Reaching Out to Stray Cats
One of our hospital employees has brought in a stray cat. He feeds them when they come around and will scoop them up if he can to have them checked out if they are limping or too skinny. He noticed this guy was sneezing and was concerned with the colder weather approaching that he wouldn’t be able to get better on the streets. His generosity to these cats has inspired several others in our hospital to reach out to the strays they see.
Two young kittens were caught and brought in for an exam and vaccines before getting a new start at our great local shelter. Another woman bought heated water bowls and set them next to a few new cat beds which she diligently keeps clean. I think it is a good time to be on the look out for the stray cats that need support during the colder weather. Often, local shelters or animal control can help you catch them so they can be transferred to stable environment and have a chance at adoption and good care. If you decide to open your heart and you door to a neighborhood stray cat, please be sure to have them checked by your vet beforehand!
--Dr. Olson
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Dr. Olson practices small animal medicine in Denver, CO and is a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.
on December 30, 2008 at 11:22 AM
I am a sucker for stray cats. Twice in the last three years, pregnant stray cats have moved in, had kittens, and abandoned them! We have 9 cats, now. The nineth cat, I found in my bathtub, behind the shower curtain. No one seems to know how he got there! I wish one of my kids would become a veterinarian. The cost of cat care is killing us. Our local shelter will accept them for $5 each, but puts them down. For $25 each they will "try" to find them a home. That means they will keep them overnight, before euthanizing them. In my small town, there is a group of beautiful strays, without shelter. The folks at the veteran's home give them scraps and any food that is donated for them. I drop off big bags of chow for them. The "no kill" shelter NEVER takes animals. I have tried many times over the years to get them to take some nice animals, e.g., dogs that would not fit in a "cat environment" or cats that my cats just would not accept and attacked. They just want my money to fund the stray cats they have themselves. They NEVER actually take other animals. It drives me crazy. I cannot afford to have every stray in the neighborhood neutered, although I have caught a few and paid to have them done at about $160 each.(They make you pay for pre-op exams and all the shots first. Extra for pain meds...) Not a single vet here will neuter them as a community service. Well, I guess I have vented enough. Good luck with those cats at the hospital.