I just found a microchip in my (previously stray) cat from her previous owner. I have had her for 6 YEARS and don't know what to do.?

Question

About 6 years ago, a stray cat started wondering around my friends house. The weather was getting colder, and I did not want her to freeze to death, so I took her in. I think she was abused because she is very timid and hates teenage men. I took her to the vet and got her all fixed up. I have been living with her for about 6 years now. She is a very sweet cat and I have grown very attached to her. At her yearly vet checkup, I decided to get her microchipped in-case she got lost. The vet first checked for existing microchips and found one! I was amazed! I did not look up the chip number because I really can’t give her back after she spent most of her life with me. I feel like the original owner(s) got over losing her by now and assume she died. I feel like I should at least call them to let them know she’s alive and in good hands. But I don’t want to start a big legal custody battle. She has changed my life and I could never give her up now. I don’t think she had a good home before. I don’t know what to do.

Answer 1

You should at least give them a call, though it's been 6 years they may still worry. If the cat was a young kitten then they may not mind you keeping it because they didn't really know it that well. They might let you keep it because you have had it for a while and have looked after it.

But you really should call them, imagine if they were a lovely family with children that adored the cat then were devastated when they lost it and are still upset to this day, they would be so happy to find out that it is fine. They may want to see it just because it was theirs and they missed it but you never know maybe they don't live in a place they can have cats or it isn't a good time to have a pet so you will get it.

I doubt that they didn't care about this cat because they got it micro-chipped so that they would get it back if they lost it.

Answer 2

Call them and give them closure. Think about how you would feel if you lost her, now. You can not just assume her previous owners mistreated her. First, sometimes animals are timid because of poor breeding/genetics or because of a birth accident (too many kittens in the litter, an umbilical cord accident, a young inexperienced mother). It is very likely that her mother was feral, and that she was a rescue kitten. Kittens born feral have poor socialization with people and may be timid all their life. If she was rescued, the rescue organization would have inserted the chip. If she is afraid of male teens, she might have been stolen and abused, and then escaped and came to you. If that is the case, the previous owners might even suspect something bad had happened to her and have been worrying all these years. They cared enough about her to have her micro-chipped. I am surprised that if an animal is micro-chipped the vet didn't have to attempt to contact the owners and report their cat had been found. You did a good thing by taking her in, but in the future you really should check for a micro-chip whenever you find a stray pet, and make some attempt to find the owners (post found ads, report finding her to the SPCA, look for lost ads). It is the ethical thing to do when you find a stray. This cat was probably lost by people who loved her, but if the previous owners were responsible for mistreating her, it would have been easier to identify them as abusers at the time you found their cat and prevent them from getting another animal to abuse.

Answer 3

If I lost my pet i'd forever be wondering where it is and if it's being loved. How would you feel if your beloved cat was taken in by someone else and there was no way of knowing if it was okay or even alive.

Was it a kitten when you found it, if it was then it's not gonna want to go back to its old home. If it was older when you found it ( a year or older ) then you'd be doing the right thing by returning the cat to its owner.



Maybe find the owner and they may be nice enough to let you keep it, they may have gotten a new cat.

Answer 4

You should probably at least contact the last owner. Even if it has to do with you blocking your phone number and telling them the cat is OK. They paid for the cat, and obviously cared about it if it had a chip installed. There is a possibility they had a chip installed because the cat often ran away. Somehow, anonymously tell the owners that the cat is alright. Maybe they forgot about the chip and didn't use it to get the cat back. Keep it for yourself, but keep in mind those people bought/adopted the cat and it was theirs to begin with, if they want it back and you are willing to give it up, ask them if you can visit it often or let it stay over once in a while.

Answer 5

You should call them - they may have gotten rid of her or left her behind when they moved or something. Maybe they won't get her back. I know that it's common practice for a lot of animal shelters to chip pets before adopting them out, so it doesn't necessarily mean she had the most caring owners. Maybe her owner's decided she was too much. Or maybe she belonged to an older person who passed away and no one claimed her.

I know if it was me though, I would want to know she was ok and safe. After this long, she probably won't adjust well to change in environment. But I had a cat go missing after I had him for 11 years, and I never got closure for that.

