Giving A Homeless Cat a Home
by Sally Colbern
http://www.aaacat.com
Taking in a homeless cat off the street and giving it a home
can be very satisfying. There are many cats left lviing
wild, they are left cold, hungry, often injured and unloved.
Adopting a homeless cat takes planning, there are a number
of things about your nex cat that you need to know ino order
to house it properly: Is the cat an adult or a kitten? Was
the cat ever housed before or has it always been feral? Will
the cat get along with any pets (such as cats or dogs)
which you already have?
Most homeless cats have had harrowing experiences with
people, so your first task is to establish the cats trust,
the cat will initially be afraid of you and will proably try
to run away.
Cats, who were born near humans, are more tolerant to people
but in the beginning they still require a certain distance
to be kept. They require less effort to become again trusty
and loving home pets.
Wild cats are often in poor health, they are often hungry
and carry infectious diseases, these can generally be
treated easily so it is a good idea to bring your new cat to
a vet prior to bringing it home.
If you have other pets it is especially important that you
bring your new cat to the vet. If your cat was being cared
for by an animal shelter it is likely the cat has already
been =seen by a vet. Nonetheless it is best to bring the cat
to a vet, while there ask about any future vaccinations the
cat may need.
If the cat appears malnourished the automatic reaction is to
give it large meals, this is a bad idea, in fact it can be
harmful to the cat. So do not give the cat excessively large
meals.
At first, the cat might need special food or food additives,
to compensate for the irregular meals on the street. This is
particularly true for kittens, who might need special milk,
obtained from a pet store, rather than ordinary cow milk,
which lacks vitamins and minerals, that are vital to a
growing cat.
Another important issue is integration with other pets and
with people. Animals are like people ~ they do have a
character and feelings (fear, love, affection, anger) and it
is risky to bring a new inhabitant home without taking the
necessary means for socializing it.
Initially it is best to isolate the cat from other
inhabitants totally,then you can introduce the cat to its
new home allowing it to grow used to the new sights and
smells in its new home. You can then introduce the new cat
to any cats you may already have, be on gaurd and ready to
intervene at the first sign of trouble.
If hostility arises, separate the cats into different rooms
(their own territories) and wait for a more convenient
moment to mingle them. And do not get discouraged if it
takes some time till it is safe to leave the newcomer in the
company of other cats, while you are away.
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