just found a lovely stray cat but i don't think i'll be able to keep him :(

septembercity

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hi everyone!

my sister came home from work today with an adult male cat ( unneutered) who followed her home. he's very friendly and VERY affectionate and overall just a very sweet cat. he has no collar, and we're unsure if he belongs to anybody. my sister and i were thinking of taking him to the vet if he comes around often to check for a microchip. however, if we don't find an owner, i really don't think we would be able to keep him at home because my parents aren't happy with the idea of having a second cat and my cat doesn't take very well to other cats in our area. i'm worried about leaving him in the cold and am seriously considering buying an outdoor cathouse so he has somewhere warm to sleep for the winter.

has anyone found a cat with no owner, but been unable to keep him/her? if so, what was your solution?

many thanks!
 

Jemima Lucca

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Do you have the Nextdoor app? Post it there and be sure to include a picture. If he doesn’t have a chip and doesn’t seem to have an owner; post his pic on the app again and tell his story. Or a no kill shelter...
 
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septembercity

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Do you have the Nextdoor app? Post it there and be sure to include a picture. If he doesn’t have a chip and doesn’t seem to have an owner; post his pic on the app again and tell his story. Or a no kill shelter...
thanks for your response! i tried downloading the nextdoor app but it's not available in my country (ireland). i think the equivalent would probably be a local facebook page which i could try posting on. we have a really nice cat only shelter in my area that do adoption days on the weekend but i feel so bad leaving him there as i know most people go in there looking for kittens and he's a big boy :( i'll report back once we find out if there's a chip or not. again, thank you for responding! :)
 

DreamerRose

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I've had that happen to me, but don't know if my experience would be helpful to you in Ireland. I also posted on our neighborhood Facebook page with no response. I contacted Animal Control and filed a "Found" report. Animal Control got right back to me. It turned out the cat's owners had filed a "Lost" report, and AC was able to identify the kitty and put the owners in touch with me. They were most grateful. The sweet kitty had been missing for three months, but lived only a few blocks away.

Dollars to donuts, your kitty lives somewhere nearby. It's just difficult to find the owners.
 

kittychick

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First of all, I’m so glad you found your way to this site! It’s a great place full of lots of cat lovers from all over the world – many with LOTS of experience (in almost any situation you can think of!) who are happy to help and options/give encouragement/....and to have a shoulder ready when you need it. :alright: It’s a kinda amazing group of folks!

Thanks (to your sister too!) for caring enough about this little guy to take him under your wing.. Most people would have just turned a blind eye, not wanting to get involved. The world would be a better place if there were more people who care like you two do!!!!!! So don’t panic - you have lots of options, and lots of people who will happily offer advice! :cheerleader:

First, I’d get him checked ASAP for a microchip (most places do it for free in the US - many vets/animal shelters/humane organizations (in the US, even some police & fire depts will check an animal for a chip for free).

If he’s not chipped, social networking is a very VERY valuable tool!!! Facebook is a great place to start (you can also utlize Instagram). Post on your page (if you have one) and ask for everyone to “share” his info. Look for local Facebook “lost and found animals” groups in your area. Many shelters and humane organizations will also post "found cat" posts for you. Make sure your post has at least 1 or 2 GOOD pics of him up in the post, but withhold a bit of info from the photo & description so that anyone contacting you saying he’s theirs, you’re able to ask them to describe something that’s NOT on the photo or in the description to help prove he’s theirs (such as if he has a funny white toe, a spot on his belly, a funny squeaky meow, etc). And let your social media posts do double duty!!!!. Explain that if you can’t find this lover his original family, that he needs a NEW forever family ASAP! And make sure they understand how important neutering is. If they don't understand, explain how fixing him will go a long way toward him being happier (and often gentler), safer (he won’t desperately look to get out to breed), an it means far fewer unwanted kittens are brought into the world. All helping him live a longer, happier life! This site has many good articles on that subject you can use to pass along... and an organization called "Alley Cat Allies" has several pages with things to print out that you can read yourself, or print out to give the information to someone.. Here's link to one of those pages (it's worth poking around the site - like the TCS site - they have good pages about talking to neighbors, why spaying and neutering helps, etc.).

Spay and Neuter
I’d also make flyers with a few nice color photos, a short description of him, how to get ahold of you.....and I walk them into places (again - I’d cover near both where he first met your sister AND near where you are now, anywhere where animal people frequent in both of those areas (vet offices, humane organizations, even grocery stores, etc. --basically anywhere you can post a flyer!

And if you end up keeping him (indoors or out - - even if for a bit while you work to find him another home ), many of us here have integrated new kitties into homes where there are already 1 or more cats inside And we’d be happy help walk you through integration into your house It’s definitely VERY possible (we can even help you with what to say to your parents!). But if he ends up (even if for the time being) needing to stay outside, many of us have all kinds of experience (and lots of tips and triicistips in making inexpensive outdoor shelters that are as comfy as possible. Again - look around this site - - there are many threads and articles on how to make him as comfy outside as possible if needed (he does sounds like he'd love a new inside home! :catrub:Below is an example of a page from that gives lots of ideas on how to help set him up outside if need be,

How to Build an Outdoor Shelter
Community Cat Shelter Options Gallery


PLEASE keep us posted!!!! You and your sister sound like you both have big hearts (and I think this little guy knows that!). :rock:
 
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