Lost and Found Pets Dilemma

BargainHunter94 on 20/06/2022 - 23:51

Hi Everyone,

A while between drinks - hope everyone is doing well and recovering from the past few years!

Slightly contentious issue to debunk this time - lost and found pets.

We have recently moved into a new neighbourhood and were stunned to find a furry little friend waiting for us in the backyard (what I thought resembled a garbage bag turned out to be a cute black kitty).

Quiet at first, she didn't want much to do with us and hissed until we were able to gain its trust with food, pats etc. We didn't want to get too close in case it was somebody's beloved pet so we didn't think much of it but she looked very malnourished so we naturally tried to take care of her. She constantly visits now and seems like she has found a new home with us, very clingy and docile.

Now that she is fighting strong, she loves to roam the streets at night and can get in fights which often results in claws in her head and now has (what we think is) a popped abscess which absolutely stinks!

Has anyone adopted a pet and taken them to the vet as if its their own? We think she might be microchipped but not 100% sure and I don't want her to be taken away from us even though she's technically not ours unless of course she will be looked after properly. We have a theory of who's she might be but that house is abandoned now too..

A lot to unpack but is it wrong to adopt and assume ownership of a pet who has clearly been abandoned by its owner (for reasons unbeknown) or is it up to little kitty to make the choice?

…asking for a friend.

Pets

Comments

  • Hybroid on 20/06/2022 - 23:58
    +4

    Take it to vet to get checked out health-wise and scan for microchip. Not sure if they'll disclose address/phone number directly to you, but if they do, call or pop over and see if anyone's there or confirms it's their pet.

    If they say not theirs (previous tenant), or indeed it's the abandoned house, you have a new pet. Go through motions to update microchip details.

    If they say it's theirs, I would say it's wrong to just grab it. If you suspect abuse whether active or passive (i.e. neglect or abandonment), you should report it to RSPCA and let them do their thing. You may be able to register interest in keeping it should they decide to impound it.

    https://www.rspca.org.au/report-cruelty#how-we-investigate

  • moreLikeSmoko on 21/06/2022 - 00:18
    +2

    10/1 no one paid to microchip that kitten, if she was hissing and crazy she could easily have been a feral stray, I hope you take her to the vet and come home with a healthy new family member, good luck and thank you for being awesome.

  • TheMindsetTraveller on 21/06/2022 - 00:24
    +2

    We moved into our place and there was a stray street cat which we gave him a name. We would feed him and he appeared to be doing well. After almost two years, he got to know us very well. He would sleep under cars and when he see us return home, he would look up and I could whistle and he would run across the street and wait at our door for feeding. He would also appear at our door most mornings for a feed too. Neighbours around the corner and further afield assumed that cat was ours. He was pretty reliable though there were the odd times he would disappear for a few days on end. All of my neighbours would call him with the name we gave him.

    I also asked several of our neighbours if they knew the story behind this cat and they were in agreement, it was stray and had been around two years prior to us moving in.

    One day, he returned to our door with a huge cut over his shoulder. Looked like he got attacked by something bigger than him. We contacted our vet who took him in to get his wound assessed and treated. Our vet found no microchip, so the story of being stray was consistent with what our neighbours told us. His would got treated, he was desexed, vaccinated, and after spending $600 helping this little guy (well, he was at least 4 years old by now), we could not let him roam the streets again and face the hardships or get into fights again. Our vet said it would be OK to (at the last resort) given he was originally stray, but at least now, he was desexed so he could no longer breed etc.

    But we took him now, he is now our 4th cat. Love him to bits, if we are sitting or laying down he will jump on any spare leg or thigh he can rest himself on. That said, he also annoys our other three cats esp around feeding time because he still has habits of needing to fight for food.

    PS. dont wait two years, take it to the vet, if it is not chipped, use your gut feeling. From the sounds of it, this kitten is stray and needs your help. If you think its owned by someone else, take it in, look after it, then send a message/letter to the owners or list it on facebook to get some attention.

  • Some Human on 21/06/2022 - 00:39
    +2

    My ex's cat went missing for a couple of weeks many moons ago (he was a wreck when the cat was gone). Then one evening he got a phone call from a woman who had found him in her backyard at least 3km away. He was thin and scruffy, but luckily he was wearing a collar with his phone number.

