What should I do about my neighbor’s un-neutered male cat that won’t go home?

I think you did all you can do. Wait for a week or so and if no one claims him then he’s yours!

I agree with @RayaHope.

If you want him, he’s yours. If you don’t, i would take him to the local no kill shelter for adoption by others.

Wow, what a handsome cat! Love his white feet.

Have you taken his collar off to check the other side? Some people write their phone number inside the collar. Weird, but I’ve seen it several times.

If your area is generally cat-safe and the weather is okay, you could send him home with a note on his collar. Probably just use a marker to write something like “please call [phone number]” either directly on the fabric or on tape. Make it stand out so his people see it. I imagine a semi-responsible owner would call back. Of course, this will only be an option if he’s willing to go home once you put him outside. For a super-technical solution, you could put an airtag on his collar and watch where he goes on your phone.

Other than that…take him to the local vet? They might recognize him and/or know of someone missing a cat. And for your own cat’s safety, he should be checked out anyway. I’d ask at the local pet store and (of course) animal shelters/cat rescues as well.

Have you used a flashlight to look for a tattooed ID code in his ears? Not sure if that’s still done in the US, but it can’t hurt to check.

He looks well-fed and healthy, so it seems like someone still cares about him (unless that’s all your doing?). I think it’s admirable that you’re trying to find his family, if they exist. Someone might really miss him. People are quick to assume animals have no home or left voluntarily – but there are many sad stories of pets being separated from their family. For example, my husband lost a beloved cat because she climbed into a neighbour’s car, came for an involuntary ride, then jumped out on the other side of town in a busy parking lot. She was eventually returned, luckily. Just an example of how pets can travel far unwittingly. For this reason, I think you should definitely post his picture on social media and encourage people to share with anyone in the area and any local groups.

On the other hand, if noone shows up after an extensive search, it sounds like Spunky’s found a great new home! With a feline companion. Nice!

(Not sure if this is done much in the US yet, but there are hormone chips that [temporarily] neuter male cats and dogs without surgery. So, he might be neutered, but not look it. Apologies if that’s obvious.)

If I were in your place, I would knock on doors first, showing his picture. I would go at least one street and probably two beyond the immediate neighborhood; cats do roam.

Before we adopted a handsome stray, I put a collar on him and attached a note to it. I could tell from his behavior with us that he was used to both people and furniture. When he’d worn the note for a week and no one called, I considered him ours.

It’s possible that Spunky has lost his owner.

I’m with @longgone…what a handsome, healthy-looking boy! No advice beyond the other good suggestions. You’re a kind, caring man, Charlie Brown. 8)

Have you checked online and placed his picture up on local websites for lost animals, for your county? I would also put his picture up on posts around your neighborhood. Then give it two weeks at least. Sometimes people leave the cat in care of friends while they are on vacation and the cat may slip out. Two weeks is more than enough for someone to come looking. If nothing by then, then adopt him yourself.
Keep records of everything you did to return the cat.
I would suggest even if you do find the owners see if they are willing to give up ownership. Point out that both your cats are good companions for each other and that you will keep him up to date in his shots and will be well taken care of.
They may be willing to do so if they can’t afford his care.

It sounds to me like you’ve done everything that you can do to locate his owner. At this point, I say leave up all the notices that you’ve put around the neighborhood & on the website & then allow him to still live with you. Just know that it’s still possible that his original owner might show up to claim him. Until they do show up, I think you have a new companion for your cat.

Thanks everyone. Good suggestions @longgone (ear tattoo and collar exam).
I know that Spunky belongs to someone. I’ll freely give him to his owner. No problem. I’ll keep looking for Spunky’s owner.

I thought about attaching a message to Spunky’s collar but he won’t leave our house. I just took this picture this morning:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/48774809@N07/52622197762/in/dateposted-public/

My wife told me that Spunky has not left our house for 2 weeks (time flies). Meanwhile the search goes on.

If there’s a neighborhood news site like Nextdoor.com you could post Spunky’s pic on there.

I think you have done all you can. Enjoy him!

Pretty sure the cat has already made that decision for you.

Thanks again.

So far I’ve listed Spunky as “found” with a picture on “Pet Key” and on a local lost and found pet web site. I also searched a web sites for lost cats.

I haven’t contacted the local SPCA because I’m afraid that they might demand that I hand over Spunky to them.

Spunky has adopted you. For whatever reason, he doesn’t want to go home, or can’t because it’s too far away, which is unlikely.

Yes, it is obvious that Spunky has adopted your family & home for reasons known only to him. Enjoy his company & assume he is now yours…knowing deep down inside that his owner might eventually show up. We’ve all been assuming that he’s lost. Another alternative is that his owner moved away & didn’t take him with them. They might never show back up to claim him. Or they might show up tomorrow saying they couldn’t find him when they moved & they want him back. I wouldn’t worry about that aspect until it happens & just love him as long as you have him!!!

I haven’t contacted the local SPCA because I’m afraid that they might demand that I hand over Spunky to them.

I really think you should call, because what would you do if you lost your cat? The first logical step is to call the SPCA or the local animal control agency, right? I get that you don’t want Spunky to spend even a day in a shelter, and I think you’re right about that. There’s no reason for him to spend any time in such a scary environment, because he has you taking care of him. But you could still call. Tell them you’re worried about Spunky being seized before you provide your address. They’ll be able to reassure you. Even in cases of animal abuse, rescue organizations often struggle to get the animals away from their owners. They have no right to take Spunky away.

Did Spunky look this well when you first saw him? How long has he been coming over?

I realized I made a mistake in my response yesterday: I forgot to say that a vet visit is really important for finding a potential microchip, too. Your cat door might not be compatible with the type of chip.

I was under the impression that animal shelters don’t forcibly remove animals if someone calls asking about an animal they found. However once I did find a dog and I called the local pound and asked. They forced me to turn the animal over to them, if I didn’t turn it over they would come get it.

I know rescue orgs can be pretty aggressive too. I would be concerned about calling the SPCA.

Wow, okay. I stand corrected.

That’s really unfortunate, though. Here in Germany, the shelters function as a “lost and found”. They have a list of animals that were lost, and if anyone calls with a matching found pet, the animal goes straight home.

^^ That happens here in the states, too. I can’t speak for the ones who took the animal away, but the local shelters do list animals that have been found by someone and should be one of the first places the owner looks for their lost animal.