Are Stray Cats A Good Idea?

Hi guys. From where I come from, stray cats are something common here. Recently, right outside the hospital where I work at, I would recently notice this adorable, somewhat tubby stray cat who's always hanging around at the parking lot. Let me just say, he is adorable (I'll try to post pictures next time!) I really feel bad for the little guy not having a home, so I was thinking of taking him in.

My question is, is this a good idea? Is there anything I should look out for, or take extra precautions on?

By the way, I'm sure he's owned by no one.

Thanks!

EDIT: FYI, I have a dog. And a bunny rabbit.

Personally, I think it's a GREAT idea, as long as you have the time, patience, and money to do so. It can be anywhere from amazingly easy to quite a bit of work taking in a stray. If it was someone's pet before it may adapt quickly. I'm not sure of the number of communicable diseases that a cat may have they could be passed to a rabbit or dog, but with other cats it is a large consideration, with FIV & feline leukemia being the two big risks, but I don't think either of those can be spread to other non-felines. I would quarantine the new kitty until you can get a vet check up, blood tests and necessary vaccines. In another room, garage, etc... This will also give the cat a place to feel secure while it gets used to the other animals.

Just some things to think about. It can take some patience sometimes, but I think it's a good thing as long as you are prepared.

Frankly, nearly all the animals I ever had (cats and dogs) were strays. And they have made the best pets.

If you are truly wanting a cat in your home, go for it. Before you take it home, and if it lets you LOL, check it over for any obvious open sores and injuries. If everything looks ok, take it home and straight away give it a flea bath. Then get it check out at the vet and get it shots.

You may want to house it in a room or garage for several days to make sure it's not a scratch-holic and to make sure it doesn't destroy anything in your home while you are at work and such.

If you and the stray have a "relationship" - go for it!

I think it's a wonderful idea to adopt a stray cat. As long as you two are getting along and it trusts you, then I don't think there would be a problem. The only concern I would have is if you have children. Depending on how long the cat has been roaming free, it might not trust people. Children might be upsetting to the cat (depending on their age).

My sister's first cat started hanging around their porch. She soon worked her way into their house. She was about 5 years old. It took some time for her to trust people. But, she fit into the family very nicely.

Let us know what you decide and how it works out. Post of photo if you bring the cat home. I'd love to see it!

Taking in a stray can be a very rewarding experience. Not only does it give a cat a loving place to live than being out in the world where danger lurks around every corner, brush, and building. The best thing is to keep it in a room by itself. Not only is this going to give the cat some time to get use to you and its new environment. Give it some time to stretch its legs out in your house while your other animals are put in a different room. Lets the cat sniff out the other animals and allows it to place some scent on things as well.

If you get a stray cat, immediately take him or her to the veterinarian to make he or she is all right and doesn't have any serious illnesses. Other than that, I don't think you have anything to be worried about.

My fiancee's cats were rescues and they're the greatest and smartest cats I have ever met.

I agree with the other posters, it would be a great idea to adopt the stray cat. Like others have commented just take it to the vet to make sure that it's healthy and that it doesn't need any treatment. Rescues often make great pets. If you do rescue him make sure to show us all a photograph of your new addition to the family. :-)

Thanks guys. I'll be sure to take her to the vet first before anything else.

And I think he'll come with me. For the heck of it, I actually pick him up and take him to the nearby fastfood right outside the hospital when I'm bored.

I don't have kids so that wouldn't be a problem. Just currently with my boyfriend now, and he said he doesn't mind.

I just hope the dog won't be too harsh on her . I'll be posting pics soon!

Sounds like it is an abandoned &/or lost pet. Typically, strays like that have less problems adapting to houses with other animals in my experience. It's certainly not a hard and fast rule, just something I have noticed. And definitely try to give him a room without other animals for at least a few days, maybe a week. And let him get comfortable and meet everybody slowly. Good luck, and keep us posted!

That depends. Are you willing to be financially responsible for the little tabby? I mean that probably includes neutering him and testing him for FIV and other diseases to assure that he'll live a long happy life with you.

And yes, adoption is a great thing. Good luck!

Much as I love cats, in your particular case, it may not be a good idea to adopt that stray cat or any other stray cat.

First, you already have a dog and a bunny rabbit. That's already quite a handful. I am assuming that you are an average person living in an average-sized house. If you really want to help, you can just bring some food for the stray cat. If you can afford it, take it to the vet to be vaccinated and spayed. Then put it back where it came from.

Yes, it's adorable. Yes, it's seems so cold-hearted to just let it live there in the open. But have you thought of the dog and the bunny rabbit that you already have at home? Have you thought of the adjustments they have to make to accommodate the stray cat if you were to take the cat home? You love the dog and the bunny rabbit, don't you? And the dog and the bunny rabbit love you, too, don't they?

(06-22-2012, 03:36 PM)haopee Wrote: That depends. Are you willing to be financially responsible for the little tabby? I mean that probably includes neutering him and testing him for FIV and other diseases to assure that he'll live a long happy life with you.

And yes, adoption is a great thing. Good luck!

Yes, I definitely am. Adding another little critter into the house won't be that much of a blow to our finances, believe it or not.

