If you are like me, you would love to help every cat or kitten that has been abandoned by their thoughtless owner. Has a feral cat made its way onto your doorstep? Don’t ignore their call to help. This may only make the situation worse. For example, a pregnant cat roaming your yard might just have her kittens underneath your porch. Or, let’s say you have abandoned kittens gracing your yard with their cuteness. Without a mother to care for them, they will starve or become injured. Even though you didn’t cause the problem, it’s not going to go away. Here is what you can do to help out.
Provide Food, Water and Shelter for the Abandoned Cat
Should you decide to bring the cat into your home, be sure to keep them away from your other pets until you know for sure that the cat is healthy. If you would prefer to keep the cat outside, you can make a feral cat shelter for them. Petfinder provides instructions for making a feral cat shelter.
Contact Your Local Animal Shelter
Shelters and pet adoption groups exist in almost every city. To locate one, take a look at this link to Petfinder’s search tool for animal welfare groups. Perhaps they can take in your feral friend and help find her a new home. Whether you decide to keep the cat or not, ask your shelter or rescue group these questions:
- What advise can they give you on taking care of very young kittens?
- Can they suggest different places that have bulletin boards where you can post a flyer?
- Do they know of other organizations that can help out?
- Do they know of any low cost spaying or neutering services available?
Placing the Cat on Local “Found” Lists
If you decide to keep the cat in your care, the right thing to do is to put the cat on your local shelter’s “found’’ list. You never know, maybe the cat wandered away instead of being abandoned. If you speak with your neighbors and put up flyers, you might be surprised to find that someone might consider adopting the cat.
Finding the Abandoned Cat a New Home
Before committing to someone who says they will care for the cat, be sure that they agree to spay or neuter the cat. Try placing a classified ad in your local newspaper. Be as honest about the cat as possible, and provide a nice picture of your furry friend for everyone to see.