Neighbor trying to steal my cat!...

I'm sorry if this is in the wrong section, feel free to move it, admins.

Okay lets start where all of this began. So about 5 days ago my kitten disappeared (he is about 7 months old). He was the only one left from the 8 kittens his mother had, I kept him because he was the nicest cat I have ever had and wanted to breed him with my other very nice kitten that my sister will be taking. Anyways, after he disapeared I looked for him everywhere 2 and a half days and could not find him, but on the third day he finally came back and I smothered him with treats. After he ate I noticed the tip of his ear was snipped off, I then remembered that there are people that capture stray cats, take them to a vet, and have them neutered/spayed then snip their ear to show that they are a stray cat that has been neutered/spayed. I check if he was neutered and he indeed was. I was very mad for the whole day then I kind of got over it since now he is less prone to diseases. Today I found out which neighbor did this to my cat. I heard someone yelling "C'mon Tiger" outside, so I ran out and called my cat and he came and my neighbor went inside. Now I'm here typing this... I really don't know what to do, it's outrageous how she pretty much stole my cat and neutered it and let them snip off his ear! Please can someone give me some advice on what I should do?

Have you gone over to talk to your neighbour? Please don't be angry at someone who literally has no idea that this cat even has a home. If someone is looking out for the cats in your area, good on them - unfortunately it's not always clear who is a stray and who is not, especially because your cat is young. You should consider yourself lucky the neighbour didn't rehome him after the neutering, as is commonplace with friendly strays, especially so for younger cats who adapt in indoor or permanent homes more easily.

Neutering is better for his health and prevents him from contributing to the pet overpopulation problem, which is a very prominent issue all over the world no matter how nice both cats are and how sweet the hypothetical babies would be.

Please go see your neighbour and be polite about it. I presume you let your cat outside normally. That's the first thing to address. If they had him neutered, chances are if microchipping is available in your area, he was scanned before he was cared for; otherwise they would have contacted the owner. Identify him as having a home, whether it's with a microchip or a safe collar and tag. You can't just assume everyone knows he's your cat. Now that you know this person is caring for strays in the area with trapping, neutering, and releasing, tell them he has a home with you. Since they've already taken care of the expenses to have your cat seen and neutered, maybe consider offering help or a donation of some sort. They are not trying to be malicious or selfish, nor are they trying to steal your cat.

I would also recommend keeping him indoors.

Thanks for the reply, I'll go talk with her tomorrow and I won't be rude because that will just cause more problems. I understand that the population is high, so I will be neutering my female in a couple weeks. I still don't believe keeping a cat inside is humane, but I appreciate your suggestion.

I just took a peek at your other thread - if you are heading to the vet with this particular cat, you may want to ask about microchipping. In North America at least, scanning for a microchip is a common practice with found animals and can make it much easier to identify immediately that he has a home. Your register the microchip with all of your information, and you can change and update the information online with the microchipping company There are some services, like through humane societies where they promote microchipping and will have a "microchipping clinic" at a reduced price than is done at the vet's. If you can't afford a microchip right now and want one in the future, keep an eye on rescues or humane societies that may offer it in the future.

In the meantime, you can also look into collars - a nice and obvious message that he has a home. A lot of people who put collars on their cats prefer breakaway collars so if the collar gets snagged on anything, the cat can still safely escape (some unfortunate cases of non-breakaway collars causing cats to get stuck hanging on things, getting limbs stuck in the loop, being unable to get away from something, etc.). Some pet stores have machines that can pop a tag out for you right away. Even just putting your phone number on it will help if he wanders too far.

Yeah I might get him chipped soon, when I have the money. I will never be getting him a collar since my previous cat has died when he hung off a branch on a tree... Thanks.

Aticus said:

 
Yeah I might get him chipped soon, when I have the money. I will never be getting him a collar since my previous cat has died when he hung off a branch on a tree... Thanks.

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When you do get the cat micro chipped, make sure to register the microchip right away with your contact information. Many people get their pets micro chipped and mistakenly believe that is all that is needed. A pet can't make it's way home with an unregistered microchip that has no contact information associated with it. A shelter or vet can find the microchip with a scan but has no way of knowing who the rightful owner is. Registering a microchip is usually a separate one time fee. Some microchip companies offer yearly subscription paid memberships with extra services but the basic service is usually free after the registration. Check the fine print when you get your cat micro chipped.

If a random cat is wandering outside with no collar, no chip, unneutered, and no apparent signs of being owned, what else is a person supposed to think? My neighborhood has a wandering cat who often stops by my yard to "say hello" to my abused rescue who doesn't find it very amusing. Outdoor cats can be dangerous as well as annoying, and not everyone wants them around.

You believe your cat has a right to go outside. That's fine. You believe he ought to go outside with no collar or ID. That's fine. But you can't demand that other people validate your choices, and you can't be shocked when they think he's a stray. @pinkdagger is right -- you're lucky he didn't get adopted or sent to a shelter. 

I think your neighbour did you a favour.

Un-neutered male cats can be smelly, noisy and aggressive. 7 months is the age they start spraying, getting into fights and roaming further away from home. By getting him neutered she saved you a lot of costly vet and cleaning bills. Did the vet check the abscess wound too? If he already has these kind of injuries it shows he's been getting into fights with other tom cats. He could have got seriously hurt or caught Feline AIDS this way. He's really much better off now he's been fixed.

I'm sorry to hear that you lost your last cat. If you get a proper cat safety collar this won't happen again. My cats all wear collars that break apart if the collar snags on something. They have reflective strips on them so they glow in the dark, keeps them safer if they manage to get out at night. You can get them for around $4 ~ $5, not too expensive to replace if they do lose their collars.

Ear-tipping is a universal sign that the cat is part of a community/feral cat colony, has been neutered/spayed and has had a rabies vaccination (if/when required by law). When a local animal control officer comes around and trap cats (often after receiving complaints about yowling and spraying), they will try to avoid trapping a cat that has been ear-tipped.
Had animal control gotten ahold of your cat prior to being neutered, you might not have seen him again.
PS: when talking with your neighbor, ask if he was also vaccinated against rabies. For outdoor cats, this is important, especially if there are raccoons in the area.