Anybody who lets their cat roam without a collar or microchip doesn't deserve the pet. Anybody who lets their cat roam period doesn't deserve the pet. We don't allow dogs/pigs/horses/ferrets to roam the streets, so why is it okay to allow cats to roam?
If someone is ignorant enough to let their cat roam without any idenfication and doesn't even come looking for the cat, well, they're out of luck. If I had my own car, every cat that ended up on my property without a collar/microship would be going to the shelter. If the owner gave a darn, one of the first places they would call to report their cat missing would be the shelter
I don't know of any laws in my area... I can ask the shelter next time I'm in to volunteer. I don't really know much about it... I'd like to though... I went to a talk a few years ago about animals in the law. In the law, animals are considered "objects" or "property". I donno... if someone put their TV in my yard and I take it, they have no legal basis on demanding I give it back, right?
Someone enlighten me.