If you follow any local community Facebook groups, you’ve probably seen the familiar post: “Do you recognise this cat?” Someone spots a feline visitor in their garden, perhaps stealing food or simply hanging around, and posts in the hope that someone will know who it belongs to.
Often, someone does. They reply to say the cat lives nearby, is a bit of a chancer, or just likes a fuss. And that’s great – nothing further needs to be done.
But what if no one comes forward?
That’s when local cat rescues step in. Many of us follow these posts, and if we’re tagged and available, one of our volunteers will go out to scan the cat for a microchip.
So what actually happens next?
Step 1: Scanning for a Chip
The first thing we do is scan the cat. If there’s a microchip, we look up the database and contact the registered owner. Even if the cat lives just a few doors away, we’ll still call to check if they’re aware their cat is out. If all is well – job done.
If the cat is missing, we then arrange to reunite them with their family.
Step 2: No Chip? Paper Collaring
If the cat isn’t chipped, or the chip isn’t registered or has outdated contact info, the next step is to paper collar the cat. This involves placing a thick paper collar around the cat’s neck with a contact number written on it. If the cat has an owner, we usually get a call, and we can then recommend getting them chipped (which is now a legal requirement) or updating their records.
If that leads nowhere and there are genuine concerns about the cat’s welfare, then things can get a bit more complex – but that’s a subject for another blog post.
“Stop Stealing Cats!”
Sadly, we do get comments – usually from the same few names – accusing rescues of overstepping.
Comments like:
Let’s be clear: we don’t take healthy cats away just because someone posts about them. Rescues are full. Waiting lists are long. No rescue has space to take in every cat someone reports. We act only when there’s a real concern – for example, if the cat is sick, injured, or in immediate danger.
What we do know is this:
People posting about cats gets them home.
That’s a fact.
