{"id":38630,"date":"2024-07-10T17:51:39","date_gmt":"2024-07-10T15:51:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/0a242407-933b-4284-86e4-7aea99b7f0cf"},"modified":"2024-07-10T19:26:39","modified_gmt":"2024-07-10T17:26:39","slug":"what-to-do-if-you-find-a-lost-or-stray-cat-from-the-experts-at-the-rspca","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/rss_feed\/what-to-do-if-you-find-a-lost-or-stray-cat-from-the-experts-at-the-rspca\/","title":{"rendered":"What to do if you find a lost or stray cat, from the experts at the RSPCA"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"rssexcerpt\">Find out how to help a stray cat from the experts at the RSPCA <\/p><p class=\"rssauthor\">By <\/p><p class=\"rssbyline\">Published: Wednesday, 10 July 2024 at 15:51 PM<\/p><hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/><?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"UTF-8\" standalone=\"yes\"?>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body><p><strong>Many people believe calling the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.rspca.org.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">RSPCA<\/a>\u00a0is the first step when they find a lost cat. However, the charity primarily focuses on rescuing animals from neglect and cruelty. While it cares about lost pets, calling the RSPCA for every lost animal could potentially delay emergency calls.<\/strong><\/p><ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/animals\/pets\/how-to-find-a-missing-cat\">How to find a missing cat: Expert advice from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/animals\/pets\/what-to-do-if-you-find-a-lost-dog-or-cat\">What to do if you find a lost dog, from the experts at the RSPCA<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/animals\/what-to-do-if-you-lose-your-dog-key-advice-from-the-experts-at-battersea-dogs-and-cats-home\">What to do if you lose your dog: Key dog-finding advice from the experts at Battersea<\/a><\/li><\/ul><p><strong>Dominika Jagoda, RSPCA pet welfare expert, suggests<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>these simple steps if you&#8217;ve found a stray cat<\/strong><\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-to-do-if-you-find-a-lost-cat\">What to do if you find a lost cat<\/h2><p>Cats can become strays for a variety of reasons\u00a0such as being\u00a0abandoned, getting lost or moving out from their home because they weren\u2019t happy.<\/p><p>Unlike <a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/tags\/dogs\">dogs<\/a>, some stray cats quite enjoy an outdoorsy lifestyle, especially if they aren\u2019t well suited to a home environment. Often they can thrive outside quite well by themselves but sometimes a stray cat may need a helping hand.<\/p><ol><li><strong>Try and find their owner<\/strong>. Remember that a stray cat could just be\u00a0 lost and sometimes cats with owners can be mistaken for strays when they are just enjoying some outdoor time. That\u2019s why it\u2019s important to <strong>try and find an owner first<\/strong>. On\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pdsa.org.uk\/what-we-do\/blog\/microchipping-cats-what-you-need-to-know#:~:text=If%20you%20haven't%20already,for%20your%20pet's%20microchipping%20appointment.\">10 June 2024, it became law for all cats in England to be microchipped<\/a>\u00a0before they are\u00a020 weeks\u00a0old, so take it to your local vets to be scanned.<\/li><li><strong>Ask around<\/strong> to see if anyone owns the cat, pop a post on your local Facebook group, put up \u2018found\u2019 posters, or check online resources such as <a href=\"https:\/\/url.uk.m.mimecastprotect.com\/s\/pZGpCLPWOHmNAlNurIFhw?domain=animalsearchuk.co.uk\/\">Animal Search UK<\/a>.<\/li><li><strong>Leave out some food<\/strong>. If no owner can be found and you want to help the cat, you can leave some food out for them and some shelter for when the weather is bad &#8211; but remember that by feeding a stray cat there\u2019s a chance that you could become legally responsible for their welfare under the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.legislation.gov.uk\/ukpga\/2006\/45\/contents\">Animal Welfare Act 2006<\/a>.<\/li><li><strong>Create a community cat fund<\/strong>. Quite often, community cats have more than one feeder. If this applies to you and your neighbours, it is worth agreeing between yourselves who is responsible for the cat and for ensuring their welfare needs are met. It may be worth creating a community cat fund with your neighbours to cover unexpected costs.<\/li><li><strong>Rehome the cat<\/strong>. Taking responsibility for the cat yourself is a fantastic way to help a stray cat. If you have done all you can to try and find an owner and you\u2019ve taken the time to consider whether you have the time, money and resources to care for a pet cat, then rehoming a stray cat is a wonderful thing to do. <br\/>This means the cat can stay in a place they know and feel comfortable and have someone looking after their welfare. Stray cats spend a lot of time outdoors and many are happy with the freedom of that lifestyle. However, without somebody responsible helping to keep them safe and well-fed, they can end up with injuries or nasty health problems so giving them a home is a fantastic way to improve animal welfare. If you cannot rehome the cat yourself but feel the cat does need a home, please contact a rehoming charity such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cats.org.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Cats Protection<\/a> for further advice.