You may see a cat roaming outside your home, in the street, or neighborhood, but does the cat really be a stray cat? Most felines, by nature, tend to roam around, here and there, exploring the surroundings near their homes. If we say that domesticated and owned cats usually do this, it does make sense, obviously.
However, it is also a bit tricky to find out that the cat you came across this morning is either a stray cat, feral or domesticated cat. So what should you do if you find one?
First of all, never hesitate to bring the cat home; however, do this carefully as a shy cat might not feel comfortable with your presence. However, one must know and acknowledge “how to help shy cats,” as mentioned in this guide in detail.
Try to find the owner of the cat
Know that feral felines usually act like wild animals and resist coming close since they don’t like humans and interaction with them. On the other hand, Stray cats may also look disorientated and lost but might be friendly if given attention. So to evaluate if the act is really a feral, stray, or owned cat, try to get its attention by giving it some of your time and efforts initially.
Also, many times domesticated cats or cats with owners mistaken for stray cats. First and foremost, try to find the owner of the cat you think could be a stray. Make sure to ask your neighbors if they have a cat and it has been lost. Spread the words so that the cat owner may eventually come to know the location of his or her cat.
What to do if I can’t find the cat’s owner?
However, if there is no cat owner, or you evaluated that the cat is actually a stray cat with no owner and want to adopt it, then be prepared for this responsibility.
You are responsible for taking it to your home, continuing feeding the cat, making room for it to adjust in your home. In addition, be prepared to take the cat to a vet for an initial checkup, vaccination, and spaying or neutering ultimately.
Cat adoption – a huge responsibility!
Getting a kitten or an older stray cat home is a huge responsibility. Also, the arrival of a kitten or a feline buddy is an exciting experience for both cat and cat lovers. However, it is quite stressful and sometimes confusing for the owner and cat since it is an innocent-natured shy cat.
A failure to plan may come with negative consequences eventually. Why? Because maybe the stray cat you are going to get your home is pretty shy, and a shy cat may feel nervous and doesn’t feel easy with you, your family members, and your home. You must work on the ways pertaining to “how to help shy cats” so that they can be a part of your family without any hurdle.
We know that stray cats don’t usually like human interaction and never like to be home cats since they used to roam the streets their entire lives. However, a stray cat may be a domestic cat once but lost connection with humans a long time ago, or maybe abandoned or lost for some solid reasons.
Nonetheless, remember that a kitten born by a stray cat may also be domesticated if it often interacts with a human. Sometimes, these stray cats or kittens are also adopted by shelters for their better wellbeing and good health (they deserve to be treated right, of course).
Thus, if you are adopting a cat from the streets or a cat roaming around your neighborhood, or may opt to get one from a shelter home, you must consider a few essential factors for a smooth and firm transition to let your new companion feel all relaxed and satisfied. Hence, never hesitate to adopt a stray furry buddy, get it home, and make room for this cute buddy to adjust to its new home.
What to check before adopting a stray cat?
Understand that whether it is a little kitten or a cat, it is not a toy, neither a gift nor a non-living material, rather a living creature with particular needs and feelings. Your furry buddy, just like you, has its own rare and unique personality. Hence, it takes a certain amount of time to get to know a cat, and you know that “patience” is the ultimate key to figuring out their little quirks.
Since adopting a cat is a complex decision to make, you need to check a few of the significant factors mentioned below:
Health condition of the cat you want to adopt
Cat breeds
Vets
Considering the costs
Do you have children?
Do you already have other pets at home?
1. Check their health
If you want to adopt a cat from a shelter or a rescue center, it’s suggested to check and evaluate that the cats are in good health or not.
Note that if you adopt a kitten, the first and foremost considerable factor is ensuring the kittens are fully weaned and at least 8 to 9 weeks old. You can also use the below mention health checklist when looking to bring a furry companion home:
The nose should be clear, slightly damp, cool, and clean from signs of sneezing or mucus.
Eyes should also be hygienic, clear and clean, and with no discharge. Uncleaned or unclear eyes indicate respiratory problems.
Ears should also be neat and pink in color. Dark brown and black specks, waxy discharge in the ear canal also indicate ear mites. Even though mites can be easily treated, it is suggested that they should be clean. Unclean ears show that the cat is being poorly and insufficiently cared for in the shelter.
Check how the cat’s tummy looks. A swollen tummy may also suggest that it is caused by poor nutrition and an imbalanced diet or maybe worms.
