How to look after a stray cat?
Asked by
Joell (
505
)
November 30th, 2018
So a few days ago we had a little kitten show up on our door. She seemed to have been lost from her mum or her family and was kinda scared which was natural. She was meowing like crazy and coming from a kitten as small as her, it really melted us. We gave her milk and tried to calm her all we could. She now lives at our terrace (we have a flat terrace) during the day and goes out at nights. I am fine with it as our mom is not much of a pet person and that’s the closest she can allow an animal to be. We go and see her every day and she trusts us now and loves to be around us. My concern is that for a couple of days, she hasn’t been eating at all. As a family that is vegetarian, we try and give her milk and mashed potatoes but I know that’s not her regular diet. I want her to learn to hunt for herself but probably she never got enough time with her mum to learn it. Is it possible that she has been hunting at nights? Is she sick? I would like to hear from those who have a cat on how I can help her or what her behaviour suggests. We can’t take her in as a pet and want her to learn to hunt yet until she does that, what is something we could do for her to be in good health?
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6 Answers
The best thing that you can do is to find a good home for it.
If you can’t find a good home for the kitty then take it to the Humane Society.
Please don’t try to take care of this kitten at your house. It needs and deserves good care.
Cats are obligate carnivores. If they do not do not have meat they will die. Also, dairy is not good for cats. Get this cat some cat food. The best thing to do is find a rescue or a shelter to take the cat. Otherwise, it will definitely die.
Yeah, the cat needs food that will keep her alive, and she is unlikely to become an adequate hunter as a kitten with no mother around. Buy her some real cat food.
She may also have worms in her digestive tract, or some other health issues. I would take her to a vet.
FYI:
To give a cat a good home it takes a lot of effort and expense.
I pay about $350 per year per cat. They are worth every penny.
$180 for food.
$80 for vet yearly exam/vaccinations.
$50 for flea treatments.
$40 for cat litter.
In addition to the above a good cat owner is willing and able to pay for the cat’s injury and illnesses. This can quickly add up to a big pile of money.
Also it’s important to neuter the cat ($300 to $500 typical for a female cat). Humane Society may offer a cheaper operation.
If you are not willing or able to give this cat or any pet adequate care then find a good home for it.
Yes get her to the vet. I don’t know where you live but also make sure she doesn’t belong to someone else. maybe check for a chip at the vet. I think cats belong outdoors unless its a very cold winter and a lot of people allow their cats to roam outside.
Put out some cat food or fish or some sort because milk can give cats digestive issues and I’ve never seen a cat want mashed potatoes! :)
She definitely needs spayed and checked for parasites as @gondwanalon said.
I hate to suggest taking her to a shelter because they are so over packed and sometimes they euthanize if they don’t get adopted or if they get too sick. So maybe do research before dropping her off somewhere.
You will have to be REALLY attentive if you keep her as an outdoor kitty. If you know someone who can take her it might be best.
Good luck! Meow.
She probably is sick due to what you’ve been feeding her. Break down and buy cat food. Make it dry cat food so you can pretend it’s not meat based.
You sound like you want to turn her into a feral cat, one that hunts for themselves. That’s a guarantee of a very sort life, and probably a very painful death. Buy some cat food and take care of her properly until you can find a good home.
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