Please advise - have I done the right thing?

[MontyPickles]

Hi All,

I always look for advice on mumsnet, but have never started my own thread so here I go!

Over the past few weeks a young looking cat appeared in our garden & in our neighbours garden. He would be there all hours & all weathers just crying incessantly, for hours at a time. We have a lot of cats knocking about in our garden (terraced street) but I hadn't seen him before.

Yesterday, I decided to take him to the vet to see if he was chipped as he was getting increasingly bold in trying to get into the house.

Turns out he isn't chipped, and is only about 4-5 months old.

The vet said that being so young he was probably lost as he shouldn't be outside yet, and that being un-neutered he was at risk of getting into fights with other cats (he has been, I've seen it). They said they couldn't see any cats matching his description reported as lost in the area and that we should either take him to the local rescue centre or keep him for a few weeks and see if his owner comes forward.

So that's what we have done, and he's very happy and calm now he is inside (not litter trained though!) I've posted him on all the local FB sites, hoping that someone recognises him.

He is a really lovely, affectionate cat so I feel like he must have a home somewhere and that makes me think that I've done the wrong thing in taking him in, and that I'd be better off putting him back outside hoping that he makes his own way home.

Any advice would be much appreciated. Trying to do the right thing but just worried I haven't!

Keep him! Love him, care for him. IF he's got an owner, they ought to have had him chipped. Has he been neutered? If not, arrange to get that done, or he'll get into fights with other males, will be reproducing, and he'll spray around your home. Please DON'T put him back outside.

Has several cats over 40-odd years, all of them rescues or strays

This is pretty much how one of my two came to me - he turned up in the garden one day, I stroked him for a bit, then he just refused to leave. I kept him outside for a while, but he just set up camp on the doormat... I asked around, posted of FB, contacted vets and rescues, but to no avail, he'd decided I was his person and that was that.

He did look very much like an old entire Tom that roamed the area at the time, so I suspect he was the father and that the owners of the mother weren't bothered that he'd wandered off.

A tip - cats protection will issue a voucher towards neutering if you tell them you've taken in a stray.

Aww, well done ❤️

Being people-friendly and not litter-trained is very unusual, almost all cats who've lived in houses will choose a tray for toileting. Hopefully it won't take him long to work it out 🤞🏼Try providing a couple of large uncovered trays with different types of litter in each.

Definitely done the right thing... Although here in the litter tray, not posting a picture of the little cutie is a terrible crime....

Keep him, loved lost cats are looked for.

If anyone comes forward they need to have photos so it he isn’t used as live dog fighting bait.

Either keep him or take him back to the rescue centre for rehoming. If he’s friendly and came back to yours repeatedly then it’s possible he wandered away from a house that wasn’t nice enough to go back to or that he wandered so far it’s unlikely you’ll ever find it. We accidentally adopted one who walked in like he owned the place and never left for 14 years! Turned out he was a rescue who had been repeatedly locked in with a dog and three other cats (DEFINITELY an only cat) and one day he just decided that he wanted a new home. The owner lived in the village and didn’t care, once we’d worked out what had gone on.

You have been adopted by him.

You could try putting a paper collar on him with a note and your number to see if you get a response.

You've tried your best to find his owner. Get him snipped and chipped and he's all yours.!

Agreed. Photos are compulsory. Welcome to the Litter tray op. We are all a bit cat mad.....

Congratulations on your new cat

Little tip for the litter issue, try putting soil from the garden in the tray. That may encourage him to go there, and you can slowly replace it over time as he gets used to going there. Plus he may be uber fussy about how clean the tray is - a friend has a cat who won't use a tray if it has a single poo or wee in it, she has to have multiple trays around the house just in case!

Our cat came to us in a similar situation, except he was handed in to the vets and we adopted him from there. I did worry for a while that we might have taken someone’s much loved pet. But he wasn’t neutered or chipped and the vet did put posters up.

He’s such a love bug and homebody now I find it hard to believe he was ever a stray and wonder if the people who handed him in were actually his owners and had got bored. Whatever happened, there was no way of finding his original owners and we adore him.

If yours won’t use a litter tray it doesn’t sound like a loved kitten that has escaped to me.

Thank you so much everyone - feeling much better and less like we've just stolen a cat now!

Loving the stories of cats adopting people and just deciding that your house is now their house 😂

We are all cat fans in this family, but haven't had one since our old boy died 18 months ago - so if no one claims him we will keep him. I'll keep posting him on local FB, vets etc and if no one gets in touch after a few weeks we'll get him chipped and neutered.

The tip about the voucher from Cats protection is really helpful, thank you. Had no idea that was a thing.

Will try putting some soil in his tray too, see if that encourages him to use it!

Requested photo attached 🙂

Just get in touch with all the local vets and rescues , post on FB and then in a couple of weeks you will likely have a new cat . Congratulations . He looks very distinctive .

Aww he is very cute!! Have you named him??

The soil worked! 🙌 he did a wee in there overnight! Thank you

No name yet, we have young children and trying to avoid them getting too attached just in case someone turns up. Not sure it's working though as they are totally in love with him (he seems totally unfazed by this!) so I'm sure he'll end up with a name very soon 😀

Lucky he’s so distinctive, a tabby is a tabby but he’s got distinct marking you can identify on a photo.

B&W cats are affectionate ime.

Oh, he's a lovely boy. And he's lucky to have found you. I hope you keep him.

Ahhh he is lovely and such a distinctive boy .

The Vet said “rescue”. Or “keep him till his owners turn up”. ( Well I think you are now the owner) 😸

You couldn’t put that little boy into Rescue could you…….?

Can I suggest.

Magpie
Jigsaw
Pingu

as names

I like Brock which I think is Welsh for Badger. And a character in Pokémon

You could name him after a B&W movie star!