Suggestions with this kitty

So I'm walking out of the door today to go to work and there is a cat standing by my door that wants inside. It appears to be about a 1 year old male. I only have one neighbor and she said it's not hers. The cat appears to be healthy and 'acts' like it belongs to someone. He's neatly groomed and has a clean coat and is very very friendly. He appears to be a house cat and was scared to death to be outside. I printed a picture of him and posted it on the mailbox wall so I hope his owner will come after him. I've spent lot's of time just driving around the complex hoping to bump into someone looking for their cat. I couldn't just leave him outside so I caged him up for a little bit. I just put out some food and he is now staying in my bathroom where he has food/water/litter box. Other cat's are not so happy but I couldn't just leave him out there. If his owner doens't call in a few days I guess I'll run an ad for him in the paper. I would keep him but I really don't need the extra vet bill right now. Any hints or ideas please let me know.

Here is the kitty:

Can you post an ad at the local vets and shelter? At least that would be free.

I'd just try to get the word out through flyers in the local area. You could also check to see if he is microchipped. I'm not sure if that is popular in your area, but it wouldn't hurt to try.

I don't know what kind of area you live in, but spread your posters around the surrounding neighborhoods, apartment complexes, just blanket the whole area. Cats can wander a long way and especially if the owner just moved there and kitty escaped, they would have no idea where to start looking.

Jason, you're a real kitty to help this little guy out. Good for you!

If there are bulletin boards available for public use at the local supermarkets or drugstores you could leave a notice there also.

and I gree with all the suggestions.
see if your vet will scan him for a microchip, my vet wouldn't charge for somethign like that hopefully yours won't either.
Posting signs at the vet, shelters, pet stores, any other stores (like grocery stores) that will let you is a good way to get the word out. An add is a good idea too!
I agree it sounds like he belongs to someone, I hope he was't dumped or abandoned that does happen, sadly.

I would wait about a month for someone to claim him. If he has wandered far, it may take the owner a little while to find the adds etc. Are there any no-kill shelters in your area that he could go to if his owners don't show up? If you end up placing an add to find him a home *please* charge something for him. This screens out people who are pickign up free animals for things like dogfight training, selling to labs and also the impulse-buyers who may decide it wasn't such a good idea a month or so later.

To make peace with your cats, spoil them some! Treats, extra play time or brushing time (if they like that) can help them feel better about things.

thanks for helping this guy!

Bendy

You've already gotten great advice - I just wanted to add that if you live in a more urban area, you should consider posting pics at all the nearby Vets (after making sure there's no microchip to solve the problem right away).

The cat's owner may put up lost cat posters and may place a notice in the lost and found section of your local newspaper.

Please update us about this kitty.

You've gotten great advice so far.

Also, if you have a local animal control ( they normally work w/ your police dept ), you can call them to see if anyone has reported a missing kitty. I have called them before and they are usually a big help.

Good luck, I hope your new found friend gets to their real home soon!