Take Care of a Stray Cat

Cats have lived alongside people for thousands of years, and it's natural to want to help a stray cat when you come across one. Sometimes stray cats are lost pets in need of help, other times they may be feral cats that are happy to remain in the outdoors. Knowing how to tell the difference and what you can do to help may mean the difference between life and death for a stray cat. Remember that approaching any animal outdoors can be dangerous, so be careful when attempting to care for any stray cat.

Steps

Helping a Stray Cat Find its Home

  1. Identify a lost pet cat. Pet cats do not behave in the same way feral ones do, although if a cat has been lost for some time or is frightened, it may behave in a way that appears feral. If the cat approaches you and does not appear to fear humans, it is likely a lost pet.[1]
    • A collar is an easy way to identify a lost pet cat.
    • Pet cats may appear less clean than feral cats because they are unaccustomed to living outside and needing to clean themselves more frequently.
    • Pet cats may try to approach you or to enter your home. Feral cats would not.
    • Lost pets will often rub against the leg of humans when hungry, a feral cat will not.[2]
  2. Try to find its owners. The best thing you can do for a lost pet cat is to find its owners. Chances are a loving cat that finds you has a home with an equally loving family looking for it. Most neutered cats will not stray far from home, but intact male cats may travel further and may not be from the immediate area.
    • Look around the neighborhood for posters about a lost cat. Consider making and putting up “found cat” posters in case the family is actively looking.
    • Put a collar on the cat with a note attached to it. The cat may just be an outdoor cat that knows its way home. When the family finds the note on the cat’s collar, they may contact you to let you know.
    • Look in the classified sections of local websites and newspapers in case anyone has posted an ad looking for their cat.
  3. Enlist the help of a local shelter or vet. Local animal shelters or veterinarians may be able to help you identify the owners of a lost pet cat. They interact with a large number of pet owners on a daily basis and may have heard about a cat that’s gone missing.[3]
    • In order to get assistance, you must first Catch a Stray Cat.
    • You can transport the cat in the cage you used to catch it.
    • Have the shelter or vet scan the cat for a microchip ID tag that may identify the owner.
    • Check to see if anyone has reported a missing cat to the shelters in the area.
  4. Find the cat a home. If your efforts to find the original home for a lost pet cat fail, it may be time to find a new home for the cat. Lost pet cats are not well suited for outdoor life, so you may not want to simply release the cat back where you found it.
    • If you are willing to adopt the cat, take it to the veterinarian to be vaccinated and checked for other health issues.
    • If you are unable to adopt the cat, bring it to a shelter that will try to find it a good home.

Adopting a Stray Cat

  1. Make sure it’s not a feral cat. Feral cats look just like the cats we keep in our homes (they are in fact the same species) but feral cats do not have the social ability to live in homes with people that pet cats do. While it is not impossible to adopt a feral cat, it can be extremely difficult for you and the cat.
    • Feral cats prefer to live outside and probably have a colony nearby that they belong to.
    • Pet cats prefer the company of people and enjoy a life that includes being indoors.
  2. Isolate the cat from your other pets. Once you have decided to adopt a stray cat, you need to make sure it doesn’t pose a health risk to any other pets you may have in the house. Even if the cat seems friendly, you don’t want to risk it spreading any diseases to your pets.[4]
    • Keep the cat in a separate room from any other pets or small children you may have.
    • Do not allow your other pets to interact directly with the cat until it has seen a vet and been vaccinated.
  3. Get it vaccinated. Even if the cat you adopt is an adult, it may not have been vaccinated by its previous owners. Vaccinations are important to prevent your cat from being infected with a preventable disease, but also to prevent your cat from carrying such diseases to other cats in the area or your house.[5]
    • There are a number of vaccines cats should receive including rabies, feline leukemia and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV).
    • Your veterinarian will help you decide which vaccines beyond the “core” requirements may be a good idea for your cat based on its condition.
    • Ask the veterinarian to tell you if there seem to be any other medical issues with the cat that you should be aware of.
  4. Take it slow. Even if the cat came from a loving home before it was lost, it still may be reluctant to trust you or the other people in your house. You can’t know what kinds of experiences the cat may have had before it entered your home, so keep your distance as you learn how the cat adapts to its new surroundings.[4]
    • Introduce the cat to other pets in your home slowly and in a controlled manner.
    • Start by keeping the cat in a cat carrier while your other cats or dogs have an opportunity to smell the new cat without coming into contact with it.
    • Let the cat retreat to a safe place when it wants to, otherwise it may feel threatened by you or your other pets.

