People who care for stray cats are part of a rare breed of bleeding-heart animal-lovers. If you are one of them, let me start by saying that I have a tremendous amount of respect for you and your altruistic nature.

I have given away over 20 cats and kittens in 2007, and hopefully, this advice will help you find a loving, new home for your stray friends.

1. When you discover a stray cat in your back yard, keep a bowl of water out, and feed it a small plate of meat or cat food daily. It takes a long time to build trust with many feral cats. To slowly gain their trust, feed them with a long spoon or backscratcher, and use it to pet them around their necks and ears. Do this until they let you get close and familiar enough to pet them with your hands.

2. Before you take it to the vet, you must trap it. Trap it with an animal trap, which is a cage that contains a mechanism that closes the gate of the cage once an animal steps inside to eat the bait. You can purchase or rent these from the local animal control center. Feral, stray cats are normally very skittish when it comes to being handled, and they will either scratch or run if you try to pick them up. Set your trap with some food inside, and the cat will fall into it when it enters to eat.

3. Take it to a vet as soon as you can for immunization, flea treatment, micro-chip inspection, and spaying or neutering. If it is a kitten, it should not be neutered or spayed until it is at least two years old. If you spay or neuter a cat before it is fully developed, it will experience developmental problems and urinary tract infection, which is both painful and uncomfortable for the cat.

4. Once it is spayed or neutered, try to keep it indoors until it is adopted. Living outside can be dangerous; many cats get run over by cars or mauled by stray dogs. Keep an accessible litter box indoors, and let it become accustomed to living in a house. Always feed the cat in a pet carrier so that it becomes accustomed to being inside it, and it won't see the carrier as a threat. This is important because it will make the cat easier to transport and adopt out once you find a new owner.

For the first few days, it might hide under the couch or other pieces of furniture, but keep the litter box and food close to where it is hiding, and it will slowly come out and adjust to its new environment.

5. Take good photos of the cat or kitten, and begin posting ads online at craigslist in the "community" section under "pets". Always ask for a 25 or 50 dollar donation or deposit for the cat because some people who adopt these animals actually take them to pharmaceutical testing facilities for profit.

Post online craigslist ads in various neighboring cities, and also run a local newspaper ad. I find it effective to post flyer ads up around churches, and I also put posters in my front lawn with a collage of pictures of the kitty, and a sign that says "Kitties for Sale" or "Kitties Need a Good Home".

Upload pictures of the animal on a lost and found website such as petfinder.com Look up lost ads in local papers. Register the kitty with nannies4pets.com and other sites, message boards, and online communities.

6. When someone comes to visit the cat, it will inevitably be frightened of strangers, and if they already don't know that about cats, they probably shouldn't bother adopting one. Always educate potential adopters about how to care for and gain the trust of a feral cat.

7. Do not send grown cats to the animal shelter for adoption. Animal shelters are already very crowded with animals, and they will inevitably kill the cat with a lethal injection if they are unable to find a home for it within a few days. Kittens tend to have a better probability of survival there because people tend to adopt kittens more often than grown cats.

8. Locate cat-loving communities in your town or city. There are groups of people who specialize in finding homes for feral cats and other stray animals. Always seek their help, advice, and connections.

Finding homes for older cats is always more difficult. Do not give up your advertising efforts, and be persistent, consistent, and patient. I have held on to cats for as long as 16 months before finally finding the right home.

9. Prepare short contracts for people who adopt the cat. Always instruct them not to attempt to grab or pick up the feral cat immediately because they might get scratched or bitten if they try.

It is often best to inspect the home of the potential adopter before giving the cat away to him or her. If the adopter already has cats, make sure they are kept indoors at least for the first few weeks of living with the new owner. Do not give the cat away to someone who has large dogs or other animals that could maul the cat. Always be very selective, and keep the cat's safety in mind.

When they agree to adopt the cat, always educate them and let the sign an agreement that they understand the risks involved with adopting animals. The adopter must also agree to care for the cat in a reasonable fashion, which should be clearly outlined in the contract. Get a photo copy of the adopter's driver's license, and write down his or her license plate number if they come to your house to pick up the cat.

10. After finding a home for the cat, visit it every 2 weeks to see if it is happy or being treated well. Make sure that it is not being sold to a testing facility or used for illegal animal fighting tournaments. If there is any indication of danger to your cat, take it back immediately, and call your local authorities to file a police report if any instance of animal cruelty was evident.

If you have any questions about adopting or finding homes for stray cats, please email me at ericsoberian@yahoo.com. I hope that you find joy in caring for animals, and know that the world needs less bombs and more safe pets.