The restaurant owner may not even know whose cat it is bcos normally many cats visit restaurants and eating stalls and the owner is busy managing his business and customers. The cat kept quiet in the carrier because normally pet cats are used to being carried around in carriers on visits to vets, etc. and car rides, so they don't behave like the usual strays where they really go amok unless covered completely with cloth. That is my 2-sen opinion based on my handling with real strays (they normally look thin, scrawny, with fur missing from cat fights, etc. which are signs I look for to confirm betul-betul lost cat or tak bertuan/berpenjaga

The restaurant owner (if he is not the owner) may also be so happy to get rid of the cat as most Chinese absolutely do not take kindly to cats, they are more partial to dogs (they feel that dogs at least earn their keep and help guard property) IF (a very big IF) at all they r animal lovers (of course there r some Chinese who love cats too, but not many, compared to Malays, that is why all these dog hunt business is sometimes made out to be a racial issue by some quarters). As such, the restaurant owner and his workers may not bother to help in this case. Also, they may be so busy minding their business to help you at all, after all, this is a tough world to do business and survive, so no time for animals la ....

I kesian the real owner that lost such a beautiful and lovable cat. If it is a child, he/she would be crying ... but may not be a visitor of this forum ...

And I feel for him/her because as real cat lovers/pet owners, at some point of time we too have lost our pets and have felt the intense pain and yearning ....