16/03/2023
This Is NOT Rescue
Young "Bistro" is a friendly fellow who loves people, so when he disappeared a few days ago, his family was distraught. They immediately put their life on hold to find him. For two days and nights, they walked and biked their neighborhood hoping he was just on a walk-about. Bistro's human mom took the day off work to canvas the neighborhood and they purchased and posted waterproof 11 x 17 inch color posters. They also posted him on social media, but nobody had seen him.
Bistro was microchipped, so they knew he'd be scanned if someone took him to a shelter or vet. But they didn't receive any calls. After two sleepless nights, they wondered what to do next. Where was he?
On the third day, they received a call from a neighbor who had seen the posters. She had "rescued" friendly Bistro on the day he went missing and put him in her house. She didn't contact the shelter, post flyers, knock on neighbor's door or have him scanned for a microchip. But its a shame his owners had to miss work, spend money on posters and lose two days and nights looking for him.
Bistro's story is a good reminder that if you take a friendly and well-fed animal into your home, you are morally and, in some cases, legally required to take action.
At minimum, you should:
-Contact the local shelter to report the cat as found. You can do this online in many states.
-Knock on neighbor's doors to see if anyone knows where he lives.
-If neighbors don't recognize the cat, post found posters in the neighborhood or leave flyers on neighbor's porches.
-Take the cat to a shelter, rescue or vet clinic to be scanned for a microchip. It's free!
That may sound like an unreasonable amount of work, but if that is too much for you, don't confine the cat. The key words above are FRIENDLY and WELL-FED. Most cats who are relaxed enough to enter a neighbor's home or be picked up and put in a carrier by a complete stranger are NOT lost or homeless. They are an outdoor-access cat in their home territory and they don't need to be rescued!
As with all cat situations, common sense rules. A cat who is injured or in ill health needs help now. Community cats need to be trapped, neutered and returned to their home territory. But if you find a friendly, well-fed cat in your neighborhood, PLEASE take the time to let your neighbors know. He probably lives nearby and they are missing him!
(** Stay tuned tomorrow for a post about judging... )