What to do when you find a lost pet

Dear Cathy: I found a cat on the street with a collar, but no tag. I fed her and took her to my vet’s office to check for a microchip. Since no microchip was found, I had her blood checked for HIV, etc. and her teeth cleaned before I brought her home. The bill was $450.

After 14 days, however, I spotted a sign. So, do I give the cat back to people so illinformed that they don’t even look for her for days, fail to tag or chip her, and clearly leave her outside in a heavy traffic area? At this point, I feel I should keep her. — B. Anne

Dear B. Anne: It’s wonderful you rescued this cat and got her checked for a microchip. That is the exact right first step for anyone finding a lost pet.

The second step is to let your neighbors know. Did you put up signs around the neighborhood to say you had found her? Did you report her as “found” through the city shelter or humane society?

It’s hard to know why the family didn’t get signs up sooner, and easy to jump to conclusions when we don’t know the entire story. Regardless of when they put the signs up (they may have posted on social media or called the animal shelter first) if they took the time to make signs and put them up around the neighborhood, one has to assume they love their cat and want her back. The fact that the cat has been spayed gives us a small clue into their care for her.

While I’m an advocate for keeping cats indoors, I don’t judge people too harshly for letting let their cats outside at night. It takes time to educate people about the safety of keeping cats indoors, but this practice, in general, doesn’t mean they are bad cat owners.

So, my question to you is, what would you want someone to do if the situation was reversed and it was your kitty that didn’t come home one night? Would you hope and pray someone would call you about your cat? I think you know what you have to do.