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Paw + Order: is it okay to feed someone else’s cat?
by Darina Schweizer
Paw + Order: are you allowed to keep a lost cat?
4.9.2024
Translation: Jessica Johnson-Ferguson
Cats stay wherever they want and for as long as they want – regardless of whether it’s their actual home or someone else’s. Find out what to do with a lost or stray animal and at what stage they become rightfully yours in this episode of Paw + Order.
The furball’s sitting in your garden chair all day long or lying in your lawn. She keeps slipping through your door, flopping down on the sofa and looking at you as if you were the intruder. Cats call home wherever they lay their hats.
But when does a home become their real home? Does a cat belong to you if it regularly sleeps in your bed? Caroline Mulle, legal researcher at the Foundation for Animals in Law has the answers.
Caroline Mulle, how do you know if a cat’s stray?
It’s actually not that easy. Outdoor cats can have large territories and roam far from their home. However, you need to take action if a pet you’ve never seen before has been hanging around your garden for a while, has tried to enter the house, looks ill or is injured.
What exactly does that mean?
First of all, you should always consult the missing animal reports (available in German, French and Italian) on the website of the Swiss animal reporting centre «Schweizerische Tiermeldezentrale». It’s also worth asking around in the neighbourhood or posting on social media. If the cat’s been reported as missing, you’re obliged to contact the owners immediately.
What if it’s ill or injured?
You need to take it to a vet’s as soon as possible. The vet can also check whether the pet’s chipped.
Chipping isn’t mandatory in Switzerland yet, right?
Right. However, more and more free-roaming animals are chipped. It’s highly recommended, as it helps locate the animals’ owners quickly in an emergency.
What if I can’t find the owners? Do I get to keep the cat?
No. You’re legally obliged to submit a found report to the Swiss animal reporting centre. Ideally, you should do this as soon as possible. Once you’ve reported the animal, a two-month period begins. If nobody contacts you within that timeframe, you’re allowed to adopt the cat if want.
So it doesn’t really matter whether the cat’s been living and eating at my home every day?
What’s key is whether or not it has a home. What’s more, you need to be careful if you’re systematically feeding animals that aren’t yours in general. I spoke about this in more detail in the second episode of Paw + Order.
In other words, I’m not allowed to lock the cat into my apartment?
Precisely. First, you need to find out if the cat has a home. If it doesn’t, you need to make sure the animal’s well. This includes letting an outdoor animal out. If you can’t give the animal what it needs, you may take it to a shelter. Keep in mind that locking a cat that isn’t yours into your apartment may have legal implications.
What’s the worst that can happen if you do this?
You may be liable to prosecution for removal of property. The amount of the fine depends on the person’s income and culpability.
Is the process different depending on the type of animal you’ve found?
When it comes to lost pets, no distinction’s made between types. If the owner’s unknown, a lost animal report must always be submitted to the Swiss animal reporting centre. You also need to ensure that the animal receives adequate shelter. These obligations also apply if you find a dead animal.
Am I entitled to adopt the animal after I’ve taken it to the vet’s or an animal shelter?
No. If you hand over the animal to an institution, you basically waive all rights. After the two-month waiting period, the animal shelter becomes its rightful owner and may then place the animal with you. In theory, a veterinary practice can also acquire ownership of a pet.
Are there other ways to arrange matters?
You can always agree on an other procedure in writing. However, you’re then obliged to cover at least the costs incurred during the stay at the shelter or practice.
Have you ever found a lost animal or had to report a missing animal? Tell us about it in the comments.
Header image: Shutterstock/beton studio
Darina Schweizer
Senior Editor
Darina.Schweizer@digitecgalaxus.chI like anything that has four legs or roots. The books I enjoy let me peer into the abyss of the human psyche. Unlike those wretched mountains that are forever blocking the view – especially of the sea. Lighthouses are a great place for getting some fresh air too, you know?
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