Would you neuter anyway? Please Read Carefully?

Question

About two months ago, the neighbors across the street had an electrical fire in their house. They asked me to keep their cat until the repairs are done. They are living in an apt. where they can't have a pet. They don't come to visit the cat, have provided nothing towards its care, etc. I love cats, so I don't mind and he is a nice cat. Only problem is he is about 7 months old and not neutered. I have no way to contact them. I am afraid this cat may start to spray. My guys are all spayed & neutered, so not worried about kittens, but I wonder if I can get the cat neutered without their permission. There is no licensing, etc. in our area, so I guess possession is 9/10ths of the law. They are kind of weird, and, when they got the kitten I mentioned that a male was cheaper to neuter, and he got all bent out of shape about neutering males. If you were me, would you neuter this cat and not care what they thought? He's not a purebred, so they won't be breeding for profit.

Answer 1

Are you feeding as well as sheltering the cat? If you are, then most people will consider YOU as the owner or guardina now. Your neighbors will have a HARD time proving that the cat is theirs... they may have first obtained the cat, but since they have left it with you, you are now the care-giver. Others will interpret their action as "abandonment." Call the local animal shelter and they can advise you about the legalities. But I do know that if an animal is in your yard or house and you are feeding and sheltering it, YOU are responsible for it (becuase you made yourself responsible for its welfare).

If I were you, I'd get the cat neutered - if your neighbors raise hell, ultimately, what can they do? Sue you? For what? Neutering the cat? But is that not what animal control recommends pet owners do unless the cat is for breeding?

Another thing you can do is visit a vet and get some neutering literature - you know, literature that explaines WHY cats need to be de-sexed. Give the material to your neighbor. Most probably, their problem is that they do not know much about cats and are equating neutering to human castration (like my silly brother). Perhaps if they understood the procedure better, they will be less resistant to the idea.

Good luck!

Answer 2

i would desex him, yes - but BEFORE i'd put him under general anaesthesia i'd run a full blood-panel, just to be abso sure that he's got normal kidneys, a liver in good order, and no apparent serious infections, etc.

it'll cost abt $80, but it's worth every penny - especially for future reference, when any vet can look at this and know this is somewhere in his 'normal values' range.

after U -Invest ! - in his health, so he'll wake up from the surgery vs never waken again, ..... THEN, U can save $$ by getting a low-cost desex surgery.

i don't know where U live, but many, many areas have shelters, mobile desex suites, non-profit orgs and other helpful folks who provide low-cost or even free desex surgeries.

if the owners eventually do re-surface, at least u can assure them that U did indeed take the very best care of him possible - and the fact that they've left U to pay for his groceries, any vet care, provide him with social time and attention, is deplorable.

Yes - he should be neutered, since he's not in any way a breeding prospect, and the spraying habit is Very Bad !! once developed

(even neutered males -can- spray, as can desexed F's - the diff is, they don't usually bother. INTACT M's are pretty much a daily-spritz.... and also even stinkier than neutered M urine, which is stinky enuf ! )

Hopefully, U've caught him early enuf that he won't begin marking... fingers X'd !

Answer 3

Hi there...perhaps from a legal standpoint, if the cat is not microchipped they generally won't have a leg to stand on because it comes down to the burden of proof of who owns the cat. As you've indicated you live in a town where there's no required licencing therefore possession is 9/10ths of the law. I believe this situation would then be construed somewhat as abandonment as they've made no attempt to contact you since they've relocated nor provided any contact information or financial support for the cat's care. Therefore, in all reality the cat is probably legally yours and if you were to neuter him they wouldn't be able to come back and legally pursue this. The logic is based on: they cannot prove that they've tried to contact you, because they already knew where you lived (since they used to live across the street), probably have your phone number when they gave kitty to you, whereas you had no way of knowing where they may be moving, etc due to the disaster and in small claims court the judge most likely would side with you. I'd consider neutering and adopting him or if you choose to find hime a new home that would be your perogative too.

Answer 4

If they expected you to care for their cat in their absence yet don't call to check on him, come by, provide anything for him, then until they pick him up, they have no say if you ask me. This is YOUR house this cat is currently living in and will be spraying urine around, not theirs! If they wanted to have control over the cat, they should be keeping in contact, left you contact info, be providing for his care, etc. Sounds to me like they are poor excuses for animal owners and don't deserve this cat anyway! I would go ahead or you're going to have fun cleaning up shortly when the spraying starts. Good luck and kudos to you for caring and helping this kitty out with a home, food, and love!

