If I find a cat and no one claims it can I keep it?

[Bunnybigears]

We have found a cat dumped in a bag near our house. We actually saw the bag being put there and the man run away. Cat has been checked for a chip and hs a chip but it has no details registered to it. Can we just keep it? Or do we needntonhnd it over to a rescue centre? As long as it gets on with our current pets it is more than welcome to stay but can I really just keep it?

It has been abandoned, so it's unlikely to be claimed. If you can logistically l, then yes. You can keep it.

Gosh there's some horrible people out there! I'm guessing it was his cat and he'd rather do that than take it to a centre. It's lucky you found it - and if it were me I wouldn't hesitate to keep it.

I did. We found a cat abandoned in a pub carpark. Riddled with fleas and very dirty. Advertised her as lost, went into local vets etc. 4 years later she is currently sunbathing in front of the living room window.

I'd share the cat's image with a local rescue like Cats Protection. It could have been stolen and dumped by a vengeful ex, or neighbour, or something.

In those circumstances yes.

I think you have to make “reasonable effort” to find an owner.

Bung a few posters round or post to your local facebook. If no response, you can keep.

I’d be worried it was stolen and then dumped and it does have an owner somewhere.

It’s possible the cat was taken/stolen by a person with malicious intent.

A vile ex getting revenge for example.

Put a photo of it in your local Facebook pets list and found page.

What a shame.

I’d keep it in those circumstances.

If it was a dog you'd have to take it to the dog warden, but I don't believe there's a similar law for cats.

I'd make best efforts to publicise the cat as found, and if no one comes forward keep it.

Yes I have shared in as many places online as possible. When we took the cat to be checked for a chip all the staff and half the waiting room at the vets had already seen the cat on Facebook.

Of course you can just keep it. Get the chip registered to you and book it in for neutering and vaccinations. What a lucky cat that you found it/saw it happen.

Please do share with rescues etc. just in case it was taken maliciously.

Otherwise, enjoy your new cat!

Yes of course you can keep it, lucky cat!

I know it's hard to tell but do these two photos look like the same cat?

Yes, they do look very similar. It’s difficult to tell with black cats though.

I don't think so. They are similar in nose length, but to me, the coat and body seem different. At a guess, I'd say the one on the left looks like quite a large neutered male, long tail, quite muscular - the one on the right, less so, more delicately boned in body and face. I'd also think the one on the right is older, as there's a hint of sun bleaching to the fur.

I'd have either of them though. I love black cats

The one on the right is the one we found, the one on the left is one that has gone missing is a nearby town whose owner contacted me just in case but she has just told me hers is neutered whilst this one most definitely has all his bits and bobs intact.

That's a shame for that owner.

Looks like your first job is to get this one's nads chopped off, though.

There is a chance that he was abducted and dumped by somebody pissed off at him coming in the garden or spraying, but even if that were the case, any owner would have to put up with him coming back sans bollocks.

Getting that done is cheap/sometimes free via Cats Protection vouchers, won't harm him, will extend his lifespan and hey, unless you hear otherwise, you've just got yourself a rather attractive domestic panther, so you need him not to be stinky and shaggy.

If he is staying he is definitely going to be deprived of his knackers. I will give it a week and like you say if someone lays claim to him after that then they will just have to have a bollockless cat back.

Your other animals will find an entire male very hard to get along with. Because they're bigger twats with bollocks attached. And he'll still have the instinct to go out a-shagging and pissing over everything.

I'd get him de-nadded Monday/Tuesday without an ounce of guilt about it. even if there was then an AIBU Somebody Found My Cat and Got Him DeBollocked Without My Consent afterwards

MitziK is having the testicles of someone else's cat chopped off not some sort of criminal offence?!

OP - no it isn't as you have every reason to believe he isn't someone's cat. You saw him dumped, you got him scanned for a chip. No one can possibly take any legal action against you for anything. Just get him done straight away. If someone should claim him (very unlikely) then you've done them (and definitely him) a favour.

Nope. I'd argue it to be a distinct improvement for all concerned.

AFAIK there's no good reason to leave a free range tom cat in possession of its bollocks, so you'll be doing everyone a favour by having them chopped off, even if an owner does crawl out of the woodwork.

Please try hard to find the owner op. My dm cleaned for a well respected chemist. He used to drug neighbourhood dcats and 'relocate' them to keep his dcat happier!
Total bastard imo.