Please find kitty's home!
August 23, 2019 9:52 AM Subscribe
Looking for advice on locating the MIA owner of a lost cat.
Apologies for the long read; in short, this question is asking for strategies to reunite a lost pet with its owner, beyond the ones that are mentioned below. Some terms/questions may be specific to Chicago.
Background: Last week, we observed a stray cat one block from where live meowing in distress; this was Thursday evening and it was hiding in the bushes. We saw him the next day, and then the following 3 days (at various points in the morning/afternoon/evening), as the cat seemed to always stay within this area. None of the neighbors we asked recognized it, so we gave it food and water; based on its activity and appearance we felt strongly this was a domestic housepet, not feral. There was constant crying and although the cat remained bound to the block it was not behaving in a way where it seemed familiar or comfortable with the area. By the 3rd day, it was clearly eager for petting and attention, and after giving such treatment it tried to follow us home, but we kept the "wait-and-see" approach of hoping its owner would show, or it would return inside.
After asking around again and getting nowhere, except multiple people agreeing the cat just showed up recently, we made the decision to shelter it Monday evening. We did this after standing on the street for hours asking anyone that lived there, checking online for missing cat posts, and not getting anywhere- it also has been storming here on and off, so we really couldn’t let it stay outside any longer. The very next morning, I took it the vet hoping for a microchip- no luck. We were at least able to confirm it was a male, neutered and approx 2-4 years old. Flea free, excellent teeth and in great health, but no other clues to its origin; they agree it was likely recently a housecat as well. We mentioned the groups we contacted (listed below) and the vet did not have advice beyond that (and did not seem to have space for missing/found pet posters).
Since we brought him inside (kept in a separate space from our other 2 cats) he has turned into the quietest, sweetest and cuddliest cat ever....he's eating, drinking, and using litter with no problem. Our #1 goal is to reunite him with his owner- we’ve posted on nextdoor/craigslist/facebook groups, created an online flier, contacted PAWS and Anti-Cruelty society, and have had a few false positives but no correct match yet. Although we are still assuming “lost cat,” it doesn’t appear anyone is searching online or in person for it- before we took it in, we observed it multiple times of the day in the exact same area, and while checking on the cat on the streets at different hours trying to make sure it didn’t live somewhere with a possibly negligent owner, it was always outside and in distress. (For reference purposes, this is on a quiet street on the west part of the Lincoln Park neighborhood). We've walked down the street a few times a day since we've taken it and haven't seen any residents outside- it's a tiny side street with minimal foot traffic compared to surrounding areas.
So while we wait out the online posts, the next step is to make posters. I’ve looked up some advice here and I’m ready to make some and hang them, but I’m worried about where I can legally place them. I can’t find much specific to here in the way of googling, except places not to hang them (utility poles etc). Because the bright colors by design catches the eye (also interpreted as annoying), I’m somewhat worried about upsetting the neighbors, or just having the signs torn down immediately.
The obvious solution here is to ask; again this is the street over from our house, and while several neighbors on the block in we’ve spoken to have been helpful/friendly enough, I wouldn’t say anyone seemed to care too much about the cat. So it’s tough for me to approach someone and put them in an awkward situation of having to decline, as I can get why someone wouldn’t want to hang this on their fence or have it on their tree etc. Basically, if I could confidently assume they would be ok without permission to hang on a street sign, I’d go ahead, but I don’t want to incur the wrath of homeowners who may tear them down anyway.
Unfortunately there aren’t many businesses nearby to ask. There's a neighborhood bar I can try tonight, but otherwise the area is completely residential. So any strategies for putting up posters would help, as in my mind they only seem useful if they are in the vicinity of where the cat was found, but perhaps a generic location within a mile would suffice. I’m also a little wary of putting our personal information on a large public notice; if there was a way to use a temporary number that would work, as I feel putting up a throwaway email would be pointless (if this person can’t use the most basic internet tools to post/look for their cat, then they probably can’t use email).
Beyond that, we want to exhaust all possibilities of finding the owner before turning it over to a shelter or rescue group. We are fine sheltering the cat for the foreseeable week or so, but long term we would not be able to re-home it: we’ve discussed it and for many reasons can’t add another to the household. But before we offer this cat up to others for rehoming, what else can we do to find the owner? The more time passes, the more it doesn’t seem like anyone is searching, but it feels too early to conclusively say that. I get that posters is the next logical step, yet I’m pessimistic about them for several reasons.
