One lost cat became an overnight sensation on an Atascadero Facebook page, peppering the page’s feed with memes and hundreds of comments about what is now known as the “Atascadero Cat.”
Stemming from a dispute between two group members over the found cat, the incident highlights how social media helps and hinders when it comes to reuniting pet owners with their animals—and raised questions about who has what rights when it comes to lost and found pets.
In mid-September, an Atascadero group member posted that he had found a cat at his doorstep—posts commonly found on social media platforms like Facebook and Nextdoor.
“Is this your cat? He’s unaltered and has been coming to my doorstep for the last three weeks every evening consistently,” he posted, including photos of the Siamese cat.
Another group member had messaged him that the cat was hers. However, he did not allow her to see the cat, and he posted private messages between them showing she couldn’t provide any recent photos or veterinary bills to prove ownership of the cat.
Later, he posted that he planned to pay out of pocket to neuter and microchip the cat.
“Great job!” one comment read.
While another said: “Taking someone else’s animal in to get neutered is crazy.”
The cat was eventually taken to San Luis Obispo County Animal Services, but among more than 600 comments and a poll with 633 votes on the Facebook page, group members were polarized about how the situation should be handled.
“Give her back her cat!” one said.
“Thanks for doing what you did! Remember, no good deed goes unpunished!” said another.
New Times contacted the finder of the Atascadero Cat for comment but didn’t receive a reply before the time of publication.
So, who has the right to do what with lost and found pets on social media?
SLO County Animal Services Manager Dr. Eric Anderson told New Times that the use of social media to reunite pets and owners is a “double-edged sword.”
“It’s a plus and minus—it allows us and allows the community to get information out in a lot of different ways. But also, because it’s so broad and expansive, sometimes that information gets lost if people aren’t looking in exactly the right spot,” he said.
While Anderson doesn’t discourage posting lost animals on the internet, he said they should be posted on the Animal Services lost and found page first.
“Animal Services is probably the only central and single location for posting lost and found animals within the county of San Luis Obispo,” he said. “So, getting on our website—our lost and found page—is the best place to start. Particularly because if we find those animals, that’s where we go to get the information and try to get them back to their owners as well.”
In the case of the Atascadero Cat, Anderson said he had heard about the dispute and confirmed that taking the cat to Animal Services was the best course of action.
According to updates on the Facebook page, the cat was later posted to Animal Services lost and found page where it was either claimed or legally adopted out after a holding period of six business days.
For an owner to receive their pet back, Anderson said Animal Services requires documentation—typically in the form of microchip registration, vet bills, or recent photos. He added that it wasn’t unwarranted for the man who found the Atascadero Cat to request proof of ownership.
“I think it’s reasonable for a finder of an animal to want to make sure that once they find an animal, and somebody comes forward and says, ‘Hey, it’s mine,’ to kind of go through that same process and make sure that they are, in fact, releasing it to the right owner,” he said. “It’s very seldom that there are problems or people are misrepresenting that. For the most part, people are pretty honest, I think, and reasonable about getting reunited with your pets.”
From a legal perspective, Animal Services is required to be involved with any adoption and new ownership.
“It is important to understand that in California, animals really are considered property, and they’re managed as property from a legal standpoint, and so it’s not a whole lot different than if you’re walking down the street and found a bicycle and [kept] it. You really don’t have the authority to do that,” Anderson said.
If someone were to take in a lost pet and did not adopt it legally, Anderson said the legal owner could, even years later, still get the animal back.
“We’ve seen situations where people have done those steps, providing veterinary care and all sorts of stuff for animals and then the natural owner comes forward a month or two or a year later and has a right to reclaim that animal,” he said, “It’s really difficult for those finders who put a lot of emotion and maybe even financial resources into caring for those animals.”
Did the person who found the Atascadero Cat have the right to get it altered, despite not being the legal owner?
Anderson said he did.
According to county law, all cats that roam the county at-large are required to be altered, and if someone finds an unaltered animal and wants to pay for the procedure out of pocket, they have the right to do it.
“We have this issue with community cats, where they … tend to contribute significantly to unwanted litters and shelter crowding,” he said.
Anderson also said there are also ongoing efforts to require microchips for cats and dogs over 4 months old to improve pet tracking when lost.
“When it comes to lost pets, really make sure your animals are microchipped. That goes a long way to resolving any of these issues, and it’s a very permanent and clearly identifiable marker. Collars and tags should be on animals too, but those can come off or be taken off,” he said. “And make sure if you found an animal or lost it, get it reported to the Animal Services. It’ll go up on our web page. Go there to look to find your animal and then take advantage of [social media] as well.” Δ
Reach Staff Writer Libbey Hanson at lhanson@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Pet Issue 2024.