If you come across a cat that is obviously injured or unwell then they will require urgent medical assistance from a vet.

If you have taken a found cat to a vet please send us a photo and a description of the cat and the circumstances and the location in which it was found.

For all other scenarios - except where you have come across a cat that is at immediate risk of harm or requiring medical attention, please do not remove the cat until you are absolutely sure it is a lost cat.

We get so many well-intentioned calls about cats that people think are stray - however, not all of them are lost cats. Once removed by someone, if the cat is not chipped, it can mean it is hard to locate the owners. If the cat is not in immediate danger or appears distressed in any way, then it would be best to observe the cat for a period of time first, before assuming it is lost.

It is recommended by most responsible cat welfare charities that anyone finding a cat they believe to be homeless or lost should follow a series of checks to ensure the cat is genuinely lost or 'stray', before removing the cat from the area.

As well as contacting online lost and found cat organisations and scanning cat for a microchip (see separate section for more info on getting a cat checked for a microchip), posters should be put up in the area in attempt to find an owner and perhaps gain more local knowledge about the cat. The use of posters (and/or flyers through doors) means that those people who aren't online and/or use Facebook can be alerted to the found cat; as well as those who may have internet access but might not necessarily be looking at lost & found groups or local community groups.

Often a cat's owner can be traced by making a few door to door enquiries. The cat could be new to area, an escaped indoor cat, one that has only just started to go out and so not seen in the area previously (as happens frequently in warmer weather) or a local cat that has  wandered through a neighbours open window and got themselves out onto wrong side of street, and is rather muddled.

Sometimes cats wander further afield when  their owners are on holiday; searching out  extra company or food. Most cats are friendly/social creatures and will visit neighbours houses/gardens within their territory, looking for food/strokes/attention.

If the cat is approachable, a paper collar attached to the cat, with a contact no. asking owner to get in touch to confirm that they are owned can be a very good way of ascertaining whether the cat is lost or not. Please refer to the separate section about paper collars for more information.

If you have had a cat visiting your garden for months and you've seen it in all weathers and are feeding it etc; then the likelihood is it MAY be stray but again, that is not always the case either since it may a cat that lives locally who is taking the liberty of an extra dinner every day - or who simply enjoys spending time at your house.

If you are concerned please try and gain more knowledge of the situation before removing a cat. You can always contact us by email or phone if you want to talk any concerns through with us.

If it's visiting regularly, but comes and goes and otherwise seems unharmed/in okay health, we suggest putting up posters locally. If possible, and the cat will allow you, then also try and get a collar onto the cat with a paper message - saying 'If this is your cat please call XX' (and add your contact details). If you prefer not to include your own telephone number then you can include 01273 422721 (Lost Cats Brighton). If you use our number please inform us that you have done so, so we are aware of the situation in case we are contacted by the owner to confirm the cat is theirs.

A paper collar is very effective for friendly visiting cats/ coming and going / regular garden/neighbourhood visitors, either before scanning for a microchip or if already scanned and no chip found.

You can download a template for a paper collar to print and edit with your details by clicking on this link

If you have no joy in locating an owner, then the next step would be to try and catch the cat and take it to your nearest vet to be scanned for a microchip. A vet should then hold the cat to either reunite them with their owner, if the cat is indeed chipped - or to hand the cat over to a local cat shelter if no owner can be traced.

Lost Cats Brighton have volunteers who may be able to come scan the cat/loan a scanner, as will any vet for free, but if the cat is not microchipped, this does not mean the cat does not have an owner.

If you don't feel able to catch the cat and take it to a vet, then please try and lure it into either your house or a shed/garage/outbuilding and then contact a local cat shelter, the Animal Welfare Team at the local council. Useful numbers can be found further down this page.

Does the cat look like an oldie? They can often be mistaken for a lost, stray or neglected cat due to them being thinner and/or less well groomed.

Or, sometimes a cat may have a medical condition, which could account for their poorer appearance/condition.

It’s worth bearing in mind that older cats (those over 10 years) are less likely to be microchipped, so it is worth asking around before taking the cat anywhere, as a vet trip might be very stressful for the cat and the owner. Please see previous sections about checking that a cat is lost/stray before removing it from where it is.

It may be that owners are away, with a neighbour or cat sitter visiting the cat. They may not realise he/she has gone wandering and looking for company. It is not uncommon for cats to go looking for attention from neighbours when the owners go on holiday. Depending on season, worth remembering many older cats spend more time indoors over winter, then start to go out again in the warmer weather. It may be that the cat hasn't been seen for a number of months previously, but that doesn't mean they don't live locally and have just been hiding at home during the colder seasons.

