Kitten has welcomed itself into my home!

[dArtagnansCrumpet]

A lovely kitten followed me and DD home from school and as soon as I opened my door it ran in! I let it have a nosey round and DD have a stroke but insisted she had to let it out as its not ours and someone may be looking for it. It has no collar or anything but looks well cared for.

We put it back outside to go out come back its gone. Oh and ds open the door maybe 5 minutes later to go back to the shops and it runs in again. Dd was having supper and it was headbutting and clawing at her bowl. I reluctantly agreed to give it some tuna (which I know is not the best according to Google but that's all I have and it seems starving!).

My dd is head over heels for it, shall I take it to a vet to see if it's chipped? Let it back out and hope it gets bored? It's happily purring sat next to me and dd on the sofa now sigh

I'd be very grateful that someone took the time to love them keep them safe and take them to the vets.

Absolutely this 👍

If one of my cats went missing, what the OP has done would be exactly what I'd want to happen - look after the cat, keep it safe and get the chip checked. OP has done 100% the right thing.

OP...our vet wouldn't chip until he was neutered, so 5 months ish but we never let him out un accompanied (with harness)

We did, well Ernie spotted him, found a little kitten that had escaped on next doors roof, he had come quite a way, so they do travel

Thanks everyone I'm glad the majority think I've done the right thing. I think if I would have shut it outside in such horrible weather when it anything could have happened to it people would have been baying for my blood, I don't think there's pleasing some people! I wonder how he's getting on ill give it a couple of days and see if anyone has enquired.

Yes do pop back and update us 😺

Your dd very clearly has a cat now, you will be the dedicated cat servant and if you have a dog a cat will fit in with no notice.

An unneutered tom could have roamed miles if he has smelled a female in heat.

What's his name?

Yeah im not doubting that people do abadon cats but id assume a cat that is very at home in your house hasnt been living outside for long.

Not necessarily, A friend's cat was the offspring of a feral that lived on a farm, it got to a few months old and decided she was really a house cat and moved herself in.

We watched Horizon 'The secret life of cats' last night. Interesting stuff. It's estimated there are 2 million strays in britain so it's not unusual to come across one. They found that cats aren't emotionally attached to owners, like dogs, but will go where there is food and security. One cat left home when the owners kept having babies and then got a massive dog and obviously didn't try and introduce it slowly. It moved in with a quiet couple across the road.

Put up posters and post on Facebook, op. If no one comes forward assume you've been 'found'. But if you really can't adopt the cat, take it to a shelter who will find a home for it. He's obviously a loving little soul but you need to think about the practicalities. Your dog should be your number one priority, it wouldn't be fair to push him out. If you really want to keep the cat you can introduce them slowly and have a success story... I watch waaaay too many videos of new pets that detest each other at first becoming best buddies 💕

They found that cats aren't emotionally attached to owners, like dogs, but will go where there is food and security

Bollocks! Sorry, I mean - how are they measuring emotional attachment?

I don't doubt that cats go where they're food and security. They're not blindly loyal like dogs.

But that doesn't mean they can't necessarily form emotional attachments. I've had a few cats, and one in particular definitely had an emotional attachments to us. Sure, some cats are aloof, but not all.

My not emotionally attached cat follows me round the house and is often found curled up on my chest like a baby. He shouts til I pick him up and cuddle him.