Cat problem.

[bipolar]

so theres a couple stray cats around my neighborhood. they're all friendly, of course. they just don't have homes. theres this one cat that just walked up to me when i was going to the bus stop. he was underfed and dirty and in obvious need of help, so i decided i'd help him. but first, i need to catch him. and i know you might say this is a bad idea, but i've had cats before so i know the basics of cat behavior. and yes, i do need to catch him instead of just feed him, cause if i just leave food out my dog will eat it all . i have everything planned out and stuff... so the point of this post: i need tips on finding and catching stray cats. ANY help at all about this would be awesome! thanks.

[Eldora]

Hehe, sounds like something I'd end up trying to do.

If he's friendly, just sit there and hold your hand out to him and talk really sweetly and calmly. If he comes up to you, then that's good; if he doesn't, you may need to tempt him with some cat food, or even some goodies from the kitchen that cats find delicious -- raw meat, for example.

If you can avoid it at all, don't try to pick him up or put him in a cat carrier, because if you try to, he might end up scratching you, or you'll completely lose his trust. Just slowly lead him back to the house, and be sure to bring some food of some type with you. Give him a little tiny pinch of it, then another pinch, then another pinch, and so on, until you get him home.

If you can't use food, or it doesn't seem to be working, or he's friendly enough to do so, just pet him, then withdraw another step or two, and pet him again until he follows you home.

I've brought home numerous stray kittens and cats with both of those methods. And I also know from experience that if you try to put a cat who doesn't know you in a carrier, it's gonna get mad or start meowing very pitifully until you can't stand it and have to let him out or else feel guilty for the rest of eternity.

People might laugh, but hey! You've got yourself a cat if you can pull it off.

Once you get it home: If he smells, don't bath him, just use a wet washcloth and get him clean as best you can, then comb his fur with a flea comb until he starts looking and smelling like a normal cat. Ideally, after this, you can take him to the vet, and the vet can help you past that point.

If you can't take him to the vet, then get some worm medicine -- I don't remember exactly where I got mine, but I'm pretty sure it was a health food store of some kind -- and administer the recommended dosage. This will help him get healthier quicker, and most of the time, they can't get healthy without it. Also make sure you put some flea and tick medicine on him.

[eunoia]

You'll probably have to entice it with food. Cats have minds of their own, after all, and if there isn't anything in it for them... Can you put the food out where your don't can't get to it? Unless he is very friendly, he'll need to warm up to you before he'll let you snatch him. Make friends with him first.

Can I ask how old the cat is? If he doesn't seem to want to be domesticated (as many older feral animals don't), you could probably still help by finding a local vet that does capture and release spay and neuter, to prevent the population from growing.

[bipolar]

hes not a kitten. as soon as he ran away he ran into a sewer... haha one time we caught one and took it home and cared for it. we named it socks... we caught it right as it was going into the sewer, and he just let us pick him up and take him home. really sweet cat. of course, most of the strays are used to people picking them up. we have a family kinda neighborhood, with kids and a lot of them pick them up all the time, so im not scared of him scratching me. but i do live in an area with lots of ticks (which i''ll admit, they terrify me!) and i was just worried about ticks and fleas. i don't have a flea comb or anything like that... but whatever i'll find something. thanks for the advice. oh, and is it ok to feed a cat human food as long as its not grapes or chocolate or anything? i dont have any cat food available so itd really help if you could give me some household foods they can eat.

[eunoia]

I once had a cat that loved buttered waffles and potato chips, but she was a bit off to begin with. Many unprocessed foods (as in, in their natural state) are alright to feed animals, although as you allude some foods are unsafe for cats. This page tells you some foods NOT to feed a cat: http://cats.about.com/cs/catfood/a/humanfood.htm

Some cats are fond of lettuce, of all things. Tiny bits of meat and cooked rice and veggies would be fine, as well. You should cook the meat or research how to safely prepare raw meat, though, as I know nothing about that. I'd suggest getting cat food as soon as possible--compare the labels on the off-brands to the expensive ones to find ones that match up to save some money--unless a cat has a sensitive stomach, there's no need to go broke feeding them. If you choose not to buy food, Google "homemade cat food" for some ideas.

[TheBabyEater]

Sounds like all the cats are fairly friendly, but until you know the cat itself, I wouldn't pick it up straight away. Even though most of them look to be used to picked up, you can't be too safe. Cat bite HURT like no other. They grab and hold on and everything Plus, you don't know where the cat is from, or when it last had it's shots. So until you really know the cat, refrain from picking the little cutie up

Like the others said, food does wonders. Especially for stray cats. I think it's really sweet what you're doing for them. I know my mom would kill me, but we don't have many strays around here anyway

If a cat has fleas, they also sell flea shampoo at petstores. We use it all the time at my job, just pour it on the pet and let them sit for 5 minutes. Cats however, obviously do not like to be bathed, so I'd leave this to the professionals when they're grooming cats who have had all their shots...

Just curious, what exactly do you plan on doing for the cats? Getting them clean and fed, then releasing them again, or keeping them? Either way would be fine with me, as strays are pretty good at being strays again. (they might prefer to be, and escape anyway )

Originally Posted by Jessie

Can I ask how old the cat is? If he doesn't seem to want to be domesticated (as many older feral animals don't), you could probably still help by finding a local vet that does capture and release spay and neuter, to prevent the population from growing.

This. If, by the sound of things, there are a lot of cats and you REALLY want to help them, you can always neuter them. It's not harmful to the cat, it's actually healthier for them. Plus then the stray cat population won't grow, and there won't be so many cats without homes living a hard life. You can just contact a local place, and they might do it for free. (They should anyway.)

[Leah.sings24]

I'm a dog person, to be honest, but my step-mother happens to be a cat person. She has a cat, and i have a dog. We all live in the same house, although when I'm at my mothers house i take my dog with me. My dog, who's name is Fish (ironic, huh?), is kind of old... Sorry, I'm getting off topic. To get to the point, you shouldn't ever feed a cat dog food. cats need more nutrients. So steer clear of that. I would suggest meat and lettuce? Sounds about right to me. Good luck!