Cats’ coats should be neat and glossy but not matting.
Also, legs should be well-formed and straight, enabling them to jump and move around easily and actively.
However, if you just decided to get a street stray cat home, just make sure that the cat will be treated and cared for well in your home (pro shy kitten tips). Also, you can visit a vet to determine the health condition of the stray cat in detail.
2. Cat breeds
Just like determining whether to acquire a kitten or adopt a cat, choosing what breed your cat is of is also an imperative consideration. Although behavior and personality traits vary from cat to cat, you can still learn and evaluate many things from breed type.
Shelter homes or rescue centers have a variety of cats from numerous breeds to choose from – they may include adorable domestic long and short hair moggies as well. Talk to the staff and discuss different breeds as they have a lot of insight into what type of breed can be suitable for you according to your lifestyle.
However, in the case of getting a street stray feline home, you can’t really consider evaluating breed types. Just make sure you are all ready to get this pack of happiness home and want to have a good time with it.
3. Vets
As we know, many stray cats are being adopted by cat shelter homes and then sold out to people. If you really want to buy a stray cat from a shelter, consider visiting multiple shelter homes to better evaluate the cats’ kind, breed, and types. So you can buy the right and healthy one eventually.
However, if you want to adopt a stray cat from the street, just make sure that your home is all ready for a new family member.
4. Costs
The stray cat you want to buy from a shelter will cost you money – drinks, food, toys, litter, furniture, and vet bills for the rest of the cat’s life. Thus, it makes a cat a huge responsibility. Also, assuming all cats are similar to each other may set some sort of expectations up for your feline buddy, and it will ultimately fail to meet.
First and foremost, consider adopting a stray cat from a shelter instead of purchasing from a breeder or a pet store. The reasons are it is less expensive; also, the adoption fee typically covers the cost of vaccinations, health checks, spaying or neutering, and others… all of which are usually done before a cat is placed up for adoption. Also, if you are pretty busy in your life or often go traveling, getting an independent cat is a wise choice.
Cats need stability and consistency. If you are busy with your life, family, or job and don’t have enough time to spend with your cat, or maybe your living or financial situation isn’t stable enough, hold off on adopting a kitten until you know that now is the time to really get one.
Moving can be pretty stressful and hectic for your kitten as well, even just once, let alone numerous times. Also, consider the fact that many places don’t usually allow cats, so make a decision while considering all the important factors.
5. Do you have children?
What else should be in mind is to consider family makeup as well. For instance, if you have other pets or even kids in the house, you should look for a human-friendly and easygoing cat that is also well socialized to deal with other animals (mort probably your pets) and humans as well. You can also look for an older stray cat so that you don’t have to fret while training the new family member.
But this is only in the case of adopting a cat from a shelter. However, if you have taken a stray cat from the street to your home, make sure to introduce it early to your family members, especially children – so that both parties can live happily.
6. Do you already have other pets at home?
Already having other pets like dogs, cats, or birds at home may impact the cat you are going to adopt. Since the stray cats are not really friendly, it may create a fuss. Try to introduce both the newly adopted cat and your pets to each other so that they can live harmoniously.
7. Your lifestyle
A highly affectionate and loving cat would be a great companion for someone who has plenty of free time and is all ready to share the couch with a furry buddy. In addition, the virtue of endurance could keep up with a riotous feline buddy that will bat toys around, zip around the house – from the living room to the bedroom to the kitchen. It may playfully attack your legs, arms, back, or shoulders.
But what if you don’t have enough time and the cat you have just adopted have to suffer from loneliness all day long? Consider this factor, and decide if you can really spend time with your new companion or just want to get it home for no good reason. Reflect and evaluate the below-mentioned factors:
Evaluate your needs before you go in
Assess how much of amount of time you can spare with your furry buddy
The amount of attention, love, and care you can give to your new mate
Prep a separate and special place for your fluffy companion
Introduce your cat to the family member and other pets (if any)
Do you need to visit a vet?
A stray cat roaming on roads means that the cat has been living without a proper home and required care. Hence, you probably have no idea about its medical condition or history. You never know if the cat may currently have some medical issues as well. Thus, as soon as you opt to adopt the cat, you must be prepared to consider scheduling a veterinary appointment for a proper initial checkup of your cat.
The vet is likely to check and evaluate the cat’s health condition and check for severe parasites such as fleas and ear mites, which often affect stray cats living without a home for a long time.
