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Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

Becoming a lost cat's owner

51 replies

SweetLittleCat · 29/11/2021 13:13

I've NC'd as I've talked to people about this irl.

Around a week ago my friend found a young cat late at night and beside a very busy road. She took it home to keep it safe and to post on SM to try to find its owners. The post was shared many times to different local group and lost pet groups by a few of the local 'cat people'.

A day or so later, with no one having come forward to claim the cat my friend took it to the vet to check for a microchip. The vet confirmed that the cat had no microchip and was not neutered. He is around 5 months old and in very good health. He was also wearing a collar with no id tag.

My friend, having older cats at home said she was struggling to look after him so I offered to take the cat in until the owner was found.

After having him for a few days we are of course all in love with him, she has settled straight in, has a very sweet nature and is not nervous of our DC (who are very good with him too). We are of course still trying to find his owners but do think it's strange that no one has come forward so far.

It's obviously still early days and his owner may still come forward but we're thinking about what happens next. We would be delighted to be able to keep him but are not sure about how this could work and if he could ever be considered 'ours'. He will need to go outside (although hasn't attempted to try to get outside yet) but obviously can't do that until he's neutered (and microchipped) but we obviously can't neuter and microchip someone else's cat!

I've googled but couldn't really find anything relevant to this situation. I'd be grateful if anyone could advise or if anyone has any suggestions or guesses to the situation of where he may have come from (I appreciate it's hard without a crystal ball though!)

Thank you.

OP posts:
Cloudyzebra · 29/11/2021 18:53

I really think a healthy looking kitten with a collar will have a home somewhere. At 5 months they wouldn't normally be chipped and neutered so that means nothing. Not everyone has Facebook, and it is easy to miss posters etc if the kitten has travelled a distance from home. I really would not assume it is unwanted.

icedcoffees · 29/11/2021 19:01

@Cloudyzebra

I really think a healthy looking kitten with a collar will have a home somewhere. At 5 months they wouldn't normally be chipped and neutered so that means nothing. Not everyone has Facebook, and it is easy to miss posters etc if the kitten has travelled a distance from home. I really would not assume it is unwanted.
Exactly.

Cats can wander surprising distances and a cat with a collar clearly has a home somewhere. I actually think it's really irresponsible of some posters to basically tell OP to keep it (and get it chipped and neutered) without doing any further checks.

Confusedcatlady1 · 29/11/2021 21:23

I had a stray cat turn up at my door and ignored it for a while because I didn’t want to feed another person’s cat but he was crying a lot and I fed him, he was not chipped nor neutered and fortunately our local cat rescue (Celia Hammond) took him in. I thought that if a local person had lost their cat they would definitely look on the CH website! But he wasn’t claimed and I asked to take him back after 2 weeks - I didn’t want to risk taking somebody else’s cat initially but he was homeless and needed a home.

When I registered him at my local vets the vet said it is quite common for people to move away and leave their pets behind. On reflection I think this happened with my cat- he was so anxious if I closed the garden door that he wouldn’t be let back in again and he followed me around the house for months until he realised that he was here to stay and I wasn’t abandoning him (it took some getting used to having a cat try to sit on my lap when I was on the loo or sleep on the bath mat whilst I was in the shower 😂) but we realised that he needed reassuring and he settled down in the end. I’m so glad I took him in because he’s given us so much pleasure.

thecatneuterer · 03/12/2021 18:31

@Confusedcatlady1 I'm with the Canning Town branch of Celia Hammonds. I'm glad you helped that boy.

We get multiple reports a day (not an exaggeration) of cats that have been left behind when people move. I picked one up a few days ago who has just been neutered today. He had been living with his owner in house share. His owner moved out and left him behind. The remaining housemates didn't feed him and put him out in the garden (as witnessed and investigated by a neighbour). Then, when he wouldn't leave the garden after a number of days without food, they threw a bucket of water over him, when the temperature was below freezing, to make him go away. The neighbour took him in and called us. And he is just one of probably thousands of cats thrown out/left behind.

Unless people are involved in rescue they don't realise just how many strays and ferals there are - in London there are probably more than there are owned cats (not a made up statistic - a welfare organisation did a study once).

Fluffycloudland77 · 05/12/2021 18:39

What cunts, you can kill an animal doing that in this weather.

Special place in hell for them.

Original poster
SweetLittleCat · 15/01/2022 18:48

Thank you all so much for your advice, particularly @thecatneuterer, just wanted to update.

Our vet was more than happy that we had made extensive efforts to find his owners and was delighted that responsible owners like us (as they knew from our previous cats) wanted to keep him. We've had him chipped and neutered and he is now officially part of the family 😃

OP posts:
Original poster
SweetLittleCat · 15/01/2022 19:10

Picture of the naughty pussy cat 🐱

Becoming a lost cat's owner
OP posts:
Mistressofnone · 15/01/2022 23:28

What a happy cat! Love the cow print markings 😻 Isn't it lovely to see them warm and healthy when you think what they have been through. And a bonus when they turn out to be lap cats!

