question for people in rescue

[Ela]

I'm not sure how the law stands

Somewhere in the dim and distant past I read that an owner  can claim a lost pet for 6 or 7 yrs, (can't remember which).

[Dawn (DiddyDawn)]

I'm not sure how the law stands but as already mentioned, I think 2 weeks is a reasonable time and people can't expect rescues to keep a cat indefinitely, they all cost money and all take up much needed space and sadly this is a fact of life.  I think once a cat has been rehomed, there's not a lot the original owner can do unless the rescue and new "owner" try to come to some sort of arrangement where the cat can be returned.  On the other hand, if I took in a cat as a "stray" but it turned out it did have an owner but had obviously been neglected and had had no veterinary care, I would just act dumb and I would do my utmost to make sure the cat wasn't returned.

[Dawn F]

that was really what I thought, I know the particular branch in question and I know that the rehoming is run from someones back garden (albiet a very large back garden at a very large house in a private road) but still there is a lot of pressure on space I'm really not sure what I would have said if someone had asked for my girl back bearing in mind she was unchipped, matted and in labour when she came in

[Dawn (DiddyDawn)]

I usually keep cats about 2 weeks as I haven't got the room or the money to keep any longer.  I did take one in a few weeks ago from the vets, he'd been hit by a car and had to have an op on his jaw.  He was in there approx a week and they had no enquiries.  I took him on, kept him a week, rehomed him and the owner came forward.  Luckily for them, the new owner understood and did let him return.  I think part of the problem with some people is their cat disappears, they think they've been run over or got lost and they won't come back so they just accept it.  The only reason the lady got this particular one back is she'd got talking to a neighbour a couple of weeks after he'd disappeared and she said that a black/white cat had been run over round the corner and someone had taken him to the vets.  I do think 2 weeks is long enough to keep a cat, I usually inform all the local rescues, vets etc when I have one handed in in the hope that an owner will come forward.

[ronandcats]

 We at lostcatsbrighton keep cats for 28 days before we put them up  for rehomeing and any cat that comes to our pen is microchipped and the owner must pay £10 before the cat is returnedto them and no one has ever refused to pay yet they are so pleased to have got there cat back.

[Desley (booktigger)]

I keep for a minimum of 2 weeks, but then I prefer to do that with every cat to assess what they are like.

[Ela]

There is no easy answer

I think Microchipping and remembering to amend the details if one moves is the easy answer.

[Mark]

Its such a difficult one as obviously rescues can't keep animals indefinitely but new owners are unlikely to want to give a pet back. There is no easy answer 

[Dawn F]

yes, the general overview of the other thread was a lady had her cat go missing and for one reason and another it was about 30 days before she was able to start doing the rounds and she found he had been rehomed (he was unchipped) she is in the process of trying to get him back and not having much luck from what I understand.  Just wondered what others would do

[Ela]

I am talking about strays when I say 2  & 4 weeks,. Any cats signed in can be homed  at any time, although I personally like to keep cats for a couple of weeks to assess what type of home is in its best interest.

[Corporal Smokey]

Smokey came home days after he was handed to the rescue, pedigree papers and all. If the owners did want him back though I'd have a little word about the state he was in so I think they do make exceptions on a case by case basis.

[Dawn F]

mmm as I thought a fine line between hogging a pen and waiting for a real owner to show up.  I was interested simply because I got one of mine from a shelter that had rehomed a cat with an owner on another thread and it got me thinking how I would have felt if someone had asked for her back

[Ela]

Cats Protection ask we keep moggies for at least 2 weeks and pedigrees at least 4. Please don't ask me why the difference, in my view all cats should be treated equally. Maybe they think pedigrees are more likely to be wanted back by their owners, again why I do not know, especially with the number of pedigrees we are asked to bring in.

[Millys Mum]

I dont think there is a set amount of time unlike dogs who have 7 days by law. I would think most rescues would hold a week at least. And do things such as look through their lost and found book etc

[Dawn F]

another thread about somebodies cat being rehomed after being in rescue has got me wondering, how long do rescues usually keep a stray before deciding it should be rehomed???