What do you do when you see stray cats in public?

I stopped at Hardee's to use the restroom yesterday and when I got back into my vehicle, I looked over and there was a gray tabby staring at me with huge green eyes. I got back out of the car and tried to coax her over to me, but she ran off. She must have had kittens not long ago, by looking at her belly. I felt so bad for her being around that area, but at the same time, I would hate to take someone else's cat and have them miss it. And, I cannot have any more cats.
I always feel so guilty for leaving strays.

if they're in our district- i go back to the shelter and get traps and set them- then we spay/neuter them if they're adoptable and try to find homes for them.

There's a very sweet black shorthair with a collar who hangs around the parking lot of the local grocery store sometimes. I asked around about the kitty, and he belongs to a guy who works at the store. The lady told me the cat follows his owner to work sometimes, and "He (the cat) is fine. He's used to the cars."

I worry about that kitty.

This is 1 of those things that haz inspired me 2 foster

If I can get close enough to them to pet them and pick them up then I assume that they have or had an owner so I go to a few houses and see if anyone knows the cat and if I don't find anyone, then I take the cat home and put up posters and if no one come to get them after a few days then I usually take them to the Humane Society. If I feel that I'm ready for a new cat however, then if no one takes the cat after a while I will keep it. That's what happened with my Meezers.

If I can't get too close to them then I trap them and take them to the HS. Later I put up posters and stuff too just in case it does have a family.

I hate leaving them!! I noticed tonite when I got to Wal Mart there were 2 adult cats hiding under a truck. Of course they ran when you walked up to them~bless their hearts. I know theres more out there, I see them all the time at Wal Mart.

I wish I could just gather up every stray I see AND keep them!!! Thats what I would love to do!!

Originally Posted by catloverin_ks

I wish I could just gather up every stray I see AND keep them!!! Thats what I would love to do!!

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Me too but unfortunately, my space and finances don't allow it

Im never petting or pciking up any other cats i see. Im so frightened now that if i try that on the way home, the cat will run away and get hit like Jasmine did. it's really shaken me, and im just going to walk past any other cats i see

I have a tendency to try to catch them. If I do not catch them, I go back later to look for them.

I always keep cat food in my car, so I will usually find a safe spot and put down some food. If I can't do anything else, I can at least give them a square meal.

I will see if they will let me pet them. If so, I spend a few minutes giving them lovings, and if I have any cat food with me, I'll open a can especially if they look hungry. The thing is around here, a lot of people let their cats outside during the day, so you don't know if they are strays or just outdoor cats, so I wouldn't take any home unless I know for sure it doesn't have anywhere else to go.

There's one cat I see once in a while in the neighborhood... all skinny, fur matted and a really sad look on his face. It's heart-breaking.

I wish I could catch him and take care of him... but he wont let me touch him.

Other than that, there are way too many outdoor cats around to be able to identify a stray.

I always keep cat food in my car, so I will usually find a safe spot and put down some food. If I can't do anything else, I can at least give them a square meal.

We have a couple of cats in the neighborhood that wander...I saw footprints this past winter.

actually the other day one was right by my car as I headed towards it for school. I greeted the cat and that's about it. They look healthy overall and figure they aren't strays, but someone's cat.

My mom leaves food out for a couple of strays in their neighborhood. She said the one (who recently had kittens) looked extremely skinny when she started coming around last fall. Apparently the cat looks better now.

I will give them some food to make sure they aren't hungry.

I pick up stray cats and dogs all the time if they are friendly. I've stopped on the side of a highway several times to save dogs. I always put an add up on local lost pet sites and take them to a no kill shelter. I even put up flyers for dogs that are extra nice that I find in my area, that way they can contact me and I can tell them which shelter their pet is at. Our shelter here will hold the dog or cat for 7 days before putting it up for adoption. I also call the police station because animal control is a branch off our police station in town. I can't say I've picked up any cat lately. I live in a really busy part of town so no one lets their cat outside. When I lived at home with my parents we knew which cats were indoor outdoor and usually let them be other than leaving food out for them.