To think you can't steal a cat?

[brasty]

This is in reference to a conversation with a friend. As long as the cat has access to outside, I don't think anyone can steal your cat. Your cat may decide though to live elsewhere, because of better food, because it is quieter, or some other preference.

Why would any one want to steal a cat though?

Surely there are enough cats to go round...?

(But I a not fond of cats so may be missing something here!)

Legally you can't steal a cat. Years ago one of my cats went to live with the neighbours. They were home all day and gave him more expensive food. Fair play to him - I have too much respect for cats to pretend that I could ever 'own' one.

My brother caught someone walking off down the road with our cat and chased him until he dropped our cat. So yes you can steal a cat.

As cats are regarded as property in law, then they can be stolen the same as any other possession.

I read one of those links posted which said that you can legally steal a cat. But you have to prove intention.If a cat is free to come and go, but who is fed and sleeps in someone else's house, then proving intention to steal is almost impossible.

Sorry if has already been posted by someone. If you adopt a cat from a reputable agency (RSPCA etc)! They do a home visit and check to make sure potential owners are responsible and around during the day. Some people though buy a kitten and then quickly get bored when it becomes a cat. They work and the cat is chucked out all day. Not surprisingly the cat often looks for new people.
It can be difficult to tell if a cat is a stray or just neglected.
The well cared for cats do not cry outside your door at midnight on a cold winters evening. The RSPCA advises that cats are kept in over night.
A poster compared cats to children. Neglect is the hardest form of abuse to prove.

Thank goodness quite a few people have posted links to proof that you cannot just STEAL a cat.

re @brasty

I read one of those links posted which said that you can legally steal a cat. But you have to prove intention.If a cat is free to come and go, but who is fed and sleeps in someone else's house, then proving intention to steal is almost impossible.

Please stop spouting crap.

My elderly parents feed other cats, although do not want another cat themselves.

Seems like thoughtless and irresponsible behaviour runs in your family.

Yes you can steal a cat and it is a crime, a pet is property. I have two pedigree house cats, who do escape from time to time. They cost 400 each, I spend a lot of money on premium cat food as well as paying their vet bills so if either car ended up in someone else's house (eating cheap cat food) I would count that as theft.

Cats are very "homey".

If they move on, they really don't like it at Mamas!

Its too noisy, the kids torment them, not enough food, blah blah.

Let 'em move on!

Thats different from taking them in your car though, because they're pedigrees etc. obviously. Thats stealing.

It's still stealing, even if they're not 'pedigree!'

Bingbong

Bratty is perfectly correct. To have a theft the thief must have the intention to permanently deprive the owner.

Did you learn your law from the Beano?

"etc" includes that, Bingbong. Its just that most people wouldn't take an average tabby on the street in their car.

Talk about deliberaately misconstruing a point, but i guess it makes you feel good .

Sorry, sp Brasty.

@VeniVidiWeeWee

did you learn that law from the beano

PMSL? How old are you, 6? It's anywhere you look that you cannot just STEAL things from people sweetie. Please do look it up. Educate yourself.

Bratty is perfectly correct. To have a theft the thief must have the intention to permanently deprive the owner.

What a load of shit.

So go take a grand from a till at Morrisons tomorrow, and pop it in your handbag and take it home.

I am sure the bank and the police will believe you when you say you never intended to keep it, and were going to take it back in a few weeks.

Yeah you won't be arrested and go to court and have a criminal record or anything.

Jeeez!

The worrying thing is that some people believe the shit they're spouting.

What's more brasty was talking about STEALING and KEEPING the cat.

Do try to keep up dear.

Give a cat what it wants and there’s no problem. But if you don’t, it will find someone else who will. Be more cat, I say

It’s because cats do roam that it would be very difficult to prove theft, meaning intention to deprive permanently of said cat. I can’t see how you would ever prove that intention, as cats go where they please.

Bingbong

Educate yourself hun.