    Point being they can lose weight very quickly and become scruffy. It may be somebody's lost pet whom they miss very much. It may not. Collars can be lost easily.

    Please take it to get checked for a microchip before adopting it as your own just in case someone is looking for it. If it has a microchip, let the owner know that if they don't want it, you will be more than happy to give it a loving home.

  • Benoffie on 21/06/2022 - 01:16
    +1

    I note you're in SA. If you're in the metro area, take the cat the the Elizabeth Park Vet Clinic. Highly experienced with this scenario as they do all the desexing and maintenance for rescue orgs and local councils.

    You also need to collar the cat and keep it inside. SA has new cat legislation you need to make yourself aware of (depending on council area)

  • AustriaBargain on 21/06/2022 - 07:51
    +2

    If it's microchipped then it should be returned to the owner. If this was your cat and it ran away, you'd want it returned to you too. I doubt the owner, if they can be identified and want it back, would purposely malnourish it or abuse it when they get it back. Cats run away all the time. Could belong to some kid who misses their kitty. Or some lonely old widow who spent their limited money registering, chipping, and desexing it and wishing they could get the cat back but some house guest left the door open and it ran away.

  • Boioioioi on 21/06/2022 - 08:12
    +3

    Good on you for taking care of the animal OP, proud of you!

  • Dave Bowman on 21/06/2022 - 08:49
    +4

    I was in a similar position. A cat started coming around our place, it looked malnourished so I fed her. She started coming around more often, spending more time, it was fun and we pair bonded really well.

    She basically started living at our house for a few weeks. One day I heard someone calling for an animal (obviously the cat I stole), so I went out to speak with them. Turns out the owner was a shift worker, doesn't spend a lot of time at home, and has somebody to help her feed her cat and dog.

    The owner was fine with sharing her cat, at least it had some company while she was at work. After a few months we bought a house in another town and I basically asked the owner if we could take the cat with us. She was happy for us to take and look after it, and our little buddy now lives with us permanently.

    I'd recommend you take it to the vet to at least have it checked out. If there's no microchip, then that's a bonus. If there is, perhaps there's a way you can speak with the owner, and maybe offer to pay them for the cat. If it's already bonded with you, it'll likely just keep showing up anyway.

    Keep us updated.

  • El cheepo on 21/06/2022 - 09:50
    +2

    Take it to a vet, if theres no microchip get it chipped and keep it (if you wish).

    If it did have an owner, they evidently were not a good owner as they never got it chipped (and likely never got it vaxed/desexed)

  • freefall101 on 21/06/2022 - 10:16

    It's fine to assume ownership if it's not chipped but take the poor thing to the vet already. You can't avoid the vet forever because you know you might have stolen someone's microchipped cat.

  • BewareOfThe Dog on 21/06/2022 - 10:35

    Just remember, that if you do adopt it, you will need to register it, as well as well as having it de-sexed (usually prior to being 6 months old). Registration is usually cheaper if desexed and registered less than 6 months. The vet may put the age at 5 months for you, if you use their services etc.
    Above, all this will be part of your family for 10 to 20 years. :)

  • Traveller107 on 21/06/2022 - 11:54
    +1

    Over a decade ago when we bought our first home in a shady low socio-economic area someone dumped 2 injured and terribly malnourished kittens at our door.
    We immediately took them to the vet and had them treated. The vet had to keep them overnight so we knocked on every door in the 200m radius of our place to find the owners but nobody knew. I tried finding owners on Facebook and any lost Info from council and rspca but no use.
    So later that day we called the vet and requested them to be microchipped with our details, desexed, dewormed. We couldnt really afford the treatments but managed it somehow. That was the best decision we ever made and we've been so thankful to them for being such an integral part of our family. They've been with us for over a decade and moved 5 states everytime we had to move for work.
    If the kitty is not microchipped then just adopt it, take to the vet a d then bring it home for good. No second thoughts in doing a kind deed and giving love and shelter to an animal in need. It'll become an important part of your family. Cheers!

  • brendanm on 21/06/2022 - 19:52
    -1

    Finders keepers.

  • Dave Bowman on 17/07/2022 - 07:17

    Any update OP?

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