Today I found a sign taped to a telephone pole saying “cat found” and a picture of my cat with a telephone number of animal control and a case number. Apparently somebody picked her up wed afternoon, in front of my house, and brought here to the pound as a stray. Now I have to pay $85 to get her out and produce some kind of ID (which I lost today) or they euthanize her Monday. My dogs are a menace to the neighborhood when they get out, this I understand. My kids are a public nuisance if they throw rocks and vandalize your house and anyone is perfectly within their rights to call the cops before they call me. But a cat? I know she is clingy, codependent and neurotic; she will crap in your flower bed, sit on your car and wander into the street, but animal control? really? You do know that a trip to the pound is a death sentence? They can only hold animals 72 hours, I don’t know when you put the sign up but I only found it saturday morning. What pisses me off is that she was right in front of my house on the sidewalk when she got snatched, does this mean only indoor cats are to be tolerated from now on? Basically because she is so unafraid of people (unlike my other cats) she got collared. I know whoever did this was looking out for the best interests of the cat, but it just caused a big hassle for me. I guess I should have her micro chipped or wear a collar and tag but it seemed like a needless expense at the time. Can I be a casual pet owner in this neighborhood or have we upped the standards recently? I have had her spayed and wormed/vaccinated regularly, I just neglected the visible form of Identification. Please feel free to contact me about this matter if you are concerned. Peter 154 22nd ave-
This is something that certainly is unfortunate on many levels, not only has your cat been removed from it’s home turf, but there is ( from what you indicate ), a possibility that your cat is not being held at a non-uthinize facility and could be put down. My hope is that your pet is returned home safely, but I would ask that you consider that the well intentioned individual not only thought that your pet was lost or abandoned, but they also went out of their way to make certain to post a “found” cat poster where you obviously found it. I am not intending to sound harsh, but I ask that you remember that who-ever found your unliscenced pet, though they were doing both you, your neighbors, and your cat a good service.
Last Summer and Fall I know I ran across a number of telephone pole posted photos of lost local cats. My interest had been personal, as I had also lost my pet cat the year before. She had gotten out, and never returned. By the time we figured out that she was really lost, and not going to show up some morning ready to be fed, we could not find any shelter that had a record of her having been picked up. So,.. at least you had a kind intentioned individual go out of their way to place the poster that you found.
What I’m asking is that people make an effort to talk to the people who they live next to rather than involving a 3rd party like animal control who have real problems like pit bulls and raccoons to deal with. Would that kind intentioned individual please take the effort to knock on a few doors rather then dive my cat to interbay and put a perfectly harmless animal in the pound? BTW my cat is liscenced just not wearing identification on her outermost layer of clothing.
How strange and unfortunate. I actually just returned a neighbor’s cat in a very similar situation. I didn’t know whose cat it was, but I knocked on a few doors and found the owner (kitty skittered inside as soon as she opened the door to talk to me).
I can’t imagine taking the trouble to bring the cat to a shelter (…I’d never take a cat to the pound) without first spending a great deal of time trying to find its owner. Plus there are so very many outdoor cats around here(non-feral & presumably licensed) that it’s hard to see why someone would take your cat all that way. Do they make daily trips to the pound?
I’d like to think that there was some other circumstance at play (maybe your cat was picked up by animal control when they were in the area for something else?). Anyway, best of luck getting her back home soon!
The address listed doesn’t match the map. Is there a 1 missing?
A cat that is permitted outside in the city limits (already a bad idea: cars? coyotes? worms? disease?) really needs a microchip to ensure she always comes home. Please do right by your animals by giving them all the tools, love, nutrients and care for the longest life possible. Some of us consider our pets as extensions of our families; we would never think to let our children constantly run around outside unattended and without ID. Why is a pet any different?
There is no such thing as a “casual pet owner.” Owning a pet is a lifetime’s responsibility, for both your lifetime and that of your pet.
Okay, so I got the chip, paid the impound fee and got my cat back. The animal control officers agree that picking up a “stray” cat is a waste of resources and they only take cats in if they are injured or trapped. They encourage good Samaritans to not drop off cats as it only increases their overburdened system.
Maybe because I was raised in rural Washington I have a different attitude about my pets. They are not my children, they are companion animals with different priorities and needs than human beings. Cats do not require constant supervision or ID to survive, kind of why I like them so much. If you feel that any cat outside with no tag and no human watching her requires the intervention of animal control, please feel free to start a shelter of your own, knock on a few doors and ask around before you haul my cat off to the pound.
The Humane Society advocates keeping your cat indoors: http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/facts/wildlif
Every cat owner I know does not allow their cat to roam free purely for their safety and well being. Cars, stray dogs, raccoons, poisons, other cats, etc. pose serious threats.
all cats deserve the freedom to be outside. they revolution starts now!