So a small stray cat has decided to live in our garden. Usually I'd adopt it but OH is allergic and we have a dog. I've given it some food and tried to approach it but even when I'm on the to her side of the garden it goes back to hide.
It looks young and I think it's a girl but I'm not sure.
I think I'm gonna feed it and worm and flea it but I'm not sure if I should take it to get sterilised or try and find a home for it.
It's so skinny and isn't standing straight, it's back end is hunched over.
Two questions- what should I do and how often should I use flea tablets? I can't find it online and can't use the droplets because it won't let me close.
I know cats can survive on their own but they still want human contact, wouldn't it be happier in a home?
Young and fun95 wrote:
So a small stray cat has decided to live in our garden. Usually I'd adopt it but OH is allergic and we have a dog. I've given it some food and tried to approach it but even when I'm on the to her side of the garden it goes back to hide.
It looks young and I think it's a girl but I'm not sure.
I think I'm gonna feed it and worm and flea it but I'm not sure if I should take it to get sterilised or try and find a home for it.
It's so skinny and isn't standing straight, it's back end is hunched over.
Two questions- what should I do and how often should I use flea tablets? I can't find it online and can't use the droplets because it won't let me close.
I know cats can survive on their own but they still want human contact, wouldn't it be happier in a home?
We used to get a cat coming to my Dads house and it's best to try and collar it and put a message in to make sure it doesn't have an owner. Or since you can't get near maybe posters? If you hear nothing via the collar/posters for a fortnight get it to the vets and RSPCA. If you use flea tablets I'd just use as the packet directs. I wouldnt strealise it until you're sure it doesn't have another owner.
That's so nice of you trying to help her (or him)! Don't you have some kind of cat shelter that can help you catch it? My grandmother had a kitten running around her house before and they came out and helped her catch the little kitten.
I think it's good that you help feeding her a bit if she seems to be underweight and the best would probably be if you could find her a home. But it seems like she might need a visit to the vet to make sure her back is okay. But maybe the shelter could help with that? I have no idea how things like this works in the UK.
But I love that you are trying to help :)
I agree I would ask around first to see if anyone owns it, try to encourage it to eat by leaving food and water out for it. If you don't hear anything and it's still coming then take it to the vets!
I think it's lovely your willing to feed and look after this little kitty. I would say though that I personally feel it's important to spay or neuter as cats can breed from 4 months old when they are still only kittens themselves and as such more unwanted kittens which is just a vicious cycle. If you can't get near her I'd contact a vets or cats protection or some other cat rescue. They will have equipment for trapping and will be able to advise on the best course of action. If you look on facebook you may find local cat rescue pages as a lot of people do it from there own homes and can provide advice. Also i think getting to a vets would be good to check for a micro chip as it may just be lost. Thank you though for looking out for the little one, cats are so often overlooked and presumed that they can just survive wherever. :)
To be honest it sounds like it needs a vet visit asap. You can leave at the vet and not have to pay and I think they try to find a home for it or give it to a rescue to rehome.
Unless it's completely wild, and it sounds like it isn't. It would definitely be happier in a home environment.
Put some food in a box or crate so you hopefully can catch it when it goes in to eat.
Poor little cat, hope you can help it.
delilahxx wrote:
To be honest it sounds like it needs a vet visit asap. You can leave at the vet and not have to pay and I think they try to find a home for it or give it to a rescue to rehome.
Unless it's completely wild, and it sounds like it isn't. It would definitely be happier in a home environment.
Put some food in a box or crate so you hopefully can catch it when it goes in to eat.
Poor little cat, hope you can help it.
I agree with the above. It needs to be checked by a vet and they will have an instrument to detect if it has been chipped and strayed from its owners.
I've asked all the nearby shelters, they're all full, I could put it on the waiting list but I don't think they'd help catch it, they're really for home cats that you just bring in. I thought of putting a collar on it to ask for the owners to contact but since it doesn't leave our garden and it's in such bad condition I wouldn't rate the owners anyway. I think for it to be rehomed it would need rehabilitating because it just won't go anywhere near people.
The flea tablets say they work within 24 hours but not that they last :/ so I'd have to find another way, and I don't know wether they work on ticks, it doesn't say so.
I think it's very young though, so either someone's bought it and isn't looking after it or it was born stray. Really worried about worms because it'll be making it even skinnier but if it's got a really bad infestation and I worm it it could kill it, a neighbour had a kitten die from that.
I hate stray animals, I worry about them so much!
Sorry pups was being awkward and took ages to write that I missed loads of comments lol
I agree it really needs to see a vet but I just can't get any where close. I'll ring my vets in the morning see if they have any method for dealing with strays
Then I suppose delilahxx's advice about the food in the box would be a good idea to trap it. But if you are gonna try and put a collar on her after catching her, you would probably need something to protect your arms so you don't get bitten and get tetanus (if your not vaccinated).
You're* 😮
Try contacting your local Cats Protection (used to be called the Cats Protection League when we were involved). They are equipped and quite skilled in getting hold of cats that won't come to you. With luck they will handle the whole issue of checking for owners, neutering and homing etc.
I'll definitely try the box idea, I barely get to see it because it slinks back into the bush when hears me on the grass :/ I've never not been able to get a cat to come to me before lol
Feel sorry for the poor thing and worried that if it's not sterilised it'll just produce loads of stray kittens :/ I've tried to see if it's pregnant or nursing but it doesn't look like it
Ok I'll try them too, I really don't want it sat in a cage for ages though either :/ might try and tempt my mum into keeping it with her after the vets until I can get it a home?Gyrator53 wrote:
Try contacting your local Cats Protection (used to be called the Cats Protection League when we were involved). They are equipped and quite skilled in getting hold of cats that won't come to you. With luck they will handle the whole issue of checking for owners, neutering and homing etc.
That sounds like a resonable idea. If you were to move the cat to your mum, put her food and toilet in one room with her in it so she can adjust to the new place without having to run around the house too much. Will make her less stressed. :)
Catch it, flog it to the local takeaway gnom 🙊
Would you want it on your pizza Sub? 😷
Try anything once
Sum Sub wrote:
Try anything once
Would you try even Kæstur hákarl?
Most vets and cat shelters have humane cat traps which they will let you borrow and bait with food. The cat will be trapped unharmed and you can then notify the authorities to come and collect it xx