Tips for handling a stray cat

Tips for handling a stray cat

Tips

 * Stray cats are often dehydrated. Offer small amounts of canned cat food or tuna with a little extra water added. This ‘soup’ will often result in a rapid improvement in a cat's health and appearance.
 * If you encounter a sick or injured stray while driving, pull safely off the road and signal other cars to slow down. If you can, block the cat's access to the road or lure it into your car with food. Call animal control instead of trying to transport the cat yourself, since it may become frantic and interfere with your driving.
 * If stray cats are a common sight on your local roads, keep a cat carrier and pillowcase or cat comfort bag in your car. If you encounter an injured cat on the road and can safely access it away from traffic, carefully wrap the cat in the pillowcase, put it in the carrier, and take it to a veterinary clinic or humane society. Contact the facility in advance to ask about cost: some 24 hour emergency clinics or well-funded humane societies treat injured strays for free. Many other facilities do not have the money and will charge you for the medical bill if you bring the cat in.
 * Watch for signs of loose cats in your neighborhood, such as shredded garbage bags, night howling, or nervous behavior from your own pets (especially watching the door or window).
 * You may have heard rumors that people try to claim strays in order to illegally sell them to research laboratories. This is true, but very rarely happens with cats, at least in the United States. In 2007, U.S. dealers collected fewer than 300 cats from individuals, and not all of these were thefts or cons. Still, if you're trying to find a new home for a stray, visit the potential home in person and back off if anything seems fishy.

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