Tattoed Cat

[Tresco]

The stray cat we adopted a few months ago has been going from strength to strengh. Fur grown back on tail and back end, eyebrows and whiskers, fur in ears all returned. The thick scabs that covered his nose and ears are gradually dropping off (it's taken a long time because he keeps washing them off, then they reform). When he first came we had asked all  around and put a picture up in 3 Salles de Fetes and in various local places, no response, and the state he was in we persuaded ourselves he was a battered cat, he's still timid in many ways.

This morning, i'm doing scab inspection, and there is definitely a tatoo hiding under the scabs in one ear. I can't see it all but there is no mistake. Much as I adore this cat, I now know that someone else has loved him too, although MOH is desperately trying to convince me the cat may have escaped from a fur farm.

Our neighbour tells me I can go to the gendarmes (!) or a vet with a tatooed stray, but can anyone tell me what the procedure will be, and if there is likely to be any difference between what the police do, and the vet?

A pathetically sad tresco

[Catalpa]

++ I now know that someone else has loved him too, although MOH is desperately trying to convince me the cat may have escaped from a fur farm. ++

 

Are you absolutely sure that a tattoo = a loving home? It sounds as if you've invested a lot of time and care on this cat. I'd think hard before I delivered her back to... who knows what? I have no idea whether it is legal to keep the cat or what will happen when you go to a vet and the number is noted / added to a database - although you've probably already been visiting a vet? Maybe the Phoenix people can advise. I'm with your OH on this! Especially if you can prove you tried to find the owner originally. The cat's future is certain with you. I'd try and keep it that way.

[Tresco]

Thanks for replying Catalpa. I suppose to me what the tattoo means is that once someone cared about him enough to pay to have this done.

He hasn't been to the vet yet, we were discussing this just the other night. The state he was in was shocking, but it took a while before he got beyond the snatching food and rushing out of the house at high speed. It was a long time before he would be handled, although he was not feral by any means. 

De-fleaing and worming him was a nightmare. We tried recently to get him in the cat box (testing the possibility of the delayed trip to the vet) with no success, he's a very powerful cat. He still jumps when I pick the mop or broom up, and runs off. All of this we attributed to the imaginary evil former owners, (my neighbour said someone had probably just left it behind when they went on holiday in August!) but now I am thinking if he got lost after moving house, or just because he's adventurous, and was on the run for a while, he may have been hit by others on his travels, as well as getting into loads of scraps.

I have fallen for this cat in a big way, and don't want to give him up, that's why I wondered what would actually happen when I inform whoever, do they ring them up and say 'your cat is at such and such an address, and you can pick him up if you want'. Will they add that I really love the cat and want to stay here with me?.

tresco

 

[Liz]

My only experience at all similar to this was when we picked up a dog that had wandered off from home. We took him to a vet who read his chip and phoned the owner. I doubt very much if the police would be the slightest bit interested in a cat but a vet would probably be able to check the tattoo if you wanted to.

We once had a stray cat, not in such bad condition as yours, who gradually moved in with us. We then found out that he had only come from 2 houses away and had moved himself out because he didn't like their dogs. We spoke with the owner and said we would look after him for her as he clearly wasn't willing to go 'home' and he lived with us for many years. The cat we have now came from a house nearby when the old lady died and her husband had no concept of feeding a cat so we again offered to take him on.

I seem to remember from reading a poster in the vets that cats over a certain age have to be tattooed, so it may be that it has happened as a matter of law rather than a caring owner. I find people here very casual about cats, giving them as gifts to people who don't want them etc.

Cats choose their humans carefully so I would be inclined to do nothing. If he wants to be with you he won't settle at his previous place anyway.

Liz (29)

[NickJanet BaileyNicJan]

Unfortunately in these cases there are always two sides. We recently left our two cats in a kennels (department 47) only to find when we returned that the owners had lost one of them (if anyone emails me privately, I can give you the name of the establishment). Despite, now five weeks, of searching, putting up posters, leafleting and contacting local vets and the gendarmerie we have still not located our pet.

We pray that someone will find him and contact us as he is both tattooed and micro-chipped. This information is held on a central database in Paris and run by an organisation called SNVEL - your local vet will be able to access information on the owners of "your cat" from these people. He will also be able to tell you whether the cat is micro-chipped as well plus a record of vaccinations, especially against rabies, is also held by SNVEL. In our experience it is only a caring cat owner who would bother to go to the trouble and expensive of having the animal tattooed/chipped/vaccinated - several hundreds of euros!

Hope this information of use - understand your feelings, but if the cat in question were ours, we would want him back.

Nick & Janet

[Chrissie]

Similarly, we found a lost dog with tattoo.  When I rang the Paris centre, they wanted my name and address before they gave me the dog's owner's details.  They followed this up with a letter confirming my call, my details and her details - I don't know, but it seems likely that they may send the reverse of this letter to the owner.

Chrissie (81)

[Catalpa]

I wonder if, as caring, considerate individuals who tend to believe the best of most people, we look at a lost animal and assume that some poor family is devastated and searching for their beloved pet. Well, maybe that's happened in this instance - who knows? - but it's not their well-being I think should be borne in mind: it's the cat's. The cat is well-off where it is, it didn't exactly arrive well-fed, glossy and purring. It doesn't seem as if it's local because there was no response to the posters so...

The reason I suggested that you make contact with Phoenix, Tresco - and Phoenix's contact details are posted in a 'sticky' at the top of this section - is that as a rescue centre, they presumably have taken in animals who've already got tattoos or chips and therefore have traceable owners. They can tell you what has happened - if they tried to trace the owners, the outcomes. Of course, you don't have to tell the vet the cat's a stray.

If owners ever do turn up, make sure you present them with food and vet expenses incurred at the same time you express your strong willingness to keep the cat. That should sort out the caring owners from the casual.

