Found cat, can't locate owner. Finders keepers?

amdublin

A cat has found me. Calling to my house for about five weeks now.

I brought him to our local vet and they've confirmed he is not chipped. They put his "found" pic up on their page but no luck finding owner. I've also asked around neighbours and children in the estate.

At what point does he become mine???????

rubberdungeon

I've no idea but it reminded me of a story I read on a Facebook page this evening it's a page for lost and found animals.

Anyway it was a happy ending story where an owner had just been reunited with their dog, their dog had been missing since Christmas Eve.

XxMCRxBabyxX

Is there any chance that he's still with his owners but just wandering from there when he calls to yours?

amdublin

XxMCRxBabyxX wrote: »

Is there any chance that he's still with his owners but just wandering from there when he calls to yours?

I know, that's what we are worried about.

A couple of years ago our own cat was missing and I was heartbroken. Three months later turned up out of the blue in fine fettle, reckon he adopted a new family for a while the boldie :pac:

So I don't want to take another person's cat or anything.

He is not neutered...

él statutorio

Maybe stick a collar on him with a note and see if anyone responds. If he has a home they'll find the note and maybe give you a call?

Better than nothing...

One of our cats turned up after a couple of weeks wearing a nice new collar. Never found out who put it on him.

Put a collar on the cat with a tag that has your number.

Pumpkinseeds

I'd get him neutered for a start, even if the owners turn up at some point puss would thank you for getting him neutered, thus keeping him out of fights and escaping the risk of all the nasties he can pick up from fighting. I suppose the best thing to do is hold on to him and consider him yours if you've done all you can to find his owners. Cats will choose where they live and it may be that he was put outdoors and decided to wander.

I found a cat last year that was hanging around a shopping centre. When I was trying to trap him, as he was limping and filthy, some neighbours in the apartment complex came out to see what I was up to. Turned out the owners had a baby and wouldn't let him indoors any more. Long story short, I saw him a few weeks ago and he's massive and spotlessly clean. Either the owners are looking after him properly or some of the neighbours have adopted him.

amdublin

My cat is an indoor/outdoor cat. And treating this cat the same, so he's got all the chance to "wander" back to his house.

I do want to get him neutered alright. Mentioned it to the vet when had him in to be checked for chip. He has a slight gammy eye as well but the vet doesn't seem concerned with it (think it's a 3rd eyelid thingy??)

Do you think it's bad form to neuter a cat that is not necessarily yours???

Nody

amdublin wrote: »

My cat is an indoor/outdoor cat. And treating this cat the same, so he's got all the chance to "wander" back to his house.

I do want to get him neutered alright. Mentioned it to the vet when had him in to be checked for chip. He has a slight gammy eye as well but the vet doesn't seem concerned with it (think it's a 3rd eyelid thingy??)

Do you think it's bad form to neuter a cat that is not necessarily yours???

No because if their owners thought it was a priced breeding cat it would not be walking around with out chip & collar...

XxMCRxBabyxX

amdublin wrote: »

My cat is an indoor/outdoor cat. And treating this cat the same, so he's got all the chance to "wander" back to his house.

I do want to get him neutered alright. Mentioned it to the vet when had him in to be checked for chip. He has a slight gammy eye as well but the vet doesn't seem concerned with it (think it's a 3rd eyelid thingy??)

Do you think it's bad form to neuter a cat that is not necessarily yours???

I wouldn't be madly impressed if one of my cats came home having had an operation done on them without my knowledge, even if it was meant well.

Does he appear healthy and cared for in general?

I like the note idea that was given. It could help clear things up.

amdublin

Nody wrote: »

No because if their owners thought it was a priced breeding cat it would not be walking around with out chip & collar...

XxMCRxBabyxX wrote: »

I wouldn't be madly impressed if one of my cats came home having had an operation done on them without my knowledge, even if it was meant well.

Does he appear healthy and cared for in general?

I like the note idea that was given. It could help clear things up.

Yes think we will all have two different opinions about it here on boards....

Very well cared for. Apart from the gammy eye (and not being neutered )


Yes might pick up a little cheap collar in Dealz at the weekend.

MrWalsh

Did the vet say how old the cat was?

Very well cared for, sounds like it's someone's cat alright.

amdublin

MrWalsh wrote: »

Did the vet say how old the cat was?

Very well cared for, sounds like it's someone's cat alright.

About a year

Pumpkinseeds

amdublin wrote: »

My cat is an indoor/outdoor cat. And treating this cat the same, so he's got all the chance to "wander" back to his house.

I do want to get him neutered alright. Mentioned it to the vet when had him in to be checked for chip. He has a slight gammy eye as well but the vet doesn't seem concerned with it (think it's a 3rd eyelid thingy??)

Do you think it's bad form to neuter a cat that is not necessarily yours???

No, I don't. We have a chap we found asleep in our garden about 18 months ago. He was in a sorry state and we took him to the vet to scan for a chip. He'd clearly been someones cat but ended up living rough for quite a while, judging by the state of him. We got him neutered anyway and he hung around, he was happy to move in gradually. The way I see it is that everyone who owns a cat or feeds a stray has a duty to the cat to get them neutered/spayed. Lots of people never even consider getting it done.:(

Pumpkinseeds

XxMCRxBabyxX wrote: »

I wouldn't be madly impressed if one of my cats came home having had an operation done on them without my knowledge, even if it was meant well.

Does he appear healthy and cared for in general?

I like the note idea that was given. It could help clear things up.

It's estimated that there are about 1 million homeless cats in Ireland. That could have been avoided if people had their cats spayed/neutered.

XxMCRxBabyxX

Pumpkinseeds wrote: »

It's estimated that there are about 1 million homeless cats in Ireland. That could have been avoided if people had their cats spayed/neutered.

I never said that I was against neutering. Both my boys are neutered themselves. I'm just of the opinion that if this cat does belong to someone else that the decision is (perhaps unfortunately) left up to them. Hopefully amdublin can either find the owners or will end up adopting the cat herself and then he can be neutered.

él statutorio

él statutorio wrote: »

Maybe stick a collar on him with a note and see if anyone responds. If he has a home they'll find the note and maybe give you a call?

Better than nothing...

Definitely this!!

Keep feeding him and loving him as you are! He'll never be "yours", cause he's a cat, you're definitely his though, but you might not be the only person who is his! Our black cat used to disappear from about 9am to 5pm every day and come back bone dry and warm and happy, eating a little then going to sleep. We took him away with us for a week then came back to find his picture stuck to lampposts cause he was "missing"!! When I was a teenager my friend told me they'd been feeding a stray cat, and loving cats so much, I came over to see her stray and see if I could help, it was a great big fat lump of a tom called Muppet who I'd owned for four years. He actually ran away when he saw me - as if he actually knew he was doing wrong?

MrWalsh

amdublin wrote: »

About a year

So he is very well cared for (besides the gammy eye) and not neutered and only about a year old - sounds like he may have started wandering and extending his territory now that he is a "man"

Collar and note is best plan, although neither of mine will wear collars, they just take them off!