The offence of theft is set out in s.1(1) Theft Act 1968 which provides that a person is guilty of theft if they dishonestly appropriate property belonging to another with the intention to permanently deprive the other of it. Ss 2-6 of the Theft Act 1968provide definitions of each of the elements of theft. S. 7 sets out the maximum penalty for theft of 7 years.

It is proving the - permanently deprive.

@Mitten1969

It’s because cats do roam that it would be very difficult to prove theft, meaning intention to deprive permanently of said cat. I can’t see how you would ever prove that intention, as cats go where they please.

Are you being deliberately obtuse and pedantic?

SOME people (responsible cat owners!) have a microchip for their cats, which shows the cat is registered to them, AT THEIR ADDRESS, and they often have documentation proving ownership. I got my cats from the cats protection league, and still have the paperwork that proves they are mine. They are also registered with a vet at MY ADDRESS. The cats are insured in MY NAME and MY ADDRESS. And I pay the monthly premium.

All the vet treatment; neutering, spaying, flea drops, worming tablets, twice yearly check ups, yearly inoculations, dental check ups, several medical procedures.... have a guess who pays for all this? ME. And have a guess who pays for their food... ME.

As I said earlier, I would call the POLICE if someone tried to steal MY CATS. And they would be on MY SIDE. As taking/stealing someones possession is breaking the law.

What part of this are people not getting?!

YOU. CANNOT. JUST. TAKE. SOMEONE'S. CAT. AND. KEEP. IT.

IT.

IS.

THEFT.

READ, and educate yourself.

www.pets4homes.co.uk/pet-advice/your-pets-and-the-law.html

I am sure no-one can be this dumb. People HAVE to be taking the piss.

No you don't understand. If a neighbour feeds your cat and your cat sleeps there, but it still goes out every day, you cannot prove they are trying to permanently deprive you of your cat.

Animal welfare act 2006.

www.pets4homes.co.uk/pet-advice/your-pets-and-the-law.html

@venividiweewee

Educate yourself dearie.

The Theft Act of 1968 covers companion animals, and if your cat or dog is stolen then you have the same legal rights of recourse as you would if anything else you owned was illegally taken. In an instance where an animal is lost or strays, the pet is still considered to be the property of the original owner, and anyone who finds a lost pet must make reasonable endeavours to do everything possible to locate the original owner and return their pet to them before any provision for permanent re-homing can occur.

You cannot STEAL anyone's cat.

Got it?

HUN.

@brasty stop changing what you are saying to suit. It's not making you look good.

okay, you don't understand how law actually works

Of course you can steal a cat. My last house we had awful problems of multiple neighbours taking my cat in and feeding her things like cooked chicken, tuna, milk - so of course she kept returning to them. I spoke to the neighbours endless times but they genuinely seemed to think she just especially "liked" them. No she fucking likes chicken and tuna.

The house before that she went missing for 48 hours then she came home wearing a new collar with a (male) name tag on!
Like pp she lost the collars I gave her all the time but she was microchipped and clearly not a stray. I worked out which neighbour it was, she didn't see why I was upset but agreed to stop feeding her and later that day brought round loads of top of the range wet food and cat milk she had got her. I asked why she hadn't gone to a vet to check for a chip and she said she planned to eventually

My new house there are less neighbours.
She goes in my next door neighbours house but they are lovely, totally understand that I don't want her to be fed. If anything in that situation I'm more embarrassed that she lets herself in but they don't mind so it's ok.

If a cat comes in through your cat flap and eats your cat's food then that's one thing, though I think they should be discouraged there may not be much you can do. However if you invite them in and feed them treats and cuddle them then yes, you are stealing a cat. Feeding other people's cats is a real bug bear of mine. So many people think it's fine

It's basically trying to have the nice part of pet ownership with none of the responsibility. It's so selfish.

Sorry Bingbong. I think the Beano would be too intellectually rigorous for you. A cat is property and can be stolen. It really isn't.difficult if you READ THE ACT.