Should I keep a stray black kitten indoors until she can be scanned for a chip?

[CCammiee14]

Hello, I am planning on contacting a shelter and/or vet for their opinion as well but those establishments have yet to open. I have found two stray cats, an orange male who appears to be around 1-5 years old and a black female who is very obviously a kitten, maybe 4-5 months old and has a collar so i am assuming someone is greatly missing her. We have been planning on adopting the orange and have even named him, but i am worried about the female as she is completely black and a kitten, since it is October and approaching Halloween. Unfortunately people like to hurt and even kill black cats this time of year so i am extra worried for her. Because am i really worried, I was going to set up a room in my basement to keep her until we can bring her in to check for a chip, but it won't be for a few days that we'll be able to do it. I am rethinking this plan because 1) its in our basement, 2) We already have 3 dogs 2 cats (3 if you count the orange) and are fostering 3 kittens, so our house is very loud and im scared the shock from going from outside to being in a small room by herself with very little stimulation (because i already have so much responsibility i cannot be there for her all day for a few days to make sure she's played with and we want to keep her away from the other animals) will traumatize her, 4) keeping her indoors will minimize the chances of her owners finding her and i am really praying they do before i have to take action. Is keeping her a good idea or should i just leave her outside til the day we can bring her in to be checked for a chip?

Updates

4 d

Update: We found her owners (they were close by) and she's safe. She even visits every once in a while but I do wish they'd keep better track of her, especially during this time of year.

[Chazmatazz269]

Not for nothin’, but orange cats are Tabbies.
If you’re on social media with locals, you can create a post describing where you found the cat. Don’t describe the cat. Let the owners do that to prove it’s theirs. You can do the same on Craigslist. You can also call animal control services. Sometimes they have a chip reader and they can come to you.
If the cat gets along with the other animals, i don’t see the point in isolating it. Cats are generally good at finding quiet places when they’ve had too much stimulation.

[CCammiee14]

You should always isolate a stray, until they get checked because they could be sick, have fleas or worms. I have a lot of pets in my household so an outbreak would be hard to control and not all of my babies are friendly. We are posting her in our neighborhood online app to see if anyone is missing her.

[CCammiee14]

Also, I'm afraid animal control will send them to a kill shelter.

[Chazmatazz269]

As you observed, the collar suggests that she’s not abandoned or feral. So she’s only a stray in as much as she isn’t with her family currently.
You’ll have to call to be certain of your local department’s policies, but you don’t necessarily have to turn her over.
Last time i went through this, i called animal control and they came out to scan the dog. No chip, so i could turn the animal over or keep it. Officer told me that IF the animal was chipped they can either take possession of it and contact the owner or, if i was willing to hold the dog, they would contact the proper owner and tell them where to retrieve the dog. They obviously won’t give a stranger’s contact information to another person for safety reasons. So allowing me to contact them directly was out of the question.
I ended up with a dog because i waited too long to report him. I thought i had a week. Turns out the policy is four days. If i keep the animal for four days or longer, then i have to pay the fees to hand him over to the shelter. Your area might have different rules. Just call and check. Could save you some time and hassle.

[CCammiee14]

I found her owner, she's safe!

[slatyb]

All cats should be kept indoors.

[CCammiee14]

Agreed.

[Anonymous]

I would keep her inside because of her age. She may be too young to survive outside for a lot of reasons.

[Agape93]

Sure go for it.

Haven't seen you on here in a long while. Hey hon

[CCammiee14]

Yes it's been a minute its nice to hear from you again ☺️. The site is overrun with AI and i haven't had much to post about so i kinda forgot about my account for a min. I hope you are doing well!

[Agape93]

Well im properly diagnosed so im calmer lol whats new hon?

[CCammiee14]

Sorry for the late response, i also got a proper diagnosis but it didn't really change much for me. Im doing still doing a lot better mentally and im happy to hear you're diagnosed and calm.

[Agape93]

Dm me, we can talk in private

[moddy_the_mod]

The cat distribution system is undefeated.

[CCammiee14]

I have too many cats already and she has an collar so she has an owner so i can't keep her 😞. She's beautiful tho.

[NathanDavis]

Yes.