?Found? Cats May Really be Beloved Pets : Dr. Jeff Nichol

?Found? Cats May Really be Beloved Pets

Watch the paper, post signs, & have him scanned for a microchip.

Question:

I?ve had my cat ?Pancho ? since he was a baby 12 years ago. He?s been through a lot with me. Now I have small children who love him too. Even though he?s a real independent cat-he likes to spend most of his time outside-he always comes home every day. But he disappeared 3 days ago. I?m real worried and my kids are waking up at night crying for Pancho. He never goes near the road. I?ve talked to most of our neighbors but nobody has seen him for 3 days-they usually see him every day. What can I do?

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Dr. Nichol:

I know how worried you are. The same thing has happened to me and my cats. I know Pancho never intended to break your heart and sadden your children, but he is a cat. Needless to say cats have minds of their own.

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Statistics and experience show very clearly that outdoor cats are less likely to reach old age. The perils? they face include altercations with dogs, automobiles, and other cats. All that catting around puts them at greater risk of infectious disease too. So it makes a lot of sense to have only indoor cats-unless your cat will NOT stay in. Pancho sounds like a pretty street smart cat. Surely he?s learned to avoid dogs and cars by now. So where is he? I will suggest an answer based on my years of experience of seeing ?new? cats.

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Here is how it goes. I walk into the exam room to see an adult cat brought in for its first visit to the doctor. The family is proud as punch of their new cat. I ask ?Where did you get this good looking, well cared for healthy adult cat?? The answer comes back: ?He just showed up? or ?We found her on the road.? Or the best one: ? She followed the kids home from school.? But the reality maybe that this was not a stray cat at all but someone else?s beloved pet who also happens to be an adventurous opportunist.

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Assuming for a moment that Pancho is enjoying the adulation of another family, it does not mean that he loves you any less. It?s just that most cats are perpetual teenagers. Thinking of it this way may cause you to resent folks who, in effect, steal pets. You?re right. It is selfish. But the way the new family sees it they are saving the life of this homeless waif who would surely starve or be consumed by evil forces were it not for their generosity.

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So here is my advice: Make some fliers for your neighbors. Include a picture. Point out that Pancho?s children miss him. Also place a classified ad in the paper. Put his picture on milk cartons. Do whatever it takes to get the word out.? As soon as he returns be sure he has a tag with your name and phone number. And have a microchip implanted by your veterinarian (it takes a few seconds in the exam room) so that you can prove he is your cat.

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So to cat lovers who feel a duty to take in homeless pets: Consider the feelings of others. Any cat who seems remarkably tame for a stray-may not really be stray. If you find a cat, show compassion for the cat AND the heartsick family who doesn?t know how to find their pet. Print fliers, place an ad, & take him to the Animal Humane folks to have him scanned for a microchip (this takes a second). For every pet who has gotten love there is a person who has given love.

Source: http://www.drjeffnichol.com/?p=3084

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