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?

Cats have to be microchipped from 20 weeks now iirc, and that cat looks like it's at or close to that age. In practice, any responsible owner who intended to keep it would have chipped it by now, so I reckon it would be fine to keep it. You definitely did the right thing. I'd report the kids who were tormenting it to the school btw, really crappy behaviour.

I wouldn’t be too harsh on the original owners - if she is only 12 weeks then it’s possible they just haven’t got around to chipping her yet. And if she escaped from a car or something then they could be miles away.

But if you have put posters up and left the kittens details with all the local vets (they usually keep registers of missing/found pets) - then you have done everything you can. Well done on taking care of her I hope someone did the same for my missing cat (she was chipped, but we rang all the local vets, put up reward posters and found nothing 😢 ).

Of COURSE you've done the right thing. I've brought many a lost dog home and found their owners on FB. Pointless leaving animals alone, they would wander and might never be found!!

This. Friends cat escaped from the carrier on the way to the vets for chipping. Horrible couple of weeks when they couldn’t find her.

I had a Siamese cross once that used to do a fabulous job of screaming at passers by convincing them he was a poor neglected abandoned cat. Siamese build so on the thin side and needed special food to keep the weight on. I was lucky no one decided the cat distribution system had chosen them 🙄, but I did have to go and pick him up from the local vets several times when people would take him to be checked. Fortunately the vets knew him well and would not let anyone take him.

I’d leave the posters up longer than 24hrs. My friend lost her young cat. It got out of her garden by squeezing through a tiny gap. She spent days looking round her road and the nearby road, knocking on doors, asking people to look in their sheds and garden, etc.

She was eventually contacted by the relative of a woman who basically took her kitten. This woman lived a far way away and not somewhere she’d have looked for the kitten.

Now, obviously you didn’t purposely steal this kitten - you saved it from the children. However, please do give its owner a proper chance to find it. Keep the posters up; keep asking on social media, etc.

Well done, you 100% did the right thing. She's way too young to be out alone and if she has been missing a while her owners would have posters up everywhere if they were bothered.

The cat distribution system is real, don't try to fight it 😁

Shoot me down, but I’d give it a few days minimum. I lost my adult cat when we moved, flatmate let him out. Took me 2 weeks to find him. I was devastated. He was extremely pretty, people stopped me in the street to tell me if we were outside. I was ecstatic to have someone call me to say they could see him but he wouldn’t come down off a high wall. I managed to get him, I’d have been devastated had someone taken him.

Yes we have other cats too 😅 we have a catio but tend to use that mostly during nesting season plus it’s colder so the cats don’t mind all staying in. Right now the older ones are making the most of any of the warm sunny days. So little missy keeps trying to tag along behind while I’m stood playing security. Like your names not on the list your not going though 🤣

I think general rule is a few days to a week of trying to find the owners before you can try and claim she’s not wanted/abandoned.

Comfort is her aim and she ain't goin' nowhere.

She's 😍

She’s beautiful! Nobody’s claimed her so keep her with a clear conscience. You’ll give her a good home and she’ll be loved. Got my blessing, anyway!

Does she have a name yet??

I really would talk to the school, those kids need to be taught better, a stern assembly needed. Feel fuckers. Keep the kitten x

If you're really concerned you could try looking here, on the off chance she's a long way from home:

https://www.nationalpetregister.org/mp.php?pt=Cat

(I had a quick look and couldn't see any cat that looked like her).

She’s lovely. It definitely looks like she has her paws under the table already!

So cute 🩷🩷🩷

You did exactly the right thing. I hope she stays with you.

Such a young cat should not be out. If it is owned then someone has been very stupid/careless. Kittens sounds much better off with you

I know this is not what you asked but I’m revolted at children mistreating a kitten. I hope you are planning to inform school as there’s something very wrong there.

I think it’s fine to keep her if her family don’t come forward, but imagine how devastated they might be if she had a loving home but somehow got lost. I am a bit paranoid as I have a well loved (adult) cat who refuses his collar and is incredibly handsome. Working from home I’ve watched neighbours entice him into their house with PLATEs of dreamies not to mention the kindly grandma on our old road who bought sides of salmon to feed him! No wonder he’s been getting tubby!