[Lulu's owner]

A neighbour's cat has been living in my mum's garden for a couple of months and he moved in with her a week ago. He's a lovely old cat, but dribbles all the time and after reading another thread about drooling it made me think maybe the old boy needs to see a vet. He's not got many teeth, if any, so I had just assumed that was all the problem was, but there's no way of knowing without a vet taking a look.

I don't think the owner would be prepared to go to the vet with his cat (when I tracked him down he wasn't very bothered about his pet and told me he thought the cat had just gone off to die as he hadn't seen it for months, and he wasn't interested in fetching it back home).

The problem is that we don't actually own the cat, so I'm not sure whether the vet would be willing to treat him. Money isn't the problem, we're not expecting the owner to pay, but I feel awkward about asking him if we can go to the vets with his cat.

I was chatting to the vet's receptionist the other day when I was there with one of my own cats and mentioned this "lodger", so I can't just turn up and lie that he's one of ours, which might be the simplest approach.

Any idea what would be the best thing to do?

 

[SiaAndMaxsMum]

It really doesn't matter who the cat belongs to hun!

If a cat gets taken in and whoever took them in isn't willing to pay for the treatment then they try and track the owner, and if none is found then I think it gets paid by a cat charity (correct me if I'm wrong on that last point).

But as you're willing to pay then it really wont matter at all. All the vets care about is treating a sick animal.

Good on you for taking the poor fluffy in

xx

 

[maisiecat]

We took an old boy in that had been left to fend for himself, knew where he had lived, tried the front door, looked in the dustbin to see if it had been used, there was no-one there (in the house, not the bin). Neighbours said they hadn't seen them for a couple of weeks.

He was clearly not well, so we took him to the vet, they only asked us to confirm that there was no owner looking after him before treating him.

 

[Jiskefet]

The vet will probably applaud you for having someone else's pet get the necessary treatment.

 

[Guest]

Just say you think the cat is a stray and haven't been able to track the owner, but are willing to pay. Theoretically, you can't have someone else's animal treated, without their permission, unless an emergency, but no one tends to ask the question.

I rang up to try to save a sheep, owned by my ghastly neighbour, (may he die soon, horribly), and said it wasn't mine but I was willing to pay, and they bollocked me, demanded my name, and said they wouldn't treat it. This is simply after saying it wasn't my sheep, no remarks about the owner. The only way they would treat it, is if I had written permission and a contact number.

I had been spending $50 pw feeding my neighbours sheep, and when, in order to save this little sheep I was fond of, I actually went to beg him, he said NO and came to my house the next day, to tell me he'd cut her throat and fed her to the dogs. I'm told he has prostate cancer, but I can only hope.

PS This WASN'T my vet, who is 120 kms away, but a nearby vet, only 50ish kms away.

 

[catcoonz]

i had this afew months ago. a cat turns up on my door limping and the vet knew i wasnt the owner but as i was willing to pay for the treatment they was very happy to treat the cat for me.
hoping all goes well and thankyou for thinking of this poor cat and please give the owner a slap from me.

 

[Guest]

If you have talked about the 'lodger' already, did you say you know the owner? If so, just rock up and say, talk about coincidence, another cat has turned up, looking similar and also dribbling... very few vet nurses would dob, even if the same girl is on duty...

I'd then get it microchipped. It is, I believe, the only legal way to lay claim on a cat. By owning the chip!!!!

 

[spotty cats]

The cats moved in, owner doesn't want him back so you are his owners.

 

[nightkitten]

Why don't you just go to the owner and ask him if you can adopt the cat? If he doesn't seem bothered about it now he may just say yes? This way everything would be sorted.

 

[newfiesmum]

Just say you think the cat is a stray and haven't been able to track the owner, but are willing to pay. Theoretically, you can't have someone else's animal treated, without their permission, unless an emergency, but no one tends to ask the question.

I rang up to try to save a sheep, owned by my ghastly neighbour, (may he die soon, horribly), and said it wasn't mine but I was willing to pay, and they bollocked me, demanded my name, and said they wouldn't treat it. This is simply after saying it wasn't my sheep, no remarks about the owner. The only way they would treat it, is if I had written permission and a contact number.

