My pages at a glance:
If you liked this java, I found it at
The Omega Factor
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Eve used to live on the streets. She used to eat out of garbage cans. Our vet estimated her age to be around a year old which meant that she only had another year to live on the streets.
Eve is now three years old. And for the first time, she purred while being petted. When she was living on the streets, she learned how to beg for scraps from humans by rubbing against their legs. But she never learned what it was to be a pet who didn't have to beg for food.
When I brought her home, she would raid the garbage every day. The other cats would sit around and stare at her like she had gone mad. You can almost hear what was going on inside of their heads.
"Why dig for garbage when we have bowls full of perfectly good food?"
We broke the garbage digging habit within a month. But her reluctance to be petted was another story. Eve would not hiss, spit, bite, or claw the petter. She would just slink away low to the ground.
Stray cats are always a cheap source of new pets. Some strays are actively looking for a good home. I know of several cats who have simply ran through an opened door and taken their place. My mother-in-law's cat, Babe, is a good example. My mother-in-law, Ginny, adopted Babe as a kitten. Babe was in the yard during several days of cold rain. Ginny invited Babe in, and she dashed for the door. That was two years ago. Now Ginny has five cats all shiny and healthy. And four of them were strays.
But adopting a stray has its own problems. You must have your new cat checked out by the vet. Babe had worms and fleas. She was very anĉmic and she would have died without the proper medical care.
If you have other cats in the house, a vet's visit might be in their best interest as well. Deworming is a must for all newcomers to prevent the spread of parasites to the old-timers. Shots should be given as soon as possible. Also if a female stray is pregnant, a vet might be able to perform the spay operation anyway if the pregnancy hasn't progressed too much. I'm pro-choice for cats, by the way.
Also the older stray, like Eve, may have a few habits that need breaking. Don't despair, cats can break bad habits. They just need a little training. No cat is too old too learn new things.
Introducing your new cat, especially an older cat, to your other cats can present a few problems. Your new cat might be intimidated by the resident cats or they might try for the "top" status of the group. Also strays that have always fought for food may have a hard time adjusting to the bounty of a full bowl of food. You might want to separate them while they eat.
Your resident cats might be jealous of the newcomer. So always make sure that there is plenty of food and attention for everybody.
In short, if you see a stray who wants a good home, take it in. Just remember all strays can be rehabillitated.
My pages at a glance:
If you liked this java, I found it at
The Omega Factor
cat people have visited this page.
This Stray Cats site is owned by Sweetkittie. Want to join the A Stray Cat No More Webring? |
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