I just wanted to chime in about something that was said.

Walksalone, you mentioned that the city won't take notice of lost pet reports. I know we all live in different places, but I can't imagine a town that wouldn't keep logs of lost pets. I found a stray once and left my number and a description of the dog at a few shelters. Hours later I received a phone call from one of the shelters. When the owner came to pick the dog up, he was in tears.

I understand your feelings of wanting to keep this cat, since you seemed to have really bonded with him. But he really might be someone's pet. And if he's not, then at least you did the right thing by reporting it.

Also, another issue is that you are going to pay a nice chunk of change for the evaluation and possibly vaccinations. But if an owner comes forward, I'm sure they'd have no problem paying you back.

I have to admit I'd never think to contact local law enforcement regarding a found dog or cat. I would notify the local animal shelters and other such organizations.

I can tell you that when a neighbor "stole" my cousins cat the police here would do nothing to help get the cat back.

It does sound like the cat originally belonged to someone but did that person "dump" the cat or was he lost? That is the question. You should make every attempt to locate the owner if he has one. They are surely heartbroken if he's truly lost.

Just because the cat is friendly, doesn't mean it has a home. Two cats who I rescued from my town were the friendliest cats I ever saw. They were both emaciated and I did not call the police because one time I found a dead cat in my pond and they came and got it but said they wouldn't make a record of it since it was running loose and that was against the law. I did put ads every where including the papers and called the Humane society and vets offices..Nellie is still here w/ her daughter....yes she was pregnant too, and Izzie, who I fostered two years has a no other cat home now. She had been neutered tho but abandoned..Both weighed 6 pounds when I got them and one weighs 14 and the other 17 now, and are happy to be safe indoor cats.

Laurie, I once posted a similar response about a lost pet and got really blasted for it. I totally agree that you MUST follow the proper channels. I don't want to hijack this thread, because I truly believe this cat isn't really anyone's pet.

However, as a former shelter/animal control manager, I can't stress enough about following the law.

Here's a great example that I've posted before:

We had a guy bring in a dog looking for the owner, but his kids (and he) wanted to keep the dog. I stressed to him that if he turned it in to us, that we'd keep it by law for 5 days, and then he could legally adopt it. Then it would be HIS property. He was really reluctant to give it up for even 5 days, but agreed after much convincing. I explained to him what could happen (see below). That family visited this pup every day.

Three weeks after they had legally adopted, the original owner showed up wanting his pup. I told him that it was here, posted, and then adopted out after no reclaimation. The guy was FURIOUS!

A day later that guy confronted the new owners children***** in their driveway playing with the dog. The new owner told him to contact us, since they'd legally adopted. I then dealt with the guy, telling him that it was a matter of law. The dog was now the new family's pet and he could take it up with a judge, though the law was on the new family's side. That's just how it works.

This *guy* was a back yard breeder, who let his 3 month old jack russel wander the neighborhood, and only looked for him after 3 weeks missing. Served him right to lose the dog, and the new family had legal rights to their newly neutered pup with all its shots. Those are the days I loved my job.

I'm really curious to know the results of the veterinary exam. I know the OP said she was going to take the kitty to the vet yesterday. I guess once she stopped hearing what she wanted to hear, she decided to ditch the post. Oh well, it would've been nice to hear an update on the cat.

I don't think anyone was telling her anything bad. The original owner probably won't even be looking for the cat. And we were just telling he to cover her bases. I hope she can keep it and that its healthy.

She may not have had time to post yet.

Sally

The kitten's vet appointment was delayed until yesterday evening.

The kitty is about 6 to 8 months old. An intact male. He is not microchipped.

The kitty checked negative for feline leukemia and aids.

The kitty did have a bad case of worms, ear mites, and ringworm. According to the vet, he has been in this condition for a long time. Longer than the four weeks spent at the office building.

His ears are kind of wind burned and chapped, but no frostbite issues.

He has been treated for the conditions, next vet visit in two weeks, to finish shots and neutering.

Thank goodness you found him....He's really being cared for, the way a kitty should be.....Bless you

Walks congrats on the new kitty! Looks like he has a new mom :) You'll have to show us some pics after you get him fattened up!

Lucky cat to have found you.

So, what's his name?

What a sweetheart you are for taking him in!

Sally

Thanks everyone. I originally posted here because I know there is people here that have dealt with ferals, trapped, or have "dumped" animals. None I have experience with. I did not expect that I was not living up to my legal duties. Legally, I was within my rights to keep walking away and let the cat starve and freeze. The cat was not mine or on my property.

