Stray cats - what do you do?

Re: Stray cats - what do you do?

Emma P — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 19:41:32 GMT

Thanks for the information. I have you an e-mail with further details.

Re: Stray cats - what do you do?

Steph Worsley — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 18:38:14 GMT

Ian......you anal never hehehe looking forward to your hoarding lecture at congress.

anyways thanks for that info (good for me to know these things since i have been outta "normal" practice for a bit!!)

Re: Stray cats - what do you do?

Ian_M — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 14:17:45 GMT

Hi all,

Just thought I'd clarify. As you know there is no definitive legal status for stray cats.

Good practice (and learning by mistakes) is 14 days (ie do any definitive work on the cat on day 15) and ensure you have advertised and searched widely during the 14 days. You are also stronbgly advised to get the finder to leave the cat in situ for the first 2 or 3 days and provide a paper collar to be placed round the cat's neck (with a message for the owner to contact). Use normal grade paper (not tab-bands). This is a much more reliable way than just posters alone.

To the original poster - Cats Protection standard guidance is 14 days (ie neuter on day 15). This is the guidance that all our branches and centres should be following - I am a wee bit concerned that you've been advised to operate on day 11. I'd be grateful if you emailed me at ian.macfarlaine@cats.org.uk so we can have a look at how you ended up with the advice for 11 days. This is quite important for your practice in this case as you are the sole agent involved with this cat, so the full responsibility if anything went wrong, rests with you.

I know it sounds like I'm being a bit anal about this, but as the biggest cat charity in the world, taking in over 55,000 cats a year, we have had many experiences where early intervention has taken place with strays and has ended up causing problems, and hence arrived at the 14 day period which drastically reduced the number of problems.

One other suggestion is to ensure that you complete some kind of paperwork if you take a stray in - I the finder signs the cat over to your practice. We have all manner of situations where cats are signed into us as strays and turn out to have been kidnapped by a neighbour who doesn't like the cat entering theri garden.

A final safeguard you could try is that if you do place a cat with a new owner, you place it on temporary foster or something similar for the first few of weeks. That allows you to potentially get the cat back more easily if an original owner does turn up. However, as there is no legislation and there is variable case law, it does mean that in a lot of cases the matter could end up in court if an unofficial compromise doesn't get reached. That's why it's so important that you shown you've taken every precaution.

Finally, I would emphasise that you also need to be especially careful when the cat concened is a purebreed

Ian MacFarlaine

National Neutering Manager, Cats Protection.

Re: Stray cats - what do you do?

Vicky RVN — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 12:37:59 GMT

We have them with us while they are in the Echo for a week, tend to keep hold of them for another week to give people a chance to see the ad and come in. Then we either rehome ourselves or go to rescue centre.

Re: Stray cats - what do you do?

Anonymous — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 07:58:46 GMT

we keep them for 7 days if the boss dont see them then resuce centre or a nurse keeps them!!

Re: Stray cats - what do you do?

Sally Seddon — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 07:41:16 GMT

We tend to keep them for 7 days then send them to a cat rescue that we know really well. Sometimes we send them to the rescue before 7 days (if there is no one to feed it over the weekend) but with the condition if the owner comes forward then we re-unite them.

Re: Stray cats - what do you do?

ruth scales — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 06:16:03 GMT

We have lots of stray cats come in, we keep them 7days, so that owners can claim them. Then look for new home for them, aways chiped spay/castrate before going.

Hope yours finds good home.