The safest setting for your cats is an indoor environment. There are many safe ways to provide cats with outdoor experiences. You may have a catio, a protected enclosed area where cats can safely stay outside. Utilizing a pet stroller, leashes, and harnesses if your cat tolerates can be another way for your cat to explore the world outside of the house.
Unfortunately, many cats don’t have comfortable homes. They wander outside, maybe hungry, and suffer from illnesses.
Today we would like to talk about what to do if you find a cat in distress and give you some resources to help an animal in need.
Assess a cat.
When you find a cat and believe she needs help, first, perform a nose-to-tail assessment. Examine the body. Can the catwalk? Is she alert and oriented? Do you see any sign of injury or missing body part/extremity? Check the skin for wounds, active bleeding, lesions, and matted hair. Lack of grooming may indicate a health condition that prevents an animal from cleaning its coat. Does the cat look well-nourished, or does she look skinny and dehydrated? Can you feel bones when you touch her?
If you notice any signs of injury, illness, or unusual behavior, take the cat to the closest veterinary emergency hospital as soon as possible.
Provide a safe place.
If a cat is in immediate danger, remove the animal from the unsafe conditions. If the cat is injured, bring the cat to the emergency vet care immediately. Use the smartphone search to find the nearest hospital.
If you haven’t found apparent signs of illness or injury and still feel that the cat may be lost or need help and nutrition, reach out to an animal shelter or another animal welfare organization. Try to provide a safe, warm place and offer the cat food and water until you can safely transfer the animal to a shelter or animal rescue.
You can find a list of local Sonoma County animal care organizations here: Local Resources SNAP Cats.
Carry care items in your car.
It is a good idea to have cat care items in your car. A blanket, a cat carrier, food, water, a small litter box may be handy when you care for or transport a cat to get help.
One day I was driving home when I found a cat on the side of the road. The cat was clearly in an unsafe situation, and I pulled over near where she was sitting. The cat was friendly but guarded. She was ok with me approaching her but refused to go to my arms. I managed to get the cat in the car, but she crawled under the seat and refused to come out. I placed cat food inside the cat carrier and put it on the car seat. Finally, the kitty came out and entered the crate. Now we were safe to take a trip to the vet and get checked.
Reach out for help.
If you find a cat in need, feel overwhelmed, and don’t know what to do, reach out for help. Call your family and friends and ask them to support your effort. They may bring you cat care items, help make phone calls or find the right place. Your relative or friend may have a place to keep the cat overnight, for example, or will even adopt the animal, if no owner can be found.