Is The Mother Around
If the mother returns within a few hours, shes taking good care of her kittens. You can help by providing mom and babies with food and a dry, clean shelter.
Once the kittens have been weaned and can eat wet food, you can bring them into your home and prepare them for adoption. You can also attempt to trap the mother for TNR surgery.
If the mother never returns, the kittens are likely orphaned and will need round-the-clock care. In this case, contact Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Animal Care & Control at 311 .
Other Factors To Consider
Even if youre able to find free veterinary care, youll still have to dedicate the time to trap the cat, take it to the vet, and provide after-care.
Trapping a stray cat can take time and deliberate preparation. You must schedule vet appointments around the time of trapping the cat . You also need to plan for a longer vet visit since its likely the stray cat will be aggressive.
If youre going the TNR route , youll need to set up a space for recovery before releasing the cat into the wild. This can take some time, so prepare beforehand.
Ready To Schedule A Tnr Appointment
Cover the trap with a towel or blanket to help calm the cat, and move the trap to a safe area, protected from the weather if necessary. Call the Pet Helpline at to schedule a spay/neuter appointment.
Due to staffing challenges, there is a limited number of TNR appointments available each week. So that the cat can be sterilized and returned as quickly as possible, we may need to schedule the appointment at a shelter further than your preferred location.
For the safety of yourself, the cat, and our staff, feral cats must arrive in humane live traps. If you choose to use your own live trap, AHS will need to keep it until the cat is ready to be released.
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Determine If The Cat Is A Stray
Try to determine if the cat is lost or abandoned, and not simply a neighbors indoor-outdoor cat.
- Talk to neighbors to see if they know anything about the cat.
- Post notices on online social or neighborhood networks such as Facebook or Nextdoor.
- Post messages on online pet rescue groups or message boards such as the Missing Pet Network.
- Place signs around the neighborhood asking if the cat belongs to anyone.
- Contact local shelters to file a Found Cat Report.
- Contact the shelter in the county where the cat was found, as well as neighboring counties if they are close by.
How Long Do You Give Animals Before Euthanizing Them
WHS never euthanizes animals for reasons of time or space. All animals in our adoption program have as long as it takes to find a new home. If we determine there are medical or behavioral conditions that we do not have the resources to treat, and if we cannot place the animal into our adoption program or find an alternative solution, we consider euthanasia the most humane option. This decision is always made with the utmost consideration for the animals quality of life.
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Kittens Younger Than 8 Weeks With Their Mother
Leave Them Be! Kittens who are healthy and thriving with their mother outdoors do not need to be rescued.
Remember: Mother knows best. You cannot replace a mother cats instinctive care. Plus, neonatal kittens need round-the-clock care to survivewhich is challenging for humans to provide. These kittens are unweaned, meaning they still rely on their mothers milk.
In Chicago Stray And Lost Pets Are Impounded At Two Main Locations:
- Animal Welfare League 6224 S. Wabash Ave. Call 773-667-0088 or email .
These shelters are open seven days a week and accept strays. If you take an animal to CACC, you can email the Intake Team at PAWS Chicago at or call 773-475-9462 with the pets ID number, and we will try our best to take the pet into our adoption program. However, intake is determined based on our existing population.
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How To Prevent Stray Cats
Preventing stray cats from spending time in your yard is largely a matter of denying them the habitat they prefer and creating an environment that is actively hostile to them. It is important to use several techniques to keep feral and stray cats out of your yard. While one tactic may be effective against one cat, using several techniques can be more effective to keep other stray and feral cats from moving in when the first cat has moved out. Other options include:
- Designing landscaping specifically to discourage cats: Sharp foliage with strong odors, thorny bushes, stinging plants, and sharp-edged mulch can all be part of a bird-friendly landscape that discourages cats.
- Supporting trap-neuter-release programs, feral sanctuaries, or other community programs that care for feral cats in humane ways. These programs may help reduce the feral cat population over time.
- Supporting local adoption shelters and care facilities so they can provide cats a safe, healthy home rather than permitting strays to run loose. The more support these facilities have, financially or through material donations and volunteers, the more cats they can care for.
If The Cat Is In Labour
If you’ve found a pregnant cat who you think is in labour:
- Give her space – avoid disturbing her.
- Try to locate her owner – post on local social media groups or speak to neighbours to see if anybody knows her. If you can’t find the owner, please call a local animal rescue centre for advice on what to do when the kittens arrive.
- Placing a shallow bowl of water nearby – this should be done with minimal disturbance, keep a good distance.
