How do you know if a cat is a stray?

Question

We live in a nasty area, guns and drugs and violent crime so I don't know many of my neighbours and I just want to keep to myself. But there is this young cat who just appeared recently. I try to throw food to her but she's scared (which is good, I don't want to encourage her to trust people in this neighbourhood) but also it means I can't get near her. How can I know if she's stray and needs to be taken in and cared for or if I should leave her alone?

thanks Judgerz, but if they don't know where she comes from then they might put her to sleep. Not many pets around here are chipped. I'm wary of getting involved if she's already got a home but it's so hard to tell and I hate the thought of her being all alone.

I live alone (as my husband is in the army) but I have a baby son and when we went to the supermarket tonight she was sitting by my door as we left and when I came back I'd bought her some cat biscuits and I just left them on the lawn. She's so small! she's just a kitten really

Answer 1

Sounds like a feral cat to me. If it is very young it was probably weaned from the mother too early. Feral cats are an unfortunate situation. We took one in a few months ago and it was very young...problem is that they lose their social skills from lack of contact with humans, they revert in many ways back to the wild animals that they were intended to be. We love our little "Gypsy" but she requires alot of patience as far as the social situation. Not a cat to sit in your lap or the typical things you expect...but she is cool and we are getting her used to other animals and people. I am sur the cat you saw will survive on the streets, but they usually get feline aids or some other diseases from the tough life...they don't usually get shots or checkups...bet your cat is a stray...if it comes home with you it will be yours if you want it...be patient and always give it food!
If you have a baby and decide to keep this cat...make sure you get it ALL of it's shots and have it tested for feline leukemia and AIDS. I would also be very careful introducing the cat to the baby as they have a wild streak that is not very predictable. Our eight year old son is a target for many sneak attacks...mostly the feet, from our 3 pound lioness.

Answer 2

You can usually tell a stray by their low weight, hearty appetite, and presense of fleas. If she's acting skittish chances are she's been mistreated or she's wild. Start out by leaving a bowl of food/water on the porch and she if she'll eat it. Eventually she'll get comfortable enough for you to open the door and watch her eat. After she's comfortable with that try to go out on the porch next to her (don't touch her yet). When she's comfortable with you being there try to pet her while she's eating. It may take awhile but keep at it. Over time you'll gain her trust and maybe get to take her inside. It can be a little tricky at that point because she may not be litter trained or used to being inside. Just have a lot of patience with it and remember that it's a commitment.

Answer 3

Stray usually means feral, which means not socialized to people - wild. If she doesn't let you get close to her, never meows at you (ferals don't expect anything from people so they don't meow at them) or generally keeps her distance, she is feral. You probably won't be able to tame her or make her a pet if she is truly feral. If she is social, she may not approach you right away or might let you get within a certain distance before moving away, but she will talk to you and won't run at the first sight of you. A cat like that is more likely to gain your trust in time.

And cats can differentiate between people. So just because she befriends you doesn't mean she'll automatically approach other people in your neighborhood, so you shouldn't worry about that. Sounds like she knows to be wary already.

Answer 4

when I took in my cat (a stray) I checked the papers for ads to see if anyone was looking for a cat. (at that time my friend and I thought it was a girl). The cat was declawed and we assumed to be spayed. It didn't have a collar, and my friend could not detect anything under the skin where the microchip would be placed. It's a young cat, around 3 years of age.

after 3 months, nothing was found in the papers for a female cat, and my friend discovered that our SHE was actually a HE. (It's a boy). If someone was advertising that they lost a male cat, I missed the ad......and that's ok. He has a good home now, and.....despite how many times I left the door open, he never left, or if he goes for walk, he always returns to my door waiting for me to let him in. He sits in my lap when I'm sad, and he sleeps on my pillow when I'm having bad dreams......I think he was truly meant to stay with me.......

Answer 5

Personally I'd take her in, if she's that young she might be lost and if she's hanging around for the food, she needs it.

Keep her as an indoor cat, since she doesn't have a collar you can claim that she was a stray you were helping, if anyone at all notices and comments.

Answer 6

is she skinny and malnourished? if so then she is probably a stray, o the owner does not care for her and eiher way she would be better off with you...you should probably try to catch her, check for tags or anything, look after her for a while and if the owner comes looking or puts up lost signs, then tell them what happened and let them hav the kitten...or you could put up found signs to see if the owner sees them..if there is no owner, congratulations on your new kitten...and please be careful, it sounds really scary to live in a place like that...i cant imagine such a nice person mixed in with people like that...take care

Answer 7

if you can get near her soon,put a collar on her and tag asking if this is not a stray for the person to let u know,if collar stillon 1 day later ,i hould think a stray gain her confedence first,by putting something nice out like tuna,or sardines cats love these

Answer 8

1.If the cat looks relly skinny then its a sray
2.Get friends with the cat and DON'T pick her/him up!!
3.When you get the cat in you house take it to a vet then see if its got a chip or something just ask if thay know if its a stay and if thay say yes it is then take it home but in that naberhood dont let it be an outdoor cat!

Answer 9

I would guess that skittish as she is she's a stray.

You might want to talk to someone at a Trap Neuter Release program about catch and release. (You catch the cat and bring it in, they neuter, vaccinate the cat and you release it back into the area. Not exactly a Disney ending, but responsible and caring nonetheless)

Answer 10

Well you can probably report this cat to the local humane center, they can check for a microchip and monitor for disease. If this cat has no microchip, then probably she is a stray and you can take her home.