About a month ago we adopted a cat from a couple who said he was being terrorized by their other cat and needed to find a new home. He is starting to fit in well in our home (except that he is always getting into our food!). He's a great playmate for our Ragdoll kitten. The couple said he's a purebred (which we didn't really believe, but loved him anyway). He's probably either Persian or Himalayan. He's a seal point, with a flat face and huge blue eyes.
Thing is, this couple that gave us to him (and were supposedly so heartbroken to do so) have kinda disappeared all of a sudden. So I'm suspicious about where he came from now. He's got tattoos in both ears. On the right ear is three numbers and three letters. I've called some of the local animal hospitals and they said they have no way of looking it up because it's different that how we tattoo here. He's also got what looks like a fish skeleton picture tattooed in the other ear. Is that not weird? I'm trying to get in touch with the local shelter to see if they have any ideas, but they're opened limited hours. So no luck so far.
So, I'm wondering if anyone has any idea what I might be dealing with here?
Well first, have you had this cat vet checked? It could be that he had a medical problem that his owners did not want to deal with and so they gave him away. I don't know how likely that is, but it seems at least -possible-.
If it were me, I would put up "found cat" flyers at shelters if they allow it or local businesses with bulletin boards. Or craigslist. craigslist is great. No pictures (or at least none that show the tattoos). Describe the cat and then mention that he has tattoos but not what they are. His owners, if they exist, will know what they are and be able to tell you. It's highly unlikely someone else would be able to.
We haven't taken him to a vet yet. He does have a file at one of the local vets. And the previous owners were supposed to have him switched over to our file, but they still haven't done it. We were waiting for that so we could see his history. But all they've done is reported to the vet that they've given him away. That's another reason I'm growing suspicious of the whole thing.
Yes, I guess the next step is to start posting "found" ads and see if anyone responds. Serves us right for acting on impulse when we adopted him, I suppose. Should be much more careful in the future. If he just came strait from the shelter we wouldn't have considered him because of the problems with contagious disease there. But they assured us they've had him for over a year, that he's healthy, and that they got him from a friend in a nearby town. But the vet who has the file on him says they don't know where the tattoo came from. Something is just not adding up here.
Are you thinking it was a stolen animal? Or maybe one that was once lost?
IMHO, he is your pet now and for some reason he is meant to be in your life. I'd have him vet checked ASAP and give up worrying about the past.
If it does have other owners, I am sure that they would/will be grateful for the care that you are giving him now but the liklihood of running across them is pretty slim. Those tatoos sound pretty interesting. Just out of nosiness, I'd like to know about those, where they were done and if they mean anything in particular. I like a good mystery.
Hi,
I did a quick search and in Australia the left ear is tattooed with a circle with a line through it to denote the cat has been de-sexed, in the us it is the male and female symbol with a line through it to denote the cat has been de-sexed, these are in the left ear. In the right ear is a code for the hospital/practise which carried out the operation. The initials ie md followed by the year then another letter. Does this sound like what you have ?
I wonder if your vet can scan his neck to check if he's also microchipped? it's a long shot, but would yield quick info as to previous owners if there's a chip.
Thanks everyone. I was concerned that perhaps he had been stolen at some point. However, after I called the vet clinic that had his records, they took the initiative to look into the situation and were able to transfer his records to us. They've verified his age and that they've been his vet since he was a kitten. They've also assured me he has no health problems other than a sensitive tummy.
The tattoo issue is still a mystery, however because they did not do them when he was neutered, I don't know where they came from still.
mum too many Wrote:Hi,
I did a quick search and in Australia the left ear is tattooed with a circle with a line through it to denote the cat has been de-sexed, in the us it is the male and female symbol with a line through it to denote the cat has been de-sexed, these are in the left ear. In the right ear is a code for the hospital/practise which carried out the operation. The initials ie md followed by the year then another letter. Does this sound like what you have ?
Interesting, thank you for researching that. The tattoo in his left ear is definitely more detailed than those sound, and is quite clearly a fish skeleton, with head and tail. I'm starting to think the previous owners did it themselves. They're kinda "rock 'n roll" types, so maybe they did it or have a friend who's a tattoo artist or something. The tattoo in the right ear was most likely done by a vet at some point. But it wasn't done locally, which is also weird. I'm thinking I'll need to call some major cities father away, and maybe even see if it's an American system they used. (I'm in Canada).
I'm glad that you've verified that he's not a lost or stolen kitty - now you can just enjoy him and not worry (and post some pics for us to see)
Hmm.. the fish tattoo sounds fishy.. haha... but really it does.. I wouldnt be to sure it wasnt done illegally because these 'rock n roll' people thought it would be cool to have a cat with a tattoo.. wouldnt be the first thing I've heard like this...
... at least he is in a better home now..
blueragdoll Wrote:Hmm.. the fish tattoo sounds fishy.. haha... but really it does.. I wouldnt be to sure it wasnt done illegally because these 'rock n roll' people thought it would be cool to have a cat with a tattoo.. wouldnt be the first thing I've heard like this... ... at least he is in a better home now..
that's what I'm thinking. they'd think it'd be cool to have fish bones for a cat tatoo. Grrrrrrr. if that's true, i'm so furious that idiots would expose a kitty to any degree of pain or risk of infection for no good reason. i'm so glad he's found a good home now {hugs}