Guess what I found

[PayItForward]

Originally posted by carole
...... if the kitty was starving I really doubt payitforward that it belonged to someone else, unfortunately we are not always to know these things, and can only do what we think is for the best, don't you think?

My George has eye tracts and bad fur and my Treacle 'looks' half starved. I use to worry so much about Treacle even knowing how much he ate, that I weighed him weekly, just to check he wasn't losing any weight. People may THINK my cats need help but they don't according to my vet.

Cats which LOOK like they need help don't always and it is up to us to ensure to the best of our knowledge that the cat needs a new home BEFORE we just assume this.

BTW she never said the cat WAS starving just that the cat ate like it was starving which a lost cat will do just the same as a stray cat. It means nothing beyond the cat was hungry.

IMO a sweet natured friendly purry cat who is scared to be out at night sounds like a well loved escapie owned cat than a stray.

Originally posted by doolittleky
....but I feel I did what I thought was best at the time and what was best for the kitten. Each person just does the best they can. I have looked in the lost ads in the newspaper and have looked around for lost cat signs in the area and have found none.

To be a responsible person, every cat which is picked off the street should remain in a shelter or your home for seven days whilst placing found cat posters around the neighbourhood, registering the cat lost with all shelters and vets, scanning cat for microchip, You can even letting cat out in a paper collar to see if anyone rings you. If no owner has come forward THEN rehome knowing you are helping a stray cat rather than stealing an owned one, who might of escaped their home or just got lost.

How would you feel if one of your cats got out and someone just rehomed them rather than try and find you ? Would you still think this was a reasonable way to deal with a found cat ?

If the cat is in pain and need of medical care, it would be right to rush the cat for necessary treatment before trying to find her owners but you still need to try and find them before rehoming.

I will confess I even put one cat to sleep before confirming he was a stray (which I later found out as I still looked for his owners) but according to the vets, he was in constant pain from advance FIV & Flev and cancerous mouth tumours. For his sake I could not let him suffer any longer (RIP Caramel)

So unless a cat is in need of medical intervetion, you should hold the cat for seven days to allow her owners to collect her.

As the cat has been missing for 1 or 2 days they may just be printing out posters today I would keep an eye out for posters over the next few days.

Why don't you print some Found Cat Posters yourself and post them locally ? See if you can tell her owners where to find her and if you don't find owners you will know that you helped a stray.

I suggest you read this article, it has a check list of responsible things to be done BEFORE you rehome your next found cat.
http://www.lostmycat.com/foundcat.html
(Please Note I am rewriting the above page hence the tables are off but the poster still works.)

I really do think you have a heart of gold to help cats on the streets. To do this you are an angel.

I only ask you to please consider taking a few basic steps to ensure you are only helping those you really need it.

If you are very lucky you might be able to reunite a lost cat(s) with their owners.