When it comes to caring for stray animals, we consider ourselves experts. Living out in the country, we’ve come across a stray animal or a few. A big mama dog with a litter of puppies comes to mind. After caring for the little family, we were able to find a safe place for the mama and her brood. A couple other animals have come to stay to be part of our family. One came with the house, the other was given to us by neighbors. How did I go from “not a cat person,” to a kitten snuggled on my lap as I write this? We must emit good vibes because they seem happy here. Without being prepared, we were able to show compassion and care for these strays with what we had around the house.
I Never Was a Cat Person…
If you’re like our family, we are used to having pets around. I’ve always had dogs growing up and even had them around in college. I always had dogs when my grown children were babies. We started with two dogs when we moved to Texas. Then we acquired a beautiful cat, whom we named Gypsy, and he started hanging out near our house construction site and eating out of the dumpster. Gypsy is very friendly, very vocal, and gladly eats whatever we put out for him. Gradually, he started coming into the house to say hi, hang out, and then go back outside, where he was truly comfortable. Primarily, he lives outside, not afraid of the elements.
Our other cat, Moose (a calico that reminds us of Moose Tracks ice cream) is more of a lap kitty. She is a furry purry bundle of love and a snuggler. She needs to be watched, however, as she likes to get up on the counter while I’m cooking. This is when I’m armed with a spray bottle, as she took more time to “train” as she’s not as skittish as our first cat. While she will go outside, she prefers our company more.
Here’s what we did while caring for stray animals who came our way:
- Identify the Animals:
- Once you identify the animal, check to see if it is well enough to help.
- Check to see if there are any signs of unusual behavior or injury.
- Be patient and let it trust you. Speak in a soothing and compassionate voice, with no sudden moves.
- Food and Water:
- A regular meal may not be available to stray animals. Find something suitable for the animal you are caring for. (a can of tuna, for example). Whatever you may have on hand will be welcomed by a hungry animal.
- Make sure there is fresh water available to the stray.
- Shelter and Comfort:
- Make sure the animal has some sort of shelter from the elements available. We left our garage open a crack so the strays had access to a warm, safe place to hide or stay.
- Add old towels or blankets in a box or in the garage to offer warmth and comfort.
- Check With Community:
- Check to see if there are owners of the stray you’ve encountered. Our neighbor posted a picture of our latest fur baby, looking to see if anyone was missing her.
- Check with local animal shelters or organizations if you need help with caring for the stray you encounter.
Supplies Necessary for Immediately Caring for Stray Animals:
- Food and Water Bowls: Whatever you have around the house can work for this.
- Food: Depending on if you have other pets, you can use what you have. Otherwise, get kitten food for kittens, cat food for older cats, etc.
- Social Media: Use your account to post a picture of the animal for neighbors to see, in case they know where the animal belongs. The local shelter or other organization could also help you.
- Diatomaceous Earth: If you use this for gardening, it’s a great dewormer if needed. Just sprinkle some in the food you’re feeding the stray.
- Bedding: Old towels and blankets could be used to provide a warm and safe bed for your stray. This could be put in a box or bin you may have around.
- Place to Potty: Our first cat meowed to be let out. Our next one needed to use a litter box before we taught her to go outside. If you have a box with some cat litter or wood shavings, that would work. Even an old towel will be a place for your furry friend to go.
- Pet Carrier and/or a leash: If you choose to take the stray to the vet, these will come in handy. Being able to safely restrain your new furry friends is important. Not all strays will feel comfortable being confined in such a way. Case-by-case, you can decide.
- Water spray bottle or loud noise-maker: These are for deterring unwanted behavior, such as climbing on surfaces you don’t want them.
- Check here to see a guide to help you with more items for your new family member, even if temporary.
Did Your Compassionate Heart Lead You to Care for a Stray Animal Recently?
As compassionate people, we made a significant difference in caring for the lives of these sweet strays who have wormed their way into our hearts. I never wanted to get a cat, necessarily, but here we are, feeding two of them. As we started to care for these strays, we came up with a list of necessities to have on hand. It helps that we are part of a great community because everyone pitches in when needed.
Overall, I realized that my compassion for animals acquired me a couple of strays to care for.
Being an animal lover, it wasn’t hard to open my heart to these little loves. It was good, however, that I was prepared, as our latest came to us right before an unusual Texas winter storm. Luckily, we had a warm, safe place for the little snuggler, who seemed to appreciate our empathic efforts. If you can imagine these poor little animals’ hardships of living out in the elements unwanted, it’s easy to want to help them out. As a community, it’s important to make sure every animal is treated with respect and kindness if we can help it in any way. It helps tremendously when caring for stray animals.
If you choose to keep your stray, congratulations on your new family member! You can see how else you can benefit your new pet by checking here for supplies and seeing this membership that can help with supplies and services for your pet. Why not save money on things you’ll be buying anyway?
I am an affiliate of Amazon, along with other businesses that I market throughout this site. While the prices are not affected when you click the links, my work sharing these things pays me. I love to share what I know, so feel free to click around and see what solutions may be here for you.
Don’t forget to reach out and contact us for more information. Once you are added to our Online Community, you’ll benefit even more! Contact us HERE!
Response Magic