We found a cold, wet, hungry kitty on our front doorstep Saturday night. He looked healthy and not starving, plus he is neutered, so we think at some point he was obviously someone's pet. He was dirty and had fleas, so he's probably been out a little while. He is very friendly and affectionate and came right into the house. (By the way, we have three other cats.)
We've been caring for him, but I'm concerned that if he did get separated from his people and was not just thrown away, that his people are worried about him. If one of my own cats were missing, I would be worried sick. We've scoured the area for missing cat posters and looked on the Internet, but so far no leads.
Here's the dilemma: I want to post "Found" notices both around the neighborhood and online, but my husband is vehemently against this. He said we would have no way of knowing for sure that whoever came to claim him isn't just someone collecting cats for research labs. Apparently that's one of the ways labs get their cats. I said I would just word it "Found Cat" with no identifying information, and when the potential owners called I would have them describe the cat and/or send a photo, but husband still says no. His reasoning is that if his people want him back badly enough they will post signs and/or online. He's afraid that his owners might just be careless people and he doesn't want to see the cat going back to people who are so careless that they let their cat outside without identification.
Now I'm not one of those wives who doesn't do something just because her husband tells her not to. But I want to do what's best for the kitty and his owners, if there are any out there. Should I just sit tight and keep looking for signs? We intend to keep him if nobody claims him, so it's not an issue of time running out or anything. I just know that I would be beside myself if the tables were turned.
We've been caring for him, but I'm concerned that if he did get separated from his people and was not just thrown away, that his people are worried about him. If one of my own cats were missing, I would be worried sick. We've scoured the area for missing cat posters and looked on the Internet, but so far no leads.
Here's the dilemma: I want to post "Found" notices both around the neighborhood and online, but my husband is vehemently against this. He said we would have no way of knowing for sure that whoever came to claim him isn't just someone collecting cats for research labs. Apparently that's one of the ways labs get their cats. I said I would just word it "Found Cat" with no identifying information, and when the potential owners called I would have them describe the cat and/or send a photo, but husband still says no. His reasoning is that if his people want him back badly enough they will post signs and/or online. He's afraid that his owners might just be careless people and he doesn't want to see the cat going back to people who are so careless that they let their cat outside without identification.
Now I'm not one of those wives who doesn't do something just because her husband tells her not to. But I want to do what's best for the kitty and his owners, if there are any out there. Should I just sit tight and keep looking for signs? We intend to keep him if nobody claims him, so it's not an issue of time running out or anything. I just know that I would be beside myself if the tables were turned.
