I understand shit happens. Sometimes you have to rehome. It sucks for everyone, but it happens.
But in that case, you REHOME them! How could you just leave them on the side of the road?!
One of the saddest days of my life was when we moved away from our house that was a secondary home to (fixed) feral cats. They depended on being welcomed in our house for shelter and for food. But they were mostly feral and we couldn't take them with us.
EXACTLY!
I know of 5 no-kill shelters near me that would absolutely take a kitty, especially if it's an emergency. At worst, they will ask for a small donation to offset costs.
One of my aunts famously abandoned a 6 mo cat about a mile from grandmother's house, announcing that the cat had "run away". My father retold the story of finding and adopting the cat in her presence as often as possible.
Sibling needling never really dies, even in one's 60s...
Sometimes animals get away from infirm and elderly caretakers (often when a homecare worker or relative is dealing with a pet they're not equipped to deal with). I'm not saying outright abandonment doesn't happen, but sometimes awful things happen for non-awful reasons.