Rescue stray cat - Yes or No.

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so called

Original Poster:

9,151 posts

221 months

Monday 13th January
quotequote all
My daughter ended up in A&E last Friday.
When I went up to collect her, she was sat on a step with a cat on her lap.
Due to it being late Friday night with temperatures set to drop to significant negative C, and that there is minimal residential housing in the area around the hospital, we decided she was lost and to bring her home with us.

To try to find the cats owner, the next morning I called the Vet Hospital to see if they could scan for a chip.
They said to bring her in but that, next time, just leave it where it is.

My daughter posted photos of the cat on 'Facething' and we very quickly had the owner identified.

But, should we have just left her out in the cold ?

Richard-390a0

2,764 posts

103 months

Monday 13th January
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I'm sure the response should be as with baby birds etc leave alone unless in distress, but it's blooming difficult to accept that is the correct thing to do if it's going to be below freezing.

brake fader

1,344 posts

47 months

Monday 13th January
quotequote all
leave alone unless injured.

Aunty Pasty

780 posts

50 months

Monday 13th January
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It wasn't a stray cat. It's just a cat that happened to be outside. It would have made it's own way home if it wants to.

so called

Original Poster:

9,151 posts

221 months

Monday 13th January
quotequote all
I do understand the leave it position.
However, I've had previous experience of one of my cats getting under the bonnet of my car to enjoy the warm engine and then ending up going for a ride.
I considered that this may have been a similar situation where the cat had ended up at the A&E entrance.
The cat could have been miles from home and this was what I based my decision on.

When my daughter started to look for lost cat websites, the car under bonnet situation was a common point.

MitchT

16,574 posts

221 months

Monday 13th January
quotequote all
Yes, rescue.

A neighbour's cat went misisng. It turned up 11 miles away having most likely hopped on a delivery van. If whomever had found it had left it there's no telling what might have happened. The most embarrassing thing that could happen is that it lives ten metres away from where you found it and is returned to its owner after its chip has been scanned. Better that than left wondering in an unfamiliar place in sub-zero temperatures.