I am not immune to the lost pet. I have experienced once, and almost a second time.

I live in a major metropolitan city. There is not one central place to report lost animals. The one
central place is the city pound, a kill shelter. Yes, could have turned the cat over to the shelter. In three days, the cat would have been killed. Yes I would say I would adopt. It would be up to the shelter to determine adoptability. With the conditions of this cat, he would have to be quarantined and isolated. Without tags, or microchip, the shelter makes no effort to find the owner.

It is up to the owner, to go to the shelter daily and look. There is no support by phone or internet to facilitate finding an animal in the shelter. The shelter states on the website to do this, and there is a physical bulletin board to post. The shelter is approximately 15 miles from the city and the hours are the same for a person who works office hours. I have gone to the shelter and claimed a dog, fifteen years ago.

The law is that dogs and cats are to be contained, or leashed. It is the law at four months, the animal is to be spayed/neutered, vaccinated, wear tags or be microchipped, and registered with the city. If anyone "owned" this cat, they failed to do all.

I have posted a found on the humane society's website. Their site is the only one with this function. I have driven around the main entrances to the neighborhoods close to where I found him to look for signs, none for a cat, a few for dogs.

As I mentioned previously, I have lost pets and luckily found them. I had two dogs that got out of their fenced yard. It took three days of posted signs, newspaper ads, and a shelter visit to recover both of them.

Three years ago, my home was broken into. I had two indoor only cats. The cats did not wear collars and tags or chipped (my failure). They are spayed/neutered, vaccinated, and registered with the city.

I came home to find every door and the garage overhead door - OPEN.

My cats were too scared to venture from under the bed. The police thought I was a little off, since I did not care about the TV and other obvious missing things that were gone, I just wanted to look for my cats.

My cats are now microchipped. The younger two will learn also to wear collars and tags. This still will not prevent them from getting in the street... Only to be found and only if that person does the right thing. (I know)

If this cat was older, spayed/neutered, I would look even harder for the owner, because it would appear someone cared.

I guess I am just a little surprised. A person posted here about grabbing a cat that was hanging around. Nothing said about finding the owner. Two weeks later, the poster gave up the cat to the shelter because it did not work out. Nothing said.

I also always see the lectures about posting about a pet ailment, and the poster gets told about having a pet and shouldn't own an animal if not affordable.

Did all your pets come at the best of times? Did they always get sick when you were just flush with extra funds? Do you always know what to do?

I feel lucky. I can afford my pets. I have great vets who are a phone call away. Not all have this.

(I am beginning to sound like a candidate for president, touting national healthcare. LOL).

As far as the new kitty, he does not have a name. I am hoping he will show me more of his personality. He is very shy. He cowers in the corner of the room. I have to force interaction, with no fight. But he has to be convinced.

He had to be shown what the litterbox was for. When I first let him out, I put him in. Left him about an hour. I finally had to start scratching in the box and for him to copy and finally go. He has good habits since.

He is frightened of the TV. Has no interest in furniture. Two chairs available to lay on. He prefers the floor.

Two of my cats know what the "isolation room" is. They have great sympathy for him. I have held him and let the others come up and sniff and nose him. He has no reaction, other than chirping at them. My cats do not even hiss. So I am hoping to end his isolation by this weekend.
(My cats are on a flea control that protects from worms and earmites). The ringworm is still a concern, although treated.

I am going to see if I still have a working old camera to take pictures with. I believe the can be copied to cd instead of film? (I just came into the 21st century this last year with a laptop and a month ago, a cell phone!) I need up to date pictures of all my cats, and would like to share my now family of four.

I think about you and your kitty all the time...It's not often someone will take the time and go to the expense as you have done..So anxious to hear his new name and of course see pictures....Bless you!

Thanks for the update, Walksalone! I bet he'll adapt before too long.

Sally

No need for a defensive dissertation.

I do find it disconcerting that your local authorities haven't developed a better way of tracking lost and found animals.

Best of luck with your new cat.

In OK, there is no requirement that found "property" be turned over to law enforcement. You may choose to become a bailee for the owner, instead, with all rights and obligations thereof. You could call the city pound, submit a found animal report to give the any potential owner a chance to find their lost kitten, and still keep him under your care until and unless the owner is found.

Here is a link that might be useful: OK Lost Property Statute

I think you absolutely did the right thing. I would have done exactly as you did. You can tell when a cat is abandoned and clearly yours had no home, and if it did, a bad one. Good luck and post pictures of him. Since he's a he, Blanche would not work for a name. I love that for a white female.

