How do I insure a cat that isn’t mine?

[BitCoinBillionaire]

I posted some time ago about a cat that’s been in my garden for ages. Turned out to be a neighbours a road along from me … she lives in a very smelly and disgusting house where she hoards cats and doesn’t neuter them so you can imagine the issues this causes!

Anyway, this one turned up in my garden in June last year, hissing and frightened, with some wounds and un-neutered. Also starving

I discovered she was his owner and I took him back round. I have an older cat and she hated him I wanted him out of my garden. Rinse and repeat this a dozen times … sometimes I would take him back to hers and I’d get home and he was already back in the garden.

I arranged to have him neutered via a local scheme we have with her permission … so that was done. I flea treated him and wormed him. We started to feed him

she sent me a message 4 months ago saying she didn’t want him, would I please stop bringing him back and did I want to keep him!

err no. Don’t want another cat but by this time, my own cat had thawed towards him, he had stopped hissing and was very friendly but still… no. Not really

Felt we didn’t have a choice as she stopped opening her door to me so I said ok we will take him but you’ll need to change his chip over to us.

thing is, the chip is in her adult son’s name and he has learning difficulties and doesn’t know how to change the chip and says he has lost access to the email address he used in the first place. He also ‘can’t be bothered’ to do it

So I’d like to insure him. He’s only 3 so worth doing and he’s bloody well moved in now anyway so advice please? Can I insure him anyway? He’s effectively her son’s cat but they don’t want anything to do with him

any thoughts welcome

Same thing has recently happened to me with the owner who is local saying she didn't want him anymore. Our vet scanned him and reached out to the owner using the contact details registered on the chip database, asking her to confirm she was relinquishing ownership which she did. Vet then gave me the chip number and name of the company (PETtrac) I then went onto their website and put the chip number in, added my details and paid £12. Then did the insurance, don’t think I got asked to add the chip details onto the insurance though. Jasper is very happy to be in his new home, he was covered in ticks and sores when he decided he would like to join our family.

I have reported her to both the RSPCA and the housing association. The house is truly gross and filled with litter trays and large bowls of cat biscuits - both overflowing. It also absolutely stinks - the times I went round , cat basket in hand, to deposit him back with her, I used to feel sorry for leaving him there! ( never had to worry - he’d be back within minutes 😂)

RSPCA not in slightest bit interested … they have food and shelter. She usually has about 5 or 6 and a litter of kittens I’d say.

@SummitWrong that won’t work unfortunately. The chip is registered to her adult son who has learning difficulties and genuinely ‘can’t be bothered’ to do anything. No motivation to do so

You can get the chip number from your vet, go onto the chip site and register to you. We have done this twice in the past to two dogs we rescued. Chip was registered to the rescue, despite emails they never changed the chip so we changed it ourselves. Insurance wise, we have never been asked for the chip number to prove ownership when taking out insurance

She can write the letter and he can sign it

Otherwise, if you change the chip details to your name, they will try to contact the registered owner to confirm chage of ownership. If they dont respond after a specified period of time they will change to your details.

Have you spoken to your local Cats Protection branch? Ours will work collaboratively with hoarding owners like this to treat/neuter/re-home, even providing food, while waiting for a place in rescue/foster.

Yep tell her you may need her / son to confirm transfer, then say i will still have him but any vet bills will be your responsabilty if still in their names.
This happened to me years ago told vrt contacted her and she agreed for us to speak.
she hardley recalled the cat
so i said i need her to text me her agreement, if not cat will stay with me but she will be liable for all vet bills. She agreed straight away

I think I just called the chip company and paid £17 i dont even think they asked about her or proof of agreement ( but if they did i had her name, contact number with the text )

Don't say anything to her about insurance though. You can get it anytime but I would do after transfer if you can wait untill then.

Oh he looks right at home,that expression says ' move me if you dare' 😅he's lovely

How does one prove ownership of a cat? We didn’t even pay for ours.

OMG he is gorgeous 😍

No advice but I just wanted to say that you’re lovely OP, for taking him in even when you didn’t want to. He’s a lucky boy for finding you.

Its complicated to be fair but the main thing would be having it registered under your name at the vets and having proof of purchase/rescue, but the insurance and microchip being in your name helps too.

I insured my cats before they got their microchips, I wasn't asked for microchip details

He’s adorable 🩶🤍 what’s his name? 🐾

Can you take a letter round that says he is happy to relinquish ownership to you and get the son to sign it , that might be enough for the vet .Lovely cat .

What a smart kitty to find a lovely home with you! And you are very good too OP.
Hope it all sorts out easily

You can officially adopt the cat, go on line to
see how it is done.

My dog was abandoned. My lovely neighbour who has much experience with dogs did it all for us. The details of the dog were put on the local and national lost and found dog FB pages (I am not on FB, that is why my neighbour did everything), and if the dog was not claimed after 30 days (which it wasn’t), we had adopted it and could then get it chipped.

Contact a animal charity they should be able to advise you.

@BitCoinBillionaire, the cat is lovely and has already adopted you.

For the last 2 years it's been a legal requirement to have your cat(s) chipped and registered on an approved database by the time they are 20 weeks old. So that is your proof of ownership as well.

i have been in this position. You can apply to change the chip to you and they will write to the address on the chip database and after 28 days (some even less ) if they get no response they will put your name on. I have also when fostering a dog just added my details on. It’s very annoying for owners to find out it’s sort of easy to change a chip if the details are not up to date etc in your case the son isn’t likely to respond . Then you can insure the cat. If you don’t have the chip number find a locsl
scan angel as the number itself is not protected , anyone can buy a scanner or ask the vet to tell you . My vet did but he knew this dog had been terribly abused .

https://www.check-a-chip.co.uk/ When you get the chip number put it in the website and it will tell you which of the 20 odd databases the cat is registered too. If nothing comes up the chip isn’t registered . Then go on the govt website so you choose a genuine database as there are sadly a few scam ones .

@TheDevilWears he is called Dusty. Which we don’t like

so, because he has the colouring of a Great White, he is now called Feargal, after Feargal Sharkey. Or just ‘ Shark’

it suits him as you can see!

And thanks for all the advice everyone! I’m busy at work until end of the week and then I’ll focus on sorting this out

my first point of call is to drop her a message and casually suggest she may want to get on with sorting the chip details out as there’s a vet bill that she will need to pay otherwise … I think this will be effective and quickest route. If that doesn’t work then I’ll explore the other options

and he is very soft and plush now. Last year he had war wounds from fighting and his fur wasn’t nice to touch - and that’s if you could get near him!

this one isn’t particularly impressed though but she’s accepted him as long as he doesn’t come too close - and he doesn’t. She’s the boss.

that was why initially I was adamant he could not hang around our garden. My little cat is quite old , hates all other animals and I didn’t want her being stressed out - hence why I dedicated a lot of time to keep returning him to the house of horrors

He looks very happy indeed OP so well done you.

Came to say this

Your other cat looks deeply unimpressed and he looks great as a shark .