bulls managed to escape and broke through the bottom of her garage door.

Before she could react, they lunged at Smokestack and began to savage the defenseless cat. Margot's desperate cries for help echoed through the neighborhood, and it wasn't until her son and husband rushed out with a baseball bat that they were able to pry Smokestack from the jaws of those ferocious dogs.

The narrator, who was at work that day, vividly recalled the heart-wrenching sight of Margot when she arrived at the vet clinic, her tears flowing more profusely than they had ever seen before.

Margot clutched Smokestack, who was in a dire state, and despite the veterinary team's dedicated efforts, they couldn't save him. Smokestack's life slipped away tragically, a cruel end to what should have been the peaceful twilight years of his fat cat life.

Margot sat in the clinic with Smokestack's mangled body for a while, her tears falling silently. Eventually, she gently kissed the remains of her beloved pet and stood up. With unwavering determination, she told everyone, "I've got a job to do, take care of him, girls," before leaving. It was assumed that she would take a few days off to be with her family before returning to her normal routine.

What Was the Woman's Revenge?

They were mistaken. Margot, known by just about everyone in her community, wasted no time after the ordeal. Following her release from the hospital, she approached the police with graphic evidence of Smokestack's demise, a plea that tugged at the heartstrings of officers who had grown up under her watchful eye, from mischievous middle schoolers to the officers they had become. Their empathy led them to prioritize her case.

The matter reached the desk of a judge whose daughter had been Margot's daughter's schoolmate. With a sense of urgency, the judge granted an emergency warrant to remove the dangerous animals from Margot's neighbors.

A court hearing swiftly followed, much faster than anyone expected. The neighbors attempted to argue that their dogs were not aggressive, even accusing Margot of fabricating the entire story out of spite. However, their defense crumbled as numerous reports were presented detailing the dogs' aggressive behavior.

Margot's case reached its climax when she unveiled surveillance footage, captured by her grandson, revealing the dogs trespassing onto her property and brutally attacking Smokestack. The court ruled in favor of the emergency extraction and humane destruction of the neighbors' dogs.

On Christmas Eve, a knock echoed on Margot's door, and she found her neighbors standing there, their tears flowing uncontrollably. They pleaded with her to intervene and stop animal control from taking their beloved dogs. They lamented that these dogs had been part of their family since puppyhood, how their children would be devastated, and how it would shatter their Christmas.

But Margot, who had endured their callousness throughout, stared them down and uttered calmly, "You took away my family, so now I'm taking yours." With that, she shut the door just as animal control arrived in the driveway.

As Margot observed the dogs being loaded onto the truck, she wasn't surprised. It was her suggestion to schedule the removal on Christmas Eve, a favor granted by her longtime acquaintance, the animal control officer supervisor. She ensured the dogs were humanely euthanized before the Christmas lights adorned the neighborhood that night.

The family never received the remains of their dogs, and their fate took a dark turn when the father tragically lost his life in a drunk driving accident that same night, colliding with a telephone pole. The mother's mental state deteriorated, leading Child Protective Services to take custody of their children by February. Eventually, the family's house went into foreclosure by September.

Despite the trauma of Smokestack's death, one can't help but wonder if Margot might have taken a less severe path had the neighbors shown even a hint of remorse. She had always been the type to forgive and forget. Perhaps she believed that pushing matters to this extreme was necessary to protect other families from the irresponsible actions of her neighbors.

Ultimately, Margot's actions contributed to making the world a safer place for pets, and Smokestack's memory lived on. In the narrator's words, "[Rest] in peace, Smokestack. Hopefully, I'll see you on the other side with your favorite orange sock and a can of tuna."

Do you agree with how Margot handled things? Click here to read another story about how a man destroyed his neighbor's rose garden after the latter harassed him over a lost legal dispute.