Do you have the contact info for the neighbors that left? Just to make sure the cat didn't run away 1) before they left & they couldn't find him 2) that he didn't run away from where they just moved to & find his way back to the old house

if they did leave him, I agree, they are evil. Anyway I'm glad you happened to see him, that little guy sounds scared & hungry

 

They were a young couple that rented a little house on the corner. College students. We talked to them ocassionallybut we were not close. But you do have a point, he may have gotten away and made his way back over here. It is the first time I have seen him since they moved. Hopefully, you are right. I'll let you know. I was just sitting here thinking about taking him to the vet, neutering him, introducing him to the other cats in the house ( I am a worrywart) and maybe I don't have to do all that.

 

Care for him as much as you can but in the meantime post a Craigslist ad (with pic) in your area and the area you think they may have moved to if different. Also, a newsaper ad. They are free in my local paper for lost and found classifieds. The owners may not realize the cat would try to go home or they may be callous jerks that don't care. You'll soon find out.

 

Oh poor kitty! I do hope it was unfortunate run away accident, and that they did not just leave him. Let us know how is everything!


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Also notify the humane society and/or the SPCA and county animal control to let them know you've found a kitty and give the description.


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That's how my Maisie ended up as a stray - his original owners left him behind when they moved. We also got one of our family pets that way when I was a kid. Unfortunately, it's not an uncommon scenario.

That said, it is somewhat possible that, as people said, the cat got away during the move or made his way back from wherever they're living now. I don't think it's a great sign that you didn't already know he was missing if that was the case, because it doesn't speak to them making much of an effort to get him back - but there may be some extenuating circumstance involved.

Maybe one of your neighbours or their former landlord has contact info for them, so you can just talk to them and clear it up?

I do think it's a good idea to try to make sure they know their cat has been found. I also think, though, that the burden of effort is more on the owner to get their cat back than on the finder to try to track down an MIA owner - especially when they know where they used to live but you don't know where they've gone.

If you can't find them with a reasonable effort and they don't contact anyone in the neighbourhood within the next couple of weeks, I think you're fine to consider him yours if you want him. Thanks for looking out for him!

 

I agree with B.G., make a resonable effort to contact the owners, but the onus should really be on them to get in touch with you in a situation like this if you've already taken the appropriate steps to try to reach them. I know if one of my cats were missing after a move no one from my old neighbourhood would have any trouble contacting me; I'd be back there going door to door, distributing fliers and crawling around under people's porches with a baggie of Temptations.

I have a fearful stray/semi-feral that joined my feral colony sometime over the Christmas holidays. I regularily check humane society and animal services lost and found postings online, and have contacted anyone who has reported a cat missing in the area that bears even a superficial resembalance to this cat based on the description they give. I would really like to believe that there's sombody out there looking for her, but, realistically, chances are that she was abandoned. It really does happen all the time.

 

I'd be back there going door to door, distributing fliers and crawling around under people's porches with a baggie of Temptations.

This would be me too! Poor baby, hopefully you can catch him.


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He's not neutered? I'd go ahead and have that done anyway, regardless of whether he ran away or was abandoned. If he was lost, seems they'd be back looking for him, posting flyers and ads. I live in a college town.Cats are abandoned constantly. I had to stop hiking at a certain lake that houses a small resident campus, because I couldn't bear to see all the abandoned cats every May. I wrote to the college to complain. Never got an answer. I wrote a letter to the paper too. It wasn't printed.

 

Had not seen Zorro since i posted my original message, so i thought he was back home. tonight my husband went on a walk and he spotted Zorro so he helped me find him and we lured him with wet food. He is in a bathroom with food, water, a litter box. I still need to find him a cozy blanket to sleep in. I sat in the bathroom with him while he ate. He ate two cans of food, he was really hungry! So, I do think he was left behind. He is pretty scared and not happy about being in the bathroom, I can hear him meowing from here but I want to keep him confined until I can take him to the vet for shots and neutering. The other cats are not too sure of what is going on. Zorro is not a complete stranger to them. They have seen each other a number of times outside, but he has never been in the house. I'll let you know what is next in the Zorro saga.

 

Well done! thanks for the update. Be sure to have him tested for FelV/FIV, and plan to keep him separate for a couple of weeks in case he is harboring any URI infections.

I'll be watching for updates!

 

This is great news that you got him inside. So many predators outside, its questionable if he could survive. You are a wonderful person for rescuing him. Any pictures? He sounds handsome! Keep us posted to what the vet says. Pox on those renters who abandoned him. Its so common lately, for people to walk off leaving their pets.

