Stray (?) dilemma, won't leave

I have a problem with what could be a stray cat. He (I say he because this cat is kinda big) keeps coming into our backyard everynight about 5-6 and staying till at least midnight. We are wondering if he may be someone's pet because he does not look like he's starving. He looks well fed. He is very affectionate and sweet. Every night he sits on the back step next to the door and just lays there for hours. He sits up when you walk into the kitchen and meows and paws at the door. I don't know what to do. I want to catch him and take him in, but if he is someone elses pet, I don't want to "catnap" him. Any suggestions?

You could take him to the vet to see if he is microchipped?

Or you could put a notice up around the street?

He could be lost. I would take him in and run him to the vet to see if he has any identity on him- look for ear tattoos or belly tattoos or microchip.

He also could be stray too.....

In my parents neighborhood there are a bunch of stray cats....they have it pretty good for being homeless.......

The whole neighborhood feeds these cats when they can, and i know a few of the neighbors trap spay'd and released the ones they could get......

so its a neighborhood of well fed, healthy, spayed, immunized strays.....

Well, he's still sitting on the back step. I would love to catch him but I'm not sure how he'd take to being picked up and/or put in a carrier. I'm afraid he may scratch or nip at me and I'm 29 weeks pregnant and don't want to take any chances. Brent should be able to do it though. Another reason I think he's someone's pet is because we never see him when it's too hot or too cold outside, or if it's raining. But that could also mean he has a great hiding place. There are woods behind our house and there are coyotes out there, so I'm worried about him. If we can't find an owner I would have no problem taking him in, I just worry he wouldn't adjust to being indoor only.

I would have Brent catch him - by a "friendly" trap (if he objects to being picked up) and bring him to your vet to determine if in fact he is microchipped. I am having similar quandry over a neighbourhood cat even though I know whose cat it is. If you know the neighbours well, you can then check to see if he belongs somewhere and then talk to them directly about your concerns. Good luck!!

I agree with CyberKitten, this cat should be taken into a vet not only to verify that he is owned, but he should also be neutered if he is intact.

Katie

Well, she does not have a chip, and yes, I said she. Now she's in a trap in the backyard because I pet her earlier today and she "love" nipped me. It's barely a scratch but my doc wants to take precautions and have her watched. I was a little (okay, a lot) freaked out earlier after she bit me, but I've calmed down. Animal control is going to get her tomorrow and if there isn't anything wrong with her we are going to at least take her to a no-kill shelter instead of leaving her with them. How long with they watch her for? What is normal protocal for things like this?

Originally Posted by goosehazel

Well, she does not have a chip, and yes, I said she. Now she's in a trap in the backyard because I pet her earlier today and she "love" nipped me. It's barely a scratch but my doc wants to take precautions and have her watched. I was a little (okay, a lot) freaked out earlier after she bit me, but I've calmed down. Animal control is going to get her tomorrow and if there isn't anything wrong with her we are going to at least take her to a no-kill shelter instead of leaving her with them. How long with they watch her for? What is normal protocal for things like this?

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Why is animal control picking her up?? How is she going to be evaluated?? I'm afraid that if she is freaked in the cage...she may come across as unadoptable.

Katie

They are picking her up because she bit me. They are going to evaluate her for 10 days to make sure she's okay. If she's okay then my sister is thinking about adopting her. If anything we are going to tell them we will take her and find a home for her ourselves or take her to a no kill shelter. I feel we are doing the right thing here.

Was it a "love" bite like you said? Dori bites me when I pick her up all the time. Is it not possible to have her checked out by the vet you take your cats to?
I am only asking because Animal Control here in my city really isn't the best...

Also, could you post "Found Cat" signs around your neighborhood in case someone lost her? You could also drive around neighborhoods near your looking for Lost Cat signs, and check the paper. Poor Kitty

Originally Posted by goosehazel

They are picking her up because she bit me. They are going to evaluate her for 10 days to make sure she's okay. If she's okay then my sister is thinking about adopting her. If anything we are going to tell them we will take her and find a home for her ourselves or take her to a no kill shelter. I feel we are doing the right thing here.

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So they are keeping her in quarantine to make sure she doesn't have rabies. Just keep in touch with them because they could argue that she is unadoptable and recommend euthanizing her because she is a stray.

Katie

I think we are going to put up posters in the area. Animal control in our county is pretty good. Like I said, I'm going to make sure she's taken care of. This is very hard for me, I've been crying all day. It was definately a love bite. She is not a mean cat at all.

Originally Posted by goosehazel

I think we are going to put up posters in the area. Animal control in our county is pretty good. Like I said, I'm going to make sure she's taken care of. This is very hard for me, I've been crying all day. It was definately a love bite. She is not a mean cat at all.

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Glad to hear about the posters! My first thought was that this is someones cat who got out and might have wandered off to far and just came across someone she liked Dori isn't chipped and if she got out and her collar managed to come off she would end up just like this kitty and I think it is important to try to get word out that a cat has been found.
I know how frustrating this can be when an animal just shows up and won't leave because not too long ago we had a stray dog that turned up at our house and wouldn't leave. He had a collar on, but he wouldn't let me near his neck to look at the tag. He wasn't in good shape though. He looked very sickly and had wounds all over. It was the weekend so a police officer came out to my house to try and get to the dog neck to read the tag but he wouldn't let the officer near him so he called Animal Control. They never showed up and the dog disappeared that evening. Our animal control euthanizes animals quickly and especially now that the humane society has limited the number of animals they will keep. I think that was my concern with them putting the kitty in quarentine for fear of rabies.... but thankfully you mentioned your cities animal control is better than ours.

I hope in any case the kitty finds a safe loving home. Keep us updated!

Ya I wouldn't call animal control cuz it is most likely that the animal will be destroyed...too bad animal control was called for a little love nip. to them a bite is a bite no matter what no matter how bad it is.
My cats do that all the time but just makes me want to play with them even more cuz I know they are having fun, then I get out the toys so they leave my hands alone. hopefully you can get her back, she is probably a great cat! If I had kids I would definately want them to grow up with animals in the home. This cat was probably a little nervous with the sudden increase in attention when you caught her and was on guard when she nipped at you. Can't expect a new cat in a new situation to be perfectly content immediately. All this time you saw her outside and now you are suddenly trying to get her up and in the house or in a carrier, she had to be sure you had good intentions...

I got an email from the head of Animal Control here and he said she is doing fine and has calmed down quite a bit. Hopefully we'll get a hit off the posters. I still feel I did the right thing.

Which animal control is she at?

She's at Jefferson County. When I spoke with them last, they said she doesn't have rabies, she is doing fine and is going up for adoption. I told them to call me if she wasn't adopted and I haven't heard from them since. That was about a week or two ago.

You'd better get back in touch with them right away -- I wouldn't rely on anybody over there remembering to call you. If they get crowded, the kitty could be sent for euthanasia with no notice at all...