Finding A Stray Cat

Your driving down the road and suddenly you see a beautiful little kitty wandering toward the edge of the street. What is your first thought? What is the first thing you do? If you love animals, your first thought is panic for the cat of course. No matter the situation, coming upon a stray cat can often be a nightmare or loving experience for all involved.

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

Listed below are some things you can do to safely rescue a stray cat. The best case scenario is the cat makes it safely across the street without incident or finds a place to stay safe and secure.

• First and foremost, your safety should come first. If you should decide tp pull off and save the cat, be sure to use your blinker and hazard lights, and any emergency placards are in place. You want all oncoming traffic to see your parked vehicle on the roadside.

• Beware the cat might be frightened or even worse, injured. Cats can be intensely unpredictable, so proceed with extreme caution. It is recommended you have a leash, a blanket, or even a pet carrier if possible to gently coax the stray cat into. If you can, do your best getting the cat as far away from the road as possible. This may be a very complicated process, as cats have a tendency to dart, especially when they are hurt. More often than not they will just try to flee as quickly as they can.

• When you are trying to rescue a stray cat, it leaves you open to being bitten or seriously scratched. If at all practical let the cat come to you. If you have food, you may be able to coax the cat to you. Many cats do love tuna fish, but your chances of you having a can of tuna fish in your car is highly unlikely. If you have a cell phone, call a nearby friend or family member to bring a tin of tuna fish, or a can of wet cat food.

• If you do get the cat inside the car, and the cat is aggressive, be careful driving. The cat might attack, or go wild and cause you to have an accident. That is why a cat carrier or a leash would be the preferred method of securing the cat. If you 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 hissing and frightened.

• It is also possible that the animal is not a stray at all. It is very possible just roaming around the neighborhood. Many owners let their cats free roam the neighborhood. If there is a collar and a number, perhaps give the owner a friendly call to let them know their cat is to close to the road, and in a dangerous situation, I am sure they would appreciate it.

• If it is a stray and you decide to take it home, the first thing you want to do is try locating the owners of the cat. Just because they lost their cat does not mean they are bad owners or don't want their cat anymore. Perhaps they were moving and the cat darted out. Maybe a screen was torn, and the cat quickly escaped. They could be looking desperately for their cat.

• 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 very sad. This is one very good reason cats should be spayed or neutered as soon as they are ready.

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

• Post a notice in your local newspaper or newspapers if you have more than one. Put notices up in the local stores, markets, and service stations. Post on Facebook to your local animal shelter. Photo's are very helpful if you're able to get one.
• Post signs on poles around the neighborhood you found a stray cat. Include a photo if possible. It doesn't cost much to take a picture and run few copies.
• Post a notice at the veterinary offices in your area. Word of mouth can spread quickly at the vet's office.
• Post notices at the shelters as well. That is usually the first place people look for their lost pets.

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