Any and all advice is appreciated; I’ve grabbed some insight from this question but looking for more. If we don’t find the owner eventually, it sounds like Anti-Cruelty Society will take it; however we have the space to hold it for the near future and want to avoid causing it more trauma if possible. The cat has been so calm and affectionate (compared to our little bastards), to the point where we definitely need to find its home soon so it’s not too hard to say goodbye.
In summary: took in a stray domestic housecat, no collar or microchip. Posting and searching online (Nextdoor, local Facebook groups, Craigslist) has not turned up anything. Looking for further advice on finding the owners, and how to hang posters without irritating neighbors and maintaining privacy.
(If anyone would like to see the missing poster we’ve used online, please message me. I’m semi-intentionally not linking to it to keep an already broad question confined to next steps, as I don’t think the cat’s description/photos is relevant for that).
If there’s any community I could turn to for help with this, I figured it had to be here. Thank you for reading!
Apologies for the long read; in short, this question is asking for strategies to reunite a lost pet with its owner, beyond the ones that are mentioned below. Some terms/questions may be specific to Chicago.
Background: Last week, we observed a stray cat one block from where live meowing in distress; this was Thursday evening and it was hiding in the bushes. We saw him the next day, and then the following 3 days (at various points in the morning/afternoon/evening), as the cat seemed to always stay within this area. None of the neighbors we asked recognized it, so we gave it food and water; based on its activity and appearance we felt strongly this was a domestic housepet, not feral. There was constant crying and although the cat remained bound to the block it was not behaving in a way where it seemed familiar or comfortable with the area. By the 3rd day, it was clearly eager for petting and attention, and after giving such treatment it tried to follow us home, but we kept the "wait-and-see" approach of hoping its owner would show, or it would return inside.
After asking around again and getting nowhere, except multiple people agreeing the cat just showed up recently, we made the decision to shelter it Monday evening. We did this after standing on the street for hours asking anyone that lived there, checking online for missing cat posts, and not getting anywhere- it also has been storming here on and off, so we really couldn’t let it stay outside any longer. The very next morning, I took it the vet hoping for a microchip- no luck. We were at least able to confirm it was a male, neutered and approx 2-4 years old. Flea free, excellent teeth and in great health, but no other clues to its origin; they agree it was likely recently a housecat as well. We mentioned the groups we contacted (listed below) and the vet did not have advice beyond that (and did not seem to have space for missing/found pet posters).
Since we brought him inside (kept in a separate space from our other 2 cats) he has turned into the quietest, sweetest and cuddliest cat ever....he's eating, drinking, and using litter with no problem. Our #1 goal is to reunite him with his owner- we’ve posted on nextdoor/craigslist/facebook groups, created an online flier, contacted PAWS and Anti-Cruelty society, and have had a few false positives but no correct match yet. Although we are still assuming “lost cat,” it doesn’t appear anyone is searching online or in person for it- before we took it in, we observed it multiple times of the day in the exact same area, and while checking on the cat on the streets at different hours trying to make sure it didn’t live somewhere with a possibly negligent owner, it was always outside and in distress. (For reference purposes, this is on a quiet street on the west part of the Lincoln Park neighborhood). We've walked down the street a few times a day since we've taken it and haven't seen any residents outside- it's a tiny side street with minimal foot traffic compared to surrounding areas.
So while we wait out the online posts, the next step is to make posters. I’ve looked up some advice here and I’m ready to make some and hang them, but I’m worried about where I can legally place them. I can’t find much specific to here in the way of googling, except places not to hang them (utility poles etc). Because the bright colors by design catches the eye (also interpreted as annoying), I’m somewhat worried about upsetting the neighbors, or just having the signs torn down immediately.
The obvious solution here is to ask; again this is the street over from our house, and while several neighbors on the block in we’ve spoken to have been helpful/friendly enough, I wouldn’t say anyone seemed to care too much about the cat. So it’s tough for me to approach someone and put them in an awkward situation of having to decline, as I can get why someone wouldn’t want to hang this on their fence or have it on their tree etc. Basically, if I could confidently assume they would be ok without permission to hang on a street sign, I’d go ahead, but I don’t want to incur the wrath of homeowners who may tear them down anyway.
