Seemingly homeless cat - how to proceed

[Galliano]

I have my DS who is an adult at home, his girlfriend also lives with her parents about 5 miles away.

A cat has started for the last 3/4 months to be constantly in girlfriend’s garden. They were concerned about cat as it was always there and attached a paper collar to the cat asking for owner to get in touch. A woman nearby then rang and explained she did not own cat but had been feeding it for last 3 years approx. She did not want to own cat as he bullies the cat she does own.

GF’s dad is very opposed to cat, does not allow it in their house and according to DS + GF is threatening to summon cat charity - they are worried this could result in cat being put down.

They have taken the cat to a vet. It was very amenable to this. Vet has confirmed cat is neutered male, not chipped and approx 3-4 years old.

DS is keen to rehouse cat here. DS + GF would own the cat and it would move to the house they are planning on acquiring soonish (they are 24 + 22). I’m not a cat person but DS lives in a self contained annexe in our house so possibly cat could also be contained in that part of the house?

I’m not sure what more we should do. Cat is not remotely feral seeming and looks well fed; this could just be due to lady who has responded to previous contact but he could have another actual owner too. I’m also not sure how we would go about the practicalities of relocating a cat that old and whether he would just return to area of GF’s house as soon as he was let out in garden?

Put a notice out on the local pages before doing anything no chip does not mean it doesn't have an owner

Agree no chip does not mean no owner - I hoped a chip would be found that meant we could track an owner but knew cats aren’t required to be chipped. I will also see if the lady who contacted them has taken any steps herself to track down an owner as obviously once she removed the previous message that was the end of the trail. I really don’t want to inadvertently take someone’s pet!

Pop a photo on social media and on some of the bigger lost pet pages.

But if nobody comes forward, I don't see an issue with your DS keeping the cat in his self-contained part of the house.

Keep the cat.

If the cat is friendly, well fed and happy I don’t see why you think it’s homeless? Cats roam, and befriend new humans, doesn’t mean it needs stealing. By all means do more work to find out if anyone owns it but it sounds like a normal well cared for cat to me.

If the cat is friendly then it's not going to be put down by a cat charity. It will only be the smaller charities that would come out for a healthy stray, and they wouldn't put down.

If you've put a collar on the cat asking for the owner to contact, then the cat doesn't have an owner. You have done your bit in trying to find one.

If you want to take the cat on then he will need to be kept inside for at least three weeks, and preferably a month, in his new home before being let out. That way he should consider the new place home and won't go wandering. Is the new place safe from point of view of busy roads etc? Can he easily be contained for a month? This will mean keeping windows closed and being very careful with the door.