They want to take my cat away from me!!!!?

Question

Basically I have a black cat whom I love. Her name is Bear. She is only 9 months old and 2 weeks ago she went missing for the first time. 2 days ago she came back, and it turns out whilst she was gone she had been neutured and microchipped! We kept Bear inside since then and my mum is taking her to the vet today, but then yesetrday we saw "missing" posters all around our road with a picture of Bear on them! We rang the number and politely told them she is our cat, but they are saying that she is theirs now because they microchipped her! They are saying that they are going to come round and take her back and me and my mum don't know what to do! Please help! What can I do? And who legally has rights to keep Bear!? She is ours, our other cat Meggy gave birth to her! Maybe I can to a DNA test to prove this? Is that possible!? PLEASE HELP I AM CRYING MY EYES OUT I WANT TO DIE!!!!!!!!!! SHES MINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry this was so long :(

BY THE WAY to dekitty, my cat is FEMALE. NOT MALE. So it is quite impossible for her to knock up any female cats! Not only that, but we never intended to let her out! She went out for the first time and someone took her! We were worried sick, and we have ALL our other cats pregnant! So before you start acting all rightious, GET THE FACTS.

Oops I meant we have all our other cats neutured, not pregnant lol.

Thankyou for ALL your help to everyone! You are all so kind, and I feel alot better now! I wish there was a way for me to individually reply to you all, but there isn't. All I can say is Thankyou!

Answer 1

That is the bad thing about having an outside cat. People will try to claim them as their own. It's assumed that if the animal is outside and running free, it's up for grabs.

They sound like they are determined to get her back and they may end up suing you. (if not for her, for the money they put into her)

If I were you, I would be the bigger person and offer them reimbursement for what they have put in to her. You could also offer them a kitten from a future litter.

ADDITIONAL:

First of all, females are SPAYED, not neutered. Now, on to your dilemma. If, in fact, they did have her microchipped, it's going to be harder for you to prove ownership even with a DNA test. They could say that they got her from Meggy's litter. If you have photos of her throughout the years, that'll help, but it won't be a guarantee. If they really want to fight you in this, they will, and you just might end up having a judge make that decision.

Answer 2

They found a cat on the street and had it microchipped; that doesn't make it theirs. Plus they cannot just come round to your house and take her any more than they could take your car.
But the microchip has their details; so you must get this sorted out.

First, the DNA tests would prove your other cat gave birth to her.
Second, you hopefully have a vet who has records showing she's been vaccinated etc.
Third, hopefully you have photos of her going back to when she was a kitten.

Phone your vet today and explain what happened.
Check your home insurance policy and ring the company, sometimes you get free legal advice and this might be covered.
Get one of the 'missing' posters and keep it in a safe place along with all your other documentery evidence.

Finally, get proper legal advice on what to do next.
Good luck.

Answer 3

If you can prove - by pictures of you and your family with the cat - that she is yours - then she is yours! The fact that they paid to have the cat chipped is not down to you - possesion is nine tenths of the law!

If push came to shove - although expensive - a VET could do a blood test to prove lineage of the family - these people have no automatic right to take the cat and indeed if they did - they could be arrested for theft - don't let the cat out of your sight for a while just in case - not easyI know - but you get where I'm coming from.

Also, ask for proof of ownership - that is receipt from re homing centre or pet shop - If they can produce a receipt from homing centre contact that centre and ask where the cat was found and when! If it ties in with your details then you know for sure you are on a safe bet!