(06-22-2012, 06:33 PM)Victor Leigh Wrote: Much as I love cats, in your particular case, it may not be a good idea to adopt that stray cat or any other stray cat.

First, you already have a dog and a bunny rabbit. That's already quite a handful. I am assuming that you are an average person living in an average-sized house. If you really want to help, you can just bring some food for the stray cat. If you can afford it, take it to the vet to be vaccinated and spayed. Then put it back where it came from.

Yes, it's adorable. Yes, it's seems so cold-hearted to just let it live there in the open. But have you thought of the dog and the bunny rabbit that you already have at home? Have you thought of the adjustments they have to make to accommodate the stray cat if you were to take the cat home? You love the dog and the bunny rabbit, don't you? And the dog and the bunny rabbit love you, too, don't they?

Of course I love them all, but the thing is, I'm not exactly the only one who "owns" those pets. They're all owned by the family, so if I do ever add little Tubby (that's what I'm calling the cat now, by the way), it won't be much of a problem since the family will be helping out with it. I don't particularly plan to favorite the cat, either. I just want it to have a home with me.

(06-24-2012, 08:52 PM)Rphoenix Wrote: [quote='haopee' pid='3275' dateline='1340343383']
That depends. Are you willing to be financially responsible for the little tabby? I mean that probably includes neutering him and testing him for FIV and other diseases to assure that he'll live a long happy life with you.

And yes, adoption is a great thing. Good luck!

Yes, I definitely am. Adding another little critter into the house won't be that much of a blow to our finances, believe it or not.

(06-22-2012, 06:33 PM) Wrote:Of course I love them all, but the thing is, I'm not exactly the only one who "owns" those pets. They're all owned by the family, so if I do ever add little Tubby (that's what I'm calling the cat now, by the way), it won't be much of a problem since the family will be helping out with it. I don't particularly plan to favorite the cat, either. I just want it to have a home with me.

I see. That puts a different light on the whole matter. Since it's a family project, it's a good thing then. So how is Tubby getting on now?

I agree on the vet check. Do it BEFORE you even take the cat to your house. Fleas, mange, ringworm, coxidia, giardia can all be shared with you other pets, and even you. Keep it separate from your other pets for a while so they can get used to the smell of another pet in the house (especially the dog). And double-check the sex of the cat. If it's "chubby" and very friendly, it might be pregnant and looking for a safe place to have it's kittens. If that's the case, be sure to give it a quiet place away from the dog where it can feel that the kittens are safe.

(06-24-2012, 10:09 PM)Victor Leigh Wrote: I see. That puts a different light on the whole matter. Since it's a family project, it's a good thing then. So how is Tubby getting on now?

I haven't exactly made my move yet due to work. The hospital has been as busy as heck that I barely have time to get him from the parking lot. He's still there though, I see him from time to time walking around or just simply chilling there . I'll try to make my move this weekend!

(06-19-2012, 04:07 AM)Fishbone Wrote: Personally, I think it's a GREAT idea, as long as you have the time, patience, and money to do so. It can be anywhere from amazingly easy to quite a bit of work taking in a stray. If it was someone's pet before it may adapt quickly. I'm not sure of the number of communicable diseases that a cat may have they could be passed to a rabbit or dog, but with other cats it is a large consideration, with FIV & feline leukemia being the two big risks, but I don't think either of those can be spread to other non-felines. I would quarantine the new kitty until you can get a vet check up, blood tests and necessary vaccines. In another room, garage, etc... This will also give the cat a place to feel secure while it gets used to the other animals.

Just some things to think about. It can take some patience sometimes, but I think it's a good thing as long as you are prepared.

I agree with this response. It is a wonderful idea to take in a homeless cat, as long as you have the time and will put in the effort to get him acclimated. I definitely think that the cat should be quarantined though, until he is thoroughly checked out by a vet.

One thing to remember though is fleas. ALL stray cats will have fleas. You might want to capture the cat and take him right to a vet/groomer who can give him a flea bath and some Frontline/flea medicine. That way your home won't become infested with fleas, which is never fun.

-Andrew

I think it's a wonderful idea to give that little guy a home. Most of my cats have been strays and I've had mostly positive experiences, except for my cat Dolores who's kind of a jerk and gets annoyed if I pet her too much.

As the other posters said, it would be wise to quarantine your new friend in a separate room until you can have a vet take a look at him. You don't want to put your other pets at risk.

I hope you do decide to take him in, he sounds like he would make a wonderful pet. Good luck.

We have taken in stray animals including cats before and it always ends bad for us. We are just trying to help and it ends up costing us a lot of money or the kids get attached and we have to get rid of them.

(07-14-2012, 07:00 AM)thetit4n Wrote: We have taken in stray animals including cats before and it always ends bad for us. We are just trying to help and it ends up costing us a lot of money or the kids get attached and we have to get rid of them.

I'm sorry that you haven't had good experiences with taking in stray animals.

I can only speak for myself, and my experience was that most of the cats I've had were mostly healthy and were able to adapt to being housecats.

Like anything in life, taking on a new pet has risks. If the OP feels like she wants to take a gamble on Tubby, it could possibly have a great ending for her. I'm choosing to think positively and I hope she keeps us updated on Tubby.