What To Do If You Find A Stray Cat?

We took the time to interview Mary Orsini of Pad Paws Animal Rescue and Anthony Olszewski of Metro Cat Rescue to help us answer “What do you do if you find a stray cat?”.  They both offered some helpful information on what to do if you come across a stray cat in your community.

1. Contact a Hudson County Animal Rescue

If you live in a highly-populated metropolitan area, you are likely to come across stray animals. According to The Humane Society of the United States, the number of stray cats in the United States is estimated to be between 30 and 40 million, with 98% of those strays not spayed or neutered.

  • Pad Paws Animal Rescue is a non-profit that focuses on the rescue and rehabilitation of abandoned and injured animals, primarily cats, along the Hudson River. They do not operate as a shelter, and do not take surrendered pets. They take in animals who are in immediate danger, and provide rehabilitation through foster care until a permanent home is found for the animal.
  • Metro Cat Rescue is a cat rescue group formed by a small group of volunteers in the 1980’s. They coordinate the care of outdoor cats. They also bring mother cats indoors to ensure that kittens are born in a safe environment.

2. Check Out Whether The Left Ear Is Tipped

Mary, Pad Paws Animal Rescue Recommends  you check out whether the left ear is tipped.  If the cat is in fact ear-tipped then they have been spayed/neutered and likely belong to an outdoor colony.  However, there are cases where a cat doesn’t fare well as a member of a colony. Given the amount of construction throughout Hudson County, we are finding that cats are displaced from the safe spaces they use for shelter.

If you feel an ear-tipped cat needs immediate care or a new home, there are a couple of options: 

  • Contact your local shelter/animal control to see if they can assist;
  • See if you can trap the cat yourself to seek the necessary veterinary care/find a loving home! 
  • Lastly, if all else fails, contact your local animal rescues. Even if a rescue is unable to directly assist you, they may be able to provide traps or other helpful tools and tips. If the matter is urgent you should reach out to a number of rescues with as much information as possible. Not all rescues have the time or resources to spring into action at that moment so it’s important to cast your net far and wide. It is also important to keep in mind that funding for local rescue groups often rely on support from the community so make sure to support them when you are able! 

If the cat is not ear-tipped:

  • Ask around first because a lot of people have indoor/outdoor cats.
  • Post on a neighborhood site like Nextdoor.
  • If you bring the cat to the vet yourself, you will want to get them scanned for a microchip in case they’re lost and have a family!

Additional information on community cats and the practice of ear-tipping can be found here.

3. Do You Bring the Stray Cat Into Your Home?

Mary of Pad Paws Rescue Says:

There’s certainly no way to ensure safety on either end.  If you do decide to take in a stray cat, we recommend bringing it straight to the vet. If you are not able to take them in immediately, you should buy flea medication specifically for cats (NOT dogs) and apply to the back of the neck before bringing it into your home. Kittens should get flea powder. 

Also, have a litter box, fresh water, and either a can of cat food or some plain turkey, chicken, or tuna to offer to the cat until you can get it to the vet for an exam, vaccination, and spay/neutering.

Anthony of Metro Cat Rescue Says:

If there is a pressing reason to bring a community cat inside (short term – neutering, long term – the cat is geriatric or injured), the cat needs to go in a cat playpen or in a cat safe room.  A feral cat simply released in a home will hide in some inaccessible location — possibly injuring or even killing herself doing so.  

If a neighborhood cat needs to stay inside permanently, there’s a long process of acclimation.  This might mean weeks, months or even a year.  They can learn to be happy in a home, but patience is needed.  

If a feral cat — or even kitten — is grabbed, you can expect to be scratched or bitten.  Injury can be severe.  Outdoor cats can have Rabies — though this is rare — and ringworm — a fungal disease that people can catch, too.  Ringworm can be a serious illness for people who are imun-suppressed. 

If you are bitten by an outdoor cat, the cat needs to be kept inside and under observation or you will need to get the Rabies vaccine. For details, see a public health officer. 

4. If Captured, Take the Cat to be Spayed or Neutered

Why should strays be spayed or neutered?

“The sounds of females in heat and males fighting will lead to complaints from neighbors. With lots of food, cats will produce many kittens. At some point the ability to pay for more and more food will not be possible.” says Anthony at Metro Cats Rescue.

Where can people go for more information on spaying and neutering?

“The ASPCA provides a nice overview of why spay/neuter is so crucial here.  As indicated in the article, there are many medical and behavioral benefits. It’s a no-brainer! For Hoboken and Jersey City residents,  there is the low cost spay/neuter clinic that can be found here.” says Mary of Pad Paws Rescue.