Problem with cat that I want to keep!

[edielou]

Hello,
first off, I am new to this forum and am trying to get some feedback on how to handle my unique situation. About 6 weeks ago a beautiful calico cat starting showing up in the neighborhood. She is very friendly and lovable, obviously was someones cat, but no collar. She would show up every few days for a couple of weeks. One very hot day (90) she was in my yard trying to get water from my fountain. I gave her some water which she drank right up. I then gave her some food, which she also ate very hungrily. She started coming to my deck all the time and I would find her sleeping in the morning. I fed her a few more times. I looked in the paper for any lost pets and I did take a picture of her and posted a found notice in a few block area. It looks like she has been spayed, but she is a young cat and in good health. After about a week one of my neighbors told me another family on the next block were also taking care of her, although I dont know when, since she seems to always be at my house. I went and talked to him and he said yes, it was a stray and they are keeping it, but it does not want to go inside. I told him fine, I would not feed it again. It was gone for 2 days and since then has been at my door every morning and sleeping in a cat carrier on my deck every night. It does want to come inside. I have 2 indoor cats and a dog. If I took this cat it would be an indoor cat, as I do not believe cats are safe outside here. We live in a tourist area on the south carolina coast. There is another outdoor cat in the neighborhood that trys to fight with this sweet cat all the time and it has had several sores on it. The other family is never home, work all day and then kids activities. I think this cat just wants love and being retired and around all day, I have given that. I do feel badly to just take this cat, so I have tried to get it to go home, but it keeps coming here. After a few days, I feed it again, because I cannot stand it any longer. Help!

 

[dusty's mom]

If it were me I'd keep the cat, and don't feel guilty. Be sure you get the cat a collar and name tag with your cell phone number on it, and microchip her if you can. Then try to make her an indoor kitty, but if she won't have any part of that, then at least you have identified yourself as the "owner."

The way I see it is the first person that lays claim with a collar and name tag is the owner. If the other people really wanted that kitty, they would have already claimed her via the collar/tag option.

 

[edielou]

thanks, thats what I need to hear, but he did tell me they were going to get her a collar, but I dont know if they have seen her enough to do that! They also maybe leaving her food out when she is not there and then either their dogs eat it, or other stray cats. I never leave food out, if I feed her she eats it then and then the dish goes inside. I think she would do fine as an indoor cat once she got use to it. It seems like maybe at one point she was both. My other cats, both female have been looking at her through the glass doors and there is no hissing or anything. My dog loves her and she is fine with the dog. The other guy told me she was afraid of his dogs. I think or at least maybe I want to think that there are alot of issues over there which would make it easier for me to claim her. I just feel guilty, but I do love her already!:

 

[skimble]

Hi, you are so kind to take care of this little girl. From reading your posts it seems that she is a stray in need of a home. If the other family really had true intentions of taking her in, they would have done so already. You are very right being in a tourist area that she would not be safe outside.

She has chosen you.

There is no need to feel guilty for taking her in after talking to the other family. She is "at home" with you. My vet told me that she believes animals find us, we don't find them. This little calico knows what she is doing. Best of luck to you with your fur family.

 

[marinewife05]

Well you could always take the cat inside and see how she does. If she does fine keep her inside and see how long it takes the other family to come looking for her. If they are just leaving food out and it gets eaten they may think she is around even when she isn't. They have to understand owning a cat is more than just putting food out. Even outdoor cats enjoy interaction with their humans.

 

[edielou]

this morning she was banging on my bedroom doors at 620, i went out and just petted her and that seems to be all she wanted. These other people should be around today since it is the weekend, so I will see if she still comes around. I really want to take her in, but do have to go away for a week myself in a week or so. i think, if she is still here when we get back, I am going to take her to the vets and take her in. I like the notion that she is picking me!

 

[StefanZ]

I agree with all the others. If you can and want her, go for it, as the situation is. Sooner the better.
If the others really wants her, they can surely contact you and agree to fetch her. Or rather, if they contact you, take the diskussion then.
As now, you do have the first shot and the responsibility is mainly yours.


Good luck!

 

[GoldyCat]

Before you claim her you should take her to a vet or shelter to have her scanned for a microchip. If she's already been spayed she may be someone's pet who got lost. I know you put up posters, but if the owners don't live in the immediate area they might not have seen them.

Once you're sure the cat doesn't belong to someone else, I would say you're free to make her yours. The neighbors obviously haven't followed through with what they told you, so I don't think you need to take them into consideration. It's all about what is best for the kitty.

 

[edielou]

good idea about having her checked for a chip, I did not think of that. I usually only think of dogs with a chip. I will do that as soon as I get back from my week away, if she is still here.
Thanks all for your input, it has helped.

 

[cjh27]

Hi,

I don't agree with the others, quite frankly. You know who ownes this cat and have agreed not to feed her- now you've decided to keep her without telling the owners of this cat.

If you just keep her without telling them they will think something has happened to her- and that's not fair towards them or their kids.

You don't seem to agree with the way they keep this cat- but that doesn't give you the right to simply keep it. This cat is not a stray- you know who is looking after it.