Unfortunately there aren’t many businesses nearby to ask. There's a neighborhood bar I can try tonight, but otherwise the area is completely residential. So any strategies for putting up posters would help, as in my mind they only seem useful if they are in the vicinity of where the cat was found, but perhaps a generic location within a mile would suffice. I’m also a little wary of putting our personal information on a large public notice; if there was a way to use a temporary number that would work, as I feel putting up a throwaway email would be pointless (if this person can’t use the most basic internet tools to post/look for their cat, then they probably can’t use email).
Beyond that, we want to exhaust all possibilities of finding the owner before turning it over to a shelter or rescue group. We are fine sheltering the cat for the foreseeable week or so, but long term we would not be able to re-home it: we’ve discussed it and for many reasons can’t add another to the household. But before we offer this cat up to others for rehoming, what else can we do to find the owner? The more time passes, the more it doesn’t seem like anyone is searching, but it feels too early to conclusively say that. I get that posters is the next logical step, yet I’m pessimistic about them for several reasons.
Any and all advice is appreciated; I’ve grabbed some insight from this question but looking for more. If we don’t find the owner eventually, it sounds like Anti-Cruelty Society will take it; however we have the space to hold it for the near future and want to avoid causing it more trauma if possible. The cat has been so calm and affectionate (compared to our little bastards), to the point where we definitely need to find its home soon so it’s not too hard to say goodbye.
In summary: took in a stray domestic housecat, no collar or microchip. Posting and searching online (Nextdoor, local Facebook groups, Craigslist) has not turned up anything. Looking for further advice on finding the owners, and how to hang posters without irritating neighbors and maintaining privacy.
(If anyone would like to see the missing poster we’ve used online, please message me. I’m semi-intentionally not linking to it to keep an already broad question confined to next steps, as I don’t think the cat’s description/photos is relevant for that).
If there’s any community I could turn to for help with this, I figured it had to be here. Thank you for reading!
I was going to say the above, that it's possible/probable that this is an abandonment situation which is incredibly awful but people do it.
In my SO's 'hood here in Atlanta, a family put out missing posters for their cat that had gone AWOL (her name was Sweet Potato!) -- basically put a flier on every car up and down his street. I don't know if this counts as irritating neighbors, but a lost/found pet flier is a lot more acceptable to me than a religious tract, so I may be the wrong audience to ask this particular question.
They did come collect the fliers later when they found the cat, so that was nice.
posted by Medieval Maven at 10:49 AM on August 23, 2019 [2 favorites]
In my SO's 'hood here in Atlanta, a family put out missing posters for their cat that had gone AWOL (her name was Sweet Potato!) -- basically put a flier on every car up and down his street. I don't know if this counts as irritating neighbors, but a lost/found pet flier is a lot more acceptable to me than a religious tract, so I may be the wrong audience to ask this particular question.
They did come collect the fliers later when they found the cat, so that was nice.
posted by Medieval Maven at 10:49 AM on August 23, 2019 [2 favorites]
Thank you for taking in this kitty! I don't think it would bother neighbors if you put up some signs.
I second It's Never Lurgi's comment. I have seen people abandon their pets to the outdoors more than once in the cities I've lived in, for whatever reason (fear of a kill shelter, lack of options, lack of information). It's really sad.
One of my late cats didn't get along with my neighbors' new dog, so they let the cat out for longer and longer stretches and she found her way to my open back door. We know that's what happened because she went back to visit them wearing her new collar and we got an anonymous note! We had her for twelve years after that.
posted by vickyverky at 10:51 AM on August 23, 2019 [2 favorites]
I second It's Never Lurgi's comment. I have seen people abandon their pets to the outdoors more than once in the cities I've lived in, for whatever reason (fear of a kill shelter, lack of options, lack of information). It's really sad.
One of my late cats didn't get along with my neighbors' new dog, so they let the cat out for longer and longer stretches and she found her way to my open back door. We know that's what happened because she went back to visit them wearing her new collar and we got an anonymous note! We had her for twelve years after that.
posted by vickyverky at 10:51 AM on August 23, 2019 [2 favorites]
For a phone number that isn’t your own “real number” you can try Google Voice.
I think you may be overestimating how irritated people would be at the posters. Honestly in your shoes (and I was in your shoes once—and we did successfully reunite the cat with its owner) I’d just put up the posters and not overthink it. It’s not the end of the world if a few get taken down. I made sure to take the remaining posters down after we located the cat’s owner. If we hadn’t found her, I would have taken them down after a week or so, because I would then be pretty sure it was an abandonment situation.
Good luck!