<br\/><br\/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/animals\/pets\/why-rescue-cats-make-great-pets\">Why rescue cats make great pets and how to choose the right one for you<\/a><\/li><\/ol><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-to-do-if-you-find-a-sick-injured-or-pregnant-stray-cat\"><strong>What to do if you find a sick, injured or pregnant stray cat?<\/strong><\/h2><ul><li>If you find an injured stray or feral cat and they&#8217;re approachable, please confine them and take them to a vet, if possible. If you&#8217;re taking a sick or injured stray cat to the vets and the cat just needs minimum care, you might be expected to take the cat away and <a href=\"https:\/\/url.uk.m.mimecastprotect.com\/s\/5z32CM9WPcRxgvxiPGVaS?domain=rspca.org.uk\">fit a paper collar<\/a> if needed to track down the owner.<\/li><li>If you\u2019ve found a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/animals\/pets\/how-long-are-cats-pregnant\">pregnant cat,<\/a> unless she appears to be sick or injured, there&#8217;s usually little to worry about. She&#8217;ll probably have a home and owner nearby, or she may be a healthy stray. We understand you may be worried about the cat and want to help, but sometimes it can be best to leave the mum-to-be alone. If she is in labour, give her space and try not to disturb her. You can leave her a little bowl of water and a shelter nearby should she need it, whilst you try to track down an owner.\u00a0<\/li><li>If a cat in labour appears lethargic, distressed or struggling please contact a vet immediately.<\/li><li>If you find a healthy mum and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/animals\/pets\/when-do-kittens-open-their-eyes\">kittens <\/a>in a safe area, it&#8217;s best to leave them alone &#8211; don&#8217;t move them unless they&#8217;re at risk. If you can&#8217;t find an owner and you think mum is a stray, call your local animal rescue for advice. They may talk to you about giving a helping hand by providing food, water and outside shelter to help protect mum and kittens from extreme weather, and advice or help around <a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/animals\/pets\/cat-neutering\">spaying and neutering<\/a> mum and kittens once the kittens reach an appropriate age. However, if they appear sick or injured please contact your local vet for advice.\u00a0<\/li><li>If you\u2019ve found a young, stray kitten without their mum and in need of help please contact a vet or local rescue organisation.\u00a0<\/li><li>If you\u2019ve found an injured or sick stray cat or kitten on a busy road, please do not put yourself in danger &#8211; contact the emergency services straight away.<\/li><\/ul><p>There\u2019s helpful advice on the RSPCA website about how to get help for animals as quickly as possible &#8211; check out their guides for <a href=\"http:\/\/www.rspca.org.uk\/adviceandwelfare\/pets\/cats\/straycats\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lost cats<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rspca.org.uk\/adviceandwelfare\/pets\/lost\/dog\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lost dogs<\/a>, as well as information about how to <a href=\"http:\/\/rspca.org.uk\/reportcruelty\">report cruelty and neglect<\/a> to the charity\u2019s specialist teams.<\/p><p><strong>Love cats?<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>Check out our\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/animals\/pets\">pets<\/a>\u00a0section for advice on cat care, from\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/apple-news\/how-to-get-rid-of-fleas-on-dogs\">how to take your cat to the vet without stress<\/a>\u00a0to\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/apple-news\/how-to-get-rid-of-fleas-on-dogs\"><strong>how to get rid of fleas<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<strong>and even<a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/animals\/pets\/stop-cats-pooping-in-garden\">\u00a0how to stop cats pooping in your garden<\/a><\/strong><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Find out how to help a stray cat from the experts at the RSPCA <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":38631,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"5"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/07\/what-to-do-if-you-find-a-lost-or-stray-cat-from-the-experts-at-the-rspca.jpg",2121,1414,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/07\/what-to-do-if-you-find-a-lost-or-stray-cat-from-the-experts-at-the-rspca-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/07\/what-to-do-if-you-find-a-lost-or-stray-cat-from-the-experts-at-the-rspca-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/07\/what-to-do-if-you-find-a-lost-or-stray-cat-from-the-experts-at-the-rspca-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/07\/what-to-do-if-you-find-a-lost-or-stray-cat-from-the-experts-at-the-rspca-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/07\/what-to-do-if-you-find-a-lost-or-stray-cat-from-the-experts-at-the-rspca-1536x1024.jpg",1536,1024,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/07\/what-to-do-if-you-find-a-lost-or-stray-cat-from-the-experts-at-the-rspca-2048x1365.jpg",2048,1365,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Find out how to help a stray cat from the experts at the RSPCA","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/38630"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38631"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38630"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38630"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}