Any stray cats lurking in corners within your neighborhood?
If you are a cat lover, then it is no doubt that your first instinct would be to win over one or more of the cats with the promise of treats or food. And that would be a kind act considering the hunger and hardships stray cat go through while roaming free in search of food, and without any comfort.
However, before you offer food to a stray cat, there are some questions you must consider. And these are:
- What qualifies a kitten or cat as stray?
- What can you do with a stray cat?
- What can you feed a stray cat?
Identifying A Stray Cat
A stray cat is a feline that is either lost or abandoned by its previous owner. Unfortunately, stray cats are a common sight in many places.
Most stray cats, particularly those that have not had human contact for some time, are typically lean and may have untidy and rough fur coats or present a generally unhealthy appearance.
However, you should note that even though a cat may present a stray’s looks, it could still be someone’s pet. Hence, you lookout for a collar or an identification tag as these must be indicators that the cat does belong to someone. Even in the absence of these, the kitty might still be someone’s pet, as it might have been micro-chipped.
What You Can Do With Stray Cats
You possibly might be wondering what to do with stray cats roaming your surroundings.
No doubt, cats are natural roamers as they are quite adventurous and love to explore. Hence, it is not unlikely to have an indoor or outdoor pet cat occasionally wander a bit far from home, especially when left on its own.
Therefore, if you have warmed up to a stray cat, you must do the following to rule out any chance that the kitty you are trying to help or take in does belong to someone else:
- First, check with people in your neighborhood to ensure that it does not belong to anyone living around.
- Take advantage of social media’s far and wide reach by posting a picture and description of the kitty on a few out of the many lost and found pages on various sites and platforms to locate an owner.
- Check with the vet to ascertain whether or not the cat has a microchip.
If after you have done all these and you are still unable to locate an owner, and the cat does not bear a microchip, then you are left with the following options:
- Keep the cat: This option will require you to take the cat for proper veterinary examination and care and provide the environment and items necessary to maintain a healthy cat.
- Find a home for the cat: You have a better chance of re-homing the cat after taking the kitty for veterinary examination and care. And possibly have had it spayed or neutered.
- TNR: Trap-Neuter-Release, the cat, to help reduce the ever-expanding stray and feral cat population.
- Take the cat to a shelter or humane society where it can be placed for adoption.
What To Feed Stray Cats
The subject of feeding stray cats is somewhat controversial. With many kicking against the act because doing so will mean that the strays will keep returning to where they were fed, and possibly attract more strays into the neighborhood.
However, if a stray cat or stray cats are not constituting any nuisance in your neighborhood, then it is okay to feed them. But to successfully feed a stray cat, you should know what to feed it.
What exactly do stray cats eat?
By their nature, cats are carnivorous animals. Hence, left to their device, cats survive as predators who hunt for other animals like lizards, mice, rabbits, birds, and other small animals, for food.
Cats require a high protein and carbohydrate diet to maintain and improve their energy levels, digestive tracts, and general well-being.
However, this does not mean that you have to hunt these animals to feed a stray cat. Instead, you can begin feeding a stray cat a little bit of canned cat food or cat chow, and a lot of fresh-water. You can also prepare simple, nutritious home meals to meet a cat’s complicated nutritional requirements. A meal of mashed boiled or baked potatoes and a small amount of cooked chicken, or a meal of rice and boiled liver or de-boned fish can make a nutritious and easy-to-digest meal for any stray cat.
Will a stray cat starve if I stop feeding it?
Stray cats are great hunters, and will most likely not starve if you stop feeding it. However, if you feed the stray cat for a long extended period of time and then suddenly stop, it can be dangerous. If the cat has become reliant on you as a food source, it may have lost its swiftness and ability to hunt for food by itself.
What can I feed a stray cat?
Determining what to feed a stray kitty is the initial and one out of the several steps towards improving the lives of strays, and also increasing their survival chances.
Fortunately, feeding a stray cat does not require that you break a bank. One of the best dry cat food or canned cat food and even a variety of nutritious and straightforward home-made meals can sufficiently satisfy and sustain any stray cat.