I've had a very similar thread running over the last few weeks. Our stray turned out to be chipped with owners, but had been missing for what has now transpired to be 6-7 months! But it had a happy ending for all of us.

AwkwardPaws27 · 15/01/2022 23:57

Snap!
He's gorgeous. This is our similarly marked (neutered, microchipped and currently snoozing in his bed) rescue cat.
Well done for persevering with the search & giving your lad a good home.

Becoming a lost cat's owner
SpringDaisies · 18/01/2022 03:27

Congratulations! I hope you will be very happy together.

I got my fellow from a Shelter a few months ago. They need to wait 8 days for him to be confirmed ‘abandoned’ before they can offer them for rehoming, however they told me that 99% of non-chipped and non-neutered cats aren’t ever claimed - even those with collars or that look healthy. Of the 1% that are claimed, the owner often balks at having to pay a fee to the Shelter to recover him, and then just surrenders them on the spot.

Whilst locations can be different, this has made me realise that if everyone on this Forum had a missing cat, it would be chipped and neutered, they would advertise for them, go door to door etc. We put those feelings onto another person, whereas in reality, the cat doesn’t really have a good home and whilst people should certainly look for their owners, starting a nationwide campaign isn’t necessary.

Rhannion · 18/01/2022 04:11

[quote thecatneuterer]@Confusedcatlady1 I'm with the Canning Town branch of Celia Hammonds. I'm glad you helped that boy.

We get multiple reports a day (not an exaggeration) of cats that have been left behind when people move. I picked one up a few days ago who has just been neutered today. He had been living with his owner in house share. His owner moved out and left him behind. The remaining housemates didn't feed him and put him out in the garden (as witnessed and investigated by a neighbour). Then, when he wouldn't leave the garden after a number of days without food, they threw a bucket of water over him, when the temperature was below freezing, to make him go away. The neighbour took him in and called us. And he is just one of probably thousands of cats thrown out/left behind.

Unless people are involved in rescue they don't realise just how many strays and ferals there are - in London there are probably more than there are owned cats (not a made up statistic - a welfare organisation did a study once).[/quote]
That’s bloody disgusting, heartless bastards poor cat. I’d throw cold water over them! Thank goodness for you. I hope the cat has a warm loving home now.

Rhannion · 18/01/2022 04:12

@SweetLittleCat

Thank you all so much for your advice, particularly *@thecatneuterer*, just wanted to update.

Our vet was more than happy that we had made extensive efforts to find his owners and was delighted that responsible owners like us (as they knew from our previous cats) wanted to keep him. We've had him chipped and neutered and he is now officially part of the family 😃

That’s lovely news 🐈
MyQuietPlace · 18/01/2022 08:25

if your cat has an owner, it's an irresponsible one for not having him neutered or chipped. I say keep him, love him, get him done, have him chipped with your address, and enjoy having him in your family. He's lucky to have found you.

MyQuietPlace · 18/01/2022 08:26

Only just seen that he's now an official member of your family and he's been done etc. Congratulations, hope you have many happy years with him.

thecatneuterer · 18/01/2022 11:29

That's great OP. It's so lovely that you helped him.

thecatneuterer · 18/01/2022 11:33

@Rhannion He is still waiting for his forever home: www.celiahammond.org/canning-town/index.php/animals-needing-homes/canning-town-london/8-animals-needing-homes/2429-sirius

Mia184 · 18/01/2022 12:23

@thecatneuterer I had a look around on the CH website and I do hope that Rosie finds a home soon.

thecatneuterer · 18/01/2022 13:57

@Mia184 I don't know Rosie and can't find her on the website ...

Rhannion · 18/01/2022 14:26

[quote thecatneuterer]@Rhannion He is still waiting for his forever home: www.celiahammond.org/canning-town/index.php/animals-needing-homes/canning-town-london/8-animals-needing-homes/2429-sirius[/quote]
What a beautiful boy he is.

thecatneuterer · 18/01/2022 17:18

Oh yes. I'm obviously going blind. Yes, poor girl.

Rhannion · 18/01/2022 21:30

Lots of beautiful cats on the website. Wish I could give one or two a home, but it’s just not possible at the moment.

timtam23 · 18/01/2022 23:15

OP I am so pleased that things have worked out for you and your little cat.
@thecatneuterer and @Mia184 poor Sirius and poor Rosie, what sad stories they have. I am far too far from CH catchment area, probably just as well as I would be taking in cat after cat

caringcarer · 19/01/2022 00:00

My vet would only neuter my boy cat when he was 6 1/2 months old. Maybe because of lockdown though. I was told to keep him in. He was microchipped at 4 months though when he had final injections. If this cat has a collar you know he belongs to someone. If you continue to put up notices on FB and local shops etc if no one has claimed him by 6 months then get him chipped and neutered and keep him.

caringcarer · 19/01/2022 00:08

Sorry just seen update you re-homed him. Hope all goes well.