Caring for Feral Cats

  1. Make sure the cat is feral. It can be difficult to tell for sure whether or not a cat is feral or simply adventuring away from home. Both lost pet cats and feral cats may behave aggressively toward you or run off out of fear when you approach, so determining that a cat is feral may require subtle cues.[1]
    • Feral cats may appear to be better groomed than a lost pet cat that hasn’t gotten accustomed to living outdoors yet.
    • If you start feeding the cat, pet cats will grow to trust you and behave like a pet whereas feral cats will remain skittish.
  2. Consider leaving it alone. Feral cats have existed around humans for thousands of years, and often don’t require any assistance from people to survive. These cats are not really homeless, they’re wild animals.[6]
    • Feral cats are not socialized to people, so they cannot be adopted as pets easily.
    • Feral cats often live in social groups called colonies. If you see one, there are likely a number of other feral cats in the area.
    • Feral cats probably do not need your help unless it appears sickly or weak.
  3. Trap-Neuter-Return a feral cat. Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) is a phrase used to describe a common population control method utilized with feral cats. TNR can improve a cat’s health, the health of its colony, and prevent an overpopulation of feral cats that could lead to some cats starving. After a feral cat has been vaccinated and neutered it can be adopted or returned to the area it was trapped.[2]
    • First, contact your local vet or animal shelter. They may offer TNR services for the community free of charge or for a reduced cost. They also may be able to offer assistance and traps.[7]
    • Next, you’ll need to safely Trap a Feral Cat.
    • Negative behaviors associated with mating such as fighting and yowling stop after the cat has been neutered.
    • After treatment the vet will help you determine if the cat should be re-released or put up for adoption.
  4. Provide care to injured or sick feral cats. If a feral cat appears to be injured or sick, you may choose to help the cat regain its health. Remember that feral cats are wild animals, so the injury could make it aggressive. Also remember to keep your own health in mind when dealing with feral cats, especially ones that seem ill. Make sure to wash your hands after coming into contact with a feral cat.
    • If the cat appears to simply be malnourished, do not attempt to bring it inside, but consider leaving food and water out for the cat to eat and drink when you aren’t around and it feels more comfortable.
    • If the cat seems seriously ill or injured, do not approach it. Either entice the cat into a carrier or cage with food or place it there gently if it is not moving, then bring the cat to a local animal hospital for treatment. There are many shelters and animal hospitals that will care for stray cats at reduced or no cost.[8]
    • You can also call animal control in your town if you would rather not approach the animal yourself.

Warnings

  • Use caution when approaching cats outdoors. Feral or even lost pet cats may scratch or bite.
  • Some stray cats may appear to be friendly but take caution when approaching the cat(s) because if the cat becomes scared they will get into "safety mode" and do anything they can to protect itself which may include scratching, biting,or running off.
  • Don't run up to the cat; slowly approach the cat/kitten that you found to prevent any harm to you and the cat/kitten.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 http://zimmer-foundation.org/art/10.html
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://www.aspca.org/animal-homelessness/shelter-intake-and-surrender/closer-look-community-cats
  3. ↑ http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/feral_cats/tips/help_outdoor_cats_individuals.html?credit=web_id212453451
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 http://www.catster.com/lifestyle/adopt-a-cat-stray-cats-adoption-tips
  5. ↑ http://citykitties.org/find-help/stray-cat-guide/veterinary-care-for-strayferal-cats/
  6. ↑ https://www.petfinder.com/helping-pets/feral-cats/feral-cat-care-tnr/
  7. ↑ http://www.ifaw.org/sites/default/files/ICAM-Humane%20cat%20population.pdf
  8. ↑ http://www.humanesociety.org/assets/maps/feral-cats.html?credit=web_id212453451
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