Animal Welfare Professionals

Scenario: You intake a cat already microchipped to another rescue after being told by current feeder said cat was left behind in a move a few months ago. You give courtesy text to the adoptive parent and call  the rescue that microchipped the cat,  and offer to find the cat a new home. They decline stating that the cat's owner wants the cat back. How do you conclude this scenario or how would you think the scenario play out?

As the "president, " owner/operator of a cat rescue that places priority on the welfare of cats above all else, I find it difficult to digest a once adopted cat dumped or left behind by their adoptive family. Our policy is to take the cat back into our rescue, update vaccines and adopt said cat to a family that will not just dump or leave the cat behind should a life event happen that makes it impossible to continue caring for their cat.  I understand that there are times when unforeseen circumstances can cause a decision you never thought you would have to make. Upon adopting a cat from my rescue, we state that the cat can be returned, vocally & in writing. We send a text a few days after adoption to see how things are going. We also stay in contact through emails and follow up texts a few times a year. We also make it clear that our tolerance for dumping cats is zero. If one of our cats is found, we investigate to see if there was any attempt to find that cat through PawBoost, Lost My Kitty, social media groups, etc…  We also contact the owner. To the best of our ability, we try to find out why the cat was not in the care of the owner. Once evidence, or lack thereof, is gathered and analyzed, we decide the future fate of the cat. This being said, the cat in the scenario is real and the conclusion the microchipping organization came to was to return the cat to the owner after he spent months outside being fed by caring people, who informed me that he was left behind from an apartment down the street.  I did not think the owner should be given back a cat that they did not even try to find. He is still with us months after the fact, in foster with one of our elderly fosters who will keep him indefinitely. We cannot change the microchip to our rescue in order to adopt him out because, after being contacted by our rescue and calling the other rescue,  the previous owner put in a lost pet request. I specifically asked if the lost pet request was made before our found pet notification was placed,  and the answer was, yes. I cannot give the cat back to previous  owners because I cannot be privy to his welfare once given back. My fear is that he will once again be on the street to fend for himself. I cannot conscientiously allow this to happen. 

#AdmissionsandIntake(includingIntake-to-placement)
#Behavior,TrainingandEnrichment
#DataandTechnology

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Lauren Warner
President
Lauren's Lost Cats
PA
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Hi Lauren , 

Through my experience , it's best to decide based on facts and not feelings,

It's  natural for us to feel keeping this animal away from there owner is best. Maybe this owner needs assistance with building a cat patio , maybe this person needs help feeding the cat , maybe this person did abandon or dump . However a person would not file a lost report if they intentionally neglected a cat .

Fact is this owner lost there cat somewhere somehow , we are not one to judge that owner as you do not know the truth.

Have you had a discussion directly with the owner of this cat and provided that owner options and or resources? 

Cats love their people and original home environments more than being bounced around . 

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David Diaz
Animal welfare specialist
SBCAS
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I will also add , imagine the scenario for what it is this owner was moving and if you ever moved before I'm sure doors left open windows such and such accidents happen chances a cat could have got out are high during packing and moving houses . 
Wish you the best in your decision. 
Every state has different laws on property. 
in California where I live if your are the person feeding that dog or cat for 2 weeks or more it's legally your owned property now and there fore can keep , surrender or rehome the animal. 
Suggestion for you Lauren is to contact your   local government animal service to clarify who actually owns the cat. 

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David Diaz
Animal welfare specialist
SBCAS
Santa Barbara CA
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-05-2025 09:48 PM
From: David Diaz
Subject: Rescue and shelter policies on dumped adopted cats

Hi Lauren , 

Through my experience , it's best to decide based on facts and not feelings,

It's  natural for us to feel keeping this animal away from there owner is best. Maybe this owner needs assistance with building a cat patio , maybe this person needs help feeding the cat , maybe this person did abandon or dump . However a person would not file a lost report if they intentionally neglected a cat .

Fact is this owner lost there cat somewhere somehow , we are not one to judge that owner as you do not know the truth.

Have you had a discussion directly with the owner of this cat and provided that owner options and or resources? 

Cats love their people and original home environments more than being bounced around . 

