Did I do enough to locate the owner of this cat?

November 10, 2017 7:21 PM

My father brought home a stray cat. It was hanging around some ladies house for a week or so but she didn't want to let it inside and it was near winter in Chicago so we took it in. It has an unregistered chip but we filed a missing report at the humane society the chip originated from. The lady has his number in case owner shows up as well. Did I do enough or do I need to do more?

Cat was found in an area bordering 2 states. 2 different humane societies could theoretically be looking for the cat. I took it to the one the chip manufacturer said it came from. It's safe to assume that if the cat came from there that the owner would to there first?

posted by mamamia88 to Pets & Animals (10 answers total)

Yes, I think you did your due diligence.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 7:30 PM on November 10, 2017 [2 favorites]

It's at least safe to assume that if the owner decides to look for it, they are most likely to go to that HS location first. You're good people for bringing the cat in before the winter got too brutal.

If you're really committed to going the extra mile to find the owner, one potential avenue to find the owner is (email or fax) blasting something around to local veterinarians with a picture of the animal. It's possible someone at a local practice might recognize it. Of course, if you would rather simply adopt it, that's good too. It might be worth taking it to the HS for a once-over by the vet.
posted by Emperor SnooKloze at 7:33 PM on November 10, 2017

If it was my beloved cat you found, I would hope you'd also:

Call the other humane society & give them the cat & chip info,
Put ads on Craigslist in both state areas,
Put the cat's photo on the Facebook neighbourhood group in the area(s) near where he was found,
and, most importantly....

Put up some posters, with cat photos, near the lady's house where the cat was found.

Posters are actually the most likely way of reconnecting a lost animal with its owner, because the only people you actually need to reach are the people who live near where the animal lived, and those people are much more likely to randomly walk past and see a poster than they are to know what websites to visit or what phonecalls to make.

A cat being a stray doesn't mean they weren't loved. Some cats are just fast & sneaky at escaping, and then they get lost and that's it. I actually have recurring nightmares about my cat escaping. I would be heartbroken forever if he got lost.
posted by pseudostrabismus at 8:05 PM on November 10, 2017 [25 favorites]

If you're a member of Nextdoor, I would also put the found cat info in there. There's a way to post it to not only your exact neighborhood, but surrounding ones as well.

I helped a stray dog get reunited with their owner this way.
posted by spinifex23 at 8:07 PM on November 10, 2017 [7 favorites]

My city has a Facebook group where people post reports of lost and found pets. It would be worthwhile to look for a group like that for your area and, if you find one, post pictures of the cat, and details of where and when it was found.
posted by Secret Sparrow at 8:28 PM on November 10, 2017 [3 favorites]

Yes, Nextdoor. I keep half an eye on our neighborhood's and I've noticed that a surprising number of lost-cat/found-cat postings end up with a cat being reunited with a grateful owner.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 9:34 PM on November 10, 2017 [4 favorites]

After doing signage or local posts, check yourself for lost cat listings.

People sometimes don't check the FOUND listings before making their own LOST post.

I posted to Craigslist with a "FOUND orange tabby cat on [street]" and took it to the shelter the next day. Only to see a "LOST orange tabby" post like, literally 5 posts above mine a day later. I had to call him, tell him I found his cat, had posted about it, and it was at the shelter. He didn't check the FOUND cat listings, with our street name. The thing rolled up to our house again two days later, still without a collar and visited regularly. Eyeroll.
posted by Crystalinne at 2:52 AM on November 11, 2017 [2 favorites]

I think you've done a decent amount of steps and most importantly saved a little being. People have already noted facebook but just to say that my friend reunited a lost cat found in the east end of toronto with the owners in the west end, about 20 miles apart. The cat probably fell asleep in a truck or something.
posted by biggreenplant at 4:00 AM on November 11, 2017

I'd post here too, just in case: Lost Cats Illinois

Also notify a few local veterinarian's offices.
posted by SuperSquirrel at 4:42 AM on November 11, 2017

Nthing posters and local Facebook groups.

I lost my ninja kitty this June. Facebook didn't help, but posters in our area did – turns out neighbors had seen what happened. She'd been doing her sphinx thing overlooking people from her high corner perch in my garden, kids had scared her into the street on purpose (yes -.-; ), she was struck by an oncoming car, and went to hide and pass away.

On the flip side, I got a lot of calls about found black cats thanks to Facebook, and ended up reuniting someone else's lost black cat with them. It ranks up as one of the most heartbreaking things that I've ever experienced. (I was called about their cat the day after kind neighbor kids finally told me what they'd seen the other kids do, with reassurances that the other kids were "big meanies" and they "didn't like them at all," heh.)

So yeah, also try posters and Facebook.
posted by fraula at 9:48 AM on November 11, 2017 [1 favorite]