Is it okay to "adopt" a cat that is probably owned by someone?

There's a cat that has been in our yard/porch for several days now. My daughter tells me she's seen this cat all over town. He appears to be well-cared for - he's clean, nourished, and not too flea-bitten. My daughter opened the door tonight and he came straight into the house! Scared the crap out of the dogs and Number One cat. We gave him a little food - he ate ravenously, and put him back outside. Now the girls are pestering me to keep him, but I rent my house and already have three pets. I'm not sure how the landlord would take it if I got another one.

My overriding concern is that he appears to be owned by someone. I don't want to take something that doesn't belong to me, but I hate to see the little guy out in the cold like this. Any suggestions?

I'd keep him for the duration, and put out some flyers, ads, what have you's...

Notices to vet offices and the like...

Make whoever calls give you identifying characteristics so you know that's the owner...

My two cents...

:hi:

He just showed up one night.
Obviously well fed and cared for.
E-mailed the neighborhood and no one claimed him.
Checked with our vet who is the local clearing house for missing pets.
Nope.

So we had Ace for about 10 years.
Great cat.

A calico kitten turned up on our front lawn a couple of days in a row. She seemed healthy but was pretty young to be wandering around by herself, so we took her in, then posted flyers and a lost cat ad in the paper. Nobody claimed her, so we kept her. She lived to be 18.

that the whole street adopted...
My neighbor would feed it and actually named her.. another name...
another neighbor would bring her inside for the night....
We always knew she was at someones house when sh wouldn't come home....

she was well fed and well loved.....



lost

:thumbsup:

I wouldn't consider a cat that was outside repeatedly (not an accidental escapee) properly cared for. :shrug:

he's certainly invited himself in other places before, but he's well-fed. odd situation, I just hope the critter stays warm enough

check out the food situation and eat if he could, then play with my cats toys. He was just a very confident cat and my big male cat was in awe of it..and just used to observe all this from afar. Some cats are just that nervy.

You've just been adopted.

Seen in that perspective, the answer is yes, of course it is okay. In fact now that you have fed it, you may find it hard to get rid of anyway. ;)

Look at it this way, if its owner lets it outside then they should really put a collar on it with an address. Without that, what more can you do?

:hi:

declawed him then put him outside! I know he goes inside sometimes (probably just at night) but he's outside most of the time. I feed him every day and give him lots of "rubs" and when it's cold or rainy I leave my garage open so he can get out of the weather. I would bring him inside but I have 4 other cats. I've often wondered why they got him when they pretty much ignore him.

regularly? If he's just stopping by and going home to his owners when he feels like it, then no, you can't keep him. However, if he's been living at/around your place for several days, then he may be lost, abandoned, or a runaway. In that case, I'd do everything possible to identify the owners, and if that failed consider keeping him...

My cats would go down two houses and decide they liked it there better and moved in with the neighbors.

Also, my goddess mother lost a cat once when the neighbor's took him in and thinking he was sick (he was just old, really) put him to sleep. My goddess mother was devastated when that happened. :(

Not that I think you will steal a kitteh or put it down. :hug: So after taking a good look around if no one comes forward, then I think you have a new fur baby. :)

Put a stretchable collar on him with this message in (permanent) ink: "Is this your cat? Pls. call XXX-XXXX"

If anyone calls, you can get the story. Good luck! :hi:

the place where an owner would go to look for it?

He kept hanging around the yard with my dog (they're still best buds), sitting on the outside window sill looking at my cat, sneaking in when I'd open the door. One very cold morning, as he stood on my deck looking longingly into my kitchen, I decided it was time to give him a home. I took him to the vet, got him tested, treated for fleas, vaccinated and neutered, and brought him home.

A few weeks later, a woman came up to me at the grocery store and said "Ya know, that yellow cat that hangs around your yard? He's ours. His name is 'Taz'."

I was devastated. I asked if she wanted him back. She said "No, you can have the little shit. I could never get him to stay home anyway." I considered pointing out that neutering him might have helpd. But what the hell. "The little shit" has lived with us since 2002, and is the greatest cat in the world. Her loss.

So, keep him. If his owner wanted him, he'd be at home!!




The little shit, with his beloved beagle in the background.