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The litter tray

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

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Original poster

We have been adopted

57 replies

SummerLovin2022 · 07/01/2022 10:07

Last year my daughters found a kitten stuck up a tree and brought her home. She had a collar and was probably about 5 to 6 months old. I told the girls that they needed to bring the cat back to where they found her and see if somebody was looking for her. As it turns out a a neighbour close to where they found her recognised her and told the girls where she lived. They dropped her back to the garden as there was no answer on the door and the neighbour told them she was always out and about and that she would be fine in the garden. We didn't see her again until last September when she appeared in our garden. The children petted her and gave her some ham and she went on her way. I seen her a few times near our house but she didn't come in. A couple of weeks later she arrived in our back garden. Again we brought her back. This happened all week but she kept coming back. It was very cold one night so we let her in and fed her. We have put notes in the owners door that we have her but have not heard back from them. We are happy to keep her and she seems so happy here. I'm just worried she will go back to her original home and it will devastate the children. She has been with us nearly 4 months now. We wormed her and gave her a flea treatment. She is booked in for top up vaccinations in a couple of weeks. Sometimes I feel like we have stole her but we have tried to bring her back home many times.

OP posts:

BeLessMe · 07/01/2022 10:17

we have tried to bring her back home many times

Yet ensured she would keep coming back to you by feeding her.
Pisses me off immensely when I hear of people stealing other peoples cats in this way.

They may well not be overly bothered but, until you speak to them in person, you don’t know that they’re not. You need to go around and knock on their door one evening when they are in and ask them.

Original poster

SummerLovin2022 · 07/01/2022 10:24

We have brought her back on numerous occasions and left contact details. Nobody answers the door or has been in touch.

OP posts:

Pootles34 · 07/01/2022 10:25

Yes but you keep feeding her - of course she comes back! Bringing her back then feeding her is really counter productive.

Justmuddlingalong · 07/01/2022 10:30

I think the vaccination appointment is really overstepping tbh.

Original poster

SummerLovin2022 · 07/01/2022 10:32

@Pootles34 I get where your coming from. The children were getting quite upset that we kept bringing her back and the owner didn't seem to want her back. If I had spoken to the owner I would have definately not fed her. We only properly fed her after a week of bringing her back home. The children did give her a slice of ham a few weeks previous to this though. I feel really bad now that it looks like we have stolen her. I really didn't know what else to do when it was a cold night and she was bunkering down at our back door for the 8th day in a row and the 8th day of bringing her back.

OP posts:

Original poster

SummerLovin2022 · 07/01/2022 10:34

@Justmuddlingalong, as she is in the house I want to make sure she is healthy. She isn't microchipped and I rang a few of the local vets who had no record of her been reported missing or any record of her at all.

OP posts:

Trisolaris · 07/01/2022 10:40

I think there is overstepping and then just not wanting an animal to suffer. These people know where to go to get their cat back and microchipping is basic responsible pet ownership.

I’ve had cats stolen in the past but they were microchipped and they absolutely knew where we lived - they just decided to trap our outdoor cat in their house!

Original poster

SummerLovin2022 · 07/01/2022 10:44

@Trisolaris, Apart from feeding her after a week we have done everything to give her back. As I said if the owner contacted me I would most certainly never entertained the idea of keeping her. I would have of course respected that it was their cat and continued to return her. However as it seems they don't want her back. My sister even put a post on Facebook just saying that the cat was with us and to contact me.

OP posts:

Beamur · 07/01/2022 10:46

Don't feel bad. You have tried and frankly, I'd say the cat has made it's choice.

Original poster

SummerLovin2022 · 07/01/2022 10:48

@Beamur, thank you.

OP posts:

Trisolaris · 07/01/2022 10:48

I think after four months and several attempts at contact, you have a new cat! Also have you forgotten cardinal rule? Kitty pics?

SalsaLove · 07/01/2022 10:50

She chose your family. I wouldn’t worry.

Original poster

SummerLovin2022 · 07/01/2022 10:52

How do I post pictures? I can't see the paperclip symbol

OP posts:

littlbrowndog · 07/01/2022 10:56

Yeah don’t feel bad. One of my cats. Moves houses every few months.

When he gets bored he moves on. To the next exciting place.