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David Diaz
Animal welfare specialist
SBCAS
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David, thanks for your feedback. When I gave myself the position of rescuing cats, I set out to be an animal advocate. I do consider the other side before making a judgement. And this judgement took in consideration, the timing of the lost pet filing, which was AFTER I had contacted both the rescue and the cat owner. The cat had been outside in the cold, being fed by a wonderful couple for a few months. He was a block and a half away from where he originally lived. Because the cat was in my care, I took on the responsibility to do the best I could do for him. I try not to make decisions without some feedback from others in the world of rescue, and, believe me, as you most likely already know, most rescue people would not even consider the other side of things.  I tend to be the exception.  Judgements are a necessary component to our jobs as advocates for the voiceless. As a retired teacher, I'm well aware of this. 
No matter, your opinion is definitely noted and I thank you for sharing!

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Lauren Warner
President
Lauren's Lost Cats
PA
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-05-2025 09:48 PM
From: David Diaz
Subject: Rescue and shelter policies on dumped adopted cats

Hi Lauren , 

Through my experience , it's best to decide based on facts and not feelings,

It's  natural for us to feel keeping this animal away from there owner is best. Maybe this owner needs assistance with building a cat patio , maybe this person needs help feeding the cat , maybe this person did abandon or dump . However a person would not file a lost report if they intentionally neglected a cat .

Fact is this owner lost there cat somewhere somehow , we are not one to judge that owner as you do not know the truth.

Have you had a discussion directly with the owner of this cat and provided that owner options and or resources? 

Cats love their people and original home environments more than being bounced around . 

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David Diaz
Animal welfare specialist
SBCAS
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Hi Lauren yes what's best for the cat is always the top priority of course. 

" I specifically asked if the lost pet request was made before our found pet notification was placed,  and the answer was, yes."

*from your original post *

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David Diaz
Animal welfare specialist
SBCAS
Santa Barbara CA
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-06-2025 06:08 AM
From: Lauren Warner
Subject: Rescue and shelter policies on dumped adopted cats

David, thanks for your feedback. When I gave myself the position of rescuing cats, I set out to be an animal advocate. I do consider the other side before making a judgement. And this judgement took in consideration, the timing of the lost pet filing, which was AFTER I had contacted both the rescue and the cat owner. The cat had been outside in the cold, being fed by a wonderful couple for a few months. He was a block and a half away from where he originally lived. Because the cat was in my care, I took on the responsibility to do the best I could do for him. I try not to make decisions without some feedback from others in the world of rescue, and, believe me, as you most likely already know, most rescue people would not even consider the other side of things.  I tend to be the exception.  Judgements are a necessary component to our jobs as advocates for the voiceless. As a retired teacher, I'm well aware of this. 
No matter, your opinion is definitely noted and I thank you for sharing!

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Lauren Warner
President
Lauren's Lost Cats
PA
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-05-2025 09:48 PM
From: David Diaz
Subject: Rescue and shelter policies on dumped adopted cats

Hi Lauren , 

Through my experience , it's best to decide based on facts and not feelings,

It's  natural for us to feel keeping this animal away from there owner is best. Maybe this owner needs assistance with building a cat patio , maybe this person needs help feeding the cat , maybe this person did abandon or dump . However a person would not file a lost report if they intentionally neglected a cat .

Fact is this owner lost there cat somewhere somehow , we are not one to judge that owner as you do not know the truth.

Have you had a discussion directly with the owner of this cat and provided that owner options and or resources? 

Cats love their people and original home environments more than being bounced around . 

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David Diaz
Animal welfare specialist
SBCAS

This topic is near and dear to my heart. In June, we will be 20 years old. I get about 3 calls a year about this. How would you respond?  Our county ordinance states that if a cat is found, we have to give the adopter 30 days to respond. Failure to do so, the cat becomes the finder's to keep or give away. 

1. Found cat, reach out to other rescue, meanwhile update vaccines, etc. We go ahead and put cat up for adoption. Other rescue locates their adopter, who had moved away 3 years prior. Wants the cat back.  Despite misgivings, we return the cat.

2. Cat microchipped through another rescue. Cat is rescued by a volunteer. We track down the who generously gives us the 6 year old cat. Nice...reach out to adopter, who lives in another state. Ex-Husband received pets in divorce. She would take back the cat if she was permitted, but can't. 

3. Our cat, found "dumped" and picked up as a stray. I sleuth, learn the adopter died in October 24. We received her in January.  This past Saturday she was adopted into a new family.

4. Adopted a cat two years ago. In February our adopter writes us that she's urinating everywhere, needs to return her. We have an automated email says give us a few days, meanwhile fill out this form. Two days later, I reach out to get our cat, he surrendered her to the local shelter. I retrieve the cat and she had a bladder infection, which their vet didn't catch and told the adopter it was behavioral. There have been more recently, but here are our different scenarios.

