What do we do after we've been alerted to an allegedly stray cat? 

Our first port of call is scanning a cat for a microchip. We use Halo scanners which read all standard 10 and 15 digit microchip numbers. If a cat is microchipped, and the details are up-to-date, we will contact the owner and double check that their cat is not missing and is near to where it lives. We then leave the cat be, and alert the finders that the cat lives nearby and is not missing. Where the process becomes a little bit more complicated, is when a cat is either not microchipped, or there are issues with the details on the microchip, outlined below.

There are many curveballs thrown our way, for example - the details of the person on the microchip may be of an 'original' owner and the cat is no longer in their care. Often, people cannot give us the details of the person they gave the cat to. 

Microchips are often not actually registered. This is fairly common - vets implant the chip but it is the owner's responsibility to register it with a database. Microchipping of cats became law in June 2024, and the owner is responsible for keeping it up-to-date. We also frequently encounter microchip details not being up-to-date. Again, it is the owner's responsibility to ensure the name, address and contact details of the owner are accurate.

We have also encountered foreign microchips - we do not have access to foreign databases but do get in touch with them to try and locate an owner. 

When we encounter these scenarios, we actually contact local veterinary practices with the microchip number and ask if they have it on their records. They are unable to give us the details of the owner if they do, but they can contact the owners themselves. 

Sometimes, if a cat has been missing for a long time and we are eventually able to contact the owner, their circumstances may have changed and in this instance they surrender the cat into our care. 

Sometimes the owners take the cats back, but after some time it just sadly doesn't work out. Lives change and evolve, people may have new children, new pets and sometimes it just can't work.

Where a cat is not approachable, we often have to set a trap before we are able to scan for a microchip. Setting a trap for a cat is not an easy endeavor - you can only trap a cat once. Therefore, prior to setting a trap, we have to be able to fully commit to bringing this cat into our care on the assumption that it isn't chipped or owned. If we set traps and do not have a space for it, we would have to let it go. It is unlikely that we would then be able to trap that cat again. 

We also have to constantly weigh-up the necessity for each cat coming into our care. Our waiting list is often quite long, and unfortunately we have to triage. The most badly injured cats move to the top of the waiting list, meaning uninjured cats have to wait longer. Cats with minor ailments also have to move below cats with major injuries. This is not an easy decision to make, but we don't have endless space and resource. 

Finally, if we are alerted to a cat from a concerned member of the public, and it is not microchipped, our first port of call is to paper collar the cat and advertise both locally and online. Paper collaring the cat consists of gently attaching a thin craft card strip loosely around the cat's neck with our contact details on, requesting the owner contact us to confirm that the cat is owned. The idea of the paper collar is that if the cat is owned, when it returns home their owner will see the collar, remove it and contact us. Occasionally, particularly in adverse weather, the paper collars may come off (there is a fine line between attaching a collar such that it stays on enough for an owner to get in touch, but we don't want to put any cats at risk). We paper collar the cats for a few days, and put fresh paper collars on if the cat returns without it and no one has been in touch, until we are content that it is unlikely that the cat is owned. Additionally, we post leaflets and posters around the area that the cat has been found, in the hopes that an owner, if there is one, gets in touch. We post photos and a description on social media and share into all local Facebook groups in the hopes that an owner comes forward. After a minimum of 7-10 days of advertising, with no luck, if we have space based on our triaging procedure, we will aim to bring the cat into the rescue.