Thoughts on picking up strays?

faeriedust1127 · Posted: Tue Mar 14, 2006 9:07 pm Post subject: Thoughts on picking up strays?

Yesterday a BEAUTIFUL short-haired all white cat with one green and one blue eye wandered into my backyard and was sunning herself by the pool. I picked her up and she had a little blue nylon dog collar on, but no ID tag. She was extremely friendly and made herself right at home. I took her down the street to the local vet's office and had her scanned for a microchip, but they didn't find anything. I also called the county animal shelter to see if anyone had put out a lost report for her and so far nothing. Now i am under the impression that she lives in my neighborhood somewhere, but it scares me to think she is wandering around with no ID at all. There are no speed bumps on my street and i see cars racing up and down there all the time. I hated to think of something happening to her if i just turned her loose again, but i couldn't really keep her here either. I know my neighbor found her cat half drowned in the intracoastal behind their house. Anyway i put her on a harness and walked her thru the neighborhood last night hoping she would walk home, but she laid in the road instead. I knocked on a few doors to see if anyone knew where she belonged and no one had seen her before. while i was talking to one neighbor, she slipped out of the harness and wandered off. So that was that. If she comes back, any thoughts? should i do anything? i thought about tying a note to her collar.

Mary_NH · Posted: Tue Mar 14, 2006 9:14 pm Post subject:

years ago we had a neighbor's very pregnant dog hanging around our house. This dog was due to whelp at like any moment and her idiot owner would let her wander about the neighborhood.
I wrote a polite note, put it in a plastic bag and taped it to her collar. It read something like "you know I'm pregnant don't you? What happens if I get hit by a car and die but my puppies don't? Will you make sure they survive. What if I go into labor while I'm out wandering about, will you come look for me and get all of my pups? What if I have to give birth outside? Please keep me inside where I, and my pups, are safe"
I never saw her running around loose again

vene · Super Senior Member Plus Joined: 25 Mar 2004 Posts: 4220

I'd leave her alone. She's probably an indoor/outdoor kitty if she's so at ease outdoors and in good condition. If it happened to me, I'd keep her. Mr. Green

Please be careful of handling any unknown cats. A few years ago a friendly, purring cat with a collar on visited our yard and bit my hubby's hand out of the blue. He caught cat scratch fever and had to be put on IVs and antibibiotics at work. Shocked

coppersmom · Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2006 1:16 am Post subject:

I'd probably keep it too. Very Happy

ESPECIALLY if it showed back up=fate.

I put a note on a West Highland Terrier in my neighborhood too. It read something like "If you don't keep me contained and get these ticks off of me, I will find another home very quickly." He's inside a fenced in backyard now.

faeriedust1127 · Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2006 3:17 am Post subject:

Well the cat didn't seem neglected at all really. She's a good weight and i didn't see any fleas or anything obvious. She just needed a really good brushing, which i gave her. She was shedding like crazy and i got at LEAST 8 brushfuls of fur off her. She didn't seem too hungry(i tried) and otherwise quite content to simply relax where ever. She didn't fuss one bit about being brushed or going into a carrier to run over to the vet and get scanned. The animal shelter called me back today and took a description and said they will give my number to any possible matches if anyone calls about her. If she shows up again and seems as happy as she did yesterday, then maybe i will just send her off with a note. Several of my neighbors let their cats out at night around here, but i know most of the cats and who they belong to, however, no one seems to know anything about this stunning little girl. I don't plan to leave a NASTY note, but i do want to make them aware that as friendly as she is, anyone could just pick her up and take her off to a shelter or keep her for themselves since she has no ID at all. They really need to chip her if they plan to just let her roam the neighborhood. I mean, how do I know she isn't lost? At least if the vet had found a chip and discovered she belonged to a neighbor, i could have brought her home and checked that they had let her out on purpose. You just never know. Besides, if an Animal Control Oficer had picked her up instead, she'd be whisked off to the shelter and out for adoption in a couple days by now. *sigh* poor girl. I hope it's just an accident or somebody who really had no idea rather than some stubborn person who doesn't care one way or the other, cuz she really is a VERY sweet cat. Even my dad liked her, and he hates cats(or so he says, haha). Tho he warned me that if i bothered trying to find her home they might just tell me to mind my own business, but i'd sure hope someone wouldn't be so rude about it.

t_chelle16 · Moderator Joined: 22 Mar 2004 Posts: 3437

I'd just keep an eye on her. If she continues to show up and you start noticing her losing weight or a decline in her overall condition, then I'd do something.

We're about ready to take in a stray that's been hanging out at our house. He's been here since December and he finally got to where he's here pretty much 24/7 and he started losing weight until we put food out for him. We had him scanned for a microchip, checked newspapers & bulletin boards, and asked around, but no one's reported him missing so we're going to keep him (he's getting thoroughly examined, all his vaccinations, neutered, and quarantined before we let him around our other cats).

We were a little nervous about taking him at first because he looks like he's purebred, but whoever his owner was, obviously doesn't care that much for him or they aren't around any more (lot of military around here). And like you said, he could just as easily been picked up by animal control and taken to one of the shelters where he'd either be adopted out by now or put down because he's an older cat and not as desirable as a kitten.

-Chelle

luna · Posted: Thu Mar 16, 2006 6:54 pm Post subject:

id keep her too if you find her again try putting up a picture of her on store bulitin boards and a number where you can be reached at or some people just put where they found the cat and if its male/female and their number. i guess to make sure that they get the right person.