Talk to the owners of the cat and ask them if you could have her or if you could come to any other sort of agreement such as both of you feeding her when she comes.

regards,

Christine

 

[mrblanche]

Actually, this cat is exactly a stray, by the definition. It's not being kept inside, and it's not staying with someone who claims to be caring for it.

 

[skimble]

Originally Posted by cjh27

Hi,

I don't agree with the others, quite frankly. You know who ownes this cat and have agreed not to feed her- now you've decided to keep her without telling the owners of this cat.

This cat is not a stray- you know who is looking after it.

Talk to the owners of the cat

The original poster stated in her first post that the cat IS a stray. It seems she was feeding the stray AND another family was also feeding the stray.

She DID speak to the other family who CLAIMED to want to keep her yet they were not caring for her.

The cat apparently preferred the OP because the other family was gone all the time and not caring for the cat. I would choose the OP if I were the cat, too !!

 

[cjh27]

Originally Posted by edielou

Hello,
After about a week one of my neighbors told me another family on the next block were also taking care of her, although I dont know when, since she seems to always be at my house. I went and talked to him and he said yes, it was (this is a past tense!) a stray and they are keeping it, but it does not want to go inside. !


I told him fine, I would not feed it again.

This is what edielou wrote. This cat has a family that wants to keep it and is taking care of it. In my eyes this is not a stray- a stray is a cat that does not have a home.

I just don't think it is OK to keep a cat knowing that it already blongs to some one who wants to keep it. I can understand that ediolou would like to keep the cat as it seems to be friendly- but I don't think she moraly has the right to do so without asking the people who are already taking care of this cat.

Many peple don't like to put a collar on their cat as a cat can get strangled with a collar- this doesn't mean you can simply keep every freindly cat without a collar. If that where the case I could simply keep my neighbour's cats, some of which are ex- strays they've taken in and have had neutered.

The one thing I do agree with is that the cat should be checked for a chip.

regards,

Christine

 

[dusty's mom]

Originally Posted by cjh27

Many peple don't like to put a collar on their cat as a cat can get strangled with a collar- this doesn't mean you can simply keep every freindly cat without a collar. If that where the case I could simply keep my neighbour's cats, some of which are ex- strays they've taken in and have had neutered.

The one thing I do agree with is that the cat should be checked for a chip.

regards,

Christine

There are safety collars made to break away if caught on something. I would never let my outdoor cat outside without a collar AND a nametag with my phone number on it. My in/out cat is also microchipped with her chip tag on her collar along with her nametag and my phone number. My indoor only cat also has a collar and nametag with my phone number just in case she gets out accidentally.

Yes, check the cat for a microchip.

 

[cjh27]

Originally Posted by Dusty's Mom

There are safety collars made to break away if caught on something. I would never let my outdoor cat outside without a collar AND a nametag with my phone number on it. My in/out cat is also microchipped with her chip tag on her collar along with her nametag and my phone number. My indoor only cat also has a collar and nametag with my phone number just in case she gets out accidentally.

Yes, check the cat for a microchip.

Yes, there are safety collars- but there's no law stating that an out door cat must wear one- it's up to the owners to decide for or against a collar.

The point I was trying to make was that you can't keep a friendly cat just because it hasn't got a collar.

regards,

Christine

 

[dusty's mom]

Originally Posted by cjh27

Yes, there are safety collars- but there's no law stating that an out door cat must wear one- it's up to the owners to decide for or against a collar.

The point I was trying to make was that you can't keep a friendly cat just because it hasn't got a collar.

regards,

Christine

Let me share how we got our cat. For weeks and weeks, maybe several months, there was this cat sleeping on our patio furniture. Every time we went outside, she would bolt and jump over the fence, but within minutes of us coming inside, she would return to our patio. She had a collar, but no nametag or identifying information. But because of the collar, we thought she had a loving home.

One morning, after grilling the night before, my husband sees this cat licking our grill. Husband determines she must be hungry, so we put out some scraps from the refrigerator (had no cat food) and she gobbled it right up. We looked around the neighborhood and didn't see any missing cat signs. Within a few days she was eating out of our hands and she let us pet her. We opened our door to her and she came right in and jumped on my lap and started purring and drooling, lol!

We took her to the vet to have her checked over. She was not chipped. She had been spayed. She became our cat once we placed a microchip in her and paid the vet bill! Obviously at one time she "belonged" to someone. But either she was abandoned when the original family moved, or she ran away from them. Maybe she was abused? We will never know. But what we do know is that she chose our house, and she chose us. We are truly blessed to have her.

Because she began her life with us as an outdoor cat, she is now indoors at night, but spends most of the day outside. We have now had her for 5 years and is now approximately 7 years old. She has been diagnosed with CRF, so she may not have lots of years left. We love her like a child, and she now has regular food, vet care, and shelter.

If her first family lost a very special kitty that they loved and adored, then I am sorry for their loss. But I believe that if they had really missed her, then they would have put up signs in the neighborhood and made an attempt to find her. I agree with the poster who said that sometimes cats choose their owners. Dusty chose us, and we are very blessed that she did.