Furthermore, the last thing that you must consider after adopting a stray cat is if the cat is expecting kittens or not. Your vet will help you know if the cat is expecting or not. Also, you are likely to keep your adopted stray cat indoors. Still, someday it may get a chance to go outside, so it is viable to let it get spayed or neutered by a vet.
In addition, if the cat’s health is not good enough and it seems fragile, the vet will also suggest particular cats’ treats and foods for its good health. Thus, the sooner the treatment, the better the results.
What to buy for the stray cat I adopted recently?
Suppose you adopted a stray cat from a shelter home. In that case, it’s suggested to give your new companion the type of food it has been already having previously. However, you must consider providing healthy and balanced food for cats and kittens that you brought home from the street or with unknown backgrounds.
What foods to buy for newly adopted kitten or cat?
These cute little cuddly babies need more proteins and fats compared to older cats. Hence, make sure to look for food items with ” Balanced and Complete Nutrition” on their label. Such foods are highly effective for the good health of the kittens since they require a lot of proteins and nutrition in the early phase of their life.
Food items for kittens!
Additionally, there are also types of foods specially formulated for kitties. Let us tell you, you can easily identify such foods with phrases “highly digestible, complete nutrition, an appropriate amount of proteins, or perhaps uniquely formulated to meet kitten’s certain nutritional needs.” Canned food or wet food is the best and ultimate sort of food required for kitties.
Raw food, wet food, and canned food contain an adequate amount of water, which is highly beneficial for kittens to remain hydrated. However, if you have a kitten of 8 to 9 weeks old and above, it can easily eat dry food as well.
Food must be highly digestible
Complete nutrition
Raw or canned food is suggested
An appropriate amount of proteins
Foods for cats!
Nonetheless, if you have adopted a stray cat, you can feed it with all the dry, canned, wet, or raw food. However, some cats usually like to eat dry food. Still, you can check it by giving your new companion multiple types of food on alternative days.
All dry, raw, and canned food
Complete proteins and nutrition
Products to buy for your cat!
Once you have finally taken a stray cat home, now is the time to shop some essential products for your new fluffy buddy. The list is mentioned below:
1- Cat Table Bed
If your cat seems like avoid sitting with your family members and try to have its own spot to rest and chill, then get this hybrid piece of furniture for your cat. Also, if you have a small flat and don’t have enough space for your cat’s furniture, you can buy this cat table bed. The table looks like a very comfy resting and sleeping spot for your cat – the very essential and must include product to have.
It seems challenging to train the newly adopted cat initially; hence it may create fuss and dirt around the house. So a litter mat is an obvious choice to go for. Also, no matter how clean or trained your feline buddy is, it may litter around the home regardless of the availability of a litter box. To avoid this, you are highly suggested to buy this 2-layered litter mat. Your fluffy can easily litter on it, and you can throw the litter trapped inside the mat out just by lifting the upper layer.
Stray cats are not really easy in eating from low cat bowls. Also, they may refuse to eat from multiple low bowls. If they keep doing that, they may develop back pain or perhaps end up having a bad posture. Hence, it is highly recommended to buy this raised cat bowl so that your furry companion can eat easier with the appropriate posture for better digestion.
Your cat was once a stray cat roaming around the streets and neighborhood, so it may avoid bathing with water. Some cats even hate to bathe, so to fulfill your duty of making your cat take a bath, you are suggested to apply this waterless shampoo. It helps keep cats neat and clean, as well as keeping your cat’s fur coat smooth and beautiful – interestingly, it doesn’t need a drop of water to do that, so what are you waiting for?
A useful and engaging toy for your cat. Set the Peek-a-Bird to One-Time-Play or Play-All-Day mode to keep your cat entertained throughout the day. It has a motion sensor that will detect your cat’s movement and automatically turn on.
An interactive toy for your cat, with a realistically vivid fish motion. The fish will automatically wiggle once your feline touches it. It has safe and durable materials, and it comes with a catnip pouch that will excite your cat.
A large 8-piece circuit consists of alternating high and low sections, with motion activated illuminated ball that will light up and zip around inside the track. It will certainly bring fun for your cat.
If you’re thinking of adopting a stray cat and bringing it home, then consider all the essential details and guidelines that can help you achieve your goal. This guide provides you with helpful information about adopting a stray kitten or a cat.
