Is there registration for cats in New York like there is for dogs? How can you provide proof of ownership?

Over a year ago, my uncle who lived next door moved out of his house and abandoned a cat that he had. He has had no contact with the cat and has not tried to move her in across the street with him to give her a home. The cat still lives around the outside of the house, in the yard, and in the barn that is between our houses. She has gotten more used to people but prefers her own environment outside as she is still very skiddish from being abandoned. Since this summer, my grandpa and another relative have been visiting her and feeding her. My cousin has been over to feed her or see her but the cat is not comfortable around her. These past few months my grandpa has gotten ill and no longer visits the cat. Since this summer my fiance and I have been visiting the cat and have formed a relationship with her besides giving her food. She has gotten relatively comfortable with us but there is still a lot of work to do. Recently since it's been getting colder we have been paying special attention with trying to get her to come into the house to warm up every now and then. Even when it is freezing outside, we know the cat is okay because she lived outside all last winter. She had been getting more and more used to coming inside but we still respect that she does not like to be contained in spaces.Today my cousin, whom she is not comfortable with, put her into a cat carry and put her in the upstairs of my grandpa's house, which my uncle had moved into. She is now trapped in the upstairs of the house. We know that the cat is not comfortable with this and is probably very traumatized by this. With the family conflict that is going on besides this, there is no way we can get her out tonight. We are hoping they will let her back out tomorrow.Now we are faced with taking action. We need to try our hardest to get her into our home so they cannot trap her in an unsafe environment with people she is not comfortable with. What we are wondering now is if we will be able to find a way to get in writing that we are the owners of the cat. We have looked online and found information about dog registration but nothing about cats. We are thinking that when we take her to the vet, we could have them write it for us. Basically what needs to happen is that we have proof we are now the owners of her so that if they try to trap her again we can call the authorities and get her out of there. I know this is a lot to read but I hope someone will take the time that knows what can be done. We really care about her and want the best for her. it's very hard on us knowing we can't let her out right now and we are hoping that we can find a way to ensure she is in an environment she feels safe and comfortable in.

This may be a little traumatizing to the cat, but the only thing I can think of is to take her to the vet and get a check up and have her shots done. And, while you are there, have them implant an ID chip into her. The ID chip would register you as the owner if the cat was lost.By doing this, you would have vet bills proving you cared for the cat and you would have proof of ownership through the ID chip in the cat.However, the police may not respond to a call about a "stolen" cat, especially when the dispute over ownership is happening between relatives. Hopefully, the cat will become more comfortable being in your home and will wonder around less outside in the future so that they won't get ahold of her.

Vet records (and a picture) are often enough to establish ownership. Better still, when you have her at the vet, get her microchipped and then immediately register the chip in your name (the vet's office can provide instructions).