Lost kitten, was I wrong.

[timeforacoffeebreak]

I found a kitten on Friday afternoon whilst picking my child up from school. It was in the playground, and as I was about to leave I saw a group of older children picking up and dropping this kitten, then chasing it around the playground.
I ended up picking her up and taking her home. She's no more than 12 weeks old.
I've posted it online on all of the lost cat groups I can, and the local ones I can find. Loads of shares, but nothing.
I've taken her to the vets, they said perfectly healthy little thing, but no chip.
I've put up posters near where I found her and a little around where we live.
She was grubby, and her claws are incredibly worn, and almost black at the tips, but she is very friendly.
My family thinking I was being unreasonable to take her home (we are only a few mins walk away from where I found her) and that essentially I have just stolen somebody else's cat.
But in my opinion, I've saved her from a bad situation, and I'm trying to find her owner. I couldn't have left her there, terrified. And the school is near a very busy main road.
Kittens that young that aren't chipped OR spayed should NOT be out like that!?
We have 2 cats already, so we are able to provide for her for the time being, and if nobody comes forward, we will keep her.
Was I being wrong here? What would you do?

It's very common for them to chip while the cat is under anaesthetic - it's just easier and less traumatic/painful.

Our latest kitten wasn't neutered until six months (vet advice as his balls hadn't dropped, lol) and they chipped him while he was under. We asked about getting him done before, but they said it's just easier to do it while they're already asleep.

100%, or a stray. There are a surprising number of stray cats about, often being fed by well-meaning people who think they have homes elsewhere.

We always have girls so maybe they prefer to chip while we wait for them to get done. 😅 ours is getting chipped next week and I’m on edge about her getting out by accident as it is since she’s a desirable colour and being claimed by a random. It’s a military operation to get the washing on the line. Open plan living 😅

Good on you@timeforacoffeebreak you are absolutely not wrong! Last week, a shelter I help at rescued a stray kitten, only a few months old herself and she had to give birth but was too weak and inexperienced that the babies died as she couldn't open the sacs. She's in a complete mess herself, just a broken little bab, and was literally a kitten herself having babies. If you had left the kitten there, that would be the best case scenario to what could have happened to her.

You did a great thing in my eyes.

I'd mention the cruel behaviour of the children to the school too, unless you know the kids in which case I'd have a word with their parents. You could suggest to the school they might want to get a speaker in from the RSPCA to do an assembly on being kind to animals.

Haha I can imagine, try having one that can't go out while the other two can

I think our vets would have chipped him if I'd insisted, but he was really small (semi feral who'd been abandoned by mum at 5 weeks) so they thought that the least trauma the better, lol.

I had a similar situation.
A ginger cat would turn up at my back door and yowl every night. To start with I would ignore him but after a while I realised that he was skin and bones with knotted unkempt fur. Against advice I started to feed him. I put his details on local lost cat groups and made him a paper collar but I was of the opinion that if he was a pet then his owners didn’t deserve him.
A cat rescue charity came out and confirmed that he was a complete male and chipped but not registered. After a while they agreed to take him. Turned out he was a pedigree Maine Coon but he had a deformed paw. My theory is that he was dumped in the park behind us as he wasn’t worth as much as he could be due to his deformity. He now has a very loving home.

What I’m saying is that if the owners of this kitten are letting her out unchipped, without being neutered and riddled with fleas then they don’t deserve her and I wouldn’t give a second thought to them.

(before and after photos attached.)

You did the right thing op. One of my cats got lost at 1 year old. We put up posters and social media and went looking late at night with the biscuits. A family with kids and cats had taken her in and saw my posts and gave me a call. I'm grateful they did (she was chipped so they would have found us once they'd taken her to the vets which they planned to do).

If the family are looking for her then they'll see the posters and social media d make contact.

@BiscuitlyBoyle oh my goodness, what a handsome boy he is 🥰

Yes, my home 😆

You've done a very kind thing. I wish more people were like you😺

Well, I'm glad the little creature is safe with you :)

OP you didn't do anything wrong. If she really was really only 12 weeks old then she absolutely shouldn't have been out. If it's an accident that she's out then any caring owner would be looking for her desperately. She needs a home either way and if you've taken her to get checked for a chip and you've put shoutouts on social media then there really isn't much more you can do. Enjoy your new family member. It sounds like she's going to have a good life with you

Well done op, you've absolutely done the right thing. If she belonged to anyone, they shouldn't be letting her out anyway.

Cat charities are overrun with kittens at the moment. People not getting their cats neutered, and not being able to care for kittens, is a big problem.

Great answer 😂 the cat distribution system landed on you!

Of course you did the right thing, OP. It may have been different if this had been an adult cat, but no cat owner should be letting a 12 week old kitten out L, and your description of her little claws sounds as though she's been through a traumatic experience. Youve put up posters close to where you found her, posted on social media, and taken her to the vet so I don't think there's any more you can do. I would be inclined to take the posters down in a couple of days. If a kitten of mine had escaped and gone missing at such a young age, I would be frantic and would be searching everywhere, as woukd any responsible pet owner. It sounds as though you've fallen for her, and she's lucky that you e rescued her.

Take them down!

But I'm sure you kept her inside until she could be done.

Isn’t he the most handsome boy. He would have died without being rescued as he can’t hunt with his deformed foot. The rescue had to shave him as his fur was in such a state.

He’s now in a very loving home where he gets his own Christmas stocking and is worshiped.

I've been thinking about this kitten and now think you should remove posters because horrible people who fight their dogs might try to say it belonged to them.

Good for you OP, I would have done exactly the same thing.

What awful children treating an animal in such a brutal way.

You have done a wonderful thing ❤️ now go and take those posters down.

Well done OP. Your families reaction is ridiculous. The kitten was at risk of harm. No way would I have left a kitten out on its own especially with kids chasing it. You have been adopted by a cute kitten so take the poster's down. No responsible kitten owners let's a kitten out at that age. I have had 2 kittens both kept in till 6 months old unless on a lead playing in our fully enclosed back garden with an adult there or my 12 year old. They got out without us once spayed, chipped and fully vaccinated and the weather was good. They also got walked round the block on leads etc to know there house first.

Seriously, I'd be talking to the headteacher to ask them to speak to the children about what to do if they find an abandoned animal. They were being horribly cruel.

Take the posters down now. You tried.
If it was a genuine mistake the owners would have been frantic and you would have heard on grapevine they were looking for her.
If it wasn’t a mistake you have saved her from a hard life of potential neglect- no one in their right mind lets a 12week old out.
If she was born outside then you have also saved her from a hard life and potentially awful death.
You did the right thing.
Go get her chipped and vax and reg to you at vet.
She is lovely