We see him about twice a month when he pops up for 10 minutes

He has had about 12 homes that I know off. Grifter we call him

I have to accept that’s his character and can’t make him stay with us

The vet says they have another cat like that on their books

littlbrowndog · 07/01/2022 10:57

Not saying your wee cat will move on. Didn’t mean that. Just our experience

canarycages · 07/01/2022 10:59

I think it's strange a family would collar a cat and then abandon it. I would keep knocking every day just to see what they have to say about the whole thing (seeing as they haven't contacted you). Tbh anything could have happened. And I wouldn't be feeding any cats you know have homes.

Undecicive · 07/01/2022 10:59

@SalsaLove

She chose your family. I wouldn’t worry.

Absolute bollocks. The cat belongs to someone.

I had a cat that like to wonder, she accompanied us on the school run than spent the whole day in someone's garden, then came home when I picked the kids up. The woman in the house was delighted by the free pet for her son and suggested I may not be treating my cat well.
Yet it was me rushing him to the vet when he went under a car one day on his way to her house.
What next? Taking bikes left in front of the house because 'they were left out'?

Original poster

SummerLovin2022 · 07/01/2022 11:00

@littlbrowndog, he sounds like a character . Cats really are amazing. I'm fully expecting her to move on when our house doesn't suit her anymore. In the meantime just going to keep her safe, fed, warm and loved.

OP posts:

Original poster

SummerLovin2022 · 07/01/2022 11:00

I'm a new user so can't post for 48 hours. I will definately post some pictures as soon as I'm allowed.

OP posts:

Tinsellittis · 07/01/2022 11:01

@Beamur

Don't feel bad. You have tried and frankly, I'd say the cat has made it's choice.

This

Original poster

SummerLovin2022 · 07/01/2022 11:06

I don't know how much more I could have done to get her back to owner. We regularly brought her back and didn't feed her during this time, brought her to the vet to check for a microchip, left my contact details at owners home more than once. Knocked on the door everytime we returned her, rang local vets so see if there was any record of her (neighbour told us cats name),my sister put a post on the local Facebook page saying we had the cat and wanted to return her and to contact me,checked Facebook page for lost cats.

OP posts:

Beamur · 07/01/2022 11:07

I wouldn't go knocking every day. The OP has left notes and tried to contact them. Not all owners of cats look after them properly. Cats aren't stupid.
I have a cat trying to adopt me. He's very sweet but he does have owners. I have been able to speak to them and they know he visits and they're ok with me feeding him. He still goes home most days to visit, but he prefers my garden. I'm not stealing him and his owners knows where he is and that I am keeping an eye on him.

thecatneuterer · 08/01/2022 14:42

The most important thing is to make sure she's neutered. The original owners are obviously not bothered in the slightest. Cats are abandoned all the time! Really it's incredibly common. They haven't replied to notes and they haven't chipped. They don't care.

This also means that they won't have neutered and she will be getting pregnant very soon. You need to get her neutered.

Winniemarysarah · 08/01/2022 14:51

Op I really don’t understand your way of thinking. The majority of cats are allowed to wander. If you find a cat in your garden it doesn’t need ‘giving back’ to its owners, it’ll go back on its own. Even the neighbour told you to just leave it in the garden because it’s fine being out. You KNOW the cat has an owner, you’ve been told exactly where it lives. There could be all sorts of reasons why the owners haven’t answered the door or phoned you, they shouldn’t have to! You can’t take it upon yourself to decide that you’re justified in stealing someone’s pet because it’s been in your garden 8 times and no one at the house where you know it lives has contacted you about it!

fairylightsandwaxmelts · 08/01/2022 14:53

@SummerLovin2022

But I don't understand why you felt the need to do all of those things in the first place.

She doesn't need to keep being returned home - she's a cat, she knows where she lives and she'll find her way back by herself once you stop feeding her and letting her into your house.

Outdoor cats roam and will go to people who feed them and let them in - they're chancers. There's also no evidence that it's badly cared for, unvaccinated or un-neutered.

I look after plenty of outdoor cats who venture into other people's homes, greenhouses and gardens and who will sneak food given the chance. They're not daft and will go wherever there's food and attention on offer.

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