How to Handle a Stray Cat - Identifying a Stray Cat

Sometimes it is hard to tell if a cat on the street is lost or homeless, or just taking a stroll around its neighborhood. It can be even harder to figure out what to do with a cat once you do figure out that it is lost and needs your help. Although figuring out the status and needs of a cat that you don't know can be hard, it's really important to figure these things out, as your actions could save the life of a cat that is truly in distress.

1. Be proactive by reading lost pet ads when they get posted in your neighborhood. Be aware of descriptions of cats that have gone missing near your home. This way, if you see a cat that perfectly fits the description of a lost cat, you can investigate. Ads may be posted in a variety of locations, including coffee shops, grocery stores, and on telephone poles.

2. Look for signs of a stray if you suspect one near your home. While you can't always get a full glimpse of a scared or shy cat, you can read the signs around to get a better idea.
- Look for shredded garbage bags overnight.
- Pay attention to cats that are outside at an hour when most pets would have been brought in for the night.
- Keep a look out for a cat that runs away after catching just a glimpse of you.

3. Pay attention to your own pet's behavior. Your pets may notice a cat outside before you do. Try to see what they see when they're at the window. A stray might have a routine your vigilant window-watchers have picked up on and any new cat showing up in your yard will be quickly noticed. If you notice any unusual growling or hissing coming from your window-watchers, it is likely there is another cat outside they can see.

4. Pay particular attention for strays in cold seasons. Early winter is an excellent time to notice stray cats, since they are becoming more desperate for food, and since most pets will not be venturing out as much. Be especially vigilant at this time of year.
- Look for fresh tracks in the snow, especially when the weather is too cold for most pets to want to venture far from home and the tracks have appeared after a nighttime snowfall. You may be able to follow these tracks to a den under a porch, for example, if you're up early before they are obscured by other traffic.

5. Be able to identify a regular outdoor cat that is not lost and does not need your help by their appearance. An outdoor cat is one that is trained to go outside without running away. An outdoor cat is easy to tell apart from a stray or feral cat because of these three characteristics:
- If it is well-groomed and fed and the cat's fur should be decently soft and clean it is probably just a regular outdoor cat. The pet's footpads will also generally be soft, while a cat that has lived outdoors for several weeks, whether stray or feral, will have very calloused feet.

6. Pay attention to a potential stray cat's behavior. An outdoor cat will generally be friendly. The pet cat should interact with people, and it may try to come inside your house. However, many pet cats are skittish and will run away if they see you, so an initial fear reaction doesn't necessarily mean the cat is homeless.

7. Call the information on any tags if you are concerned the cat may be a stray even though it has tags. Remember, however, that many pet outdoor cats will have collars with tags. If it is a veterinary clinic’s information, you will have to leave your information with them (it can be illegal for them to give you the owners info) and have them call the owner with your information. The owner can then contact you to come and pick up the cat, if it is lost, or let you know the cat is normally running the neighborhood.

8. Check whether the cat is fixed. Another clue the cat is a stray or feral, as opposed to an outdoor pet cat, is whether the cat is spayed or neutered, since intact cats are much more likely to wander and get lost or to be feral.
- A disproportionate number of strays are tomcats, which are easy to distinguish from neutered males if his tail is lifted. The tomcat's full cheeks (jowls) are also sometimes an easy feature to spot, and toms tend to have a stockier build with shorter legs than males neutered before maturity. Feral cats can be neutered, but should be 'ear-tipped' (usually on the left) to indicate this, and likely reached maturity before they were caught and neutered (so he will have a full tomcat face and stocky build). A female stray or feral would be more difficult to differentiate, unless there is an obvious ear tip, a tattoo, or a scar on her belly.

9. Know the difference between a feral and a stray. If you see a cat in your yard, at the park, under a car, or anywhere else, you need to be able to tell if it's feral, a stray, or just an outdoor cat. A feral cat is a wild, non-domesticated cat. A stray is an indoor or outdoor pet that has been let outside and gotten lost. Unlike a regular outdoor cat, feral and stray cats aren't so easy to tell apart, but you can learn specific signs to look for.
- A feral cat may be groomed better compared to the stray, as stray cats aren't accustomed to the outdoors. Strays may also be very undernourished compared to a feral, as they are not capable hunters.
- If you start to feed the cat, the stray will most likely eventually bond and become your companion, or at least quickly become less fearful, while a feral cat would stay skittish. However, any stray can behave like a feral, especially if it has been lost for a long time, and behavior alone may not initially be a useful way to distinguish these cats.