5. Just last week, we have a kitty who we reported stolen 6 years ago when the foster parent refused to return him, and Thomas turned up on a vacated condo when the cleaning crew found him. Cleaning crew gave him to an 82 year old man, who may or may not keep him. 

Five different scenarios. (And, lucky me, Im in the middle of moving this week, so timing is lovely.)

Knee-jerk reaction is to judge people, but life circumstances happen. I train our volunteers not to judge people because they aren't walking in those people's shoes, including other rescues. We state we will 

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Candy Sullivan
Founder/Executive Director
Candy's Cats, Inc.
Orange County, Florida
www.candyscats.org
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-05-2025 09:48 PM
From: David Diaz
Subject: Rescue and shelter policies on dumped adopted cats

Hi Lauren , 

Through my experience , it's best to decide based on facts and not feelings,

It's  natural for us to feel keeping this animal away from there owner is best. Maybe this owner needs assistance with building a cat patio , maybe this person needs help feeding the cat , maybe this person did abandon or dump . However a person would not file a lost report if they intentionally neglected a cat .

Fact is this owner lost there cat somewhere somehow , we are not one to judge that owner as you do not know the truth.

Have you had a discussion directly with the owner of this cat and provided that owner options and or resources? 

Cats love their people and original home environments more than being bounced around . 

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David Diaz
Animal welfare specialist
SBCAS
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I'm not in this dept but I'm pretty sure our policy would be to return the cat to the microchipped owner. Part of that process would be speaking to them, and hopefully during that conversation we could sort out what happened, confirm if they do want the cat back, share advice, etc. I hope you can have such a conversation; I know you said you contacted them already.

My gut reaction (just to provide an alternative perspective), informed by 6 years doing animal control in a small and a medium-sized city, is that the adopters didn't know they should file a lost report initially, so once they started getting calls and someone mentioned "did you file a lost report," they decided that is what they needed to do to get their cat back. I know it sounds preposterous that people wouldn't know that they should call animal control or file a lost report when they lose a pet, but for tons of people that's reality. They lose their pet, they look for him and hope he will come home, they grieve and move on. Public services aren't in the picture.

Thanks for your work! Keep it up.

James

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James Pawlowicz
Humane Rescue Alliance
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The reality is that studies show only 2% of lost cats that find their way home do so through a shelter...many cat owners (including the 2/3 of owners that report they allow their pet cats outdoor access according to AVMA Pet Demographic Surveys) assume their lost cat will either find their way home or have been taken in by someone else. In the same survey, 15% of cat owners reported having lost a cat within the previous 5 years, so cats going missing is a relatively common occurrence. These statistics are true whether we like them or not. To look at the data another way, cats are 13 times more likely to return to their owner by any means other than through a shelter. This owner may have tried to find her cat other ways that you are not aware of. We may wish that owners would do more or work harder to find their lost cats, but we shouldn't make assumptions about their suitability or right to have a cat based on that behavior.

In the meantime, this cat, who has an owner that would like her back and has a legal claim on her through the MC (remember that animals are legally considered "property"), is taking up space and resources in your rescue that could be used to help cats that don't have an owner or truly need help. 

I agree with other advice to talk with the original owner and offer resources/education if they need them and celebrate the opportunity to reunite a pet with it's person if there is no evidence of willful abuse or neglect. 

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Rachel Powell DVM
Director of Surgery
Greenhill Humane Society
Eugene, OR
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Yes, there are lots of unforeseen things that could happen during a move.  For instance, as a cat owner who has moved multiple times, I am keenly aware of the heartache that I would go through if my cat got lost in a move.  People often think that a cat that has never tried to get out the door would simply not go out.  But, when moving, there is a lot of commotion going on and often other people helping out.  The door could easily get left open and the kitty would bolt outside.  Then, being scared, could race off and disappear.  A frightened cat rarely comes when called and can be in hiding for days before returning home and someone is able to approach it and take it to the shelter.  In such a situation, I would be so thankful to have had a microchip in place so that we could be reunited!  I don't know, for sure, what that situation was, but if the owner wants the cat back they should get it back.  Besides, I thought, legally, that was required.

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Diana Kelley
Executive Director
Healing Horse Touch Company
https://HealingHorseTouch.com
KennethMNUnited States
Discover Healing, Connection, and Renewal through Horses.
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