I had been spending $50 pw feeding my neighbours sheep, and when, in order to save this little sheep I was fond of, I actually went to beg him, he said NO and came to my house the next day, to tell me he'd cut her throat and fed her to the dogs. I'm told he has prostate cancer, but I can only hope.

PS This WASN'T my vet, who is 120 kms away, but a nearby vet, only 50ish kms away.

Things are a little different in the UK. No vet is going to give a wotsit whose cat it is, as long as someone is willing to pay for the treatment. Anyway, considering this bloke hasn't even bothered to feed his cat in weeks and the cat has found himself a nice new home, I would say he is yours.

Sheep of course are livestock and very different. If you called a vet out to someone else's sheep they might well contact the owner first, but they would still thank you for your concern.

 

[newfiesmum]

If you have talked about the 'lodger' already, did you say you know the owner? If so, just rock up and say, talk about coincidence, another cat has turned up, looking similar and also dribbling... very few vet nurses would dob, even if the same girl is on duty...

I'd then get it microchipped. It is, I believe, the only legal way to lay claim on a cat. By owning the chip!!!!

Why all the subterfuge? The cat is sick, the OP is paying, the vet is not interested in who it belongs to or any reasons for your bringing him. You could bring in a stray cat off the street that needs treatment and the vet would treat him.

 

[Chiantina]

I agree with the above - the vet won't care who owns the cat just that it gets treated and someone pays!

In the UK I believe that legally, no-one can own a cat hence the reason there is no requirement to reports RTAs etc with cats tho you have to with dogs!

 

[Ian B]

Why all the subterfuge? The cat is sick, the OP is paying, the vet is not interested in who it belongs to or any reasons for your bringing him. You could bring in a stray cat off the street that needs treatment and the vet would treat him.

I'd always thought my vets were *money-centric*, but they proved me wrong when a neighbour took a poorly stray black tom to them that we'd both been feeding. It turned out he had a broken leg, but worse, iirc he turned out to be FIV so couldn't be released again and was sadly pts. I'd offered to pay £100 (over the phone) towards any treatment but the vets stood the costs of numerous x-rays, etc and a cat charity voucher covered the cost of him being neutered while they had him under anaesthetic.

That they treated him at all without guaranteed money from anybody but myself (I'm known there as all my cats are registered) something I can't deny came as a real surprise, but they put his welfare before payment for any potential treatment. He would have been treated exactly the same way even if I'd not offered to contribute and I ended up only paying around £50, the rest came out of their till.

Ian

 

[Jonescat]

The reason you dn't have to report an RTA with a cat is because they are classified as free roaming animals (as are poultry). They are recognised as propety (i.e. owned). With livestock, including dogs, I think it is a crime for them to be on the highway, but it is acknowledged that you can't control a cat in that way.

I don't know exactly how this would work at my vets, but I am pretty sure that none of them would not turn an accompanied sick animal away. I think they might tell me what I really ought to do with regards to the old owner after they had treated it, but I have been there when an RTA was brought in by people who found the poor thing and they definitely whisked the cat away to be treated before asking other questions. So give it a go.

 

[newfiesmum]

I'd always thought my vets were *money-centric*, but they proved me wrong when a neighbour took a poorly stray black tom to them that we'd both been feeding. It turned out he had a broken leg, but worse, iirc he turned out to be FIV so couldn't be released again and was sadly pts. I'd offered to pay £100 (over the phone) towards any treatment but the vets stood the costs of numerous x-rays, etc and a cat charity voucher covered the cost of him being neutered while they had him under anaesthetic.

That they treated him at all without guaranteed money from anybody but myself (I'm known there as all my cats are registered) something I can't deny came as a real surprise, but they put his welfare before payment for any potential treatment. He would have been treated exactly the same way even if I'd not offered to contribute and I ended up only paying around £50, the rest came out of their till.

Ian

I think it does depend a lot on the vet and how much he loves animals. Some give the impression that all they care about is the money, whilst others will treat a stray animal and ask about payment later. Legally all they have to do is put the animal out of its suffering, so they could easily have just put the cat sleep.

