# Street cat that has lived with us for 2 years- but we're scared to take him to the vet!



## TheTiger (Aug 18, 2017)

Hey! Thanks for taking this time to look at my thread!

I've now had a cat that has been with us for almost 2 years after following me home one day. I saw him, as well as other cats, a few streets down(all outside one house), everyday, however they all looked malnourished, and were often seen eating scraps off the street. None of said cats had collars. One day a male decided to follow me home, and refused to leave our driveway for a week. He was free to leave at any time and return to where he had came from. After leading him back to the street corner (where I often saw him) multiple times and leaving him there he always ended up at our doorstep, or sleeping under our car. It started raining heavily, and therefore we placed him in the shed with a bed, food and water. Since then he's been our cat, and we love him dearly, and take careful care of him. Now we've decided it would be best to take him to the vet for a microchip- but we're worried he already has one and we will be forced to return him to the previous owners! (I believe he may have one because he was neutered.)
Just to reiterate:
The street he came from was within walking distance, he is free to leave at any time.
He followed me home and since refused to go back
He had no collars and was malnourished
The people whom lived in the house they hung around are the presumed owners, if so, they seemed to neglect the cats, leaving them outside and not feeding them. Their front garden is constantly littered with trash.
It was all the cat's free will!

Please help us, I could never give up our cat, he's a part of the family. Especially since he's better off here than where he was before! What do I do? 
Any help is greatly appreciated, I'm stuck!
Thank you so much.


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## Blaise in Surrey (Jun 10, 2014)

Why not have an 'off the record' conversation with the vet prior to committing to an appointment. I hope that you would find them sympathetic to your situation.


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## TheTiger (Aug 18, 2017)

I hadn't thought of that Blaise, how would I go about having an 'off the record conversation'? Thanks for the reply x


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Hi @TheTiger  . It is great you have been able to help this cat, feed him and give him love and a safe place to be. It is a difficult situation for you because legally you do not own the cat, and the owner would have every right to ask for their cat back if they wanted to. I appreciate you have not kept the cat in your house against his will, and of course that goes very much in your favour (legally).

If you take the cat to the vet, (e.g. saying the cat was a stray you adopted), and ask the vet to scan for a microchip and the cat is microchipped, the vet will be obliged to keep the cat, contact the registered owner and ask them to come and collect the cat. The vet will not hand the cat back to you unless the owner says they no longer want him, or they fail to come and pick him up from the vet. But if the registered owner does not want the cat it is possible the vet would hand the cat to a Rescue rather than give him to you - unless he happens to know you, and considers you are an experienced, reliable cat owner.

If you go to the vet and tell them how things really are - just as you have explained here - the vet will have no choice but to tell you that if the cat is in fact microchipped then he belongs to the registered owner, unless the owner signed him over to someone else, e.g. a Rescue. If the vet is a law-abiding person he cannot tell you anything different to that.

I understand the cat has been with you 2 yrs, you have invested your time and affection in him, you are attached to him, and you regard him as your cat after all this time.. If the cat never goes back up the road to the previous home, it is possible the owner has forgotten him, and doesn't even care where he went. However, knowing cats and how they behave I think it is quite possible the cat does return sometimes to its 'previous' home. It could be the case the owner does not regard the cat as being 'missing'. The fact the cat disappears for days at a time may not worry a neglectful owner in the least.

In these circumstances the best thing is really to offer to adopt the cat, and get the owner to sign the cat over to you. if you don't want to do this (e.g. because you don't feel you will get a good response) then all you can do is to keep going as you are, with the cat living with you, but free to go back to his other home if he wants, and for you not to ask a vet to scan him for a microchip.

Vets do not usually randomly check cats for microchips unless asked specifically to scan a cat, so it is fairly unlikely the chip would be discovered by chance. Though of course there is always the risk it could be. For peace of mind it would certainly be far better if you had legal ownership but as I say this would involve getting the owner officially to reject the cat.


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## SpringDance (Mar 18, 2016)

If my cat had been missing for two years, I would be over the moon to have her returned... I understand how you feel, but there might be a mourning owner out there somewhere...


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## ForestWomble (May 2, 2013)

When I was little, my Gran was 'adopted' by two cats, they both came from the same household, their situation sounds very much like your cats, Gran did the same thing as you, giving them every opportunity to return home, they made themselves very much at home with Gran so in the end she went round to the 'owners' house and told them about two of their cats, owners didn't care and said if she wanted to keep them it was fine by them  

Maybe you could speak to the owners? Put your mind at rest.


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## SpringDance (Mar 18, 2016)

Sorry, maybe you are 100% sure they were the owners.


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## TheTiger (Aug 18, 2017)

Animallover26 said:


> When I was little, my Gran was 'adopted' by two cats, they both came from the same household, their situation sounds very much like your cats, Gran did the same thing as you, giving them every opportunity to return home, they made themselves very much at home with Gran so in the end she went round to the 'owners' house and told them about two of their cats, owners didn't care and said if she wanted to keep them it was fine by them
> 
> Maybe you could speak to the owners? Put your mind at rest.


