On Fri, 09 Jul 2004 04:10:28 -0500, Brian Link wrote:

About three weeks ago this nice little tom started visiting us. We
have two indoor cats and they were pretty agitated.

He kept coming around, and I took a good look at him. He was
un-neutered, looked to be a year or two old, was bedraggled and
riddled with ear mites. Other than that he was friendly and seemed in
good health. He didn't seem bothered by the cats trying to tunnel
through the picture window to get to him.. his response was to spray
our house. And our car. And our garden.. etc.

After a couple weeks, I decided I'd put some food out for him, which
he graciously wolfed down and asked for more. I put a cardboard box in
the shade for him to lay in, and he took up residence.

Well, to make a long story short, I checked the Humane Society, asked
around the neighborhood and put up posters, but no one recognized him.
So we made the decision to adopt him. Took him to the vet, got his
vaccinations, cleaned his ears, and got him fixed. About $450
altogether, which we could barely spare..

Today a kid bikes up to me and says "hey mister, remember that cat you
were asking about? Someone has a lost cat poster up at the rec center
and it looks like him".

Now.. if someone 'owned' him and let him rove freely, un-neutered, and
let the mites get to the point where his ears were running, should I
call them and tell them I found their cat?

Maybe there's a little kid who loves that (absentee) cat as much I
love my cats. Maybe they didn't know better.

If it turns out to be him, should I call?

Brian Link, Minnesota Countertenor
----------------------------------
"I think animal testing is a terrible idea;
they get all nervous and give the wrong answers."
- regmech

That is a tough call. On the one hand, it could be that they cat went
missing awhile back (in which case, why wouldn't they have posters up
earlier?) and that's how he got in this shape. And as you said, you
wouldn't want to break a little kids' heart.

On the other hand, I have less and less patience for anyone who
deliberately allows their cat out, doesn't spay/neuter, etc.

I used to try *very* hard to track down owners -- knocking on doors,
looking for signs, calling the Humane Society, etc. I seem to try
less hard, especially when I find an unneutered cat full of fleas and
mites who clearly hasn't been cared for.

Over the years, I have found and returned cats to their homes -- in
those cases, the cat snuck out and had only been gone a day or so, and
they were in good shape. Others I have found were in bad shape, and I
never did see any signs, get any knocks on my door (I'm kinda the
"neighborhood cat lady", or find anywhere they seemed to belong.

Bottom line, what do you feel is the right thing to do for the cat?
And that's your answer.

Best of luck,

Ginger-lyn