- Place some shelter nearby – depending upon the weather, placing some shelter nearby could help keep her shaded from the sun and sheltered from cold winds and rain.
- Keep an eye on her to check she’s doing ok, but avoid disturbing her as it could cause unnecessary problems for the kittens.
Many cats give birth without needing any help at all, but signs she may be having difficulty include:
- If between 30 and 60 minutes of intense straining she doesn’t produce a kitten or a kitten seems to be stuck.
- The mother seems to be noticeably distressed.
- If she seems lethargic, has passed an unpleasant discharge or is bleeding heavily from her vulva .
If you see any of these signs or if mum is at risk because she’s near a busy road or building, please call a local vet, animal rescue centre or call our advice line. Never put yourself in danger.
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What To Do With A Stray Cat: Feeding Adoption And All You Need To Know
Many of us will have come across a stray cat and wanted to bring it home. The Humane Society of the United States estimates that there are 30 to 40 million community cats across the country.
“The temptation to rescue a stray cat can be strong,” according to Dr. José Arce, president of the American Veterinary Medical Association. “Chances are you even know someone who took in a stray cat and went on to share a wonderfully rewarding life with them.”
Below, Arce and other cat behavior experts outline what you should do if you encounter a potential stray “to ensure the best possible outcome for the both of you.”
How To Take In A Stray Cat
This article was co-authored by Francine Miller. Francine Miller is an Applied Animal Behavior Counselor and Founder of Call Ms Behaving, a behavior counseling service for dogs and cats in San Diego, California. With over 16 years of experience, Francine specializes in treating behavior problems such as aggression, separation anxiety, phobias, fear reactions, destructiveness, urine marking, and compulsive behaviors. She uses a behavioral management and modification plan that is positive reinforcement only. She holds a Diploma in Canine Behavior Counseling from the American College of Applied Science . Francine has completed all coursework toward an MS in Applied Animal Behavior Science and Family Counseling for Companion Animals from the American College of Applied Science . She is a certified Associate of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants and a member of the Pet Professional Guild. This article has been viewed 144,018 times.
Taking in a stray cat is a great way to adopt a new pet that otherwise may never have a good home. Before you decide to adopt the pet as your own, make sure that it doesnt have an owner. If the cat doesnt have a home, vaccinate it, treat any injuries or illnesses, and then slowly introduce it to your home. It can take a while for the cat to get used to a new environment, but the process is incredibly rewarding.
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How To Help A Stray Pet
You’re driving your car when you see a dog on the side of the road. With a sinking feeling, you realize they are alone. What should you do?
This is a wrenching scenario for all who care about animals. After all, what if your own pet were standing there? Use our guidelines for providing safe and effective help.
Master The Art Of Patience
While trying to make a feral cat into a domestic one, you have to keep a lot of patience because you are dealing with a cat that has spent most of the days in the streets, roaming carefree and eating in varieties. Living without restrictions and get used to people or closed environments is difficult for stray cats. So, take baby steps and have hope throughout the process.
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Why Cant I Bring The Kittens And Their Mother Indoors
Even if your home is very nice, a mother cat may become so stressed by being confined in the new environment that it impacts her health and her ability to care for her kittens. Community cats thrive in their outdoor home and the mother cat has likely chosen an ideal space to raise her kittens, so there is no need to intervene.
How Often Should I Bring A Stray Cat To The Vet
If you live in an area with a large stray cat colony, this is probably a question youll ask yourself often. Is it worth spending money on an animal thats released back into the wild after treatment?
Honestly, thats up to you. Its never wrong to want to help a homeless animal in need of medical care. You have to decide for yourself if you want to spend money on a stray cat that you dont intend on adopting. Plan a medical fund to help with future medical bills if you feel called to help your neighborhood stray cats. That way, you can take care of yourself as well.
You also have to consider specific medical issues. Its hard to tell without an examination, but serious conditions, like parasites and open wounds, should be treated immediately. Common health concerns to look out for include:
- Eye and nasal discharge
- Open wounds near the base of the tail and surrounding area
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Stray Cats Vs Feral Cats
It’s worth making a distinction between a tame house cat belonging to a nearby neighbor who occasionally wanders into your yard, and a truly feral cat, which is typically a creature that has never known domestication and which is quite wild. Both animals can kill birds and create other mayhem, but with a wandering domestic cat, you usually have recourse by locating the owner and asking that they control their pet. A wandering domestic pet may wear a collar and sometimes will be notably sociable with people. If an animal control agency picks up this type of cat, there’s a good chance its owner will be contacted or that the animal will be adopted.