You see, I'd love nothing more than to do that. My problem lies in the "Owners", quite frankly they are sacry people, often seen swearing or shouting. In fact, I've seen the police over there once! I really don't want to get involved with people like that...


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## TheTiger (Aug 18, 2017)

SpringDance said:


> Sorry, maybe you are 100% sure they were the owners.


Yes, I am certain.


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## SpringDance (Mar 18, 2016)

In that case, do what you need to do.


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## TheTiger (Aug 18, 2017)

SpringDance said:


> If my cat had been missing for two years, I would be over the moon to have her returned... I understand how you feel, but there might be a mourning owner out there somewhere...


Thanks for the effort you put into that reply!
I guess my only hope is to never ask for him to be Microchipped (There's no way in heaven I'm giving him back if he is, especially to people that treated him that way.) 
Maybe I'm worrying my head over nothing, and he has no microchip, I wish there was a way to find out without having a vet involved, which would force me to return him.  I am so stuck


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## TheTiger (Aug 18, 2017)

SpringDance said:


> If my cat had been missing for two years, I would be over the moon to have her returned... I understand how you feel, but there might be a mourning owner out there somewhere...


The thing is his owners were very neglectful, leaving him, as well as their other cats , to eat scraps of the street! They were all malnourished and thin. (I'd personally witnessed their youngest cat eat a doughnut iff the floor, it was heartbreaking, as well as another of there's ridiculously thin.) I know for certain they are the owners, but in no way do they deserve such a sweet kitty.


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## kittih (Jan 19, 2014)

Another option though not so cheap (though you could always sell it again after use) would be to buy your own microchip scanner and check for a microchip.


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## Ceiling Kitty (Mar 7, 2010)

This is where the microchip system falls down. Many people chip their cats in good faith, but it becomes a waste of time if people who find the cat don't take them to be scanned.

If the owners are as neglectful as you say, it would be surprising if they have chipped him.

Chip or no chip, if they find out you intend to keep him but you haven't made 'reasonable effort' to trace and contact them, they could report you for theft (if they are so inclined - they might not care less). Unfortunately the law is cold-hearted in such matters, viewing cats as chattels.

I'd take him to the vet and explain the situation.


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## Calvine (Aug 20, 2012)

@TheTiger: any chance you could borrow a scanner from a rescue? They are not cheap to buy. I guess if you did buy one you could sell it on eBay once you've used it.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

@TheTiger - Calvine is right. You could ask a Rescue to scan the cat for a microchip. It would be diplomatic not to mention that you know who the owners are. Just say the cat is a stray you took in 2 yrs ago when he came to you staving hungry and very thin.


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## Jackie C (Feb 16, 2016)

This is a similar story to what happened to us last year, when Betty found us. She was scrawny, flea-bitten and generally unwell. I found out who she "belonged" to, and went to speak to them, the owner was slightly upset, but didn't seem too bothered that Betty had chosen us. We'd spoken a couple of times, and they claimed she wasn't chipped.
We took her to the vet, and she _was _chipped. We had her treated for fleas and worms and a general health check-up.



chillminx said:


> Hi @TheTiger
> If you take the cat to the vet, (e.g. saying the cat was a stray you adopted), and ask the vet to scan for a microchip and the cat is microchipped, the vet will be obliged to keep the cat, contact the registered owner and ask them to come and collect the cat. t.


In our experience, this did not happen.

We took Betty home, and I contacted the chipping service to get her details changed. They informed us that legally they had to write to the owners registered on the chip, and they had 28 days to reply. She wasn't registered to our neighbours, and was in fact, registered at the other side of the city. Luckily, after writing the registered owners, they didn't respond within the 28 days. Our name was put onto the register and she became legally ours. x

It might be worth checking if he is chipped, you might just get lucky. After all, he was neglected and on the street. Good luck x


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## TheTiger (Aug 18, 2017)

You have all been very sympathetic to our situation and I can do nothing but thank you all! I'm considering buying then reselling a scanner, but this is pretty pricey. I'll shop around to see if I can find ine for a good deal. However, I'm incredibly fortunate to have a cats.org volunteer live a few houses down, I suppose I could ask him what to do about the situation? He's pretty friendly. Maybe there's a way he'd have access to a microchip scanner?  I'm hopeful and I will find a way to keep our precious kitty! Any other ideas are always welcome! x


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

@TheTiger

Cats.org (this is Cats Protection isn't it?) will have access to a microchip scanner. I would ask your volunteer friend to bring a scanner to your house to scan your cat. This is a reasonable request to make as you have taken in the cat starving and neglected and now you need to know if there is anyone who may have a claim on him. You may even end up finding out he has a microchip, but not in the name of the people you think he belonged to. Strange things happen!