Answer 6

The cat is yours now. The previous owners have no legal recourse, so don't worry about that issue. The important thing is that kitty has a good home. You could mail the old owners an anonymous letter telling them that you have found and are taking care of their cat....maybe include a picture of the cat.

Answer 7

I think you should give them a call but say nothing about where you are. If it's been six years they probably have gotten over it. If they wanted the cat then, they should've bothered looking for the cat with the chip because thats what it was there for in the first place. It should most likely be removed because it's probably outdated.

Answer 8

If you have to call the owners tell them you have recently spent a lot of money at the vets having their cat treated and then see if they want her back... bet they won t! I found a very sickly cat with a microchip and when the owner was told she never called back.... the cat is still happily living with me and the price of the treatment was well worth it. Don t forget tho if anything happens to your kitty and someone else finds her they may contact them, so good advice from the other people above to get the chip disabled.

Answer 9

This is an anxious situation. Probably, the best thing you can do is to call the owner and talk it out with them, and explain the events that happened with the cat and you through the six years. The owner may have done a mistake by throwing it out, but that might not be the case. It could be they lost their cat. I think you should talk with them, or talk to your an animal specialist or lover and ask them what to do. there are a lot of ways. Good luck, have a good day, and I hope I helped!

Answer 10

I would consult the previous owner just take away any worries they had about the cat. (yes it's been 6 years, but I still worry about my cat that ran away when I was 7 ! Maybe they have kids?)

Just kindly ask if you could keep the cat, they will probably understand.

Answer 11

Idk if you got her from a shelter or a Humane Society, but they should check every found animal for a microchip. However, if you just found her and kept her, I would suggest bringing the next animal that you find past a shelter, veterinary office, or Humane Society, because they always have scanners. Consider what's best for you pet. If you already have a close bond with her, she would probably feel most comfortable remaining in your home. But if she's older and hasn't been with you for that long, she's probably missing her old home.

Answer 12

Maybe owner dumped kitty. You don't know. Previous surrogate human parent probably moved on already by now. Kitty has bonded with you, so finders keepers in this instance. If she got lost. I'm happy to see kitty found you.

Answer 13

Likely the information on the chip is now outdated. I agree to have that chip removed. The cat is yours now after 6 yrs. They would need to reimburse you for all medical and food, etc. you've spent on the cat for 6 yrs.

Answer 14

I would have at least asked about who the cat belonged to and where it was tagged. At 6 years the owner probably feared the worst and the cat wont remember the previous owner.

Answer 15

My cat whent missing 4 years ago she was chipped I would love to hear she is safe and well and if she had a new home I would be happy just to know she is ok x

Answer 16

I wouldn't worry about it. It's been 6 years and there's no way you're giving back your kitty! She belongs to you now so it's ok! Unless the chip is bothering her, or you do not want it there, you can have it removed and remain your one. Hope this helps!

Answer 17

Do nothing...have your vet disable the chip or you can disable the MC yourself by passing a video tape eraser over the area several times.....you can also just use a collar with name tag, 99.9% of people who find an animal will call the number on the tag before even bothering with taking the animal to be scanned for a chip.

Answer 18

u should get the mico scanned give it back and ask are u allowed to visit the cat

Answer 19

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Answer 20

Does not matter how long you have had her,it will never be your cat, the owners are worried, wandering what has happened to their cat,at the end of the day it is down to you,but if you tell them they will claim the cat back, and legally they will win it back.

Answer 21

R. Amazing that your couple of sentences can show what a dark heart you have. Everyone always wants something thats not their's. Millions of cats need homes and everyone seems to always wants someone elses things. Cat could be headed home and people swoop them up.

Answer 22

If you believe she was abuse, do not call her previous owners. You have taken care of her she is yours. If it were me I would ignore the chip. I would put a collar on her with your info and go on with life. They can fight you for this kitty if they really wanted to. Ignore those ignorant people who say you should have had her scanned for a chip when you found her. You said she was timid and seemed to be abused so why would anyone try to return this kitty to a bad home. You did the right thing by taking her in and loving her so much. Put a collar on her with a tag and go on with life. Best of luck!

Answer 23

There's a yearly fee to keep the chip active. Pay the fee and find out information from 6 years ago........

Answer 24

I would just continue on with your life with your cat and just think of it as a weird event that just happened

Answer 25

Try contacting the owner at least :)