Vaccinations only last a year, so it is pointless to do it once. People get sickness from cat not from cat flu or feline leukemia but by stroking the cat and not washing their hands properly after.
Unless you want to adopt this cat, it is also not a good idea to feed him personally as the poor cat will expect food all the time from you. They do not understand the concept 'I feed you sometimes but not every day'.
Adopting a pet is a serious committment and a long term one.It is also a whole package.
Is it worth getting the cat vaccinated? Just because the cat is getting very friendly with the kids and the kids are now getting fond of it - stroking, etc. I don't want the cat to pass anything over.
(Not adopting the cat, cannot commit to it.)
Sorry for the thread hijacking, but there is a stray cat had started to pay me visits in the night, this boy have his left ear clipped, I do keep feeding him, as I want to adopt him, only tonight he allowed me to be near him, I was wondering is he going to allow me to let him in the house? or I should rent a trap?
Thanks for any advice
Hi Crux,
If you are wanting to adopt this fella it would be wise to first trap him and take
him to be checked over by the vet.Contact Feline Friend,Bin Kitty Collective
or any of the Feline rescue organizations to loan you a trap.
You can then get him his shots and a check up .At a later stage you can get
him microchipped.
Once you are back home with him I would not push the issue of taking him
inside,it is more a case of you 'inviting' him in.Some feral/semi feral cats get
very edgy being cooped up, they sometimes feel locked in.Take it slowly.
Good luck and well done for saving this boy from the streets.
edited by Nomad on 28/09/2013
<em>edited by Nomad on 28/09/2013</em>
Sorry for the thread hijacking, but there is a stray cat had started to pay me visits in the night, this boy have his left ear clipped, I do keep feeding him, as I want to adopt him, only tonight he allowed me to be near him, I was wondering is he going to allow me to let him in the house? or I should rent a trap?
Thanks for any advice
This poor darling has been here for slightly over half a year I think. It can't understand why the neighbours (long gone) are not leaving it anymore food.
But, it's seriously starting to annoy me as it's peeing at different spots marking its territory!
Possibly it's bits are still intact,have you had a good look to see
if in fact they have been removed?( that is if it is male).
I have known some males that do still mark once they have been
snipped though.
This is a difficult one, I have been in the same situation soooooo
many times. It is not in me to turn away so I have gone all out to
domesticate and find a home for most of the abandoned strays that
have adopted me.
This is such a lesson to those who think they are helping by feeding
strays.It should always be considered that DXB in many cases is not
a permanent home and before you start feeding a stray have an action
plan for when you leave or move houses.It is so very unfair to the animals
as they become totally reliant and unable to fend for themselves.
Sorry OP not having a go as you are the one left ' holding the baby' so to
say.
<em>edited by Nomad on 25/09/2013</em>
This poor darling has been here for slightly over half a year I think. It can't understand why the neighbours (long gone) are not leaving it anymore food.
But, it's seriously starting to annoy me as it's peeing at different spots marking its territory!
Argh.
I think in a lot of communities there is a system whereby any cats that appear to be stray are taken away by the management company's employees. You may find the cat is just not there one day.
If you are not prepared to take on full time care the same advice but change the where location you feed it every time. Sorry SD just assumed it hadn't been neutered from a subsequent post.
The poor thing has to learn to fend for itself.
The cat was previously fed by a family which has since moved. But, the stray keeps coming back.
The closest bin is 40 minutes walk away.
Let it be or feed it?
1. Feed at different times of day.
2. Feed near the bins where they regularly forage.
3. Do not feed every day only 3 or 4 times per week max
4. As another poster said get it neutered ASAP for its own health and to prevent mor kittens
5. In this way the cat can maintain its place in the bin cat pecking order and not become dependent on you. It is unkind to regularly feed bin cats - doing so on a random/sporadic basis is okay If you will also neuter them. Some vets give a discount for feral cats.
When do they usually go hunting for food? At nights rather than day? I don't want to make it regular so that it still goes off doing what it usually does and was thinking putting some food for it every other day instead. It's got a clipped ear.
I would recommend either early early morning, or early evening/dusk for feeding. Just once a day is sufficient, but try and make sure there is access to fresh water also.
Before you do ANYTHING, however, I'd strongly, strongly recommend you trap the stray, have it neutered, and then release it back where you trapped it. If the cat already has a 'tipped' ear (the tip of one ear missing) then it has already been TNRed (trapped, neutered, released) so you needn't bother. If you don't do this and start feeding the stray, you're going to have a whole lot more than just one cat in a few months time, further contributing to the massive cat problem in Dubai!
If you need help with tips on trapping and/or getting a trap, I would suggest posting on the Feline Friends and Bin Kitty Collective Facebook sites for assistance. They will also be able to tell you if there are any vets currently offering specials/free neutering at present. :)
Edited to add: I agree with Sandy_Dogg's comment entirely.
<em>edited by Sam7 on 19/09/2013</em>
I know you're wanting to do it out of kindness but there's a high chance the cat will become dependent on you for food. You will need to make sure you can feed the cat every day - what about if you go on vacation or leave? Will you be able to find someone to take over from you?
You need to make sure you don't make the cat dependent on you and then leave it with no food.