Steal a stray?

Person_one

skintchick wrote: »

Not yet but I will when I take him to the vet. I need to speak to the lady down the road first and I'm scared she will be cross with me.

He is frightened of boxes so getting him to the vet will be fun!

You really should have done this way back, just in case.

Have you read Sazzybum's thread about her beloved lost dog Ruaridh?

skintchick

Person_one wrote: »

You really should have done this way back, just in case.

Have you read Sazzybum's thread about her beloved lost dog Ruaridh?

No I haven't. Want to post a link?

Person_one

skintchick wrote: »

No I haven't. Want to post a link?

Its the sticky right at the top of the page.

It just demonstrates really heart wrenchingly what someone goes through when a beloved pet disappears with no trace.

However slim the chances are of cobweb having an owner (and I agree he probably doesn't) you still need to do that one little thing of having him scanned by the vet to make 100% sure. It takes less than a second if there is a chip and its in the right place!

Carer

Please please get the cat scanned.
I know you have done the best for him but there may be someone out there who is missing him hugely.

One of my cats went missing 2 weeks ago. He is chipped and wearing a collar. I have spent the last fortnight, walking and driving round the local area, posting his details all over the internet, making posters and phoning everyone I can think of that might have some news. It is heartbreaking not knowing where he is.

I know your cat has been stray for a long time now, but someone, somewhere probably loved him once and may be forever wondering if he's alive or dead.
If my cat was happily living elsewhere I'd be over the moon to know that at least he was alive and doing ok - it's the not knowing that is so hard to live with.

Pollycat

skintchick wrote: »

Today I spoke to the lady who lives at the house where he is always hanging around and she told me he is a stray (her words) and he fights with her cats so he isn;t allowed in her house, but she feeds him so he hangs around.

I got the impression she's not overly fussed about him but she obviously looks after him as after I called the RSPCA his matts were cut out. either that or the RSPCA did it because he is a stray.

You said this about the lady where this cat was hanging about (6 months ago) so I'm not sure why you're scared she'll be cross with you.

skintchick wrote: »

I need to speak to the lady down the road first and I'm scared she will be cross with me.

It sounds like she didn't want him herself.

I agree with the other posters - you should really have checked if this cat had a microchip as soon as you took him in.

I would be furious if I found out that someone had taken my lost cat in but hadn't checked if he had a worried (maybe devastated) family wondering what had happened to him.
That's the whole point about micro-chips.

Still, you've done a good thing taking him in and I hope he's not micro-chipped (until you have him done) so you can keep him with a clear conscience.

paulineb_2

Some cats arent micro chipped and some even when they are,are out of date (the details). My mum found a persian cat and it was micro chipped and we took the cat to the door and they said, sorry, not our cat.

I do agree about getting him scanned, but Ive found two strays, one my mum took in, one I took in, neither were chipped and both were obviously someones pet at some point as they were in good condition.

My cat that I took in was living outside when I found him and I waited a few weeks to see if anyone else would claim him, the other one was dumped at the side of a main road.

My mum had a cat who went missing and she was chipped, but she died before we could get her back and the people who took her in didnt take her to the vet to be scanned.

Some people just dont think. And some owners do care, others just seem to discard their pets with no thought of what might happen to them.

When our cat was missing, we logged her details on missing pet register and other similar sites.

moggymutt

Pollycat wrote: »

I would be furious if I found out that someone had taken my lost cat in but hadn't checked if he had a worried (maybe devastated) family wondering what had happened to him.
That's the whole point about micro-chips.

Still, you've done a good thing taking him in and I hope he's not micro-chipped (until you have him done) so you can keep him with a clear conscience.

So very many people would ignore a stray and let it starve that although I would be upset if somebody hadn't checked for a chip, my main thought would be that the cat was happy and alive.

skintchick

I never expected to get a flaming! The poor cat has had no home for three years but I'm a villain because I'm not rushing to check if he has been chipped? Is this Mumsnet all of a sudden?

When I take him to the vet I will ask about a chip check but I have to say when I phoned them and explained all about him they never mentioned it.

I think that if he had a loving owner they would have come and looked for him by now and surely the existence of this thread is proof that I wanted to do the right thing?

Person_one

skintchick wrote: »

I never expected to get a flaming! The poor cat has had no home for three years but I'm a villain because I'm not rushing to check if he has been chipped? Is this Mumsnet all of a sudden?

When I take him to the vet I will ask about a chip check but I have to say when I phoned them and explained all about him they never mentioned it.

I think that if he had a loving owner they would have come and looked for him by now and surely the existence of this thread is proof that I wanted to do the right thing?

Nobody's flaming you, you're not a villain, we're all just pleading with you to take this one very quick and easy step so that you can be 100% sure nobody is breaking their heart missing this cat.

I honestly can't understand why you haven't already, and why you seem so reluctant to.

I know of a woman who runs a dog rescue in Wales that she founded because she lost her beloved dog. Something like 9 years later she found out that the dog had been rehomed as a 'stray' but never scanned for a chip.

Edit: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-18597595

skintchick

Briefly, because I'm going to bed, I'm not reluctant, I am busy, and I haven't yet because we are busy and skint and can't afford to take him to the vet right now.

Off to bed. Will check in tomorrow.