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Stray cats are often not vaccinated, which means that they can pass on diseases to other pets in the house. Keep the stray cat in a comfortable contained space with plenty of food, water, and airflow. Some open admission kill shelters don’t allow public adoptions and may not allow rescue groups to save these animals, and the majority have very high euthanasia rates.

This is a listing of all found animals in New York City, both in the shelter and in homes, and is one of the first places pet parents go to try and locate their lost animal. Trap-Neuter-Return improves community cats’ lives, but there might be a time when you have to help a cat beyond getting her spayed. If you come across a community cat who looks sick or injured, she may need immediate veterinary attention.

Never give a kitten cow’s milk, they should only be given Kitten Milk Replacer . To find out more about how to care for kittens please visit the National Kitten Coalition (kittencoalition.org/) and The Kitten Lady (kittenlady.org/). If you are certain you can get help from animal control very soon, try to lure the animal into your car with food, close the door and wait for help. In most cases it isn’t a good idea to attempt to drive somewhere with a strange dog unrestrained in your car; they may become frantic or aggressive. Cats may do the same, as well as lodge themselves under the car seat, and it can be dangerous trying to extract them.

It’s all about figuring out what is best for the cat and for you. If the cat won’t go into its carrier, place a bowl of food into the cage to tempt the cat inside. This will help to increase the chances of the cat coming inside. If the cat won’t eat the food, try placing the bowl further away from the house.

Things Experts Want You To Know Before You Take In A Stray Cat

Choose a safe room in your home to keep the cat in (even a large, walk-in closet or bathroom that isn’t being used will work). The more people who visit the area, the more stressed out, frightened, and threatened the cat will feel. It may also involve testing out different types of cat litterto find the one that most closely mirrors what the cat was relieving himself on outside. “There’s actually a litter meant to help transition cats from outdoor to indoor living—it’s called Touch of Outdoors [Dr. Elsey’s Precious Cat Touch of Outdoors cat litter],” she says. However, if the stray is a feral cat, this process will take a little—or a lot—more time.

You can also call your local animal control to see if anyone has reported a lost cat matching the found cat’s description, or see if your local animal control has a networking group on Facebook . When you find a friendly “stray” adult cat, the odds for this cat getting reunited with its family are more than 10 times better if the cat stays in its home neighborhood than if it comes to a shelter. If you find a cat that seems stray, you may first want to watch and wait to see if it goes home on its own – it might be a community cat that cruises around several homes for food and friendship. You can also take the cat to a vet or your local shelter to be scanned for a microchip.

Our mission at Pet Keen is to make the life of you and your pets easier and even more enjoyable. With up-to-date information from our experts and veterinarians. The information is current and up-to-date in accordance with the latest veterinarian research. “At the vet, the cat should receive basic vaccinations and be spayed or neutered if she or he isn’t already,” Phillips says. Social networking apps like Nextdoor are especially helpful for quickly finding out which neighbors have been adopted, or where the cat actually resides.

If your other pets don’t normally respond well to new animals, place them in their carry bag for 15 minutes in the stray cat’s room. Post a picture of the cat around your neighborhood to find its owner. Take a photo of the cat and place it on a local community notice board and on social media. Write a detailed description of where you found the cat and note any distinguishing features or markings. If you decide to remove the cat so it can be scanned for a microchip, we encourage you to return the cat to the location at which it was found.

From there the vet will want to check for the following issues common to cats who have been living outdoors for an extended time. If you’ve heard those stories about “barn cats” who never had any veterinary care and just lived out their lives “on the farm,” don’t believe it. Barn cats often live a short and unhappy life, dying from too many litters, easily treatable diseases or parasites.

Another virus that’s common with stray cats is feline immunodeficiency virus, or FIV. This virus is similar to FeLV in that it’s slow to manifest and can leave the cat susceptible to secondary issues — in this case infections. The most common cause of FIV is deep bite wounds, as when stray cats fight.

