Found Cat: What to Do?
It happens time and again that stray cats reside in your garden or even invade the house. Often the four-legged friends are just curious, but sometimes they need help.
What you should do when you have found a cat and how you can identify the owner is explained below.
Found cat – the main points at a glance
- If you have found a cat, try to find the owner as soon as possible.
- If the animal needs medical attention, a veterinarian or the local animal welfare association should be contacted.
- If it is not possible to identify the owner, the cat must be reported to the local authority where it was found.
- The owner of the stray cat has six months to take his or her four-legged friend back.
Finding a stray cat's owner
There are strays who don't have a home and are seeking contact with humans on their forays. However, if you have found a cat, it is usually safe to assume that it is not a homeless animal and that the cat may even be missing.
The stray cat can either have gotten lost or it is an indoor cat that has escaped. Of course, you can't just keep your four-legged friend. Instead, you should try to identify the owner so that they can get their lost cat back as soon as possible.
It is best to ask around in the neighbourhood if anyone knows where the four-legged friend belongs. If the owners have already noticed the disappearance, they may have posted “lost” posters in the area or started a search on social networks such as Facebook. There are groups set up specifically for this purpose, which you can look into.
It may also be worth taking a look at Tasso's animal register. Pet owners can publish “lost“ advertisements there as well if their cat has run away. If your search is unsuccessful, you can also take action yourself and put up „found“ posters or try to find information about the found cat on the Internet.
Reading the found cat's microchip
Most cats are chipped these days. This means that a microchip about the size of a grain of rice was inserted under the skin. A unique number is noted on this, with which the animal can be identified beyond doubt.
To have the chip read, simply contact a veterinarian nearby. If the owners have entered the cat in a database, such as that of Tasso or the German Animal Welfare Association, the contact details can be easily determined.
Does the found cat need help?
In general, if the cat in question looks well cared for and is not emaciated, you can assume that the animal is doing well. In this case, you should first of all refrain from feeding the four-legged friend or luring them into your house. Instead, just wait and see. Maybe the supposed lost animal just approached you out of curiosity and will soon return to its home on its own.
It's obviously a different matter if you have found a cat that is injured or noticeably skinny. In this case, the animal probably needs help, which can be obtained either from the veterinarian or from the local animal welfare organisation.
If you want to lure the cat, you can usually do this with some food or cat treats. It is recommended to wear gloves to protect yourself against teeth and claws.
Keeping a found cat: Is it allowed?
Maybe you or your children have taken the found cat into your heart and would like to keep the four-legged friend permanently. That is perfectly understandable. However, it is not allowed.
From a legal point of view, a stray animal such as a cat is treated in the same way as, for example, a purse you found on the street. You are therefore obliged to report your find. For this purpose, you can either contact the local police, the regulatory office or the lost and found office.
If you wish, you can also contact the animal shelter. They then take care of the proper reporting of the cat that has arrived and can possibly also take the four-legged friend in if there is a free space available.
If you really want to keep the found cat, you have to wait six months after the report. This is the time the actual owner has to pick up his or her four-legged friend. This also applies if you did not hand the cat over to the animal shelter, but took care of it yourself.
Found cat – our conclusion
If you have found a cat, you can assume in most cases that the animal is missed by its owner. If the four-legged friend looks healthy, your main focus should be on identifying the owner as soon as possible. If the stray cat seems to be in need of help, depending on the situation, a veterinarian or the local animal protection association is the right place to contact.