Thinking of kidnapping this cat....(semi-lightearted)

[PrincessTeacake]

I've run into this cat three times now in the same area. All three times have been when walking the mindees to and from playschool. I noticed her because she was missing a lot of hair on her neck and had a few crusting-over wounds. The first time I was a bit worried and wanted to take her to the vet, but obviously couldn't with two small children and a buggy in tow. I knocked on the door of the house she was skulking around but no-one was in.

She seems friendly enough, I've seen her again today and her neck seems to be healing, but she was eating something off the ground that I think was a mouse (it was dark, couldn't tell) and she has no collar so still unsure of whether she's a stray or not. No collar but looks to be in good health aside from the neck problem.

AIBU to try and catch her for a vet visit? If I see her again. There never seems to be anyone in the house she skulks around.

My cat is currently missing and I would be very upset if somebody just took him in thinking he was a stray. He is microchipped, but missing his collar because we found it.

Take all found cats to the vets to find out if they are microchipped and at least record that you've found the cat at the vets and the animal shelters because somebody might be searching for it.

I'm heartbroken about my cat - never assume that all tatty looking cats are strays. Cats do wander off or become lost or displaced.

Worra - if she has owners she is still living with and they let it get so bad that she's losing fur then they are falling down on the job, to put it mildly.

Mine has a flea allergy, it took about a year for her fur to come back. She is deflead regularly but if I'm a day or two late she pulls out lumps of fur.

OP have you done the paper collar thing yet?

I would ask around to see if anyone knows who she belongs too. If nobody knows then take her to the vet and see if she is microchipped.

If you can't find out who she belings to then you ncould take her home but maybe put a notice up saying you have found a cat.

If after all that no-one claims her I think you can safely keep her.

Let us know what happens

I have a very well cared for, very greedy moggy who is being fed by half the neighourhood and it drives me crazy. He's a greedy bugger so people take pity on him and feed him, which he wolfs down. Then he goes to the next house and does the same thing. He's like a barrel with legs! I keep putting collars on him and he comes back latee on without them. He is microchipped though.

Keep an eye on the cat by all means but leave her be. She might belong to a little old lady and could be the only company she gets.

I'd be careful. Near me there were posters about an apparently stray cat that had been found and then a week later another poster about the same cat asking people not to pick up the cat, it comes from a loving home etc etc but due to age and health issues doesn't look tip top and that the cat likes to wander.

My cat alway loses collars so we've given up on them. She is micro-chipped though.

I'd keep an eye on this cat. However, if her neck seems to be healing maybe she is looked after.

By all means get the cat checked for a micro chip but don't just take it. If it's getting better then it must be receiving treatment and is being looked after. If not micro chip is found but it's healthy enough then let it go if not them put found posters up all over to see if the owner comes forward and then go from there. It's incredibly distressing when a pet goes missing.

I have only read the main post - so sorry if more has been said. Just wanted to give me story on a similar situation anyway really.

There was a cat that kept lingering around my garden. Im cat mad and so went out to stroke her. She was nice and friendly, but i was shocked at how much i could feel her bones!
She was dehydrated also.
I let her in and gave her some food. She had a collar on.

I let her back out and everyday after she kept coming back. So i kept feeding her.
She seemed to be gaining weight, and looking healthier.
I was so close, and i mean so close to letting her in and keeping the door closed the next time she came.

Only the next time she came - she had shaved fur.
She had had an op on her stomach.

It really made me concerned then that maybe i was feeding what could have been an already ill cat.
Maybe my feeding her was making her worse, not better.

Just because they seem unwell and not looked after - doesnt always mean that is the case.

And it’s probably this reluctance to do anything about any cat that looks as though it might be ill or stray in case it belongs to someone that sees so many cats come into our rescue at death’s door. Those who saw it during the many months it must have taken to get into that state either didn’t care or were worried to interfere with a cat that might have an owner.

And it’s probably also why when suspected stray cats are brought into us (usually very thin and in a bad way) and we find a chip and speak to the owner, it often transpires that the cat in fact disappeared months or even years earlier.

All owners would I’m sure prefer people to get any cat they are concerned about scanned for a chip, as that way, if their pet is lost, they will be reunited with it much sooner and with less distress to both cat and owner. And if after contacting the owners it turns out that the cat isn’t stray and is receiving treatment then that’s fine. I’m sure the owners would appreciate the concern.

And to anyone saying ‘I would hate it if someone took my cat – leave it alone’, well as long as your cat is chipped there will be no harm done. And if your cat isn’t chipped then you only have yourself to blame if someone thinks it must be stray.

Responsiible owners chip their pets. Responsible people take any animal they are worried about to be scanned for a chip.

I wouldn't take the cat home. We never put collars on cats. My dad is a retired vet and they had a cat with a collar who got caught on something and strangled itself.

As others have said cats eat mice, it doesn't mean that they are not being fed.

Put a note through the door? Maybe it has no collar due to the wound? My cat is a fighter, spends much time outdoirs and has a severe flea allergy. If he gets a flea bite we know about it for weeks - scratching sore bald bits. He fights neighbouring cats off and once developed a most grotesque abcess on his face which couldn't be seen til it burst in spectacular fashion (he is long haired)

What i'm trying to say is it may be well loved and looked after. Don't just nap it!

No, don't just nap it. Take it to a vet to see if it has a microchip. If it doesn't then you can't assume it's well loved and well looked after. If it does then you can either put your mind at rest or you can be responsible for reuniting a lost cat with it's owners.

Yes, nottalotta and Primrose123, collars are generally a bad idea, but responsible owners get their cats chipped.

What's wrong with taking it to find out if it's chipped?