Based on the severity of illness or injury, a cat might need to be placed in a long-term holding area for recovery. Whether that recovery is done in your home or the veterinary clinic, plan beforehand so you don’t have to scramble at the last minute. If nothing else, your kitty may be disoriented enough to make it easier to capture and confine her. Others felines may be chilled out by a little catnip in the carrier.

Stray Haven

And, truth be told, my technicians are actually hoping they don’t show up because this cat is a happy camper in the staff room. A stray kitty you bring home could have anything — from an obvious upper respiratory infection to a viral disease , or an unknown problem to FIV or other diseases. This kitty had a bad wound on his foot, most likely the result of a violent cat fight. At minimum, he needed wound care, an X-ray, pain meds and antibiotics.

Humane Society of Cowlitz County’s new fulltime vet helps control pet population – The Daily News

Humane Society of Cowlitz County’s new fulltime vet helps control pet population.

This could include anything from food to kitty litter to unexpected medical expenses, so just make sure that you’re prepared. The frantic owner could be looking everywhere for their beloved pet. Alley Cat Allies advocates euthanasia only for a terminal illness or untreatable injury. Unfortunately, some veterinarians who haven’t been trained to work with community cats believe in “euthanizing” (i.e. killing) community cats rather than treating them.

You should also line it with newspaper to soak up urine, and always keep a clean towel inside. Your vet will most likely prescribe a commercial ear cleaner to clear out as many of the mites as possible. You’ll probably have to apply an ear mite parasiticide, which is typically a treatment. Most of the time cats do really well with the treatment and do not develop long-term issues.

This is especially true if the cat is very young , older (over 5-6), is pregnant, or has any health issue . Some municipal animal controls have great adoption rates; you can call them or ask around to find out if the cat would have a decent chance there. If you have to choose between HSMO and the APA, the cat will have a better chance at adoption through the APA. When you find a feral or community cat in good condition, chances are someone is feeding this cat. If it is ear tipped, then it has been sterilized and the best thing to do is just not intervene.

Once they get used to coming near you to eat, they may be willing to come to you for a pet and eventually into the carrier for transport to a veterinarian. Unless it is a life-and-death emergency, you will have to keep the cat safe and comfortable until you can get an appointment with a veterinarian. It is important to have a cat carrierwhen transporting your new cat to the veterinarian.

They don’t have a dedicated safe place to sleep where they will be protected from the outdoor elements and possible predators. They tend to get into fights with other cats that might be infected with a contagious disease. If you’re unable to take on the care of a stray cat or a cat is too feral and aggressive for your safety, you still have options. You can use a cat bowl like the Neater Feeder polar pet bowl to help keep a fresh source of cold water available for you cat throughout the day. You can also provide a cooling pet pad, like The Green Pet Shop self-cooling pet pad, so your outdoor kitty always has a place to relax and cool down during hotter days. If your new kitty just won’t come inside, you should provide some kind of shelter.

Of course, once you become a cat parent, you’ll have to make sure that you have all of their necessities on hand. The top priorities are a litter box and food, Ochoa says, so grab those from the store before you welcome in the fur baby. “The first thing your cat is going to want to do when they get home is to use the bathroom,” she says, so make sure that you have everything set up in a spot where they can have easy access to it. There are plenty of fun things to buy too, like toys, treats, and a collar, but food and litter cannot wait, so be sure to get those. When moving toward the animal, speak calmly to reassure them.

Once your stray is interested in coming indoors , Delgado suggests bringing as much of the outside into your home as possible. That includes providing enrichment activities like cat puzzle toysand areas where they can climb and play. Before transitioning your stray cat into your care, you will want to make sure you have all the right cat supplies.

Many stray cats are able to adapt to living indoors and can become wonderful pets. Before you bring a stray cat indoors, you should always take it to the vet first to make sure it doesn’t have any underlying health problems. Please bring the sick or injured animal, during regular business hours, to the appropriate shelter. Please note that these agencies are currently only accepting sick or injured cats.