You don't know that he was abandoned or that he came from a bad home. All you know is that he somehow became separated from the human(s) who cared enough to socialize him. You don't even know when that separation occurred. He may have been separated from his original home months ago.

Yes, it is very possible, perhaps even probable, that he was abandoned, but it certainly isn't a sure thing. I don't understand the unwillingness to call in a found pet report to the city pound. If you're so convinced that this kitten has no previous home out there, what do you have to lose?

Laurie

Laurie,

With all due respect, I think we need to leave her alone about this matter. I completely agreed with you about calling animal shelters, but I think the OP has made some valid points and at this point she is convinced that she's doing the right thing. And so do I.

If the original owners cared enough about this cat, there would be posters all over the area. Obviously he has a better home now. And the OP did the right thing....she said that she "posted a found on the humane society's website." Maybe you would have done more than that, but at least she did the right thing in reporting it somewhere.

Regardless of the cat's old situation, the OP isn't going to budge on this, and I'm sure we can all understand why. So maybe you should just leave it alone. Just my opinion.

gabro14, we are all entitled to our opinions, and we are also all entitled (and in my case feel an obligation) to provide information that promotes responsible behavior. You may feel that we all understand why the OP is apparently refusing to file a found pet report with the municipal pound, but I do not. It makes no sense to me.

You don't know that posters weren't posted all over the area where this kitten first lost his home. You don't know WHERE the kitten's first home was. It may have been miles from the office building where the OP found the kitten. And as I already mentioned, this kitten may have been displaced from his original home months ago, in which case any posters would be long gone.

I certainly don't fault the OP for helping this kitten and providing him with good care and a safe place to be. That is exactly what I would have done and what I have done numerous times. My only concern is that the proper notifications be made to allow any previous owner a legitimate chance of locating their kitten. Notifying a single shelter in a large metropolitan area is better than nothing, but the OP has already stated that the only central city agency is the municipal pound, so notification should be made there, as well.

Laurie

I agree with Laurie. Aside from the OP, she has taken in a cat, made a notification and all is well.

I just have a problem with gabro's statment:
"You can tell when a cat is abandoned and clearly yours had no home, and if it did, a bad one."

That is simply not true. One cannot tell anything about how a pet was lost, how long it was lost, and the what the circumstances are.

This kitty was lucky to find someone to take care of him.

I also have a problem with the statement made by the OP:
Legally, I was within my rights to keep walking away and let the cat starve and freeze. The cat was not mine or on my property.

The question isn't about legality. Its about moral obligation. I think just as we feel a moral obligation to care for a stray animal, we also have a moral obligation to make an attempt at finding the original owners. In my opinion, legal issues are minor compared to the moral obligations.

I fulfilled my moral obligations, even more so, than the hundreds who walked by and did nothing.

If we all feel morally obligated for an animal, there would be NONE out there. None because, joepyeweed, every animal would be rescued, by all us fulfilling our moral obligation. All of us would report all abuse, capture and trap, report,and physically take the time.

Doesn't happen, does it. My shelter takes in 14,000 animals a year. Most do not get adopted.

So, thanks all. I fulfilled my moral and legal obligations. He was turned over to authorities at the city animal shelter yesterday. His owners have three days.

I don't expect for him to be considered adoptable. I wish him luck.

Joepyeweed,
I stated no such thing. That was Lily who made that statement ("You can tell when a cat is abandoned and clearly yours had no home, and if it did, a bad one."), not ME.

Walksalone,
Why did you decide to turn him in when you were so against it? It sounds like you are trying to make the above posters feel guilty, but nobody put a gun to your head. I guess things didn't work out with the kitty - that's what it sounds like to me. Otherwise, why wouldn't you just pick him up after 3 days time?

Walksalone,

Will you be adopting him after the three days? I hope you didn't give up on him because of what was said here.

I hope some of the sanctimonious posters here aren't responsible for a lovely cat being euthanized. I'll bet my house the cat won't be claimed and will be put down.

Ok lordy, this subject got beat to death. Laurie had a valid point and I'll back her up time and again. I got blasted once on here for saying the same thing -- turn it in and do it right. I've been on the legal end of things when there are feuds over who owns the cat/dog. I also had to the one who had to put them down when they weren't reclaimed. You should always follow the law and legalllllllly adopt so that you aren't the one on the bad end of things having to defend why you have someone else's dog/cat.