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 11:14 AM on August 23, 2019 [7 favorites]
I think you may be overestimating how irritated people would be at the posters. Honestly in your shoes (and I was in your shoes once—and we did successfully reunite the cat with its owner) I’d just put up the posters and not overthink it. It’s not the end of the world if a few get taken down. I made sure to take the remaining posters down after we located the cat’s owner. If we hadn’t found her, I would have taken them down after a week or so, because I would then be pretty sure it was an abandonment situation.
Good luck!
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 11:14 AM on August 23, 2019 [7 favorites]
I recommend taking him to be scanned for a chip at a different facility than where you originally took him in hopes of a different scanner being used. Make sure his entire body is scanned since chips migrate. Chips are often missed.
Tape mini flyers to all neighboring doorknobs. Lost indoor cats usually don't travel far from home.
Talk to kids in the neighborhood if you know any. Also post a flyer on local school bulletin boards.
posted by txtwinkletoes at 11:21 AM on August 23, 2019 [1 favorite]
Tape mini flyers to all neighboring doorknobs. Lost indoor cats usually don't travel far from home.
Talk to kids in the neighborhood if you know any. Also post a flyer on local school bulletin boards.
posted by txtwinkletoes at 11:21 AM on August 23, 2019 [1 favorite]
Agree with everyone- put up those fliers. And even scared cats can travel farther than you might think, so consider posting them far and wide.
posted by SuperSquirrel at 11:33 AM on August 23, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by SuperSquirrel at 11:33 AM on August 23, 2019 [2 favorites]
Years ago I helped an adoption group search for a lost greyhound in the Lincoln Park area. We put up TONS of flyers and didn't get any complaints until eventually the city was like "you need to take these down" - and that was after weeks/months, not days.
I also found a kitten a few doors down from my apartment in Edgewater and hung signs to try to find its owner. (No luck, ended up keeping her.)
I think putting up flyers is the easy and obvious due diligence step to take. As long as you take them down after the cat is reunited with its owners or you've surrendered it to a shelter, you're fine. Whenever I see lost or found pet flyers in my neighborhood I don't think "ugh, that's so ugly and distasteful," I think "oh no that poor kitty/doggy."
posted by misskaz at 11:36 AM on August 23, 2019 [1 favorite]
I also found a kitten a few doors down from my apartment in Edgewater and hung signs to try to find its owner. (No luck, ended up keeping her.)
I think putting up flyers is the easy and obvious due diligence step to take. As long as you take them down after the cat is reunited with its owners or you've surrendered it to a shelter, you're fine. Whenever I see lost or found pet flyers in my neighborhood I don't think "ugh, that's so ugly and distasteful," I think "oh no that poor kitty/doggy."
posted by misskaz at 11:36 AM on August 23, 2019 [1 favorite]
Put up the flyers. Cats can roam far--like, several miles from home--so spread your search out, and see if you can get some help flyering. Include a vague description but no photos so you can verify ownership. Create a throwaway gmail address if you don't want to include your personal phone number, or pick up a burner phone (do those still exist?) to receive texts.
Other steps:
-File a “found pet” report with your local county control agency (sounds like you've done that?)
-Leave signs/flyers with apartment building managers and veterinary offices in your area.
-Regularly check online “lost pet” ads and post “found pet” ads onCraigslist, Nextdoor, Facebook, etc.
-Post on your personal social media and ask people to share.
I don't remember the exactd stray laws in Chicago but if you make a concerted effort to find an owner and nobody turns up within 30 (60? 90?) days, you can claim it, i.e. adopt him yourself or place him in a new home. Or, take him to the shelter--I will say, Chicago is a tough place to be a shelter pet. But there are great cat rescues in town and it sounds like he's a social boy so you may have luck. Thanks for looking out for this kitty!
posted by adastra at 11:59 AM on August 23, 2019 [1 favorite]
Other steps:
-File a “found pet” report with your local county control agency (sounds like you've done that?)
-Leave signs/flyers with apartment building managers and veterinary offices in your area.
-Regularly check online “lost pet” ads and post “found pet” ads onCraigslist, Nextdoor, Facebook, etc.
-Post on your personal social media and ask people to share.
