Friends cat potentially taken by someone else.

[Violetpuma]

My friend was late in seeing a Facebook post where someone posted a photo of what looks identical to my friend’s cat asking if he belonged to anyone. The post stated the cat was wandering around the shop the last few days which is not too far away from my friend’s house. Someone had posted in the comments stating it was his cat that had been missing for 2 months and collected the cat. My friend’s cat looks identical to the cat posted with distinctive face and body markings and he is a solid boy. Her cat has not come home ever since. He is microchipped.

She messaged the guy asking him if he had picked the cat up and he just said sorry your cat is missing but it he is our cat that has been missing for while and didn’t reply to her question about getting his microchip checked. He told her he lives in another village. After some FB stalking by me I’ve found a photo of his cat and they look nothing like the photos that were posted on FB. Surely after 2 months of being missing they would be low in weight but the photo of the cat shows identical build to my friend’s cat.

She doesn’t want to message the guy again to ask about getting the chip checked and doesn’t know how to word the message without accusing him of taking the wrong cat. Is there anything she can do ? She is devastated.

Surely after 2 months of being missing they would be low in weight

Not necessarily. Our friends cat was missing for several months and came back looking like a tank!

If she thinks her cat has been stolen then cats are seen as property of the owner so the police can step in. As it’s microchipped it would be easy to resolve.

“However, if you suspect that someone has hidden your cat in their home, intending to keep it or a witness saw someone place your cat in a vehicle, then you have a legitimate complaint (a prima facie case)^ that a theft has taken place. You do not have to prove that your cat has been stolen, only that the circumstances of its disappearance give you reasonable grounds to suspect it has been stolen. It is a core function of the Police to investigate acts of theft (to investigate your allegation) and they have the power to arrest a person who they suspect has committed theft and can enter a building to make such an arrest. Having made an arrest, the arresting officer then has the power to search for evidence in relation to that particular offence i.e. your missing cat.
In Plain English this means a cat (as defined by The Theft Act 1968) Is property. Therefore it logically follows, that it can be stolen, so don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.^”
https://thepetdetectives.com/news_and_features/The_Law_on_Stolen_Missing_and_Lost_Cats#:~:text=If%20your%20cat%20is%20lost,a%20theft%20has%20taken%20place.

Thanks, that’s really helpful.

My friend doesn’t know where exactly the guy lives so she couldn’t really give any information to the police except his Facebook page and the village name.

friend should contact the police.

She needs to go to the police if she thinks her cat has been stolen.

If it’s chipped the vet will call you if it’s brought in.

Vets don't routinely scan microchips unfortunately.

They do here. My cat was stolen for several months and returned when the thief finally took her to the vet.

@TomeTome I wish they did, but I've taken mine to the vets regularly over the years and they've never been checked for chips. Neither has the dog.

Admittedly after all these years they know us pretty well, but I've read a lot of stories where people have kept cats for years and the vets have never thought to scan them.

There was a petition recently trying to make it compulsory at every appointment.

My cat’s vet never checks their microchips either when I take them in for their health check. They might do if someone takes it in thinking they are stray though.

My friend is reluctant to go to the police as she doesn’t think they will be able to do anything about it.

If she has proof of ownership (including microchip details) then they should be able to help. Cats are considered property in law.

Thanks. Would she not need to know where the guy lives though?

One thing your friend could do is contact all the vets in that area with a 'missing or stolen' flyer that includes a photo of the cat and the chip info.

She just needs to take the information she has and let the police do the investigating. As PPs have said, cats are considered property by law so she does have redress as her cat will be considered stolen property.

Has she tried going to this village and walking the streets, rattling dreamies and calling for the cat? But yes, if she goes to the police with the guys name, and the village, they will find him.

Collect all the information possible for identification and report to the police.
Also flag all cats details including a photo etc to ALL local vets, so that they can be on the lookout.
Good luck, it is horrible loosing an animal.