Neutering a Neighbour's Pet?

I adopted a six month old stray back in November and as she's grown I think she looks more and more like another cat I see down my street - possibly her parent (I have a thread in Kittens about dad cats visiting their kittens).

Now this cat looks like a pet, well fed, quite shiny - except he doesn't have a collar. He must live near me as he's always around but he's too shy to let me pick him up and see what sex he is.

However, if he is a full tom he can't be left to go around making kittens expecially if they are turned out on the street like mine so he needs to be neutered.

I'm in the uk; is it ethical to effectively steal someone else's pet to neuter them. (Even if they are irresponsible pet owners). I'm doing this on a suppose, he might be neutered but somehow I doubt it (he really looks like my cat) I'd also have to look after the guy afterwards. For a few months I've gone out late at night to see where he lives but have had no luck. He could belong to maybe 40 - 50 houses, maybe more if he's intact. Shall I put up posters? (I had zero reponse to my stray kitty) - I really don't know what to do.

one way is to set a collar on him, with such little message bottle on; and ask the owner to contact you.

If nobody phones you in three days, you collect him and help him as you see fit.
Or something like that...

And if he/she phones, you talk with shehe. You can propose to help with the practical detail if the cat owner dont know how to do.

I don't think it would be ethical really to do it without the owner's permission. I would post flyers and knock on doors to find out if he does indeed have an owner, or if he is a stray.

Not to encourage something illegal or unethical, but if they are bad owners, chances are they wouldn't even notice him being neutered....

Hmm Ethical?

Legal - no,Taking somebody elses Cat(property) and having it neutered is a criminal offense and people can be prosecuted(if the owner were to find out)for criminal damage
to property.

If you want to stay on the right side of the law then you will have to advertise the cat
as found,report it as found at the local police station and in the local free paper.
Notify your local vet and Cats protection,Rspca that you have found the cat and give
them an accurate description.
After 30 days,If nobody claims the cat then you may re-home it with yourself and
have him/her neutered/spayed

Ethical? I say that you are doing the neighborhood, and certainly the cat community a favor by having him neutered.

In my part of the world, any unneutered cat that wanders over to my property is fair game for being neutered. No one has ever complained about my service to the community.

Originally Posted by furryferals

Hmm Ethical?

Legal - no,Taking somebody elses Cat(property) and having it neutered is a criminal offense and people can be prosecuted(if the owner were to find out)for criminal damage
to property.

If you want to stay on the right side of the law then you will have to advertise the cat
as found,report it as found at the local police station and in the local free paper.
Notify your local vet and Cats protection,Rspca that you have found the cat and give
them an accurate description.
After 30 days,If nobody claims the cat then you may re-home it with yourself and
have him/her neutered/spayed

Click to expand...

This is an excellent strategy. We've never used it. We live in an area with lots of feral cats. If a cat is on our property and gets trapped, it gets spayed or neutered. We then release it back into the colony. If it belongs to someone and finds its way home.... we did the owner a service by paying for the sterilization. They're certainly not breeding the cat for show if it's out and about.



Laurie

I am in the same situation as you except I have spoken to the neighbours and offerd to drive the cats to the vet and pick them up and arranged a really good price for her. Still she refuses to have her cats neutered. I have spoken to the police and it is indead forbidden to neuter them ( Belgium). Now I am waiting for the local catrescue to have a new budget and then we gonna have a TNR-action in the area where they ask all catowners to keep their cats inside if they don't want them neutered or spayed, during a particular date. Then they trap all free cats, without a tag, in the area and have them neutered/spayed and release them again when healed.
I bet we'll have her then.
It might be a good idea for you to if you have a TNR-group in your area.

Originally Posted by LDG

If it belongs to someone and finds its way home.... we did the owner a service by paying for the sterilization. They're certainly not breeding the cat for show if it's out and about.

Laurie

Click to expand...

Yeah I agree

It's easier to trap and neuter them if they're male because the owner probably wouldn't
even notice anyway but females that's tricky and knowing the law can be used
to advantage
The law in the Uk requires ordinary people to keep ' found' animals 30 days,but
rescues...they only have to keep them 7 days Yeah I'm still trying to figure out why
the difference

But a rescue can't just go out and trap a domestic cat just because someone says
it is not neutered/spayed otherwise they can held liable and there is always a chance
that it could be a vindictive cat hating neighbour.
Not that I'm saying the OP is a vindictive cat hating neighbour
But there is always a way round things

Originally Posted by furryferals

The law in the Uk requires ordinary people to keep ' found' animals 30 days,but
rescues...they only have to keep them 7 days

Yeah I'm still trying to figure out why
the difference

Click to expand...

Yes, a little peculiar.
My guess is, it is probably quite well known where the rescues are. So if you miss your cat, you very soon ask directly at all the local rescues.

While searching is some private person has the cat must go through message boards and so on, thus taking more time, often much more time.

Police is supposed to take down notes on the missing cats (if the ARE noticed) but it dont always works.

I'll pop a collar on him with details of a low cost neuter clinic near me and my telephone number in case I'm totally wrong about him being a tom.

Great suggestions!

i've caught lots of cats males and females which i was pretty sure belonged
to no one. but i did not go door to door. never had a problem thank goodness.

the males are way easier IMO since its way harder to notice something was
done unless you look.... the females however can be spotted right away
since they are all shaven. also they need to be kept for a fews days to
recoup.

IF you take the suggestion about the collar PLEASE PLEASE make sure its
a breakaway collar.

good luck !!