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## TheTiger (Aug 18, 2017)

I've read on another forum that if you search around/between the shoulders blades by gently pinchong the skin or pressing down you may be able to feel the microchip which is like a large grain of rice. I've been searching around and have not yet felt anything! Very hopeful  I think it's unlikely he'll have a chip as he wasn't taken care of in the first place! Things are looking up. The man a few houses away who works with cats protection is more of an aquaintance- I met him when returning his cats collar which was found with an address on it, however he was very friendly. I still have his number. I've purchased a microchip scanner off ebay, but it's scheduled to come in September, so I'll wait for it to arrive (assuming everything goes to plan.) I'll resell afterwards. I'm hoping he'll be ours legally soon


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## kittih (Jan 19, 2014)

Microchips can often migrate so it could move down the shoulders or along the back. Some even go down the legs. Not feeling anything doesn't say much.

If you do get a number you won't be able to get any details, only vets and animal organisations can do that. If a number does come up then you should contact a vet or rescue to locate the owner. Someone could have lost their cat and it might belong to someone not locally.

We have a member on this forum who list her cat 6 months ago and is still devastated. Another, whose cat is not micro chipped, may have got out accidentally and us also frantically worried. So please do everything you can to ensure the cat doesn't have a worried owner looking for it, even after so long.


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## ZoeM (Jul 16, 2015)

I have a cat that has been missing for nearly two years. He is microchipped and disappeared one day never to return. 

About 12 months after he went missing, I was still active in a lost/found facebook group and out of nowhere a lady messaged me saying that she thought she might have my cat. She said it had taken her two months to get to know him but over time he had become settled and happy and loving. I asked her if I could have photos and she sent them over. I didn't think it was my boy but I asked if she would let me come round and see him. She was really worried that I was going to take him away. I promised her that if I was happy that Huxley was content and settled in her home (which he certainly sounded like he was) I would let her keep him. I just wanted to know that my boy was safe and not rotting somewhere on a railway embankment. It was a huge relief to think that he hadn't been suffering all those months.

Turns out that it wasn't my Huxley. She realised that she had been feeding him longer than he had been missing for. She promised to get him scanned at the vets it turned out that he wasn't microchipped or even neutered.

So, please get the puss scanned, perhaps by a local lost/found group - try contacting Harvey's Army on facebook. If they have gone to the trouble of microchipping their cat, they deserve to know one way or another. 

Zoe


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## MistyKat (Sep 7, 2017)

To my knowledge microchips aren't proof of ownership. My knowledge base is through working with dogs and having a friend who is a vet nurse. Unless laws have changed recently, as I am aware a dog can be stolen taken to a vet scanned for a chip and a vet wouldn't contact anyone if the details are different to those of the person bringing the dog in. Also as cats are free roaming I thought there would be little interest in following up on ownership issues by authorities, in the way if a cat is run over it doesn't have to be reported but with a dog you do.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

@MistyKat - there have been successful court cases where a microchip has been accepted as proof of ownership with a cat. In some cases even when the cat has been missing for years and been happily living with a new 'owner' before the chip is discovered by chance. In such cases the court has ordered the cat be returned to the registered owner (if the owner wants them back, which they don't always).

If a chip carried no weight in terms of proving ownership, what would be the point of them?  . Taking of a cat is theft in law and a chip is the easiest way to prove theft has occurred.

If a vet does scan a cat, decides to check the details with Pet Log etc, and finds the registered owner is not the person who brought in the cat then it is unlikely that a vet would just allow the person to take the cat away. However vets do not routinely scan cats that are brought in by people presenting themselves as the rightful owner, so it is quite likely it may never come to light.


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## Clairabella (Nov 8, 2017)

chillminx said:


> @MistyKat - there have been successful court cases where a microchip has been accepted as proof of ownership with a cat. In some cases even when the cat has been missing for years and been happily living with a new 'owner' before the chip is discovered by chance. In such cases the court has ordered the cat be returned to the registered owner (if the owner wants them back, which they don't always).
> 
> If a chip carried no weight in terms of proving ownership, what would be the point of them?  . Taking of a cat is theft in law and a chip is the easiest way to prove theft has occurred.
> 
> If a vet does scan a cat, decides to check the details with Pet Log etc, and finds the registered owner is not the person who brought in the cat then it is unlikely that a vet would just allow the person to take the cat away. However vets do not routinely scan cats that are brought in by people presenting themselves as the rightful owner, so it is quite likely it may never come to light.


Wonder how this turned out xx what a heartbreaking position to be in :,-(

Rooting for you and a for a happy ending xx


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## Pudding n boos mum (Nov 19, 2017)

Hello im new here and have a very similar situation i rang the sspca today about the wee cat and was told as i had been feeding it and defleaing and worming said cat for so long i could legally make it mine.. december 2015 i started looking after him and getting him in at night.. i have 2 and cant take wee man in says housing ass but no laws against visiting ... if they scruffy and not well kept stuff them down the road and make him yours xx maybe write to the previous owners and tell them you have been looking after 1 of their cats and feeding it ... keep a copy .. and enjoy your cat ..xx rspca would know more call them xx


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