Neighbour adopting (stealing?) cat - do I leave alone

[MyrtlethePurpleTurtle]

First time I've posted on this board as I don't have a cat - but here goes.

So there's a cute young cat in our area - without a collar but seemingly healthy and well cared for and friendly (shiny coat, unafraid, rubbing against your legs and curiously sauntering in and out of people's homes).

Young cat seems particularly attracted to one of my neighbours - who I've found out is buying cat food & treats & toys for the cat (she told me) which sort of explains why. I've said to her she shouldn't be doing this as this may stop cat returning to owner.

The cat doesn't have a collar and as neighbour is disabled, I offered a) to put up posters locally with cat's picture on, b) put a paper collar on with a note to contact her, c) wangle into a cat carrier and take to vet for chipping check
d) (an not on social media but suggested local Facebook).

Anyhow, she's now saying the cat is a stray or feral and was starving and so she's taking him in. Because what else was she supposed to do?

Do I just leave well alone now as I've given some advice and suggestions? The cat will be well looked after but I just feel sorry for the real owners of this delightful cat.

Did anyone else panic that this thread was about them? in my defence, i don't feed her, she just comes for cuddles

Lots of cats don’t have collars as they lose them / risk strangulation. So that alone doesn’t mean anything.

what you do depends how much you like the woman??!

the vet point is an important one. I know they are talking about bringing in a law about scanning all new pets.
theres also the issue about vets bills, authorising treatment etc and if there’s anything already wrong with the cat that it has medication for.

Please take the poor cat to the vets to be scanned and reunited with the owners or try to find out who she belongs to.

The cat is not a feral stray if they are sociable and well looked after! Your neighbor can't just decide to keep the cat and you really shouldn't just stand by and allow her to do so.

Definitely should have cat scanned for a chip;the chances are that said cat has loving owners;cats like anyone who's willing to give them food;my cat likes to get into my neighbours house who happily lets him.

Your neighbour probably doesn't want to face the reality that she can't adopt it.

Can you get the cat into your house (tempt it with something smelly if you have to) and then get it to the vet yourself?

It sounds very much like it has an owner.

Unfortunately though, this is the risk you take when you let your cat out to wander - you have no control over what happens to them.

Six dinners Sid...
I would try and find out the owners, mostly to ensure that the cat has no health issues that would be impacted by random feeding.
I don't think there's any harm in cats having friendly homes to visit but luring in healthy cats isn't fair. There are tons in rescues if she wants her own cat.

Cats do what they want. Our next-door neighbour has two cats and one of them always seems to us as a right snooty little madam. However, she leads a dual life. She has been adopted by a family that live around the corner, and when she is near their house she is the sweetest little kitty you ever met. Her 'real' owner knows all about it, and is philosophical. When I was a kid our cat did the same thing. My mother told me an old lady two doors away thought she was 'her' cat. My mother thought it was funny and told me not to say anything to the neighbour.

You really don't need to get the cat scanned for a chip. If he looks healthy and is friendly, he's almost certainly got a home a few doors down and is just out visiting and scrounging an extra dinner.
And most cats don't have collars now - people are more aware of the risks, so they have fallen from fashion.

The responsible thing to do is get it scanned for a chip if you don't know the owner.

Cats around here have been known to end up 10-15 miles from home - and they still look healthy as they're scrounging enough meals, lol.

My cat goes in the neighbours either dude of mine. Obviously I know this because I hear them talking to her.

One side has children. The mum once said my cat was sat on her knee while he ate breakfast the other day. They buy Ham for her. The man has said she waits for him at 5am everyday. Well she will if she knows she will be fed.

The thing is they close the door. Now I have a car that comes into mine lots but I keep the back door wide open. I know his owner.

The child said to me once. This isn't your cat. It's the neighbourhood cat.

It is annoying as I bought her and pay for food and pet bills etc.

If people want a cat they should get one.

Cars are free to roam, are classed as wild animals, as is pointed out on every thread about cat shit in gardens. Our neighbours had several cats spending time with them as their 'owners' were at work all day.

Side*
His*
Cat*
😩

Sorry but I really strongly disagree. Whenever I see a cat, I stop and say hello, but I'm not going to kidnap a happy healthy cat and take it to a vet just because I don't know where it lives. The cat almost certainly does know where it lives and doesn't need any help from me.
Our cats free roam, I'd be fuming if some loon took one to the vet just because they didn't know where it lived.

It's not "kidnapping it" ffs - it's looking out for it's welfare.

I mean, you could "fume" all you like but it's one of the risks you take when you let your pets out to roam unattended imo. People don't know your cat has an owner or that it lives nearby.

Your neighbour isn’t going to change. It’s bloody annoying, but there it is.

It wouldn’t do any harm to take a photo and post it on the local WhatsApp/Facebook. I accept my cats roam and may make friends elsewhere but I would be annoyed if someone fed them or shut them in.

Mine turns up to at least 3 different houses claiming he hasn't been fed for weeks.

In reality I bribe him home with ridiculously posh cat food and he is perfectly capable of feeding himself 5 mice yesterday

I'd try trip to be scanned at the vet and/or paper collar.

Make an anonymous Facebook account and put a picture/description of the cat in any local missing pets groups, if she will not do anything to find the owner.

Ideally get the cat to the vet to be scanned if it is starting to stay 24/7 at a new home.

My cat does not wear a collar, because of the risk of it getting caught.

Is there any cat group in your area where people have mobile scanners?
It might be worth getting the cat scanned in case it does belong to someone.

Yes, cats do what they like but someone may be really missing this cat, and paying insurance for this cat - or it might have no chip or out of date chip, in which case neighbour could crack on.

Even if no chip it would still be best to use local social media, posters and a bit of door knocking before “cracking on”.

Our neighbours have 4 cats.
We have an agreement regarding one of them.
He comes over to our conservatory and my DD pets him.
But he isn't allowed in the rest of the house, and we never feed him or give him treats.

It's not "kidnapping it" ffs - it's looking out for it's welfare.

The only time I've ever taken an unknown cat to a vet was when I found one on the road outside my house bleeding from its mouth. That was an example of looking after a cat's welfare.
We'll have to agree to differ, but to me, picking up a random cat, and taking them off in your car to a vet (both of which experiences many cats find very stressful) just because you don't know who owns it is not looking after a cat's welfare at all.

Also not all cats are chipped...

OP as others have said up-thread, a paper collar is a good first try. But I hope your neighbour isn't intending to keep the cat as an indoor cat. That would certainly prevent it from going back to its real home.

I did once take a friendly healthy cat to the vets for scanning and it turned out to have been missing for 3 weeks from a town 10 miles away. It had been mentioned lots on local groups though with no one knowing who it belonged to. I came down in the morning to it in my kitchen, purring and rubbing round my legs. In my sleepy state I did wonder why my cat was the wrong colour. 🤣