Found cat and owner issues?

[Jaspercat10]

I fed a cat that lived in our wood pile last winter religiously every day it was too scared to get inside, we thought someone had tossed it out on the main road about 1/4 of a mile away, anyway this summer I managed to gain its trust and we got it inside as it was so matted, and it became really friendly kids loved it etc.. anyway I booked an appointment at the vets during lockdown, I took it to the vets and said i had been looking after it for 9 months, and wanted to get it dematted and wormed etc.. they said they would have to check for a chip, so they took it inside as i wasnt allowed in, they came back out said it was chipped and they had phoned the owners and they said they wanted it back and that was that, I came home with an empty cat box.. how I wish I hadn't gone to the vets

[itsrachelhere]

I would respond and say that it must just be a similar looking cat as this one has clearly been living rough for some time. Their story just doesn't add up at all, and as the cat isn't chipped there's no real way of knowing. I think listen to your gut instinct on this one.

[Taffy1959]

Originally Posted by FizzyWhip

Some one who doesn’t spay or flea their cat doesn’t deserve one .
I’d tell this woman the cat is not healthy , not spayed and has a major flea issue and that she needs treatment which you’ll take the cat for but she will need to cover the cost before you give her back .
If she puts up a fight then tell her you’ll call cats protection for advice .
My betting is she’ll just wash her hands of the poor thing as she clearly doesn’t care anyway.
Harsh ? Maybe.. but that poor cat will end up having litter after litter ,not to mention the health issues arising from that and a major flea problem .

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Fully agree with this.
Can you take her to your local cats protection centre just to get their opinion?
You could then tell the owner what they say she needs to do and she might decide it’s not worth the bother.

[maidmarian]

No I most definitely would not give that poor cat back to someone that has clearly neglected her.
Please get her rehomed and then tell that woman some rubbish that she's disappeared.

[catlady]

Thanks everyone for your help and comments, I've had a very sleepless night! 😭

I called the Cats Protection lady back I spoke to yesterday and there is little they can do to help? Although she wanted to! If we gave her to them she would have to return her as the evidence proves the cat is hers.

She 'off the record' said if she was me the cat would go missing! I'm prepared to do this, but I at the moment don't know what she knows about where the cat is? Or if she knows my son's address? Not being rude but they don't seem the nicest of people from my social media digging 😖!

I am waiting to hear any further update from them? I'll keep you all posted!

Ps RSPCA said they can't help at all as fleas and not being spayed, chipped etc isn't neglect enough! And she's thin because she was missing and has had had kittens?

[Princess Alison]

It highlights such a grey area. Legally people 'own' their cat, but they don't have to chip them or register them with a vet and whilst they have a duty to care for them, the level of neglect appears to have to be fairly high before anything can be done.

Could the cat not have just gone missing again? And you take him in or rehome him?

[DisneyDaffodil]

If the owner has neglected the cat this much so far, I don’t think she would follow up if it went missing again. She honestly doesn’t seem to care that much.

If the cat stays at your home or you can find a friend to rehome the cat, then I wouldn’t give it back. I can understand your worry about leaving him at your son’s as she could, if she was bothered enough, chase it up and things could turn nasty if she’s a little ‘unsavoury’ If you don’t want to care for the cat yourself or have anyone you know who does, then you probably have to return the cat as it appears the animal charities would simply hand the cat back if you take him to them 😔

[duchy]

Originally Posted by Jaspercat10

I fed a cat that lived in our wood pile last winter religiously every day it was too scared to get inside, we thought someone had tossed it out on the main road about 1/4 of a mile away, anyway this summer I managed to gain its trust and we got it inside as it was so matted, and it became really friendly kids loved it etc.. anyway I booked an appointment at the vets during lockdown, I took it to the vets and said i had been looking after it for 9 months, and wanted to get it dematted and wormed etc.. they said they would have to check for a chip, so they took it inside as i wasnt allowed in, they came back out said it was chipped and they had phoned the owners and they said they wanted it back and that was that, I came home with an empty cat box.. how I wish I hadn't gone to the vets

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Sounds like the cat was lost rather than neglected.
I had a cat show up determined to move in.
Long story short we eventually discovered she had lived in my house as a kitten some thirteen years earlier and when pregnant had decamped to another home, she was returned , gave birth and then dumped her kittens to go back to my not very near neighbour’s house. In the end her owners gave up and the neighbour took the kittens too so they’d survive.
We did wonder if her returning to my house years later was some form of cat dementia, it took a couple of attempts to get her to settle back with my neighbour. We missed her but it was the right thing to do.

[Guest]

Say the cat has gotten out but if she comes back you’ll let her know .
Don’t give this poor thing back to her, it’ll have a life of misery .
Tell your son and flatmates to say they haven’t seen it since they last fed it and
don’t feel guilty!

[RickT]

Op, you are doing the right thing caring for the cat in your care.

I guess the problem is more along the lines of a legal position, yes the cat may not of been cared for to an expected standard, however it was lost and found.
A member of the public can't just decide an animal would be better suited and cared for by them than its current owner and take it... Is that not theft in the eyes of the law?

I would assume either the rspca or a protection charity etc would require some sort of legal documentation in place to take an animal from an owner. If the cat would of been chipped, the vet would of kept hold of it to return it to its owner.

Tricky situation and doing the right thing sometimes is not the best outcome...