Status: 11.01.2024, 16:54 PM
By: Franziska Kaindl
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Have you run into a cat and would like to keep it? However, simply taking it home is not a good idea – also for legal reasons.
Sometimes you choose the cat yourself – and sometimes it finds its master or mistress all by itself. This is exactly what is meant by the hashtag "Cat Distribution System" (to German: "Cat Distribution System"), which circulates on the TikTok platform. Some users use it to show in videos how a furry four-legged friend has apparently found its way to them. This includes the clip of a TikTok user named "raluukk", which has been viewed around 3.5 million times. The young woman feels chosen to be a cat mom after a cuddly cat runs up to her on the street. But there is also skepticism among users: After all, how do you know that the cat doesn't already have an owner who sorely misses his animal? "Never just take it with you" or "You can't just take a cat with you," they say, for example, in the comments.
How can I tell if it's a cat with an owner?
Not every cat that is outdoors is necessarily runaway or without an owner. The lack of a collar is also not a clear indication, as many masters and mistresses refrain from using it for safety reasons - the animal could suffer serious injuries if it gets stuck with it. If you find a cat, you should therefore first clarify whether it does not already belong to someone.
Not all cats that are out and about are abandoned. © Pond5 Images/Imago
Most of the time, this can also be seen in their behavior: A cat that looks healthy and is well-fed, as well as trusting and cuddly, is likely to have an owner. Often it is an animal from the neighbourhood that is on a ramble or perhaps has lost its way. However, it is not unlikely that a cat ready to mate will travel several kilometers before returning home. Sometimes it is enough to check with residents in the neighbourhood to find out if there is a keeper.
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If a cat looks rather neglected and emaciated and shies away from the proximity of humans, then the probability is greater that it is a stray animal. However, the animal welfare organization Peta points out that thin cats can also simply be old and still have an owner.
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What to do if you have a cat running into you outside?
Animals are subject to lost property law. The finder is legally obliged to inform the authorities about his find, as the German Animal Welfare Association writes - preferably directly at the public order office, the police or the nearest animal shelter. Anyone who fails to do so is liable to prosecution for embezzlement. Even an inquiry at the animal shelter whether a cat is missing is not enough, according to lawyer Ann-Kathrin Fries from the animal welfare organization Tasso.
It makes sense to report the find to the animal shelters, as owners usually go looking for them first. The animal itself does not have to be handed over to the shelter. After the report of the find, there is a six-month period with the competent authority, during which the owner has the opportunity to retrieve his animal. If this time passes without anything happening, the finder may also become the owner.
But there is another way to be on the safe side: Both the shelter and the veterinarian can find out whether the cat is microchipped. With the help of the registered number of the microchip, the owner can then be easily located.