Answer 4

Hi marzi, first of all can i just say how unfortunate....All is not lost tho, do you have any photos of Bear as these could prove she belongs to you... It is possible to have a DNA test however this is very expensive and will only prove that your other cat Meggy gave birth to Bear, sadly, it will not prove that Bear in fact belongs to you..As i said, I truly hope you can find some photos as these will prove Bear is your cat and should put an end to your heartache... I hope this helps and you are able to resolve this problem which is obviously very distressing for you....good luck

Answer 5

Im so sorry for your situation , i really hope you can prove she is yours in some way :( unfortunately i dont know about the laws in your country but maybe if you have some pics from when she was a kitten or something to show them that she is in fact yours you can try to do something , and well if they want the cat because of the microchip then try to pay them the money and then maybe is easier to solve this .
I wish you good luck

Answer 6

First of all,I'm sorry for you and what happened.Even though you are right to be mad,angry and sad I think it's gonna be very difficult to prove the cat is yours,because of the chip.A chip is the first sign of ownership,and at least in my country it is forced by law to chip all your pets,so it's the one thing that really counts.If you have photos of her when she was younger this might help,but since you haven't chipped her,and you haven't looked for her the two weeks she was gone(with posters like the other family has done) I would say this is a hard case to win in any way.
I hope you get to keep Bear,next time please chip your pets to avoid this.

P.S.Proving the cat is a child of your other cat won't do you any good,because her being the child of the other cat doesn't prove she is yours,a lot of people let their cat have kittens and then give them away or let them go stray.Only photos or the confirmation of your vet might help you.

Answer 7

Microchips do not always prove ownership. There is a catch with the chip...After inserting the chip the information is not automatically put into a database (i.e. Name, Phone, Address etc.) There are papers that need to be filled out and mailed in. Depending on how long the cat was with them, there may not be any info linking them to the cat, only a chip ID # (That is if they didn't mail in their info). Call your local Animal services and ask to speak the Deputy (or head Officer) in charge. Ask them what the laws are in your area as far as Ownership is concerned. Also ask what you legal rights are as far as Ownership is concerned. By contacting Animal Services you may be asked to License your cat (If they do that there) Do it, it is worth it.

Answer 8

First of all, you need to verify that your cat has been microchipped and it can be traced to the people who are now claiming her. If your cat is not microchipped, then it isn't their cat.

Second, you need to find out the animal law in your area regarding to stray cats. Did you file a lost cat report with animal control and the local animal shelter? Do you have proof of ownership in the form of veterinary records? Does your city require cat licenses and rabies vaccines?

In Wisconsin, shelters have to hold all stray animals for seven days. After that they become our property and we can adopt them out. If an owner comes forward two weeks later, legally they have no claim to the animal anymore. They would have to prove it to us in the form of vet records and even then we are not obligated by law to return the animal. Same thing in this case. If someone housed, fed and and cared for a stray animal for seven days, in Wisconsin, you are considered the owner.

You can contact animal control and explain your situation, but unless you have proof, they are going to look at the person who has microchipped the cat and altered the cat as the owner.

Has your mom tried talking with these people? No screaming,crying, yelling! A rational adult conversation? It wouldn't hurt to give that a try. I have a feeling that you are going to learn a tough life lesson in this situation.

Answer 9

Keep her indoors, and don't let her out or let anyone into your home. Who ever done this must of thought that she was a stray and took her in, but to have her neutered and micro chipped so fast, they probably knew she belonged to someone. She came home to you so she knows her real home. Take her to your own vet and see if you can remove the chip, you could take them th small claims court as a last resort, She is your cat, she knows her name, what did the others call her? to who does she respond? This is really sad, can't imagine anyone trying to take my kitty. Do all you can legally, inform the cops, don't give her up. They could be charged with thief.If you had ever had her at your own vets? they would know you and your kitty.I just hope this works out in your favour, maybe you you let us know OK?

Answer 10

First off, thank that family for spaying your cat (females get spayed, males get neutered) there are WAY too many stray cats running around! That, by the way, is probably why they didn't think twice about it. That family actually has it on the ball, they took measures to ensure that your cat would be healthy, and that she could be found and identified should she turn up missing. Did you put up any posters when she disapeared? You were an irresponsible pet owner, that's all there is to it, and I hope you've learned something from all this. If you really want to keep your cat, I would suggest talking to the other family about re-imbursing them for the cost of the surgeries that YOU should have had done, and I would suggest maybe helping them find a suitable pet, since you know they are good owners. Spend some time with them, they are not your enemy...you could learn a thing or two.