You really never do know the whole situation. I've seen lots of pets tagged as "abused" when they really weren't. They were simply lost and it only takes a few days and a rainstorm for a cat or dog to become matted and look like it has been lost for decades.

HOWEVER, the OP has met her legal obligations. Nuff said. It's her cat and we should be happy it has a great new home :). Walks, I'm awfully happy for you and the kitty both and I can't wait to see pics :)

OOPs, gabro, sorry, you are right, I copied that sentence out lily's post, and I thought it was yours...

I think my point, time and time again, was that a person can report a found animal and not turn it in.

I think its a misconception that many people have that if you report the animal to the authorities then you have to turn it over. Simply not true. The authorities would much rather have you take care of the animal.

Remember its costs the shelters money to house, care and kill an animal, so anyone willing to take an animal off of their hands is a cost savings to them.

Was there something wrong with the cat, that you decided to get rid of him, or are you planning to go back and get him in three days?

If we all feel morally obligated for an animal, there would be NONE out there. So True.

I am all for meeting the legal obligations always. My point, when she did, why couldn't the cat be kept in her home until and /if the original owner made a claim. That way the cat would not get lost in the system and be put down even tho it may be saved. One case around here reminded me of this. Woman found a cat and WAS going to keep it but she was told to take it to the HS to see if the owner would claim it, and if not she could adopt it. She did and went home and a few hours later had a change of heart and went back only to find the cat already DEAD!!

I just wanted to REiterate that the OP said "I have posted a found on the humane society's website". So didn't she do what she was supposed to do?

Whether that's true or not, she said she did it, so that's why I thought we should just leave it alone. Regardless, obviously this poster is either not being 100% honest or she's using guilt tactics. I mean, she claims to have turned the cat into the shelter with no plans to get him back after the 3 days - why would someone who was SO against turning him into the shelters change their mind so quickly and just get rid of the pet? Doesn't make sense. What I took from her last post is that she has no intention to get the cat after the 3 days. To the OP: then what was the whole point of that post where you went on and on about valid reasons of not to turn the cat in??

The OK state statute I linked above specifically allows the finder of found property (in this case, the kitten) to retain possession of the property as a bailee until and unless the owner is identified. I don't understand why walksalone relinquished the kitten to the pound unless (s)he decided not to keep the kitten after all.

The whole thing is odd because I think every poster here, told her to keep the cat AND notify the authorities.

Then she claimed her local authorities don't have a way of reporting found pets, yet she was able to post the lost cat on the shelter web site.

Then she went on the defensive about how great of a cat owner that she was...and how wonderful she was for rescuing this cat...

Then she turned the cat in to a kill shelter.

sounds schizophrenic...

Sounds like a troll, actually.

wow what a wierd thread. I was recently adopted by a cat, winter was comming and he wanted to be in a warm loving house. I took him in and let him live on the sun porch for 3 weeks before we decided nobody was looking for him. I did not
put a found add in the paper or put up found flyers, that is the LOST CAT owners responsibility. If I had lost my cat it would be plastered all over the place. I don't really care if some kids cryed because the cat was missing, If this cat was truly a treasured pet his owners would have gone to great lengts to find him. He is on my lap right now and "helping" me type. HE does not care about some family that may have lost him, he is purring , happy, loved, warm and well fed. The OP sounded sincere about wanting to help a cat and all was sounding good until some of you had to chime in about what is "right" for people. I don't give a rip about the people, let's take care of the animal. If you report a found animal to a shelter and nobody calls about it, then the animal is better off having a new loving home with the people that cared enough to take it in. Some of you treated the OP like she did something wrong, shame on you for not putting the cat first. I reported my new cat (child) to the shelter, my inital intentions were to just keep him safe untill he was claimed, I really didn't need another cat. Nobody called. WE are HIS now! I hope the OP returns to get her fur baby and gives it a loving home. Some of you people should be very ,very ashamed of yourselves.

Amen

well.... she has the cat.. and she's keep it. period.

Let's let this drop.

If you report a found animal to a shelter and nobody calls about it, then the animal is better off having a new loving home with the people that cared enough to take it in. ...I reported my new cat (child) to the shelter, my inital intentions were to just keep him safe untill he was claimed, I really didn't need another cat. Nobody called. WE are HIS now! I hope the OP returns to get her fur baby and gives it a loving home.

I totally agree with everything in the above the paragraph.
Which is what normally happens, the roaming pets family never shows up and you keep the cat,(if you want).

