Found Cat Article......

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Very Draft version of how to deal with a lost/stray cat ?

http://www.piftails.com/main/articles/general/foundcat.html

The poster is just the lost cat poster, but I'll adopt it to be a proper found cat poster later.

All coments are welcome.

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I'm trying to figure out, if no comments are good or bad :)

[sirrahbed]

Hi Jenny - It seems like the content is good - I am not very helpful there but I am pretty good at proofing so I put on my English teacher hat and found some typos and put () on them:D Here goes:
***
Please Note. If you see an injured cat(,) take them to your local veterinary practice or no-kill shelter straight away for emergency care(.) (M)atters of ownership can be resolved after necessary health care has taken place.


1 Don't feed strange cats
Never feed cats that turn up in your house or garden, unless the cat's background is known. Feeding a cat the wrong food could ruin a planned diet or damage their health if the cat has a medical condition. Encouraging a cat to eat elsewhere may leave worried owners at home discussing why their cat isn't eating.

2 Identifying the new cat
It is very difficult to tell if a new cat()is a stray or owned(.) (T)his is particularly difficult in England where inside/outside cats are common.
The legal definition of a stray cat is a cat which has no identification.
Cats can be identified by placing owner(')s details inside an ID barrel or owner(')s details engraved on a tag attached to the cat(')s collar or a microchip. As collars can be lost and barrels can unscrew losing the message, PIF Tails highly recommends that all cats (be) micro-chipped.

Take the new cat to your vets and (have) him scanned for a microchip, if the cat has a chip, you can track the owners down via the national database and check if he is a local cat and if you have concerns (ab)out the cat you can return him yourself to talk to his owners.

3 Appearance(s) can be deceiving
On a bad day, George's fur is greasy, his eyes have tract marks and he shakes his head.

But George is a well loved cat who has blocked eye ducts due to years of eye infections (his eyes are cleaned twice daily but he will always have tracts), we clean his fur with cleaning cloths to improve the look of his fur and he shakes his head for minutes after we clean his ear()s(.) (H)e hates it but he has no ear mites or other problems.

Treacle is stick thin cat(.) (H)is ribs can be counted and he looks half starved.

But(,) Treacle is at a normal weight according to our vet. He is not mistreated, in fact he eats like a horse but it is his Bombay build, which is so very different from our other cats, which makes him look very thin.
Never assume that a cat deserves to be relocated, as it is easy to misinterpret a cat's problem, as needing help or being mistreated.

4 Paper Collar
If you are unsure of a cat's status and the cat has no microchip, cut a narrow strip of the long side of A4 piece of paper. Write the following on the strip of paper….


Am I a stray? Please ring Your_Name on Your_Telephone_Number if you own this cat.


Lightly tape this strip in a loose loop around the new cats neck.
The reason behind using paper() is that if the cat is a true stray and no (o)ne removes the collar, it will drop off if it gets wet or after time.
If the owners ring you, any problems with the cat can be discussed(.) (I)f they are good cat owners, suggest that they microchip their cat against future problems.
If you have concerns about their standard of cat care report them to your local RSCPA to deal with.
If no one rings you this doesn't prove anything, as the collar could have been lost before the cat went home. Either try another collar OR catch the new cat and house in your spare room for a few days whilst advertising that you have him with a found cat poster.

5 Disease Control
It is essential that all new cats are up to date with vaccines and have tested clear for Feline Aids and Leukaemia, before they are allowed to interact with other household cats.
If you decide() to take in a found cat to your home, it is essential that you restrict the found cat to a spare room () until they have received clear blood tests and a full course of vaccines.

6 Talk to Your Neighbours
Approach your neighbours and ask them to look at the new cat or a photo of the new cat. Neighbours can be a great source of knowledge; someone may know whom the cat belongs to() or if new people have moved into the area recently with a cat.

7 Register the found cat
Ring all local vets and cat shelters to register the found cat. Don't forget to ring them back if you find the owners of the cat, so their records will be up to date.

8 Take out ads in the local free paper
Always keep it brief and to the point and only give a general description of the found cat.

9 Found Cat Poster
Make a found cat poster outlining the cat's details and where you found the cat.
In USA, it is illegal to put anything in people's mailboxes except official mail but you could hand posters direct(ly) to your neighbours(.)


In England, post the poster though() all neighbours letterboxes.
Ask permission to place your poster in local shop windows, vet offices and pet shops.
Laminate several posters, alternatively place your poster in an A4 plastic folder or print on thick card, so they won't be ruined in the rain. Tape these posters to telegraph poles and lamp posts in the area.

How to Create a Found Poster
PIF Tails wanted to make the job of making a poster as quick & easy as possible, so we have created the point and click method of creating a found poster.
This poster is mainly designed for found cats but we hope this poster will be useful for other pets. I wouldn't place a photo on the poster to prevent fraudulent ownership claims to the cat.

Choose the applicable fields and press the submit button

[catcrazylady]

It sounds good to me! http://petoftheday.com/talk/images/our_smilies/biggrin.gif

[NoahsMommy]

It all sounds good. But I found this:

4 Paper Collar
If you are unsure of a cat's status and the cat has no microchip, cut a narrow strip of the long side of A4 piece of paper. Write the following on the strip of paper….

Am I a stray? Please ring Your_Name on Your_Telephone_Number if you own this cat.


Should it be:

Am I a stray? Please write Your Name and/or Your Telephone Number if you own this cat.

Not sure if that's just a language thing though. :)

Its a good page! I think you have a lot of good points, escpecially the paper collar idea.

[PayItForward]

Thanks for the comments esp Debbie & Kelly. I have mad up those alterations corrections.

Thankyou so much.

So I haven't missed anything big ?

Any further comments welcome :D

PS. Next article will be on neutering your pet (If anyone has a list of health problems that can happen if you breed your cat /not neutered your cat I would be grateful)