What should I do with this cat I found?

January 15, 2009 3:48 PM

I went out for a cigarette and came back with a cat. Now what?

Last night I was outside smoking when I heard a cat meowing rather loudly. I went to investigate and it came right towards me, and let me pick it up. It was rather cold, and very late (2am), and the cat had no tags. We took it inside and made up a litterbox and bought some cat food, which she scarfed down.

I've asked my immediate neighbors, and they say that it isn't theirs. Given the weather (I'm in Queens), my landlord has given me a few days to find this kitty's home.

A few questions: 1.) How much detail should I provide in my "found" ads? I've heard of instances where some people abuse animals that they pick up this way, fraudulently. Should I post a picture, or just a description, or what?

2.) Do most cat owners let their pets outside that late in the cold? How likely is it that I kidnapped this cat? Should I just let it go back outside?

3.) I have some people who would like to adopt the cat, but I don't want to give someone's pet away. That said, I've only got a few days to resolve this situation, and no one has responded to my flyers so far.

Thanks for your help.

posted by jnaps to pets & animals (24 comments total)

Take to a vet or shelter and see if the cat is microchipped.
posted by desjardins at 3:51 PM on January 15

It's winter over there, right? Pretty cold out, I'd imagine. Snowy. Windy. Icy.

Even if this cat does "belong" to somebody, I'd suggest that they are either dead or incompetent. Cats are tough, but not that tough. Take it to the vet to double-check and see if it has a microchip (my guess is it won't), then give it a new home.
posted by turgid dahlia at 3:54 PM on January 15 [1 favorite]

Here's a few steps you can take:

First off, take the cat to a vet clinic or shelter. They can scan for a microchip, and tell you more particulars about the cat (gender, what the color is called for found ads, etc.).

Most shelters and vet clinics will also have some sort of a LOST/FOUND journal. It's worth seeing who has reported what lost, and leave a found description for if and when the owners start scouting out the shelters and clinics.

Also, keep in mind it might take a few days to notice the cat missing. If it's an indoor/outdoor cat, it may spend most of that time outdoors, weather nonwithstanding, and so they might just not realize they haven't seen it in a while, and just assume that it's been outside when they've been home.

When your landlord's patience runs up, by all means give the cat to one of your friends that are offering a home. But hang on to the phone number, and keep your ads at the shelter current for a while. The new adopters should understand that it might not be a permanent arrangement.

Put up signs in the neighborhood. Barring an accidental ride under a car, cats tend to stay close to home. Be generic though, something like FOUND: MALE CAT and maybe the color. If they are looking for their cat, they aren't going to need to see a picture to call. This will let you weed out the freaks. (Urban legend? Why take the risk?)

As far as the cold goes, it really depends on how cold it was. Cats are dumb and don't realize that temperature outside != temperature inside, and it might have just broken out. My cat has taken screens off windows to get outside when we've been trying to keep him in. Cats ears are vulnerable to frostbite (you'll see feral cats with no ears if they've been veterans of harsh winters) but they do have fur. And it could be that they let the cat out in the daytime when it was warmer and it just never came home for the night. Cats I tell you. But the owners could be completely responsible, so don't worry too much there.

Good luck!
posted by internet!Hannah at 4:05 PM on January 15 [7 favorites]

Oh and don't do what turgid dahlia says. You don't know how responsible the owners are, and there are too many homeless cats in the world to start passing unfounded judgement off on people who have given one a home. Maybe the door blew open ("windy" after all), maybe they have a toddler that let it out, maybe it's one of those door-dasher kitties, maybe it crawled up under the car in the garage and got a ride, maybe its something you haven't even considered. Honestly, a friendly, litterbox trained cat out in poor weather != an abused cat.
posted by internet!Hannah at 4:11 PM on January 15 [1 favorite]

Hopefully you'll be able to find it's owner, or a new home - I remember reading some time ago that our fair borough only has a few small private animal shelters (I can only think of two - one in Elmhurst, and another in Flushing - and I can't even remember their names), and the city run one was pretty atrocious - if you can't find the little guy's owner, take him to a shelter in Manhattan or Brooklyn.
posted by Calloused_Foot at 4:14 PM on January 15

Oh and one more point I forgot to expand on, with the lost/found reporting system at shelters and vets, try and hit them all in the area, if you can. Don't forget about non-profits, too. A lot also have some sort of online reporting form as well, so give that a look to save yourself a trip or a phone call. They might also let you just fax or email a flyer if they use the bullitin board system, too. And if you do find the kitty's owner, call and cancel your found notices to prevent any further confusions.
posted by internet!Hannah at 4:16 PM on January 15

I remember reading some time ago that our fair borough only has a few small private animal shelters (I can only think of two - one in Elmhurst, and another in Flushing - and I can't even remember their names), and the city run one was pretty atrocious

Yeah, I'm in Kew Gardens and car-less. There's a pet store nearby, so I should be able to pick up an animal carrier. I've googled vets in the area, and I think there's one on Queens Blvd. Is it kosher to take a pet on the bus? I've never seen anyone with a pet carrier on there before.
posted by jnaps at 4:21 PM on January 15

Post on the livejournal NewYorkers community.

