Cats Is All About

Something most of us can relate to is the instance of discovering a "helpless" cat that needs our help. Perhaps it has followed us home or we find it huddled under a bush and decide it needs us in ways that we never thought possible. But before you make one more move, it's best to think about what needs to be done and what you'll inevitably plan to do with the cat. Here's a little advice on what to do with a stray cat.

First, you'll want to inspect the cat and judge its health condition. Does it looks sick and diseased? Or is its hair just a bit matted? Or maybe it's perfectly groomed? Depending on the state of its physical appearance, you'll either be faced with a wild cat seeking a first time home or a cat that already has a home that may be lost or has run away.

If you determine that the cat probably had a prior home based on how well it interacts with humans and how clean it looks for an outdoor cat, then you need to seek out this cat's original owner if it does in fact have one. While posting flyers is still moderately fashionable, something simpler like Craigslist is much preferred. Make sure to include a picture as well! Also, call all the local animal shelters you can think of to see if any of them were alerted to a missing feline in the area.

Once you've confirmed that the cat is without a home, it's important to take it to a veterinarian and have it checked out. The vet will be able to see if it has any health problems or if it's coated with fleas and can get it caught up with shots and some flea treatments. It's important that you know how healthy the cat is before you bring it home, especially if you already have pets. You wouldn't want to accidentally get your pets sick with something serious, right?

From here you have a new decision: Will you be keeping the cat or taking it to a shelter? The sad truth is, not all shelters are no-kill shelters, so you could be sending this stray cat into a bad situation while trying to do something helpful. Even sadder, no-kill shelters are typically overflowing with cats desperately needing homes, so they will usually refuse to take in stray cats, meaning you'll need to take care of the cat for a few weeks or even a few moths before it can be turned over to the cat shelter.

Whatever you end up doing with the stray cat, just think about what's best for it in the long run. If you're willing to adopt, awesome. If you know you can't and only foster it for a while, also awesome. Otherwise, just try not to actively harm the animal if you can help it. Give it a chance to find someone else who'll help it at the very least.

My aunt, a massive animal lover, years ago started to receive late night visits from a gorgeous ginger stray cat. Due to horrific abuse by his former owners he had no teeth or claws left and was extremely thin and very scared. My aunt being very sensitive to animals noticed that he was so hungry that his fear was overridden by a desperate need to feed. He wouldn't let anyone else near him apart from her and if food was left out by somebody else, he would leave it to go off. She really had a unique gift with animals. After a while he trusted her enough to let her stroke him, but nothing more. He was comfortable to live a wilder life if it meant he was safe from humans. We really are a disgrace to this planet.

So how do you help stray cats? How do you gain their trust?

First of all you need to know the difference between a stray cat and a feral cat.

It's not always easy to tell because in time a stray cat will revert back to its natural instincts, which is the same as a feral cats behaviour. Obviously a stray cat will have been abandoned by their owners or may have got lost. They might have a collar, but if not you should be able to tell by the quality of their coats if they have recently become strays, rather than being a feral cat. If you can, take a photo of it and check with your local vets if anyone has lost their cat. Don't just presume you can take somebody else's cat, in a lot of areas it is illegal. Also there could be a very good reason for them getting lost and there may be a family trying to find them. Usually you can take responsibility and become a stray cats owner after about two weeks of notifying the local animal shelters, vets etc.

A feral cat will be much less inclined to engage with you and will be more likely to show you aggressive, wild behaviour. You're also less likely to see them for any length of time, as any sign of a human and they're off. Can't blame them for that! Feral cats have been born into the wild from either feral parents or stray cats that have become pregnant. They tend to live together in casual family colonies and are able to survive in urban and rural areas. They aren't always popular as like other wildlife they will rummage through your bins for food. Be warned, your neighbourhood may not thank you for starting a feeding programme for them.

So, if you want to help a stray cat the first thing to do of course is feed them.

An adult stray that is under nourished will build up quicker on kitten food. However switch back to adult food as soon as you see an improvement. They will need the nutrients from adult food once they have initially recovered. Try wet food as well as dry. See what their preferences are. Buy new cat bowls as they won't like the scent of other pets if you have them. Always provide fresh water every day. Feed them at night to start with, but leave dry food out in the daytime in case they start to gain courage and come to your garden more often. They need to feel they have a safe place to come to. After a while try to be present when you know the stray is going to turn up. Place the food down, step back and speak in a soothing tone. Don't attempt to stroke the cat. Let it feed and leave if it wants to. The main point is to gradually gain trust. You know you can never rush a cat. On the next occasion offer some food from your hand. They may or may not take it, persevere and try again next time. If no one claims the cat and you decide to rehome this stray then capturing it in the most humane way is your next step. You may not be able to do this, so it's a good idea to contact your local animal shelter and they may be able to send someone to help. Once you've done that take the cat to the vets for a thorough check up. Deworming, flea and ear mite treatments and neutering must all be done. If you have other pets keep the new cat in one room until they've settled down and slowly introduce them.

Once you've taken responsibility of a stray cat and brought it into your home, be prepared for the settling in period to take some time. You don't know what they've suffered, be patient. They will probably want to stay by your side as much as possible. In time this should calm down but remember they may be a little apprehensive of this new home. Pamper them with new cat toys, cat bed and stand. It may be a good idea to try a feline facial pheromone spray or diffuser to help calm their nerves.