Finding the owner of an animal is not easy, but it is possible! There are many ways to do this, some more scientific than others. Luckily, there are free tools that can help you find your cat’s owner.
Many people lose their pets at shelters or veterinary clinics. To reduce the amount of time it takes to locate the missing person, professionals will use technology to aid in the process.
Ask neighbors about their cats
One important thing you can do to determine who your cat belongs to is ask around your neighborhood or community about him. If someone mentions that they have lost contact with their pet, it’s very likely that person no longer has ownership of them!
Ask if anyone knows anything about the missing owner. You might also get some helpful information from people who know the animal well – for example, if someone says their dog hasn’t been seen in several days, there may be rumors as to what happened to it.
By asking other residents directly, you will not only learn more about your own kitty, but you can also prevent others from unwittingly owning a homeless feline.
Ask your neighbors to watch your cat
Even if you don’t know who owns your cat, there is something that you can do to help identify him or her. One of the most common ways to find the owner of a pet is to ask your neighbors if they've ever seen your animal before.
Most people recognize their pets, so it's very likely that someone in your neighborhood has pictures or descriptions of yours. By looking at those photos and descriptions, you could possibly figure out who owned it!
It's also important to note that some owners may try to cover up certain details about their dog or cat by changing their appearance or buying them from a breeders' organization instead of directly from a shelter or rescue group.
Use a microchip implant
A microchip is an implanted, radio-frequency ID (RFID) device that most veterinarians include as part of routine checkups for all dogs and cats. Some even offer it as a service!
For some pets, though, it’s not enough just to have an RFID chip – they need to know who their owner is. For example, if your dog gets lost or stolen, a veterinarian can scan for his/her microchip to see if there are any records of him being found by someone.
That’s why some veterinary practices also offer a pet IFA test. An IFA test looks at each animal's blood for unique proteins called antigens. The system then compares these with stored information about those same proteins from before the animals' owners were married, divorced, or had children.
This way, if your cat has an antigen in its system that no longer matches yours, you're notified immediately. Because microchips only contain basic identifying info like contact numbers, however, it isn't possible to determine anyone else as the true owner.
Use veterinary records
A lot of animal shelters have access to veterinary records that include information about owners. You can use these records to determine if there is an owner for your cat.
Shelters will review this information to see if someone already owns your kitty or not. Since they are looking at past records, it is good to be honest with them!
You may find out that you are the rightful owner of your furry friend after searching through several databases.
Use adoption websites
Finding your new cat companion may be difficult at first, but you can use some great resources to help you along. Adoption sites have been around for quite some time now, making it easy to find someone who wants a pet.
Most major cities have an adoption site where people can search for potential pets. You will need to do some research before choosing which one is right for you!
Some things to look for include: how many animals they have adopted from them, whether their animals are vaccinated, and if there are any health questions that must be answered. It’s also important to make sure the site looks trustworthy as well. People can easily write about themselves, but watch out for fake reviews.
It’s very helpful to understand what services these sites offer. Some may only allow you to view ads or talk with members, not both. Make sure to check each site thoroughly to see if this is the case.
Contact the government or local cat shelter
If you find your dog missing, it is important to contact the right people immediately. You can call the police or the office at the animal shelters in your area to see if they have any information about him.
If you found his owner, then they can tell you whether there was an accident or not which may help determine how he got away. A lot of times owners will report their pets as lost so that someone else might pick them up instead of them.
It is also helpful to know where the person works so that you can check for them there as well. Sometimes owners will drop off their pet at daycare or work so staff can watch over them while they are gone.
Keep an eye on your cat
If you notice changes in how your cat acts around other animals, or if his behavior is noticeably different from what it was before, then chances are he has met someone new!
A lot of times, people will adopt a dog and eventually have a friend who wants to know about that friendship. Sometimes this comes as a surprise when the friend finds out there already is a pet owner.
This can sometimes be difficult for friends because they want to make sure everything is okay between them and their companion.
It’s important to remember that even though cats may not look like they care about others, they do. They just may not show it very much at first.
Take time to listen and understand what your cat is trying to tell you. Also, don’t take anything personal until you have more proof than guesses.
Write down all the cat's markings
If you find your dog is missing, it’s important to know who owns him or her. The same goes for when a friend drops off their pet at the shelter or if someone reports that their cat has been stolen.
It helps us animal lovers to connect with each other! Knowing who owns your beloved furry child allows you to coordinate help and resources for them. It also gives you an idea of what kind of owner they are so you can choose whether to contact them about any changes to your cat.
A lot of people may not realize that owning a cat doesn’t make you a good person. Many owners neglect their cats by leaving food alone for days, let them suffer from health problems such as gingivitis (dribble disease) due to lack of dental care, fail to take them to get checked out at the vet because they’re “too expensive” and don’t believe in giving animals vaccinations, and leave them outside without proper protection during weather changes.
These things are very harmful to your kitty and could potentially hurt or even kill them. People often feel too guilty to tell others how to take care of their pets after they do these things, which is why most pooches and felines are left suffering and sometimes even dying unnoticed.