Help! What to do??? Someone's kitty died in our yard :(
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free skin care · Tue Dec 01, 2009 4:34 pm

We've contacted several neighbors, but no one seems to know whose cat this is ... we live in the city, so the houses are pretty dense in this area. I also posted a notice on the community listerv, but haven't found any help there.

The cat died late Sunday afternoon, and we gently put him in a box with the hopes that we might locate the owners who could decide what they want to do with the remains. Now, I am wondering if I should attempt to dig a hole and just bury the poor thing tomorrow.

I've thought about distributing or posting flyers, but as the cat is dead and not just "found" I just don't know how to go about this. Yikes!!! Any thoughts???

free skin care · Tue Dec 01, 2009 4:53 pm

you could look in your local yellow pages for a vet and let tell them - maybe someone put a lost poster there.
also call the local pound and spca - see if they have a website of postings for lost and found pets?
How sad. I know when My kitty disappeared and I never knew what happened to him, I was so so sad.

free skin care · Tue Dec 01, 2009 4:57 pm

I would go ahead and bury the cat. Hopefully it did belong to someone and they will post signs around the area about a lost cat. Then of course you could call and let them know about their beloved pet. I personally hate the feeling of not knowing.

free skin care · Tue Dec 01, 2009 6:14 pm

I would take the kitty to the pound. He/she might have a micro chip... they could contact it's family immediately.

I might also take a photo of the kitty... in case you come across a "lost ad" Perhaps you can at least let the owner know that their kitty in fact died, and you took him/her to the pound for possible id... and burial.

We called animal control out ONCE for this type of thing. It was really awful watching how they handled the poor thing. I know it's "just a cat"... but it was gross...

free skin care · Wed Dec 02, 2009 8:41 am

ClaudiaFE wrote:

I would take the kitty to the pound. He/she might have a micro chip... they could contact it's family immediately.

I might also take a photo of the kitty... in case you come across a "lost ad" Perhaps you can at least let the owner know that their kitty in fact died, and you took him/her to the pound for possible id... and burial.

We called animal control out ONCE for this type of thing. It was really awful watching how they handled the poor thing. I know it's "just a cat"... but it was gross...

Great advice from Claudia, especially the bit about taking a photo. It's a terrible feeling, not knowing what has happened to your pet. This would help to confirm if anyone does come forward.

Thank you for taking the time and trouble to look after this little cat's body with sensitivity and caring. Not everyone would do so, and your kindness would be very comforting to me if it was my cat.

free skin care · Wed Dec 02, 2009 9:05 am

Thanks so much for all the great advice!

I checked with the SPCA here and they don't maintain a lost animals list but Animal Control does -- unfortunately, no one has reported kitty missing yet. I am on the phone, right now, filing a report about a "found" cat, so that if the owners do call they can contact me.

We are also fairly close to an animal hospital and they have no record of a lost black and white cat, either. I may drive up there and get the cat checked for a microchip.

The SPCA offered that the sanitation department could be sent out for the cat's body, but if I am able to dig a hole, I'm leaning toward doing that. I hate the thought of somebody's pet going off to be incinerated, en masse with along with roadkill.

I have 3 (indoor) cats myself, so that's why I care about this one, I guess.

free skin care · Wed Dec 02, 2009 10:08 am

Just took kitty to the local animal hospital, hoping to find a microchip, and there's none.

They were also able to determine that he is an intact male -- so perhaps he was feral. When I've seen him in the past, I just didn't get the feral vibe from him -- skittish, yes, for sure.

I'm still hoping that there might be owners. For $91, the animal hospital will hold the cat's body for 2 weeks, and then I can either pick it up (and get a refund) or they will apply the deposit to cremation, which is $91.

But their cremation is mass cremation, which is probably not much different than Animal Control's incineration ...

free skin care · Wed Dec 09, 2009 8:04 am

I was never able to locate an owner and it seems that the kitty was probably feral.

I have a friend that owns a horse farm in the country, and she offered to have the kitty buried there. She had some laborers that were working on her farm, and she had them create the hole.

So, the kitty is now in his final resting place, in a beautiful, pastoral setting in VA horse country.

Thanks so much for the advice and the thoughts on this -- it was all very helpful.

free skin care · Wed Dec 09, 2009 12:32 pm

cathy_jean wrote:

I was never able to locate an owner and it seems that the kitty was probably feral.

I have a friend that owns a horse farm in the country, and she offered to have the kitty buried there. She had some laborers that were working on her farm, and she had them create the hole.

So, the kitty is now in his final resting place, in a beautiful, pastoral setting in VA horse country.

Thanks so much for the advice and the thoughts on this -- it was all very helpful.

Thank you for being so caring towards an animal. I hear about so many cruelty cases that it always warms my heart when someone does something good.

free skin care · Sun Dec 13, 2009 8:33 pm

I am sure the kitty's spirit is thankful for the care you gave it.

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