Q&A for How to Take in a Stray Cat

Many stray cats are able to adapt to living indoors and can become wonderful pets. Before you bring a stray cat indoors, you should always take it to the vet first to make sure it doesn't have any underlying health problems.

Some stray cats have already lived with humans, so they’re already well socialized and ready to be in a loving home. If the stray hasn’t lived with humans before but is still a kitten or a very young adult, it may not take long for the cat to become friendly and tame. Older cats who aren’t used to being around humans can be a lot trickier—you’ll need to be very patient and give them lots of time to learn to trust you. Be prepared for the possibility that your new friend may never be fully socialized.

They can, yes. For this reason, always be careful when handling a stray cat. Always wash your hands after touching the cat, and get medical help immediately if you get scratched or bitten. If you plan to adopt a stray, take the cat to the vet right away for an exam and tests to make sure it doesn’t have any serious health problems.

If the cat is friendly, carefully put it in a cat carrier and bring it to the vet for an exam and treatment. If you can’t handle the cat safely, call local animal control or a feral cat rescue organization in your area. They can send someone to help capture the cat and get it to a vet.

Make a shelter for it.

The weather is an important factor in this. If it is warm, but not too hot, and the kittens are not dehydrated or emaciated, then they will probably be fine, but they could have ticks or fleas, which would be problematic for their health. Ask your vet if he'll discount looking at them, since they're strays and you're doing a good deed looking after them.

Give the cats some more time. Don't pressure them to go near each and don't feed them near each other. Have separate litter boxes and don't give all the attention to one cat.

Feed your cats together. Start by feeding them in two different corners, then move them closer until they're comfortable. There are some more helpful tips in this article about how to Encourage Multiple Cats to Get Along with Each Other . If nothing works, it might be best to rehome the cat that isn't fitting in, but hopefully it doesn't come to that.

You will need to listen to your parents. They may not want the cat in for reasons such as the possibility of vermin, disease or injury to you or the cat. Perhaps they don't like cats. You can try talking to them about it and showing them this page on how to rehabilitate a stray cat, to see if it changes their mind. If not, consider making the cat a home in your yard, if the vet has seen the cat and said it's okay to keep it.

Most likely, yes, with a little patience and training. Check out this article on How to Teach a Cat to Recognize Its Name .

If your cat has been thoroughly checked by a vet and you're certain that nobody owns the cat, then you can consider keeping it. The cat may find it hard to deal with being kept indoors in an apartment if it has been used to living outdoors. You will need to ensure that it has plenty of room to run about, things to climb up on and high sleeping areas. Check out online images for suitable apartment styles for keeping cats happy to see what you can make use of. In time, the cat will get used to it if it's happy with you.

Building a shelter for a stray can vary from being a case of putting a few items together to a full on project. For the easiest, no build cat house, use a box with no lid on its side with necessities inside. If you want, you can get a box with a lid and carve out a swinging “cat flap” or a door. You can also use a wooden or plastic box so that the rain will not harm it.

Well, as you know feral/stray cats can be quite aggressive. But it is possible that she has already been spayed meaning she won't be as aggressive. If you can I would recommend bringing her to your vet to check her out for fleas, worms, and if she has been spayed. If she does have a tattoo in her ear that means she probably has been checked before. But I would still recommend checking her out. If your cat likes her once you get her checked introduce them between a door. Then gradually let them meet each other by keeping the door open slightly. If she seems to not like your cat that's okay, keep introducing them to slowly get her used to your cat. Hopefully, from there she'll be comfortable!

Try using food or a treat to get it to follow you. Use something that smells strong, like tuna. If that doesn't work, try using a Havahart trap to catch it, or lure it into a cat carrier with food/treats. Make sure to take it to the vet right away if you end up taking it in.

No. If he is well groomed and fat, it may just mean he is an outside cat. It is doubtful he is a stray and it would be not be right for you to take him as your own.