Having said all that: I do sympathise with Nick and Jan.

[Tresco]

This has got to be the first time I can say I agree with everyone

In the end though, Nick and Jan are right. I don't think I will ever feel entirely happy if I don't try to find out.  

tresco

[Chrissie]

Please come back eventually and let us all know what happened.

Chrissie (81)

[Tresco]

Thanks Chrissie, and yes I will.

There are still only 3 letters/numbers showing and I think there are another 3 to be revealed. The 'tat-toed' long eared circus cat is safe here for at least a couple of weeks, and i'll update later. Thanks to everyone again.

tresco

[Tresco]

Thanks Chrissie, and yes I will.

There are still only 3 letters/numbers showing and I think there are another 3 to be revealed. The 'tat-toed' long eared circus cat is safe here for at least a couple of weeks, and i'll update later. Thanks to everyone again.

tresco

[berty]

If I were you I would not try to find the owners,as you may well find that they through embarassment or guilt they may want the cat back.This happened to me after I took an interest in a neigbours cat that was totally neglected.I cleaned it up,fed it up and took it to the vet.The vet was very diplomatic when I told him about the cats history and was clearly just concerned that the cat was now being cared for.I however finally managed to convince the neighbour t give me the cat.I am sure that if they had not lived so close they would have refused.The norm is that cats dont get lost.Iwould not take the risk of a cruel owner getting his cat back

[Tresco]

Hi. Quick update on Bobby the long eared cricus cat.

He's stopping with us.

The scabs covering the tatoo still are not off, but the decision is made, and it is a relief.

I have been laughed off the dinner table in the village, been mocked by everyone, including a vet who I managed to lure into conversation in next doors garden, while the cat rolled around charmingly at my feet. The scabs still are not off. But the decision is made, and it is a relief.

To Nick and Janet, who have lost their dog, a very big part of this decision was based on the fact it's a cat. When I described the condition the cat was in to the vet, and when he saw the thickness of the scabs and pointed out certain ancient injuries and effects to me, he reckoned Bobby had been out and about for a long time, perhaps many months, before he pitched up here.

If a dog had arrived in a similar condition I would have acted differently, without asking advice first.

[Chrissie]

Glad to hear there's a happy ending!

Chrissie (81)

[TiffanyS<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=1><U>hometown.aol.co.uktiffanystacpooleanimalmatters.html<U><FONT><P>]

[quote]Hi. Quick update on Bobby the long eared cricus cat. He's stopping with us. The scabs covering the tatoo still are not off, but the decision is made, and it is a relief. I have been laughed off t...[/quote]

Tresco,

Nick and Janet lost a cat, not a dog, through no fault of their own (careless kennel owner) and have been FRANTIC for weeks about it's loss. Whilst, by law, you should attempt to find the original owner of the cat  I understand that you feel possessive about the care you have given and where it might have come from. However, it's poor condition could merely indicate that it's been lost and incapable of taking care of itself, which indicates a much loved housecat, rather than an independently reared outdoor type which would usually be able to look after itself quite well. The indications (tattoo and battered appearance) lend more towards the former, than the latter type of cat.

As a compromise, Animal Matters operates a Lost and Found website. You can email a photo and details of the cat you have found, adding the three tattoo numbers you have. If someone is searching and comes across their cat, they would have to contact the Petsearch Helpline first who could check out the original home to your satisfaction before needing to admit where the cat is.

Phoenix could probably also check out the tattoo number for you, if the scabs ever fall off (not that you want them to!!).

Fact is, if someone has bothered to tattoo a cat, and most uncaring owners wouldn't dream of such an expense, you really ought to try to return it to them. My experience of such things has shown that there are wonderful owners in France who are just as traumatised by the loss of a beloved pet as anyone else.

Sorry to disagree with most other posters, but I've heard the story from the other side, and it's often heartbreaking.

Whatever you decide to do, at least the cat is being cared for right now.

Regards Tiffany

[Tresco]

Nick and Janet lost a cat, not a dog, through no fault of their own (careless kennel owner) and have been FRANTIC for weeks about it's loss

My mistake Tiffany

I think I may have said before the cat was definitely not completely ferral. I am easily swayed, as you may have already seen. My husband, seemingly in this one and only instance, is not

I'll take you up on your compromise initially, then when he goes to the vet we will see what happens there

[Tresco]

The Truth Revealed

His real name is something like (i.e, sounds like) Grosmeet. He ran away from home about a year ago, when he was still quite small. He had had injections and been castrated, but unfortunately was getting seriously bullied by the other cat in the family.

The family he belonged to searched for him, then gave up, as  he was so small and time went by, they assumed he had died. They stopped mentioning their lost cat before we found him, and didn't see the photos or messages. We have been getting to know more people, and I often mention the cat to people in conversation. Finally the word got to the owner, who put two and two together, and came round with her children today.

She could see the scabs still on his nose, and covering the tatoo in his ear. She cried, but she said it was because she was happy he wasn't dead. She said she wants him to stay with us.

There you go, nearly all of us were wrong in our assumptions, I think, but it was a cat that was making him unhappy, not bad humans.

[Davies]

Wonderful result Tresco, made my day; I couldn't invent a more all round happier ending than that!

Best wishes, Another Dave

 

 

[Furry Knickers]

What a really lovely cat tale! One of the nicest things I have read on the forum.

I love anything thats a bit pudgey and covered in fur (I am even drawn to Dick Smith) 

Bobby was so fortunate to find you! I watched Ring Of Bright Water over the Bank holiday, It brought back so many wonderful memories of my childhood, I was a young child and I longed for an Otter! My dream was to have my own Otter called Horace, and a Silver Jensen Interceptor SP.