 

[cjh27]

Originally Posted by Dusty's Mom

Let me share how we got our cat. For weeks and weeks, maybe several months, there was this cat sleeping on our patio furniture. Every time we went outside, she would bolt and jump over the fence, but within minutes of us coming inside, she would return to our patio. She had a collar, but no nametag or identifying information. But because of the collar, we thought she had a loving home.

One morning, after grilling the night before, my husband sees this cat licking our grill. Husband determines she must be hungry, so we put out some scraps from the refrigerator (had no cat food) and she gobbled it right up. We looked around the neighborhood and didn't see any missing cat signs. Within a few days she was eating out of our hands and she let us pet her. We opened our door to her and she came right in and jumped on my lap and started purring and drooling, lol!

We took her to the vet to have her checked over. She was not chipped. She had been spayed. She became our cat once we placed a microchip in her and paid the vet bill! Obviously at one time she "belonged" to someone. But either she was abandoned when the original family moved, or she ran away from them. Maybe she was abused? We will never know. But what we do know is that she chose our house, and she chose us. We are truly blessed to have her.

Because she began her life with us as an outdoor cat, she is now indoors at night, but spends most of the day outside. We have now had her for 5 years and is now approximately 7 years old. She has been diagnosed with CRF, so she may not have lots of years left. We love her like a child, and she now has regular food, vet care, and shelter.

If her first family lost a very special kitty that they loved and adored, then I am sorry for their loss. But I believe that if they had really missed her, then they would have put up signs in the neighborhood and made an attempt to find her. I agree with the poster who said that sometimes cats choose their owners. Dusty chose us, and we are very blessed that she did.

Hi,

I'm not sure what you're trying to say with your story? So if one of you neighbours started to feed Dusty and Dusty decided to move in with your neighbours you would be OK with this? That's very generous of you- but for this threas it's missing the point in my oppinion because this cat has a family who would like to keep her and have quite clearly said this. Besides- once this cat has been locked away as an indoor only cat (which is what I've understood is the plan) this cat will not be able to choose where she would like to live.

Don't you think you would be upset if one of your neighbours decided to keep Dusty as an indoor only cat because she's a friendly cat and they like her- without ever telling you about it? If this were to happen to me I'd be forever wondering about what might of happened to my cat and I'm sure you'd also be very upset if Dusty one day never came home and you wouldn't know why or what has happened to her.

regards,

Christine

 

[dusty's mom]

My point is that following your logic, Dusty would still be living on the street. She belonged to someone who put a collar on her, but couldn't be bothered with a name tag. What good is a collar without ID? If she had any kind of ID, she would have been reunited with her original owner. Apparently that original owner didn't care enough to protect her with an ID.

If you have an outdoor cat, that make sure that cat has an ID on a collar. Otherwise keep the cat indoors. I would never "steal" a cat that was properly ID'd and I would hope that others would never steal my cat either, because she is now mine and carries proper identification!

If you allow your cat to be an outdoor cat without identification then don't except to "lay claim" to that cat. Cats that are allowed to roam often do choose their owners.

ETA,
1. Keep you treasured cat indoors if at all possible.
2. If not possible, put collar and nametag on outdoor pets.
3. Realize that if you ignore 1 and 2 that your pet may be claimed by someone else.

 

[cjh27]

Originally Posted by Dusty's Mom

My point is that following your logic, Dusty would still be living on the street. She belonged to someone who put a collar on her, but couldn't be bothered with a name tag. What good is a collar without ID? If she had any kind of ID, she would have been reunited with her original owner. Apparently that original owner didn't care enough to protect her with an ID.

If you have an outdoor cat, that make sure that cat has an ID on a collar. Otherwise keep the cat indoors. I would never "steal" a cat that was properly ID'd and I would hope that others would never steal my cat either, because she is now mine and carries proper identification!

If you allow your cat to be an outdoor cat without identification then don't except to "lay claim" to that cat. Cats that are allowed to roam often do choose their owners.

ETA,
1. Keep you treasured cat indoors if at all possible.
2. If not possible, put collar and nametag on outdoor pets.
3. Realize that if you ignore 1 and 2 that your pet may be claimed by someone else.

In this thread we're talking about a cat who's owners are known- they responded to the posters that were put up because they want to keep the cat.

So if a cat looses its collar that's just the owners bad luck? Maybe Dusty had a nametag on her collar and lost it?

In my oppinion if you find a cat it is also your responsibility to find its owners if you want to keep it- which was done in this case. If a cat has an owner you can't just keep it- it's that simple. You can talk to the owners to see if they'd let you have it or sell it to you. If the cat is living under an apalling conditions or if you suspect animal cruilty you should inform the animal welfare officer to look into this.

Here in Germany its the law that you have to report any cats you find- if the owner doesn't re- claim the cat within a 6 months period it then belongs to you.

regards,

Christine

 

[dusty's mom]

I think that in this situation, if the cat doesn't have a chip, then let the cat decide where it wants to live. And if the cat can become an indoor only cat, all the better. Edielou, you have my vote! Let's hope someone cares for that poor kitty while you are away.