But the key point in the whole thing is that IF you don't report a found animal, then it makes it very hard for the lost pets family to find it, IF they are looking for it.

No one here ever suggested anything otherwise. I didn't see anyone treating the OP like she did something wrong...and there is no need to be so defensive.

"The OP sounded sincere about wanting to help a cat and all was sounding good until some of you had to chime in about what is "right" for people."

So Lisa, are you saying that we are at fault for having this cat euthanized? Obviously there is something odd about this poster. She was fine and dandy when everyone was giving her praise for taking the kitty in, but when a few people started giving her advice on the "right" thing to do in terms of notifying shelters, she got angry. So she took it out on the cat? Strange.

I agree with Joepyeweed - something is very amiss here.

By the way Cindyandmocha - you must've missed something. She doesn't have the cat anymore, as you can read in her last post.

walksalone is not a troll or schizophrenic or odd

~smile~ good luck walks, if you are still checking in. You did a good thing.

Gabro, you are right, I totally missed that. That's what I get for not reading thoroughly, my apologies. I thought she reported the cat but kept it.

I don't understand why she turned it in if she'd already met her legal obligations. However, I'd wonder why not re-adopt it after the 3 days are up. A typical shelter provides a lot of services for the adoption fee -- including spay/neuter, first round of shots, deworming and a free vet visit. It is generally farrrrr cheaper than trying to do those things on one's own.

No need to apologize Cindy :)

Uh, Jessiecarole - if you think that turning in a cat to a kill shelter (after boasting about rescuing it) is "a good thing", then I must have my definition of "good" wrong.

I don't necessarily have a problem with the OP turning the cat back into the shelter. Sometimes it doesn't work out. Perhaps the kitty was sick or didn't get along with her kitties. We can't always save every animal.

Of course she never explained why, either?

I agree that there is no problem with the OP turning the cat into the shelter. At least he was taken off the streets. I'm just referring to the sequence of events (OP rescues cat....cat was found to be healthy...cat got along with other cats....OP liked cat and wanted to keep it so much that she refused to post a find....OP posts a find on the shelter site....OP disposes of cat and pretty much blames it on this thread). Something's not hitting me quite right. And like you said, Joepyeweed, no explanation from OP.

I know walks well enough to feel sure that the cat has found a good home..... and, yes, I read every word in this thread.

Unfortunately, lost animals are not a priority with law enforcement in my town either. We don't have a humane society and I wouldn't call the county run pound a "shelter". It is a problem and people like Walksalone are part of the solution.

She asked for help. She explained her situation. She collected some good information, some praise, and a few epithets. She moved on.

I am reasonably sure that the story has a happy ending ~smile~ even if we never get to hear it here.

jc

No matter how much you "know" Walks, there is no way to know if the cat got a good home....after all, she did leave him at the shelter. And how is Walksalone part of the solution when she took the cat to a pound?

Obviously she kept the cat - enough with the games already.

I am sure she kept the cat and was just trying to make some of you get off you soap box and think of the cat first.

Where was anyone on this thread implying something that wasn't in the best interest of the cat? Or the best interest of the rescuer?

I still don't get it?

Going to bring this back up. My computer crashed, today I bought another. So I did not get back.

I did turn the cat over. I did go back and "officially" adopt him. Part of the fee I paid went for neutering.

He is a very sweet and shy one. He will not let me approach him, or he will run, just like when I tried to capture him. I have to wait for him to feel secure.

I reported him to the Humane Society, not the shelter. Two different organizations. The shelter, aka as pound, is not a lost/found or will act as one. Neither will the sheriff take lost/found pets info, he runs the county jail, and issues warrants.

I hope to never be in the position to see an animal in this straits again.

(Thanks, jc, good to see you).

Glad to hear the Cat is safe with you!

I'm so glad to hear you rescued him a second time. Having lived in small towns and knowing how the majority of lost animals are rarely claimed, I think you're very fortunate to have him back.
I worked many years with a large, well known rescue group and many of their rescued animals were taken from county pounds. During the time I worked for them I lost a lot of confidence in the county's ability to keep records after seeing many an animal put down due to poor record keeping. The cat you found could have easily been destroyed if found to be too wild for adoption or due to a mixup of records.

The good thing from turning him in is it probably saved you money since he got a thorough checkup and was neutered. I believe it would have cost much more at the local vet!

Unfortunately, in order to do the right thing, he had to go thru a very stressful period and now has to readjust to you and your home.
Sorry to hear you had to start over with gaining his confidence......but now he's 'home'!