**They wouldn't know the cat was neutered anyway unless they feel his sac. They appear to still have them because the sacs fill with fluid after neutering unles the vet does castration and personally, I've never heard of one doing this method these days. But legally, the cat is yours as of now anyway.

Answer 5

. If the owners don't seem to acknowledge that they have a cat then I would somehow try to get in touch with them and ask them if they still want the cat ? If so I would reply with bringing the cat to them and letting them take care of it. But if you can't get in touch with them then I would definitely take the cat and have it neutered. There is too many kittens in the world with know homes that are not neutered and keep having babies. I am cat lover too.That was really nice of you to take the cat in to your house.

Answer 6

Hello, you have had the cat for 2 months? I am in Texas, if you find a cat/ or it is a stray, then you run an ad in the paper for 3 days. If no one claims it then he is yours. You can have him neutered as young as 4 months. But he is getting close to the age where he will start the markings. I would call information to find a phone number, put an ad in the paper. Then later if it comes back on you , you will have the news paper to prove that you did try to reunite him with his owners that abandoned him. GOD BLESS YOU! Not to mention that he is loved and taken care of better now than he was before. [e-mail]

Answer 7

Your dog should heal and recover relatively quickly. He is significantly older than the average dog being altered, but I must commend you on your decision to get it done. Among other things, you have just significantly decreased the possibility of your dog dying from prostate cancer. As far as the pain is concerned, because of his age, he may be a little uncomfortable after his procedure for a few days. Your veterinarian can give you an anti-inflammatory pain medication like Rimadyl or Deramaxx to make him more comfortable. Most dogs that are altered act normal when you pick them up from the vet...However, there are a few things you should do... When you get home, give him small amounts of water or ice cubes every hour. Do not give him a lot, he could vomit. Tonight, he should have about a third of what he normally eats for food, and you can resume normal feeding tomorrow. Don't worry if he's not interested in food tonight. The anesthetic can make him nauseous for up to 24 hours after administered, that's why you have to slowly get him back up to speed with his food and water. As far as the incision sight (which you may not even be able to spot without looking pretty close) you should check it a couple times a day for any signs of swelling, redness, or discharge. If you see anything like that, call the vet. Depending on how your vet does the alter, the suture sight is usually at the base of the shaft of the penis, before the scrotum. The surgery sight should stay relatively clean for the first several days after the surgery. Keeping him inside for a few days is a good idea, but not absolutely necessary. If the sight does get dirty, you should clean it to reduce the risk of infection. But avoid baths and getting it wet for a few weeks. Depending on what type of sutures they used, they can dissolve (most basic spays and alters are done with dissolvable suture material so you won't have to go back for removal) I'm sure you were told to withhold food the night before, so just know that he may not have a bowel movement for 24-48 hours after getting him home. If he hasn't had one within 48 hours, or if he has diarrhea, call your vet. Basic leash walks to tire him out if he's a high energy dog is a good idea. Also, no jumping up on furniture and acting like a crazy dog for several days is recommended. (most vets will say a few weeks, but an alter is a pretty simple surgery.) Most dogs do not bother their sutures, however, if he does, there is always the dreaded elizabethan collar that he can wear for a few day, or you could ask the vet for a tranquilizer to keep him a little sedate so he'll sleep. He should be back up and acting normal within a day or so.

Answer 8

Personally I wouldn't even hesitate on having him neutered. I had to have a friend watch an animal for me once, and I was over there every day, providing food and vet care, etc until I could get him back.
In my opinion, they have abandoned the animal, especially if there has been zero contact for two months!
Once a cat starts to spray, good luck getting them to stop...

Good luck!

Answer 9

Yes, I would neuter the cat. If they cared about the cat so much they would at LEAST call you to see how he is doing!

They should understand that you have gotten attached to the cat, have been providing all the care for it and they should give it to you.

Answer 10

Neuter him right away. If the owner has not contacted you about him nor provided for his maintenance he is definitely yours.

If the owner comes back to you at some later point he does not have a legal leg to stand on.