Stray Cat

I've noticed a stray cat outside our apartment alot lately. He's quite young. I see him hunting for food all the time and crossing the road (i'm afraid he might get hit by a car). Today he let me pat him and started to follow me I can't take him in as Fluffy and Socks would rip him apart and 2 is our limit. I thought of getting the cat carrier and putting him in there until the SPCA could pick him up but he might have a long wait in the carrier. Any ideas?

Chances are the SPCA would just put him down- and putting him in a carrier for an extended amount of time is not a great idea. You can at least feed him, offer him a decent place to catch a meal besides on a road. Just pick a safe spot near your home and put food down for him. Then start calling around to rescue groups to see if anyone can help you with him.

I'll try to find a spot..we are surrounded by roads and other apartments so i'm not sure where i can put it that he'd actually find it. So many cats wander through here he probaly would'nt get it. We have the SPCA and a place called Katie's Place which i think is closely linked to the SPCA,i'd hate to send him to his death

If you put food out, he will find it.

Danielle, that's sweet of you to want to help this guy.

Since you mention there are other cats in the area, and since it seems like you do want to help, if you have the time, you may want to put a little bit of work into seeing if there are any rescue groups or individuals in the area that can help.

I don't know where you're located, but here are a few ideas for finding something other than the SPCA and the other shelter you're familiar with.

How Can the Best Friends Network Help Me?
The Best Friends No More Homeless Pets Campaign is a growing network of people around the country - you can sign on in order to find help for cats in your community.

You can call around to local area vets (anonymously if you wish) to see if they're aware of any groups or individuals that work to help stray and homeless cats OTHER than by picking them up and taking them to the SPCA or working with animal control (both options usually end up in the cats' death).

Contact Alley Cat Allies (www.alleycat.org) to see if they have anyone volunteering in your area.

Perform an online search for no-kill rescue organizations or feral support groups. Click on the Rescue Resources link in my signature line, and it'll take you to a number of links where you can search for such groups. Even if they're not immediately located in your area but are within a few hundred miles, it's worth giving them a buzz to see if they don't have anyone in the area who can help if they know of anyone who can.

This way you may be able to find some help for the other kitties as well as this young stray that has taken a shine to you.

And kudos to you for "knowing your limit." That's one of the first most important things anyone involved in rescue has to contend with.

Good luck! Please let us know if you find anyone who can help.