Stray Cat - Can I borrow microchip scanner please?

[Tiggy's Mum]

What a lovely boy, he's got such a lovely 'weathered' face  I was going to suggest the paper collar route until I re-read your first post and saw that he won't let you get near 

Have you tried calling any other local rescues yet to see if they might be able to assist?

[Yvonne]

Good morning Janice

Really pleased that you are helping this cat who looks adorable.  Judging by the coat he appears to be in reasonable condition - good luck with him, hope you catch him

[Honeysuckle]

This morning I went out to feed the cat again and he/she wouldn't touch the food - a sachet of Almo Nature. I have recently been feeding it Hi Life, or sometimes Applause or cooked turkey or chicken. But when I first noticed it, it was eating dog food in the pouring rain and used to eat anything I gave it.  I guess I'm wondering if the cat is a stray now. Still it's probably not that hungry as I have been feeding it twice a day so maybe it just doesn't like Almo Nature?

I managed to get a photo this morning.  Looking a lot better.

[Honeysuckle]

A little off topic  but please be careful feeding cheese to any animal or bird as it is very high in salt.

Always good to be cautious of course but I'm wondering if it depends on the type of cheese?  I was following advice on the RSPB website about feeding mild grated cheese to the birds in the cold weather. It says so here under milk products.

http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/helpingbirds/feeding/whatfood/index.aspx

Janice x

[Fire Fox]

A little off topic  but please be careful feeding cheese to any animal or bird as it is very high in salt.

[Tiggy's Mum]

From how you describe him  ie the condition of him it sounds like he is a genuine stray/homeless cat with no owner  I would ring around the list of rescues and try and get him on the waiting list now, in the meantime you can worry about the logistics of trapping/scanning etc That way when you discover he doesn't have an owner (most likely outcome given his condition) then at least you have a head start on the waiting list.

If by some miracle he was chpped then the chip company won't give out the owners details to a member of the public but they would to a rescue/vets. You could always ask the rescue/vet to pass on your contact details and ask the owner to contact you.

with your mission and thank you for trying to help him 

[Honeysuckle]

Thanks Helen for getting back to me.  The Cats Protection said that they couldn't come out to trap the cat or scan it. I would have to go to them, pay a deposit of £60 to get a trap cage. If I do manage to trap the cat I have to take it to a vet to be scanned to see if it has an owner. They said that if it didn't have an owner and I wanted to bring it in to them for adoption there is an 8 week waiting list.

I am concerned that it would be very distressing for the cat if I trapped it. Also I could only do this on a Saturday as I don't drive and my husband works and it's too late for this Saturday and we go on holiday.  I don't think it would stand much of a chance if it was put up for adoption and what do I do with the cat in the meantime. I can't bring it inside as I have my own cat so I would have to let it go again and it would mean having to re-trap it. 

I think I could probably get close enough to it to scan it while it was eating. If it didn't have an owner I could then make a decision about whether to adopt it myself, maybe then trap it, get it any medical help and continue to feed it. I don't know where it sleeps at night.  If it does have an owner, would I be given their telephone number just to have a chat.

Sorry, I'm just thinking out loud here.

I'll have a look at the list of places you gave and maybe I can talk to someone else who can scan it for me.

Thanks for your help.

Janice x

[Tiggy's Mum]

Good on you for trying to help him 

You said the CP won't help, do you mean they won't help trap him or they won't even come and scan him?  I don't know whether a rescue would let you borrow one, as they are quite expensive and also they wouldn't be able to scan any other cats in the meantime, but they should come out and scan him for you. If he comes round at the same time every night then they could arrange to be there when he comes.

Click on the map on this link for a list of rescues in your area, you might have better luck with a smaller independent one if CP/RSPCA won't help scan him - http://www.catchat.org/adoption/index.html

[Honeysuckle]

I posted back in February time about a cat who comes into my garden.  My neighbour sometimes feeds her dogs in the garden and I'd often see this cat in the freezing pouring rain eating the remains of the dogs dinner. 

It looks fairly old, weather beaten, with several scratches, an open sore on it's face by it's ear and I also think it is partially deaf with near bald patches in front of it's ears. (Ear mites?) Anyway it doesn't look in the best of conditions.

It would wait for me to put out the bird food with grated cheese and then go and eat the cheese.  I have fed it on occasions when I see it and now it seems to wait for me under a bush in the same place early in the morning and then around 6-7pm at night.  I think it may be  stray or feral cat. 

It wont let me touch it so I can't put a paper collar on it.  I contacted the Cats Protection League but they are unable to help.  What I really want is to borrow a scanner to see if the cat is chipped and whether it has an owner.  Although if it does have an owner I'm wondering why they have allowed it to get into such condition.

We are going on holiday very soon and I don't like to just leave this cat with no one feeding it. I don't really know what to do. I guess it's survived this long so maybe it is used to being outside? 

Any ideas on where I can borrow a scanner from and suggestions on what to do would be really appreciated.

Janice x