Found a cat - what to do?

competitionscafe

Well, the cat sort of found me......., I live in a rented place which has a front door with a cat flap which I leave unopened as my letterbox is tiny so the postman uses it for small parcels and large letters. (I don't have a cat).

The other night I heard a noise and there was a cat who had come through the cat flap and sat outside the glass inner door miaowing. I opened the door and the cat came inside had a good look around and then went to sleep on one of the chairs.

I asssumed it was one of the neighbours cats although I don't recognise it and it has no collar or anything. Anway, after a few hours it went back out through the cat flap so I assumed it had gone back home. However after a couple of days it came back and has been doing so regularly since then. I did go and buy some food and feed it as it toppled the kitchen bin over and started eating the contents, so i guess it was hungry. Also gave it water but it doesn't drink any.

Now the cat has sort of moved in - I could lock the catflap (did this a few times and after sitting outside for a while it goes away but always comes back). However I feel bad locking it out in case it has nowhere else to go and some harm comes to it.
When it first started coming it was sneezing a lot but that seems to be only occassional now. It sleeps most of the time, goes away for a few hours and then comes back. It seems fairly healthy apart from the (now occassional) sneezing.

I have looked around for posters to see if there is one for a lost cat but have not seen any. Also looked on gumtree and any other websites I could find but nothing there either. Any ideas what to do next - should I contact local vets, cats protection etc? And what should I say? I don't want to give it to a rescue centre if it's going to be put down if it's not rehomed or owner found after a certain time? But it's not my cat so either someone has abandoned it or it left it's owner for some reason?

orlao

On Monday, you could ring your local Cats Protection League and see if anyones reported it missing, they should also be able to give you a paper collar that you can put on the cat wih a message asking if it has another home so that the owners can call you........it's not unusual for cats to have more than one home especially if food is available at both.

There are various websites that you can post a "Found" notice - mymoggy springs to mind.

HTH

princess_loki

hello!

this has happened to us a few times! first off phone all of the local vets - they keep a register of missing animals. then get on to cats protection and any other local charities - the vet should have info on these. if you get no responses and the cat keeps coming back then you should consider popping in to the vets to see if it has been microchipped - they will not charge for this (at least mine don't).

next step is to put notices in local shops and maybe phone local radiostation. shops and radio station should do this for free if you ask nicely.

good luck and let us know how you get on!

sharronloves2spend

Ah my second cat Lucy adopted us. I got my other cat back after 2 1/2 years missing through the microchip. Maybe your local rescue centre would be able to scan it for a microchip? They would probably be the best people to advice you, If you are interested in keeping it, let them know this. If you have made a reasonable attempt at finding the owner and not succeded i think the cat is officially yours,(again seek proffessional advice on this) after 7 days.

Would get the sneezes looked at tho, if it is a stray is may have cat flu.

HTH and keep us posted
Sharron

YorkiePud_3

My stray has sneezes like this, but the vet said she probably had cat flu as a baby and, with it not being treated she could get it flaring up now and then but not to worry about it, as long as it didn't last too long.

If it continues to come in and out and have a little bit of food, I'd keep feeding it. With it going in your kitchen bin scavenging, it sounds like it's on the hunt for food.
I wouldn't go by it not having a collar on though because a lot of cat owners don't put them on their cats now incase they get caught on something.

It might be going through every cat flap it finds, looking to be fed, or it may have just honed in on yours ... looks like you've definitely been "chosen" there!!

I read a poem years ago in school that ended with the line, "if you really don't want to be owned by a cat, then you'd better not answer the door!" *LOL*

spookylukey

The paper collar idea is an excellent one, if CP can't give you one you can make one yourself (out of paper!) and fasten it with a little sellotape. Have a look here http://www.nationalpetregister.org/missing-cats/ to see if he/she has been reported missing, I'd also get him/her scanned for a microchip at a local vets (there shouldn't be any charge) or ask CP if they can come and scan him/her if you can't handle her.

Milford_Cubicle

Would also echo a trip to the vet/local CPL/local RSPCA centre with the cat to get it scanned and to see if anyone has reported it missing, also to give it the once over.

We've just adpoted a second cat recently and he is the friendliest, most loving cat I've ever had the pleasure of owning me. He settled in instantly, like he'd always lived here and I was absolutely amazed to discover he was a stray! So, people will get rid of lovely cats for no apparent reason (although he's had a fairly intense case of the squits which is at present being treated with an extended course of ABs).

My two cats don't wear collars as they've both point blank refused to go out, despite being offered the opportunity daily! They are both microchipped though.

Perhaps this cat has made you his chosen one

evilsheep

I also was adopted by a cat earlier this year. I found a lot of useful advice on catchat - plenty of links for local rescues, online 'lost & found' boards etc. Be prepared to spend an entire day ringing vets, rescues, posting notices though! When you take the cat to the vets, ask them if they can check whether s/he has been neutured. Ours went into season a short while ago, and we've just paid for her to be spayed - it's pure luck I guess that she refused to go outside when she first adopted us and therefore we're not now looking after a pregnant puss!

CPL, RSPCA & local vets all informed me that there are currently a large number of animals being abandoned, probably due to financial reasons, so be prepared for no owners to come forward. Good luck with him/her!

Spirit_2

A cat found us back in January we did manage to reunite him with his owners.

We had him scanned at the local vets (no charge)
Took his piccie and made posters and put them up in the village
Put a poster in the newsagents (no charge) - and this is what his owners saw.
advertised him on various cat websites
Reported him found to all vets in a 5 mile radius
Reported him found to all rescue centres - RSPCA/CPL/Blue Cross
Put a collar and barrel on him - in the barrell a note giving our details.

It took me a whole saturday and more to do all of the above.


The post script is that despite him being returned home 3 times he kept coming back and has now moved in with us:eek: .The downside is that now he has his paws under the table he beats my little cat up.

elsien

My friend's cat moved out of home after a house fire. It called in to say hello occasionally but refused to come back to live. My friend tracked down the people it had moved in with and they came to an arrangement over food and vet's bills.
She'd have loved to have it home again, but t'wasn't to be.