Something most of us can relate to is the instance of discovering a "helpless" cat that needs our help. Perhaps it has followed us home or we find it huddled under a bush and decide it needs us in ways that we never thought possible. But before you make one more move, it's best to think about what needs to be done and what you'll inevitably plan to do with the cat. Here's a little advice on what to do with a stray cat.
First, you'll want to inspect the cat and judge its health condition. Does it looks sick and diseased? Or is its hair just a bit matted? Or maybe it's perfectly groomed? Depending on the state of its physical appearance, you'll either be faced with a wild cat seeking a first time home or a cat that already has a home that may be lost or has run away.
If you determine that the cat probably had a prior home based on how well it interacts with humans and how clean it looks for an outdoor cat, then you need to seek out this cat's original owner if it does in fact have one. While posting flyers is still moderately fashionable, something simpler like Craigslist is much preferred. Make sure to include a picture as well! Also, call all the local animal shelters you can think of to see if any of them were alerted to a missing feline in the area.
Once you've confirmed that the cat is without a home, it's important to take it to a veterinarian and have it checked out. The vet will be able to see if it has any health problems or if it's coated with fleas and can get it caught up with shots and some flea treatments. It's important that you know how healthy the cat is before you bring it home, especially if you already have pets. You wouldn't want to accidentally get your pets sick with something serious, right?
From here you have a new decision: Will you be keeping the cat or taking it to a shelter? The sad truth is, not all shelters are no-kill shelters, so you could be sending this stray cat into a bad situation while trying to do something helpful. Even sadder, no-kill shelters are typically overflowing with cats desperately needing homes, so they will usually refuse to take in stray cats, meaning you'll need to take care of the cat for a few weeks or even a few moths before it can be turned over to the cat shelter.
Whatever you end up doing with the stray cat, just think about what's best for it in the long run. If you're willing to adopt, awesome. If you know you can't and only foster it for a while, also awesome. Otherwise, just try not to actively harm the animal if you can help it. Give it a chance to find someone else who'll help it at the very least.
