HoundsGood: Chronicles of a Virtual Volunteer

I know this is someone’s cat. She is not a feral or a wild cat. Feral cats just don’t tend to wear pink flea collars.

She was at a lady’s house, scratching at the screen. The woman’s instinct was not to check her neighbors to see if their girl had gotten out somehow. Her immediate instinct was to call someone to come get her and take her to the pound because she might rip her screen. If only had she bothered to make a phone call or two. It would not have cost anything to make a few local calls.

Now, this pretty kitty sits at the shelter, hoping her people think of coming to the county pound to look for her.

It is both the mindsets of the owner and of the finders, if only shifted, would save many, cats, from being stuck in this predicament.

Of course, the obvious response is to blame the finder of the cat. Personally, it would cost her little to nothing as far as time and money to simply call her neighbors to find out if any of them were missing a kitty. It could have been a quick reunion.

The other side of this is the owner. I have covered the benefits of your cat being an indoor cat, of course. What disturbs me in this case is the assumption many people have that the “cats always come back.” Panic or even mild concern doesn’t seem to set in, if it does, until the cat is gone for a few days. There is an even an old folk song called “The Cat Came Back.”

Unfortunately, waiting a few days may be way too late, being that in some counties, they are only obligated to hold strays 2-3 days. If your cat shows up at someone else’s house, they are likely to be seen as a nuisance and it is likely animal control will be called. Some facilities hold a cat or dog as long as they have room, some don’t. What that means is that your cat could be long gone by the time you think to mobilize a search for them. Either they have a new home or they are euthanized. Or, it is possible your cat could have been at the wrong place at the wrong time and could have been attacked by a coyote, other cats, or could have been hit by a car.

I am not trying to scare you, but it is unfortunately true.

For cat owners or those considering a cat:
Spay or neuter your cat. It removes the extra motivation to wander.
Consider making your cat an indoor cat.
Put a tag and collar on your cat, so if God forbid they get out, it clues someone in to the fact that someone would want them back.
Microchip your cat. Not everyone checks, but shelters are likely to.

For those that find a cat, before you call animal control:
If they approach you, they are probably someone’s cat rather than feral.
Check for tags.
Call neighbors. Remember those behind you, not just on your block. Give people a reasonable time to respond. Some people are not home during the day.
Pay attention to lost cat ads.

The tone of this message was not to “place blame,” but to make it clear that we are ALL in this together, whether we own a pet or not.   By doing something very small, we can all prevent one more life from being ended, one more from being lost.

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