Community.livejournal.com/newyorkers

Also the Astorians community (maybe you live near LaGuardia--they're a good resource for all of Queens though)

www.astorians.com


If you need someone with an account to post to those, I might be able to help you, but not until tomorrow. PM me.
posted by sondrialiac at 4:23 PM on January 15

You can take a pet on the bus.
posted by sondrialiac at 4:23 PM on January 15

You guys are all awesome. Thank you so much!
posted by jnaps at 4:24 PM on January 15

I came home with a meowing kitten today too!!! (I, however, wont be mentioning it to the landlord) ;-)

My family has always let the cats out in the snow unless it was freezing rain. Ours never went too far though. Actually, most cats who are family pets dont go to far (of course, it could've escaped from the vet or the family moved) so you might want to heavily concentrate the signs closeby, I think they could be without photo because anybody missing a pet will be able to identify it and will take the chance that the one you found is theirs.

I do think that IF it is someones housepet it would find its way home if you let it go, however, if by some chance its not, setting it free in the snow will take away its chance of living with one of your nice friends. I'd second giving it to friend "foster" owners until someone replies to your ads, to be safe.
posted by nzydarkxj at 4:28 PM on January 15

There's a couple not far from you on Queens Blvd - one I think on the north side, about 76th ave or so (Boulevard animal hospital I think), another on 71st Rd around the corner from the Midway in the chichi (well for Queens) Windsor condo building. I dunno about the bus - I hate the bus and almost never use it (unless I'm too cheap to pay for a cab to the airport) - I don't think it would be an issue if the carrier isn't too big, though I guess it depends on the driver, but if you're anywhere near the Kew Gardens subway station, just take the subway to either 75th ave or 71st ave if you're afraid the cat will freeze.
posted by Calloused_Foot at 4:30 PM on January 15

Oh and by a couple, I meant a couple of vets
posted by Calloused_Foot at 4:33 PM on January 15

write to the blog Queens Crap - despite the name (a condenmation of bad architecture in your fair borough) they may well do a community service of posting a photo of the cat with info about them and/or giving you info about blogs that would do such a thing (i know many of the blogs in brooklyn do this).

you can take pets in a carrier on the train or bus.

given the fact that tonight is record-breaking cold i wouldn't let the poor thing out.

flier your neighborhood and around the closest train stop.
posted by micawber at 4:48 PM on January 15

The best answers have all been given, but I just wanted to say good on you for caring. There are too many people who push defenceless animals away to fend for themselves.
posted by idiomatika at 4:55 PM on January 15 [1 favorite]

Just as a data point, we had a cat that would go "on walkabout" once a year or so. He'd leave for 3-7 days, and come back in some manner of disrepair. Cuts, dirty, etc. He must have had a girlfriend in another part of town or something.
posted by gjc at 4:59 PM on January 15

No advice, but thank you for doing this.
posted by Optimus Chyme at 5:13 PM on January 15

Just remembered, check craigslist and post an ad there, too, in both the pets and lost and found section.
posted by internet!Hannah at 5:48 PM on January 15

Oh, please post on Craigslist and keep trying to find the owners. My stupid cat squeezed through a tiny gap in a window we'd opened to let out some paint vapours, busted out the screen, and then got stuck outside for hours in the snow. We were really upset and we're not at all jerky negligent cat owners. I swear the little idiot temporarily evolved opposable thumbs!
posted by pseudostrabismus at 6:52 PM on January 15

I've posted on Craigslist and the livejournal forum recommended by sondrialiac, as well as posted a few flyers around the neighborhood.

I'm taking her to the local vet tomorrow. When I called, the receptionist said that whenever the weather changes there are more reports of pets being found, which may account for nzydarkxj finding a kitty, too.

Hopefully I can find her owners soon, because my landlord (and a roommate) is not so thrilled with this adventure. I know sometimes pets get lost through no fault of the owners, but the lack of flyers/Craigslist posts on the other end has me concerned.

Thanks again for the advice and the well wishes! You guys pointed some things out that I never would have considered, and made me feel less guilty for scooping her up.
posted by jnaps at 7:58 PM on January 15

I just wanted to say that if you have people who really want to adopt this cat, don't worry too much about giving away someone else's pet. If one of my cats had vanished, I would be SCOURING THE CITY looking for it, so if you don't get replies to your fliers and posts, you're fairly safe in assuming that the cat is person-less for all intents and purposes.
posted by hfbellefille at 8:54 PM on January 15

This is funny... everyone I know in Queens "acquires" cats this way. Astoria especially: there always seems to be a feral, friendly, cat around, waiting to be picked up and taken home. Spay and neuter your pets people!!
posted by teabag at 6:46 AM on January 16

After the vet check, can you drop it off at the nearest pet shelter (the owner might check there), and if still no one claims it after a while, take the cat back and then give it to your prospective adopter friend? Or maybe just let the friend take care of it in the meantime? Surely your landlord and roommate would approve of this option.

Even if someone does claim the cat, you could encourage your cat-loving friends to go to the shelter and pick up a cat anyway. Win-win-win (friends-cats-shelter). Unless they all have tons of cats already and were only willing to adopt your new smoking buddy as a favor.
posted by TheSecretDecoderRing at 12:07 AM on January 17

I'm sure you've resolved this by now, and I don't have much advice to add to what's already been given. Just wanted to say thanks for taking care of the little one.
posted by soonertbone at 4:04 PM on January 20