A stray cat followed me to my car yesterday. She was so friendly, I thought for sure she belonged to someone. Upon further inspection, I noticed she was very beat up - lots of scratches and missing patches of fur. She kept looking around the parking lot nervously and growling. I think the neighborhood cats must have beat her up. She had several fresh and old scratches on her face.
So, I decided I wasn't going to leave her there. I scooped her up and put her in my car. She seemed a little nervous about being in there, but still accepted pets and even curled up on my lap for a few minutes.
Unfortunately, I arrived too late to our local vet. The shelters were long closed, and the nearest emergency pet hospital was too far away for me to make it. I have an adopted cat and dog and didn't want to risk them to any diseases the stray might have. I took the cat home but didn't think I had any choice but to leave her outside. She did some exploring around the yard and then disappeared into the woods. I was certain that would be the last time I saw her.
But she came back around 10pm begging to be let inside the house. I gave her lots of attention and tried to leave her some food, but she had no interest in kibble or the box that I left on the porch with a blanket in it. I haven't seen her since last night.
I'm hoping she'll come back again. My problem is, if she shows up again, I don't know how to contain her. I've found a few advice pieces about taking in stray cats that say you should put them in a room by themselves to keep them isolated from your other pets. But is that really safe? Isn't it possible for my pets to still contract something from her?
I'm at a loss. If she only shows up at night, it's too late to take her anywhere. And I just don't know if it's safe to let her in the house without being checked first. And yes, I washed my hands repeatedly.
So, I decided I wasn't going to leave her there. I scooped her up and put her in my car. She seemed a little nervous about being in there, but still accepted pets and even curled up on my lap for a few minutes.
Unfortunately, I arrived too late to our local vet. The shelters were long closed, and the nearest emergency pet hospital was too far away for me to make it. I have an adopted cat and dog and didn't want to risk them to any diseases the stray might have. I took the cat home but didn't think I had any choice but to leave her outside. She did some exploring around the yard and then disappeared into the woods. I was certain that would be the last time I saw her.
But she came back around 10pm begging to be let inside the house. I gave her lots of attention and tried to leave her some food, but she had no interest in kibble or the box that I left on the porch with a blanket in it. I haven't seen her since last night.
I'm hoping she'll come back again. My problem is, if she shows up again, I don't know how to contain her. I've found a few advice pieces about taking in stray cats that say you should put them in a room by themselves to keep them isolated from your other pets. But is that really safe? Isn't it possible for my pets to still contract something from her?
I'm at a loss. If she only shows up at night, it's too late to take her anywhere. And I just don't know if it's safe to let her in the house without being checked first. And yes, I washed my hands repeatedly.