Older cats tend not to roam far so if you are repeatedly seeing an older cat and you are worried they may be lost, it is worth knocking on a few doors to find out whether anyone knows the cat. As a minimum ideally try houses to either side of where the cat is hanging out and in the street backing on to any property, in case they have come from adjoining gardens, for example.

If the cat is obviously friendly, try a paper collar or put a note with contact details on existing collar, asking owner to get in touch and reassure s/he's not lost. See the separate section on paper collars for more information about how to do this.

Discourage feeding what could be a locally owned older/thin cat as could be on a special diet/health condition, and if he or she is staying out too long, will be less likely to hurry home if not hungry.

If it's a cat you see regularly, or at all hours of the day and night, then please register the cat as a 'Found cat' on our website (including uploading photos) and we can match their details against our known missing cats.

UK Cat Law states that a cat should not be rehomed/adopted before 21 days have passed, but that even after that, the cat remains the 'property' of the original owner (unless they have handed over ownership themselves) for up to 6 years - irrespective of whether the found cat was microchipped, should owner come forward.

Microchips are not proof of ownership, they can be one form form of identification. It is in any finder‘s interest to ensure they follow protocols and the law. For more information please visit http://www.thecatgroup.org.uk/pdfs/Cats-law-web.pdf

Many owners have struggled to get their cats booked in to be neutered and/or microchipped, when they normally would, due to vets cancelling non-urgent appointments and long waiting lists.

This means that currently there is a higher percentage than normal of unneutered and unmicrochipped cats; but that does not mean they are not owned.

While many owned cats are microchipped, many much loved cats are not microchipped - it is not UK Law to microchip cats and is not an indication of neglect/irresponsibility just because a cat isn't microchipped. Though we absolutely advocate for the use of microchips and encourage all owners to microchip their pets.

Similarly many owned / outdoor cats do not wear collars. Again, this is not an indication necessarily that they don't have an owner nor that they are not cared about or well looked after.

If you are concerned about a cat that has been spending time in your garden over an extended period of time or is visiting your house on a regular basis, and you are concerned that they may be lost or stray then a Lost Cats Brighton volunteer  may be able to come scan the cat or loan you a scanner to find out of the cat is microchipped.

Any vet for will also scan a cat if it is taken to them - for no charge. However, if the cat is not microchipped, it may still have an owner so additional research needs to be carried out to try and identify ownership. See other sections for more information on how to check if a cat is lost or stray.

Try to avoid feeding visiting cats if you possibly can. We know this can be hard, but if someone regularly feeds that cat, they will have less reason to go home and more likely to get confused/lost or hang around night and day in neighbours' gardens/elsewhere.

Remember, many cats are on special diets and food might not be appropriate.

If you have a cat that is permanently in your garden and does not appear to be leaving at all then this is a different scenario and you may feel inclined to offer shelter and water (and possibly food) whilst you try and ascertain who the cat belongs to (if indeed it does have an owner).

If you have sadly found a deceased cat, we  advise that you take the cat to a local vet, who will scan the cat for a possible microchip and keep the cat ’safe’ while the  owner is contacted.

If the cat is not microchipped, the vet will hold onto the cat (usually for minimum 7 days) to give chance for owner to be found or come forward.

If the deceased cat is not microchipped, please notify Lost Cats Brighton with details. We will then offer you advice specific to the circumstance, but this will usually include sensitively sharing information within the locality that the cat was found via posters and posts on social media. (Do not post pictures of the deceased cat online or use them on any posters you may be displaying in the neighbourhood.)

The information shared should include a description of the cat (not including any visible injuries to avoid upset)as well as the date, area in which the cat was found and details of where the cat is now.

Please be aware that Brighton & Hove City Council no longer have storage facilities for deceased cats, however they do keep a log of all collected deceased cats. B&HCC send City Clean to collect (and state on website that they scan for possible microchip), this is not always the case/possible. Be aware, City Clean will normally dispose of the cat, so the owner will not get their cat back to say goodbye/ pay tribute or make own personal garden burial or cremation arrangements, which is why we recommend getting a cat to a vet rather than contacting council.

If you have found a deceased cat but have no method of taking it to a vet yourself then perhaps you can move the cat to a place of 'safety' so that the body won’t be removed by City Clean etc or taken by wildlife; whilst you try and trace an owner of find someone who may be willing to get the cat to a vet.

Please note: councils in other areas may have different protocols.

If the deceased cat is not accessible – eg. in a dangerous position, on a busy road etc, then contacting B&HCC may be the only option as you should not put yourself at risk to retrieve the body.

If any owners are concerned that their missing cat may have sadly died and since been collected by City Clean they can contact B&HCC to ask for them to check their records for details of their cat.

https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/rubbish-recycling-and-streets/streets/report-dead-animal