Pregnant Stray Cat

[Lil.Miss.Me]

In January this year a female cat turned up at our door and has since never left. After taking her to the vets to see if she was microchipped - she wasn't - we put ads in all the local papers and shops and reported it to the RSPCA and all of the local vets. During this time our family, expecially my mum and even our dog, has grown extremely fond of the cat; who we called Pippi, and at the beginning of this month, after no response from the ad's and no calls from the vets or RSPCA, my mum took the cat to the vets and had her wormed and treated for fleas and also had her microchiped. We also asked to get the cat spayed but discovered that she is actually pregnant.
Driving home today we noticed a poster in the village about a lost cat, the same lost cat we had now taken in as our own. Although we have had the cat chipped and have completely fallen in love with her, we realized that she should be back with her original owners and have phoned them who have arranged to come and collect her tomorrow. We all understand that the cat has to go back to her original family and having a dog of our own know that if he was to go missing we'd hope that someone would give him back to us, but we can't help asking ourselves why the original owners didn't get her microchipped or put some posters up sooner. We are really just wondering whether or not that now we have had the cat microchipped does that mean she belongs to us now. But beyond that we are worried about moving her from our house because she is very late in her pregnancy and we have made her a nesting box which she is now constantly using. Would it be a wise decision to keep her here until she has had her kittens and then return her to the original owners or would she be okay to leave and find a new nesting place/box?

[B00]

Can't you let them take the same box?

Personally id let them take her now, they're obviously missing her and the longer you keep her, the worse the parting will be for you.

Perhaps the previous owner will let you have one of the kittens?

[milliezoe]

It never ceases to amaze me how cats have a built in instinct to choose somewhere where they will be looked after which is what you have done for this cat could be the owners were away at the time she turned up on your doorstop however I personally would let the owners take her home they did care enough put up a poster to try and find her they will probably love her as much as you do ask them for one of the kittens you will then have at least something to remember her by