How To Help A Stray Cat

 I HAVE a frequent visitor to my garden - a friendly little cat who will sometimes stay all day. If I leave the back door open, he strolls in and eats my cat Toffee's food. Toffee is not too pleased with this interloper when he's in the house but tolerates him if he's in the garden.

I was worried he might be a stray but before taking him to the vet to see if he was chipped, I put his picture on my personal Facebook page. Lo and behold, someone who lives a street away contacted me to say it was his daughter's cat Jasper who "likes to wander". So I no longer allow him in the house as he is so obviously well cared for elsewhere.

But it got me thinking about what to do if he had been a stray or feral cat.  First off, here's a video for those who want to keep the neighbourhood cats warm at night. Below there is advice from the RSPCA about stray cats.





Here's some advice from the RSPCA if you are visited by a stray cat.  If you have concerns about a sick or injured stray cat you can report it to an animal welfare organisation (like the RSPCA in the UK or ASPCA in the US). .

How To Help A Stray Cat

1. Is it a stray or a feral cat? 

If the cat is not friendly and approachable, it may be a feral. These cats are able to look after themselves. So long as a feral cat is healthy, they will live happily outside. We support the trapping and neutering of feral cats where local charities have the capacity to do so.

If the cat is approachable and friendly it may be a stray cat that belongs to someone.

2. Finding the owner of a stray

If a stray cat is not feral the best thing to do is try and find its owner: To find out if the cat has an owner follow these steps: 

1. Cats roam over a wide area, so ask around to see if anyone knows who it belongs to.
2. If you can safely transport the cat to a vet, you could have it scanned for a microchip.
3. If this isn’t possible but you can get close enough to put a collar on it, then download our Paper cat collars [PDF 36.5KB]. Take precautions when approaching the cat and fixing the collar. 
4. You can also download and print a Found poster [PDF 10.7KB] and Lost and found contact list [PDF 20KB].
5. We also recommend you visit Pets Located, an online resource that reunites owners with their pets.

Take a look at the book below - written by Toffee, the sassiest cat in the world!

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Cat Leads Hiker To Safety

HERE'S a lovely story about a cat who led a hiker to safety. The Reddit user, known only as sc4s2cg, was hiking the Bernese Oberland in Switzerland when he sprained his ankle. He couldn't find his way back to his hostel in the village of Gimmelwald because the trail had been closed.

As he rested, a black and white cat came up to him. The hiker said: "The cat, who was just wandering around, found me while I was resting from a hike. Then he was walking and kept looking at me to follow and led me straight to the path that would take me back down to the valley.”

Above is a video the man filmed of the incident and uploaded to YouTube. After seeing the video other people said they had also met the cat.

There is no suggestion that the hiker was ever in danger but he seemed very pleased to have the cat as his guide!

Take a look at the book below - written by Toffee, the sassiest cat in the world!

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Cats Waking Owners

Love this! I think all cat lovers know these scenarios very well - and have the scratches to prove it.

Take a look at the book below - written by Toffee, the sassiest cat in the world!

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Cat Exercise

Here's a video of cats exercising. Made me laugh!

I AM very lucky because I live in a quiet village in a house with a  garden so I have a cat flap for Miss Toffee to come and go as she pleases.  But I know there are many cat owners who keep their pets indoors because it's just not safe for them to go out.

The consequence is that more and more cats are getting overweight. A recent study showed that in the UK, around one in four cats were too heavy. This can create health problems including heart disease and diabetes. But there is a lot owners can do to keep their cats in tip-top condition.

Take time to play with your cat. You can buy cat toys, of course, but you don't have to spend any money if  you don't want to. Toffee can spend ages batting a scrunched up piece of paper around the house.

You can tie objects to string and get your cat to chase them. Warning: make sure you don't leave pieces of string lying about for them to swallow.

They love to climb so put a treat on something high to so that they have to scramble up to get it (only a 'little' treat, otherwise it defeats the object of losing weight!).

Cardboard boxes, balls, stones or marbles in secure containers to make a noise are all ideal for a cat to play with.

There are some ideas here for homemade toys and here is a homemade cat tree.

Take a look at the book below - written by Toffee, the sassiest cat in the world!

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*Take a look at The Best Cat Products In The World. You'll love them!

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Catvertising

You know me, I'm a sucker for ads featuring cats. The other day I came across a French one I hadn't seen before - thankfully an English version as my language skills are non-existent. I love the fish-vending machine!



Here's a very brief Mercedes Benz ad too.





It features an excerpt from Rossini's Cat Duet. I love this version with Felicity Lott and Ann Murray.





I hope you enjoyed these videos!
 

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Cats And Kittens: Adopt, Don't Shop

HERE'S a good message for anyone who wants a cat or kitten - adopt, don't shop. Shelters are full of cats looking for loving homes and, if you are suitable, you could have a little girl or guy like the ones in the video sharing your house soon.

Dear Kitten - Friskies Ad

Here's another advert that I love - especially the bit about the "monster" Vac-oom!

• I should say that for none of the adverts I have shared have I been paid or given vouchers/goods. I just love them because they feature cats and are amusing!

Whiskas Kitten Kollege

I love this Whiskas advertisement!