Is it unowned?

Before deciding to take ownership of a stray cat or kitten, it is important that you make sure the cat doesn’t already have an owner. You cannot just take in a cat off the street – it may be genuinely lost, and the owner will need a chance to find it.

The first thing you must do is contact your local council (you need to speak to the animal management department).

Your council may require the cat or kitten to be impounded, where it will be checked for a microchip. If unidentified, it will be held for 8 days, after which time if it is not claimed by an owner, the council may allow you to adopt the cat or kitten.

However, as part of this campaign, a number of Victorian councils have agreed to use their discretion in relation to allowing people to adopt stray cats or kittens. The cat or kitten may not have to go through the impoundment process, if it is obviously unowned. Factors the council will take into consideration when determining if the cat is unowned include:

• Have you been feeding the cat regularly (eg daily) for more than a few months?
• Can you easily handle the cat? (note that if the cat is wild and can’t be handled, it is advisable to have the council impound it for your own safety and that of the cat).
• Is the cat wearing a collar, or a collar and tag?
• Does the cat look like it has been groomed, or is its coat dirty or matted?
• Does the cat have a green/blue desexing tattoo in its left ear (dotted shape like an O with a line through it)?
• Is the cat a pure bred?
• Are there any signs that the cat has had recent veterinary treatment (eg shaved patches of fur)?
• Is the cat part of a colony of unowned cats (or is there a colony of unowned cats nearby)?

Important – if a female cat is lactating, DO NOT remove it from the street as it may have dependent kittens, which will die from starvation without their mother. Try to follow the cat back to her nest to locate the kittens and then remove them as a family group.

Depending on the answer to these questions, Council may decide that the cat sounds as though it is unowned. At this point Council may make the following suggestions:

• You must take the cat to the local council pound, animal shelter or veterinarian, to have it scanned for a microchip (obviously if there is a microchip present, the cat must be impounded).
• If no microchip is present, you could undertake some activities such as asking neighbours if they own, or know who owns the cat. You could check local notice boards for lost cat ads. Or place a collar on the cat, with a note attached asking an owner, if there is one, to contact the resident about the cat.

If after these issues have been discussed, Council is satisfied that the cat is unowned, you will be able to register and microchip the cat in your name, and undertake the usual responsible ownership activities such as desexing, ensuring the cat is not a nuisance etc.

Cat owners can ensure their cat is not mistaken as a stray by having it permanently identified with a microchip, and registered with the local council (cats must wear the council registration tag at all times when off the property). Any council that impounds your cat is required to scan it for a microchip and if one is found, notify you using the contact details provided on the microchip register. If your cat is not identified, council must hold it for 8 days (to give you a chance to reclaim it), after which time they may rehouse or euthanase the cat. See Lost cat? for more information.