 

[Summersky]

Our last cat just arrived at ours, and we took it on. The owner moved away though.

A little bit more complicated for you, as you know the original owner. It sounds like they have given up on the cat anyway. So, I would say take it if you are happy to foot the bill.

You could try telling the original owners that the cat is still around yours, but it is poorly, and needs vet treatment. They may well say you can have it. The risk though is that he will take it back and have it PTS.

Do you know if it has a chip.

 

[Ian B]

I think it does depend a lot on the vet and how much he loves animals. Some give the impression that all they care about is the money, whilst others will treat a stray animal and ask about payment later. Legally all they have to do is put the animal out of its suffering, so they could easily have just put the cat sleep.

True enough, the main vet is without doubt motivated purely by money, but I've witnessed first hand the opposite attitude from other, more junior vets there. When I took Ginger Tom to be checked out for a chip and neutered, if I hadn't been willing to offer him a home one of the vets and two nurses certainly would have. He was dematted, etc, all free of charge, just because they cared about his welfare.

Ian

 

[MontyMaude]

Just say you think the cat is a stray and haven't been able to track the owner, but are willing to pay. Theoretically, you can't have someone else's animal treated, without their permission, unless an emergency, but no one tends to ask the question.

I rang up to try to save a sheep, owned by my ghastly neighbour, (may he die soon, horribly), and said it wasn't mine but I was willing to pay, and they bollocked me, demanded my name, and said they wouldn't treat it. This is simply after saying it wasn't my sheep, no remarks about the owner. The only way they would treat it, is if I had written permission and a contact number.

I had been spending $50 pw feeding my neighbours sheep, and when, in order to save this little sheep I was fond of, I actually went to beg him, he said NO and came to my house the next day, to tell me he'd cut her throat and fed her to the dogs. I'm told he has prostate cancer, but I can only hope.

PS This WASN'T my vet, who is 120 kms away, but a nearby vet, only 50ish kms away.

Sheep are very different to small animals/pets though, as there are very strict rules and guidelines about timelines between animals being treated with certain drugs and entering the food chain or being an organic certified farm etc So I do fully understand why the vets wouldn't treat a farm animal without the owners knowledge and permission.

As for the cat in question, I would phone the vets and ask the vet to ring you back and tell them the score and see what they say, but I am sure they will treat the cat if you pay.

 

[Lulu's owner]

A follow-up to this thread, everybody who said the vet wouldn't worry too much about Ginger's ownership was right. I took him today (we waited a while to make absolutely sure the owner didn't come back for him, not that we seriously expected him to). The vet asked about who'd owned him previously, so I explained that after his owner died Ginger hadn't taken to life with the owner's son, who didn't really want him anyway, and had moved in with my mum. The vet wasn't at all concerned, just said that cats are like that and will move on if they can find a better home than the one they're in.

Ginger had various blood tests and the good news is that he's in generally good health, FIV and leukaemia tests were negative, liver and kidney function good for a cat of his age too, but his remaining teeth were even worse than expected, with exposed roots on a couple of them. He's had flu jabs and he'll be having his dental next week.

 

[lulubel]

It's nice to see a happy ending.

Things are easy here in Spain. If a cat or dog isn't microchipped, it's considered to be a stray.

A couple of years ago, a cat attached himself to us while we were walking through town. We thought he looked a bit thin and was probably a stray, so we went in the animal charity shop to borrow a carrier so we could take him to the vet and get him checked over. There was no microchip, so we paid for treatment for an ear infection, neutering and an overnight stay at the vet, the pet charity found a place for him, and he was in his new home 48 hours later. If there was an owner out there who hadn't taken good care of him and got him microchipped, no-one was bothered. All they cared about was the welfare of the cat.

Last autumn, my partner found a young dog who had been hit by a car while she was out cycling. She managed to get a lift to the nearest vet with him (a vet we'd never used before) and had x-rays and tests done, after which it was concluded his injuries and subsequent dehydration were severe, and the kindest thing was to have him pts. My partner was up front about not having any money on her, but said she'd drop it in the next day. The vet obviously wasn't expecting payment because she was surprised when my partner turned up the next day with the money, but she did the best thing for the dog anyway.