Attention Cat Persons! I need your advice!

[Beaux]

OK...for about 2 months I have been feeding a stray cat in our neighborhood. She did not have a colar. She stayed on our back porch and begged to come inside. We would often have to pick her up and place her back outside when we were coming and going from the house. You see, we have other pets and were afraid that she might have contagious diseases our other pets might catch, so we did not let her in.
Well, after a couple of months of this we became fond of her and began to worry about her being outside (we live on an island, and lately the weather has been very rough). SO.....we took her to the vet and got her checked out.
The vet said she was basically "OK", but that she was malnourished, badly infested with fleas, and she had suffered some damage to her tail (possibly and animal attack). He checked to she if she was chipped, but she was not. All total, we spent $160 at the vet so that we could bring her into our home safely.
She has been SO happy since we brought her in! She is loving and shows no desire to leave. Everything was going smoothly, until this morning when I checked our mail box. Inside I discovered a flyer with a picture of the cat on it. It just says: "Missing Cat. VERY LOVED!!!" and has a phone number. That's all.
What should I do? If she is so "VERY LOVED", then why is she running loose without a collar or chip, hungry and covered in fleas...?
I just do t know what to do at this point. Any thoughts, ideas, or opinions would be most welcome.
Thanks in advance,
Beau

[James]

With the investment you made plus it being several months I would think you will be a better owner, if you can own a cat, than the previous owners

[Woollyhats]

She may be an outdoor cat, or any number of things. Many cats also don't like collars, and so she may not have had one --- my cat couldn't have a collar because she'd drill her head into the ground and scratch for hours until she bled if she had one. More to the point, unfortunately, the cat is not yours, and the right thing to do would be to return it. I know it really really sucks, but if the owner didn't care for it he/she wouldn't have made the flier or want the cat back.

If giving up the cat to its parents leaves an empty space in your life, adopt a pet from a local shelter. You'll be saving it's life. I would recommend an adult cat that exhibits above average friendly behaviour if you get a shelter cat, and once you find a cat you like, ask if you can spend some time (a 1/2 hour - an hour) with it, to make sure it isn't the sort of cat that becomes violent when it's bored of you --- what you see in an adult cat is usually what you get... and kittens can grow into different personalities. For what it's worth, male cats are usually friendlier, which many people don't know.

[Beaux]

She may be an outdoor cat, or any number of things. Unfortunately, the cat is not yours, and the right thing to do would be to return it. If the owner didn't care for it he/she wouldn't have made the poster.

If giving up the cat to its parents leaves an empty space in your life, adopt a pet from a local shelter. You'll be saving it's life. I would recommend an adult cat that exhibits above average friendly behaviour if you get a shelter cat, and once you find a cat you like, ask if you can spend some time (a 1/2 hour - an hour) with it, to make sure it isn't the sort of cat that becomes violent when it's bored of you --- what you see in an adult cat is usually what you get... and kittens can grow into different personalities. For what it's worth, male cats are usually friendlier, which many people don't know.

Yes, all of our pets (2 dogs, 3 cats, and a ferret) are adopted from the shelter, and normally I would agree with you, except for two items:
1) It is illegal to let a cat roam in my state of residence. Technically, I am supposed to surrender the cat to the SPCA (whether the owner is looking for it or not). And...
2) They weren't looking for it for the past 2 months that it has been at my house.
I don't know that I am capable of returning an animal to people who are not taking care of it. (Which if the were taking care of it, it would have had a chip, or the very least a collar.)

[MisterTinkles]

Well, you do not know that they have not been looking for it. Yard pets (as I call them), who are allowed outside do tend to go off on adventures once in a while and can get lost. Even on an island.

Also, the cat could have been attacked by another animal on its own property, and it got scared off and ran. Which could be a reason it got lost.

And, depending on the owners, if they are elderly, they may not have noticed the cat has not been showing up...they might have thought it just went on a cat adventure.

I've also known pets to wander out into the streets and get hit by a passing vehicle.......not enough to kill them, but enough to disorient them to get lost or not remember where home is.

You do not know the facts behind the cat being lost.

I would call them from a pay phone or public phone, so that your number does not show up on their phone. Call them, tell them what happened, and that the cat is very happy where it is, and if it is ok for you to keep the cat.

If they want their cat back........regardless of how it got lost, then you should give the cat back. YOU can deliver the cat to their place...which will give you a chance to see where and how they live. If it is a dangerous area for a pet, or they seem like they are not too interested in taking care of the cat properly, then you can file a petition to have the cat returned to you legally.

I've had pets run off before.......had no clue as to where they got too. Scoured the area for days and days, calling animal control to help when they can, or if it was caught...going door to door with a photo.......all for nothing. And then a month or two later....I open the back door and there they are!!!!

If they do seem like decent people and they seem to take care of the cat, see if they will let you keep this cat and you will get them another one. Preferably an older one that wont be too curious as to wander away from the house.


But, its your decision.

[swalter]

Good pet owners can lose a pet just as easily as negligent owners. The fact that they posted signs for the cat should tell you they care about her, and miss her. You did a good thing by taking this Kitty in, and getting her the care she needed. Now that you know she has a home, and people who want her back, you should again do a good thing and give her back. You have a right to pass the bill into them, and they'll probably have no problem reimbursing you. If it was me, and someone had stepped up and taken care of my lost pet, my wallet would be out immediately. I know it sucks, but you've got to give her back.

[Pix]

I say let the cat choose...who has.

[LONDONER]

You were verty kind to rescue and spend so much money on this lost cat however, if the original owners really do muiss her then you should at least contact them to explain the situation. As other have said, it's not unknown for a cat to become disoriented. I have a friend who has three cats and one of them disappeared for two months and eventually turned up in a friend's house and he didn't recognise her.

The cat might well have been malnourished and flea ridden due to the time that she was "lost" so it's only fair to inform the original owners. If it had beern one of your pets that had been llst I expect you would be glad to receive notice that it had been found. Oh and yes, I think that the original owners should reimburse you for the money you spent.

Keep us informed as to what happens.

[Bowyn Aerrow]

Well I have no idea how big that island is. Nor how many flyers were passed out mailbox to mailbox. Unless you think that these people singled out your mailbox from all the ones on the island?

I take in strays all the time. I always work under the assumption that the owner will be around shortly to collect the critter, but I still outlay the $$ to get the critter taken care of.


This flyer was put in your mailbox..... honestly how many mailboxes are on your island, and if you were passing them out yourself how long would it take for you to reach every mailbox? No doubt that the owner spent the first couples days walking around calling 'here kitty' and asked all close by neighbors, with fingers crossed that kitty would show back up, then they may have tried looking at the pound, or other avenues to find the cat before landing on the idea of breaking federal law and putting paper in everyone's mailboxes...

I would say that two months is a reasonable amount of time for all the potentials to play out without that time frame suggesting these people just didn't think about the cat and now, suddenly, magically knowing you decided to take the cat in, get it fixed up etc, decide its time to take the cat back.

You also failed to mention your efforts to find this cat's home. Every stray that washes up on the shores of Mirkwood I carry, walk or drag from house to house in the general area to ask if anyone knows this critter or if its theirs. I also put up flyers and sometimes even put an ad out in the newspaper. Once Craigslist rolled around I take pictures and post 'Found'. I make some effort to locate the critters home because as a person who has critters I would hope that if one of mine got itself lost that a nice person would make some effort to bring that critter home.

So my question to you is how much effort did you put in finding the owners while this cat suffered and you straddled yourself with the burden of carrying back outside each time it slipped into your house?

None? Why?

IF I ended up in a situation like this, I would reluctantly, but promptly call the rightful owner.