How to Take Care of a Stray Cat - Helping a Stray Cat Find its Home

Cats have lived alongside people for thousands of years, and it's natural to want to help a stray cat when you come across one. Sometimes stray cats are lost pets in need of help, other times they may be feral cats that are happy to remain in the outdoors. Knowing how to tell the difference and what you can do to help may mean the difference between life and death for a stray cat. Remember that approaching any animal outdoors can be dangerous, so be careful when attempting to care for any stray cat.

1. Identify a lost pet cat. Pet cats do not behave in the same way feral ones do, although if a cat has been lost for some time or is frightened, it may behave in a way that appears feral. If the cat approaches you and does not appear to fear humans, it is likely a lost pet.[1]
- A collar is an easy way to identify a lost pet cat.
- Pet cats may appear less clean than feral cats because they are unaccustomed to living outside and needing to clean themselves more frequently.
- Pet cats may try to approach you or to enter your home. Feral cats would not.
- Lost pets will often rub against the leg of humans when hungry, a feral cat will not.[2]

2. Try to find its owners. The best thing you can do for a lost pet cat is to find its owners. Chances are a loving cat that finds you has a home with an equally loving family looking for it. Most neutered cats will not stray far from home, but intact male cats may travel further and may not be from the immediate area.
- Look around the neighborhood for posters about a lost cat. Consider making and putting up “found cat” posters in case the family is actively looking.
- Put a collar on the cat with a note attached to it. The cat may just be an outdoor cat that knows its way home. When the family finds the note on the cat’s collar, they may contact you to let you know.
-Look in the classified sections of local websites and newspapers in case anyone has posted an ad looking for their cat.

3.Enlist the help of a local shelter or vet. Local animal shelters or veterinarians may be able to help you identify the owners of a lost pet cat. They interact with a large number of pet owners on a daily basis and may have heard about a cat that’s gone missing.[3]
- In order to get assistance, you must first Catch a Stray Cat.
- You can transport the cat in the cage you used to catch it.
- Have the shelter or vet scan the cat for a microchip ID tag that may identify the owner.
- Check to see if anyone has reported a missing cat to the shelters in the area.

4. Find the cat a home. If your efforts to find the original home for a lost pet cat fail, it may be time to find a new home for the cat. Lost pet cats are not well suited for outdoor life, so you may not want to simply release the cat back where you found it.
- If you are willing to adopt the cat, take it to the veterinarian to be vaccinated and checked for other health issues.
- If you are unable to adopt the cat, bring it to a shelter that will try to find it a good home.