Finding A Stray Cat

Your driving down the road and suddenly you see a beautiful little kitty cat wandering into the street.  What is the first thing you do?  Your first thought is panic for the cat, that traffic will just keep going at the same rate of speed and not notice that the cat is wandering close to traffic.

What is it you want to do?  If you decide to pull off and rescue the animal you need to have a plan. If you have no intention of keeping or rescuing the cat,  call your local animal control agency for the cat's own protection.                                   

 Listed below are some things you can do to safely rescue the cat. The best case scenario is the cat makes it safely across the street without incident.   This is where you come in.

►  Your safety comes first. When you pull off the road,  be sure use your hazard lights,  and any emergency placards you may have.  You want oncoming traffic to see your parked vehicle on the roadside.

►  Beware the cat might be frightened or injured.  Cats can be unpredictable,  so proceed with caution. Have a leash,   a rope,  a blanket,  or a pet carrier if possible to coax the pet into.  If at all possible, try getting the cat away from the road.  This may not be easy,  as cats like to dart,  and when an animal is hurt they sometimes tend to flee.

►  Trying to rescue  a stray can you have the chance of being bitten or scratched.  If at all possible let the cat come to you.  If you have food, you may be able to coax the animal to you.  Cats like tuna fish,  but the chance you have tuna in your car is highly unlikely.  If you know someone and have a phone, call them to bring some tuna.

►  If the cat is aggressive  be careful  driving with the cat.  It might attack, or go wild and cause you to have an accident.  That is why a cat carrier or a leash  would work better.   If you want to go ahead anyway, make sure the cat is as far away from you as possible.  And be ready for screeching and possible clawing if the cat is.

►   It is also possible that the animal is not a stray at all.  It maybe just roaming around the neighborhood. Some owners let their cats roam free. If there is a collar and a number,  perhaps give the owner a friendly call to let them know their cat is near the road.

►   If it is a stray and you take it home the first thing you want to do is locate the owners. Just because they lost their cat does not mean they are bad owners.  Perhaps they were moving and the cat darted out. Maybe a screen was worn,  and the cat snuck out.

►  There are a variety of reasons a cat becomes a stray. Some are truly mistakes and some are downright mean and cruel irresponsibility. Regardless of why,  they are all sad.

Some things you can do to locate the owner of the stray cat you found.

1. Post a notice in the newspaper.  Put a notice up in the local stores, or markets.

2. Post signs on poles around the neighborhood you found a cat.  Include a photo as well.

3.  Post a notice at the veterinary office. If there is more than one office, be sure to post a notice in each one.

 If you are unable to find the owner,  it is up to you what you want to do with the stray cat. Find a good home ,  take it to a shelter, or claim it as a new pet,  which will make you happy as well as your new  cat.

Save A Cat

http://www.spca.com/

http://www.terrific-cats.com/

http://www.saveacat.org/