series of vaccinations. Some even spay or neuter animals prior to adoption. Other organizations offer vouchers that can be redeemed at most veterinarians’ offices for a free or discounted medical exam and spaying or neutering. Some shelters also operate information hot lines that you can call if you have general questions about cat care and behavior.
Before adopting from a shelter, find out as much as you can about the history and care that has been provided to the cat. For example:
• Under what circumstances did the animal arrive at the shelter?
• Has a veterinarian examined the cat?
• Has the cat received any vaccinations?
• Has he been checked or treated for internal parasites?
• Has he been tested and found to be negative for feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV)?
Knowing these details is especially important if you have other cats at home. Usually, this information is spelled out in the contract or adoption agreement that you sign, but if not, always ask. In addition, make sure you understand the shelter’s return policy, in case the animal you adopt turns out to be sick or simply doesn’t work out in your home.
Taking in a Stray
Sometimes, it is the cat that finds and adopts a new owner, instead of the other way around. We’ve all heard variations of the typical scenario: A scraggly stray shows up on your doorstep, hungry, perhaps even hurt or sickly. The pathetic plight of such a homeless creature pulls at your heartstrings, so you set food out for him, which is, of course, an invitation to the cat to stay.
Countless cats are cruelly abandoned each year when their owners move, die, or simply grow tired of them and give them the boot. While it’s hard to imagine how people can be so irresponsible and cold-hearted as to leave a cat on the side of the road or to move away and abandon the animal to fend for himself, the sad reality is that this happens all too often. Most homeless strays suffer a meager existence and eventually die from disease or starvation, or they end up being hit by cars or killed by other animals. Only a lucky few happen upon the yards and homes of kind-hearted folks who eventually take them in.
Before taking in a stray, however, make sure he is genuinely homeless, and not just a neighborhood pet looking for an extra handout. Ask around or advertise in the Lost and Found section of your newspaper. If the cat is lost, the original owner may come forward and claim him. If the cat is tame enough to let you safely handle him without him scratching and biting, check for any form of pet identification–collar, ear tag, or tattoo (usually on a rear inner thigh). Some owners have tiny microchips implanted between the pet’s shoulder blades. These can be detected by a special scanner, which your area’s animal shelter may have.
If you do happen to find a homeless stray, there are some special precautions you should take.
• Warning: Assume that the cat has had no vaccinations, including rabies, and approach the animal cautiously, for your safety.
• Wear thick gloves if you handle or pick up the animal the first time. Many abandoned cats revert to the wild after only a short period without human contact, and they will fight fiercely if captured.
• If you have other cats, do not expose them to the stray until he has been checked by a veterinarian and quarantined from your animals for at least a week, preferably two, to make sure the stray isn’t incubating a contagious disease. Before bringing the stray into your home, capture him if you can do so safely and take him to a veterinarian immediately for a thorough examination.
• If you intend to keep the animal, request that he be checked for parasites and tested for FeLV and FIV. If the latter tests come back positive, you will be faced with a difficult decision, as you will not want to take an infected animal home and expose your other healthy cats to him. If you have no other cats at home, you will want to weigh the costs of providing ongoing medical care for a sick animal before you definitely decide to keep it. FeLV-and FIV-infected cats can live a long time with their chronic conditions. Your veterinarian can tell you what to expect.
• If the animal checks out as healthy, have him vaccinated for rabies and feline respiratory diseases right away, and follow any other vaccination plan your veterinarian recommends.
• If the cat is an intact male, have him neutered to reduce the incidence of spraying and fighting.
• In the case of a female foundling, it may be difficult to tell whether she has already been spayed. So, you may want to keep her inside and wait awhile to see whether she goes into heat or displays any signs of pregnancy.
Rescuing and Rehabilitating a Sickly Stray
If the cat you find is ill or malnourished, your veterinarian can recommend an appropriate treatment plan. If the stray appears to have a potentially contagious respiratory illness, you may want to consider boarding him at the clinic until he recovers, rather than risk exposing your other cats at home. This will also allow time for all of the necessary test results to come back.
If you’ve found an abandoned kitten, chances are he may be dehydrated and will require fluid replacement. If the kitten was orphaned at a young age and is weak from malnutrition and neglect, you may be in for a siege of round-the-clock feedings every few hours, as instructed by your veterinarian. Newborns must be fed every two or three hours, and because they cannot yet eliminate on their own, you will need to stimulate the anal area with a warm, moist washcloth after feeding. Normally, the mother cat performs this duty by licking her youngsters’ bottoms with her rough, wet tongue. By about four weeks of age, kittens can control their own elimination. At that time, they also can begin experimenting with soft, solid foods (see page 76). Whatever the circumstances, your veterinarian can recommend an appropriate formula and feeding schedule.
The outcome of such rescues is always unpredictable, and sometimes downright sad, but the rewards can be potentially great, as the survivors often seem to comprehend their predicament. Eternally grateful to their human benefactors, these rescued cats often turn out to be the most devoted and loving companions of all.
Buying from a Pet Store
Although pet stores usually deal in purebred animals, some do take in unwanted mixed-breed kittens from local residents and sell them as a goodwill gesture. Others will house random-bred cats and kittens for local humane societies to improve their chances of adoption.
If you consider buying a cat from a pet store, ask how and where the shop acquired him. Try to find out as much as you can about the cat’s history. If you’re not satisfied with the answers you get, look elsewhere.
The staff should be able to tell you the age and sex of the kitten and give you correct advice on cat care. If you are satisfied that the staff seems knowledgeable, that the environment is clean, and that the cat or kitten appears healthy, then the pet store may be as good a place as any to acquire your new companion. Just make sure the written purchase agreement includes a medical and vaccination history, as well as a guarantee that you can return the kitten if he develops health problems within a specified period of time.
