Yeah. I know with Foot, it was a toss-up internal debate as to whether she still had owners or not when I took her in (no collar or tag), and it would have been very easy to just blow off the entire week of checking everywhere and putting up 'found' posters (and having the vet scan her) to see if she had owners someplace else.

It doesn't help either when the cat isn't obviously pedigree. 'Regular domestics' aren't held in as high value, it seems, even by AC or pounds, etc., since they aren't 'show animals'. Which always baffles me (aren't 'mere pets' just as important/valuable as fancy-schmacy show-off animals?).