I don't remember the exactd stray laws in Chicago but if you make a concerted effort to find an owner and nobody turns up within 30 (60? 90?) days, you can claim it, i.e. adopt him yourself or place him in a new home. Or, take him to the shelter--I will say, Chicago is a tough place to be a shelter pet. But there are great cat rescues in town and it sounds like he's a social boy so you may have luck. Thanks for looking out for this kitty!
posted by adastra at 11:59 AM on August 23, 2019 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks to everyone for the replies! I agree with the theory posed above that the owners moved away and didn't take the cat with, the vet said that happens more than people expect.
Re: recent movers- We were told by one neighbor that a house on the block moved out 2 months ago, which seems a little longer than this cat would be out but I'm not sure how reliable that estimate is. Perhaps if nothing else turns up I can try to investigate that more, but if the owner did indeed abandon it getting a hold of them wouldn't change the situation (just solve the mystery).
I will definitely start putting up posters, in my mind I was thinking more the gigantic colorful ones in the link provided vs smaller flyers, which would be less noticeable. I absolutely am over-thinking people's reactions, based on how sacrosanct some homeowners in this area regard the front of their house. Sounds like I should not be worried about fines or other legal action though.
I'll post any updates as I have them!
posted by andruwjones26 at 12:04 PM on August 23, 2019
Re: recent movers- We were told by one neighbor that a house on the block moved out 2 months ago, which seems a little longer than this cat would be out but I'm not sure how reliable that estimate is. Perhaps if nothing else turns up I can try to investigate that more, but if the owner did indeed abandon it getting a hold of them wouldn't change the situation (just solve the mystery).
I will definitely start putting up posters, in my mind I was thinking more the gigantic colorful ones in the link provided vs smaller flyers, which would be less noticeable. I absolutely am over-thinking people's reactions, based on how sacrosanct some homeowners in this area regard the front of their house. Sounds like I should not be worried about fines or other legal action though.
I'll post any updates as I have them!
posted by andruwjones26 at 12:04 PM on August 23, 2019
My parents had a cat that came from somebody coming from elsewhere dumping a kitten in their neighborhood.* Your poor cat might have been abandoned in a strange place for him, far from where anyone would know where he came from.
* Why we are certain of this and also are certain he wasn’t born feral are a few boring paragraphs i don’t want to bother to write.
posted by D.C. at 2:09 PM on August 23, 2019
* Why we are certain of this and also are certain he wasn’t born feral are a few boring paragraphs i don’t want to bother to write.
posted by D.C. at 2:09 PM on August 23, 2019
I'm going to go with an alternative option - the cat is not from the neighborhood, but rather hopped into someone's van in their home neighborhood and unexpectedly got a lift to yours. Have there been workers in your neighborhood at all - plumbers, electricians etc? If so, maybe find out where their previous gig was?
posted by Toddles at 10:19 PM on August 23, 2019
posted by Toddles at 10:19 PM on August 23, 2019
Best answer: If you have a NextDoor account, I'd put a notice on there - and don't only pick your neighborhood, but others in the area.
I've reunited a lost dog that I've dropped off at the vet using Next Door; they had bolted from their house after a bath, and had ended up disoriented, a mile from where they live.
People often post lost pet notices there as well.
posted by spinifex23 at 3:15 PM on August 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
I've reunited a lost dog that I've dropped off at the vet using Next Door; they had bolted from their house after a bath, and had ended up disoriented, a mile from where they live.
People often post lost pet notices there as well.
posted by spinifex23 at 3:15 PM on August 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: UPDATE (in case anyone is still reading this):
I went out immediately after everyone's responses and put up posters. Still no luck there, or anything else developing online.
So at this point, the cat is up for adoption. We have someone else who can foster, and who thought they would end up keeping the cat but have just said they won't be able to. If any Chicago Mefites know of someone who could provide a nice home for this cat, please message me. My profile currently reflects the status of this cat, so if by the time someone reads this he's gone that means he was successfully adopted.
Long shot, but here's hoping.....
posted by andruwjones26 at 2:56 PM on September 6, 2019 [1 favorite]
I went out immediately after everyone's responses and put up posters. Still no luck there, or anything else developing online.
So at this point, the cat is up for adoption. We have someone else who can foster, and who thought they would end up keeping the cat but have just said they won't be able to. If any Chicago Mefites know of someone who could provide a nice home for this cat, please message me. My profile currently reflects the status of this cat, so if by the time someone reads this he's gone that means he was successfully adopted.
Long shot, but here's hoping.....
posted by andruwjones26 at 2:56 PM on September 6, 2019 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by It's Never Lurgi at 10:34 AM on August 23, 2019 [5 favorites]