A true feral cat, on the other hand, is usually quite skittish around people, and it will be noticeably wild in its behavior. Such cats are often beyond domestication, and unfortunately, some will wind up euthanized by animal control agencies. An ongoing community practice of neutering and spaying domestic animals is ultimately the most humane approach to the feral cat problem.
The methods used to get rid of stray cats may differ, depending on if you’re dealing with a true feral cat or just a wandering pet.
Learn About Feral Cats
Feral cats live outdoors and are unowned by people. They can be found in every landscape and every continent. Feral cats, sometimes referred to as community cats, are not socialized and are wary and fearful of people, preferring to live outdoors. Domesticated cats become feral when human caregivers fail to spay/neuter them and abandon them to a life on the streets. This is the number one contribution to pet overpopulation here in Houston. Feral cats are considered unadoptable as pets. Yet their suffering can be painfully obvious and it is natural to want to help them.
Trap, Spay/Neuter & Return is the humane solution to cat colony population expansion. CAP supports this solution with our Feral Cat Assistance Program . TNR has been used successfully all over the world and is considerably more effective than the wholesale euthanasia of all feral or wild cats heretofore attempted by animal control agencies and shelters. In fact, TNR is an approved method of feral cat population control within the City of Houston. See Houston Code Secs. 6 and 22. Because of our belief, CAP developed and has operated FCAP for the last ten years, a program designed to help deal with the feral cat problem in Houston.
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Provide It With A Cozy Room
The living place matters a lot for cats. Once they like the site they are in, their pheromones get stimulated automatically, which they will reflect by scratching and kneading. Make sure you allocate them a comfortable and quiet place for sleeping. Provide some toys in the room for them to play & keep the food bowl and water bowl in a reachable place. Also, make sure you keep a constant eye either by talking with them, or while talking on a phone, or at least by reading something aloud when you are around your cat.
How To Adopt A Stray Cat
If you’ve checked the cat for a microchip and have been unable to locate an owner, you can decide to take the cat on yourself, said the RSPCA.
“Adopting any cat is a big responsibility,” said Cryar. “Potential adopters should first ensure that they have the time, space, and resources needed to provide a cat with lifelong affection, food and veterinary care.”
You should also consider how well the cat will fit in with your family, including other pets, plus what care it will need to enjoy a healthy and happy life, Arce said.
“If a suitable home can’t be found, cats should be taken to an open-admission shelter, where they’ll have the best chance of finding a loving indoor home,” said Cryar.
You can also contact local cat charities, as many have former strays available for rehoming.
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How To Help Stray Cats
This article was co-authored by Pippa Elliott, MRCVS. Dr. Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS is a veterinarian with over 30 years of experience in veterinary surgery and companion animal practice. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 with a degree in veterinary medicine and surgery. She has worked at the same animal clinic in her hometown for over 20 years.There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 39,897 times.
Stray catsor cats without a permanent homeare a huge problem in the United States. Stray cat numbers are estimated to be up to 70 million in the United States alone.XResearch sourcewww.aspca.org/about-us/faq/pet-statistics Homeless cats have a very rough and short life. They are prone to contracting disease and to spreading disease their hunger leads them to kill songbirds and they reproduce new stray cats because most of them are not spayed or neutered. You can play a crucial role in helping a stray cat find a good home and having it spayed or neutered to prevent further strays. The job isn’t easy and it can cost some in time and money, but it can be a big help to your neighborhood and community even if you only help one stray cat.
Can You Bring A Feral Cat Inside
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Cats are one of the first choices of pets for many pet lovers out there because they are stress-busters, earnest guardians, and are also less quiet easy to look after. Moreover, they are too cute to resist petting. However, not all cats are meant for indoor. Few cats are dangerous to be pet at the house. They are feral cats or otherwise known as non-socialized cats.
These are the ones that grew mainly in the streets, finding their shelter irrespective of the safety and feeding on anything and everything they think of as food, unaware of if its good or not. These stray cats tend to be a little wild, as they are subjected to various hurdles and have to battle with too many foes.
So, petting a feral cat involves lots of guts, patience, time, resources, and so on. If you think that you are not a person who is ready to do all these for your cat, then you are not eligible to pet a feral cat. Yes, you heard it right. It doesnt mean no one can pet a wild cat at all. You can bring a feral cat inside and grow it.
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