 

Yea for Zorro!! I know he will have a better life now that you are neutering him and getting his shots (since he was outside for quite awhile I'd get some flea treatment too). Yes, keep him separate for a while. Hope all goes well - keep us posted!

 

I'm glad you have him safe inside now. He must be scared and confused over what's happened to him lately. It makes me sad when I hear of pets being abandoned when owners move. I could never do such a thing, Yuki is family. We've just moved back to our home province and are living out of suitcases in a friend's basement. It's tough finding a place that's pet-friendly but eventually we'll find one. No way I'd give Yuki up! Oops sorry to ramble


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Hopefully I can be a walk in tomorrow at the vet. He is calmer this morning, still a hungry boy. I will post pictures of him later today.

 

The renters next door left their female cat and her kittens when they moved. I saw one of the renters since then and confronted her and she totally denied leaving the cat. I didn't have the cat then so I couldn't show her. Now I have the mama cat and one surviving kitten from what I think is the second litter she had. I can't tell you how mad it makes me. I feel forced to take responsibility while they skate off free.

 

Thank you for taking care of Zorro. He must be wondering what the h*ll happened to his family. I can imagine the fear he must have gone through. Some people are so cruel when they just dump their pets and think they can fend for themselves. But he is safe now.Thank you again for being such a caring person. I look forward to seeing pictures of Zorro.

 

Here are some pictures of Zorro. I got him that little bed today and he loves it. He also used the litterbox! I was afraid he was going to make a mess, but no he is very well mannered.
zorro - Imgur

 

OOOOHHHHHH! He is PRECIOUS! How could anyone abandon that sweet darling boy! Well, if they cared that little about him, since he is now with you, I guess they did him a favor, because he certainly will be loved to pieces now.

 

He's beautiful! What a lovely kitty, so glad you were around to take him in. Poor guy.

 

What a gorgeous boy! He looks a bit like my aunt's cat. Thanks for taking him in.

I brought Jasper in when he seemed pretty feral, and I was worried he'd be abandoned for some reason (besides that he'd turned feral, that is -- so I didn't know his true personality), the first few days/weeks I was on the lookout for spraying behavior... and then I realised he wasn't even neutered! And he still didn't spray. We got him neutered which I bet helped, and he started becoming tame, and he's a real character, very loving. I can't see any reason why someone would have left him, but then the same goes for Blacky, she was another cat that was semi-feral in the neighborhood (and at least already spayed) and once tamed became a fantastic cat.

People leave their cats when they move all the time. Some people are just disgusting. I think it's pretty safe to say their cat is not missing, if it was and the people cared at all they'd have posters up in the area or would have even gone door to door asking you to keep an eye out. Have you phoned the local shelter and asked if anyone has submitted a missing cat with his description?

 

thank you so much for taking him in. he is a very handsome boy!

 

I send in a found pet report at the animal shelter today and posted in the Las Cruces lost/found pets page. Called the vet and I am taking him in today to get him neutered and a check up and vaccines. He is being very good, considering his ordeal.

 

Good for you for going above and beyond and picking up the slack for your loser ex-neighbours! Zorro's a lovely boy, and will be far better off with you than he would ever have been with his previous people--they're obviously not fit to own an animal.

 

Thanks for taking such good care of him. He's a lucky kitty.

I think you did the right thing doing those found reports, but I would also be very surprised if anything comes of it. If the owners haven't been in contact by now (since even if he was lost, they should have a pretty good idea where he might be,) I think they're gone. I'm sorry that happened to Zorro, but I'm glad he has you to look after him.

 

Once you start investing money into the sweet little guy then he's yours. If they ever find you and say they lost him tell them to take a hike. You're doing more for him now than they ever did!

And that little wee face is freakin' adorable! Awwww!

 

My feelings exactly. My Kaley was seriously neglected when she lived next door. Left out in the cold, fed when it was convenient, no shots, no protective outdoor shelter. I don't know why they bothered to bring her home as a kitten. I started feeding her, build a heated and safe shelter for her on my front porch, and started drinking my morning coffee with her even during the winter. Eventually I was able to bring her in, get her shots, get her chipped and told the neighbors that she was my cat now. They didn't care.

In return, Kaley helped me transition into retirement after a less than happy departure from work. My wife always says that the cat was extremely good for me and in a different was than our precious Bichons and our English Settler.

I found this thread to be very touching. It renews my faith in the human species.