Adopt a Pet | Find Your New Best Friend

You can provide her with hiding places of your choice and making, although she may find better ones. Take a big cardboard box, flip it upside down and cut a couple holes in different sides big enough for her to pass through. Weight down the top so it doesn’t move with her, and put some nice soft blankets inside for her.

Food and water are important parts of caring for community cats. Doing Trap-Neuter-Return will keep this from happening to you and the cats. While it’s safest to keep your cat in a carrier, if you need to bring it to the vet without using a carrier, try placing it in a nylon athletic bag with mesh sides and a solid bottom.

Dogs Take Center Stage on National Pit Bull Awareness Day

From classic to celeb-inspired and funny to food-based, this list of cute cat names is sure to inspire your naming adventures. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 133,756 times. Thecatsite.com needs to review the security of your connection before proceeding. According to Delgado, if your new feline friend was previously a house cat, the transition indoors should be relatively easy.

First, do you want to deal with a cat in heat or a spraying male? Although it can take a couple of weeks for a male’s hormones to re-adjust after neutering, he will be much less likely to spray to mark his new territory once he is neutered. Your cat, too, is going to crave the wide open spaces she is used to. Being in heat makes that craving unbearable for her, and the decibel level of your home will rise, even soar, several notches. Of course, the best reason of all is that you will have a happier, healthier cat and if she does ever get out, you won’t be adding to the overpopulation problem. But if you are willing to take in a feral cat, willing to give her the love and care she needs, you already know all this.

If you already have pet cats, you should be aware that by bringing in stray cats or even just handling them, you can put them at risk of contracting an infectious disease. Strict quarantine measures need to be taken and it might be wiser to refer the stray to a shelter where they have the space, resources, and equipment to do a proper quarantine. If you do choose to cover the cost of a check-up, be prepared to be faced with a larger bill for further necessary services. Chances are that the stray cat has some type of disease, illness, or injury. However, you should not expect a veterinarian to provide you with a bunch of free services as a thank you.

Do not use over-the-counter flea treatments, as some of these “treatments” have been reported to react badly with some cats, causing seizures, neurological effects, and even death. Even without those risks, the prescription treatments do a much better job killing all the fleas and eggs, so the fleas aren’t back in a few weeks. With a heavy flea infestation, you risk your cat becoming anemic, so ask your vet to run a chem. If you bring in a very small kitten with a flea problem, comb out the fleas with a flea comb and discuss any medications with your vet. Never use flea treatments formulated for dogs, as these are extremely toxic to cats.

Work with local groups

A cat harness is a device owners use to walk their cats. If you want to take your cat to the vet without a carrier, you could consider using a harness.Make sure you purchase a harness specifically designed for cats. Harnesses designed for small dogs might be dangerous for a cat to use. If the cat is friendly, Fernandez recommends contacting local rescue organizations, which have resources to rehome cats. “Sometimes it’s just about finding the right fit for a stray’s personality. You never know when you’re going to find a person that just connects and will make a great forever owner,” he says.

Fortunately, there are many financial support options available that can help offset your financial responsibilities. Some resources are focused specifically on veterinary care. If you find that you cannot afford the veterinarian care of the stray cat that you are trying to save, don’t feel guilty.

Instead, find a humane society or rescue center in your area that is willing to take the cat in and provide it with the care that they need. If you believe you have found a feral cat with kittens, assess the situation carefully before intervening in any way unless the kittens appear to be in imminent danger. The kittens have the absolute best chance of survival if they are able to stay with their mother during the first four weeks of life. If possible, wait until the kittens are 4-6 weeks old to remove them from the mother. Kittens taken from the mother later in life, between 8-12 weeks, are often much more difficult to socialize. Don’t forget to trap and spay the mother kitty once the kittens have been removed.

Keeping Your Indoor Kitty Safe and Happy Outdoors – Alexandria Living Magazine

Keeping Your Indoor Kitty Safe and Happy Outdoors.

The information is current and up-to-date in accordance with the latest veterinarian research. Sign up and make sure you are always on top of the most important info for you and your pets.

Being attuned to her and stopping before she has to forcefully tell you to stop will prove again to her that you aren’t a threat. When she comes out, as much as you want to look her in her eyes, do not make eye contact. Look over the top of her so she will not consider you a threat and avoid looking her directly in the eye.

Be observant and watch for the trails that cats most often take. Note if there’s a certain tree or bush they like to sleep under, and what time of day they’re most likely to be in a specific area. One sign that a cat is a spayed or neutered feral is a tipped or notched ear . A stray cat who is spayed or neutered may also have a tipped or notched ear. Stray cats may be friendly and approach you for food or attention or they may be too scared to let you get close.

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 you do take a cat to a vet, the veterinarian can find out if the cat has a microchip. If no microchip is found, you can decide whether to pay for a check-up and find out what kind of care the cat needs or to take the cat to a shelter that can better assist them. No cat should suffer veterinary neglect over a simple issue like cat carrier transport.

You could injure or even kill a cat with alternate trapping methods. The last thing you want to do while trapping is put yourself or the cats in danger. Even if you’re frustrated from failed attempts to trap a cat, never resort to the following techniques. Try covering the trap with natural material like burlap. Then, place leaves, small branches, palm fronds, or whatever is in the natural environment around the top, sides, and on the floor inside the trap. Just make sure your disguise doesn’t interfere with the trap door closing!

Dogs & Puppies

Once he seems comfortable in the harness, to the point he’s no longer wriggling or attempting to unfasten it, you can secure the leash. During the spring and summer months, you will also want to make sure that you provide your cat with plenty of shaded, cool areas to hang out as well as access to cold, fresh water. If you try to force it, he will run,” Fernandez says. Social networking apps like Nextdoor are especially helpful for quickly finding out which neighbors have been adopted, or where the cat actually resides. This can also be helpful in determining whether the cat has been taken to the vet or is on flea and tick medicine.

Locke

Hi, my name is Lowell and I have always been interested in animals. I was born with a deep fascination for them that has only grown stronger as I’ve gotten older. This interest has led me to become a zookeeper. It’s the best job in the world because it allows me to work with animals every day and learn more about them.