what to do about a stray cat
IF YOU THINK YOU HAVE FOUND A STRAY CAT
Before we can help or take in a stray cat we need to be sure it doesn't have an owner nearby. To do this we ask you to carry out the following few things.
- Ask your neighbours if they know whose cat it is.
Knock on all the doors in your street and even streets adjacent to yours. What might seem like a long distance to us, might be a hop over a few fences to a cat.
- Put up notices and posters in the area, preferably with a picture, asking if the cat has an owner.
Keep some information about the cat back so you can be sure anyone claiming the cat is the rightful owner.
- Take the cat (in a secure cat basket) to a local vet to have it scanned for a microchip. Vets don't normally charge for this service. This is a tiny chip inserted under the skin with all the cats owners details.
If the cat is chipped the vet can call the owner to find out where the cat lives.
- If after all of the above no one has come forward, put a paper collar on the cat with a note asking for the owner to contact you. Cats Protection can supply you with paper collars. Ideally a collar should be left on for 2 weeks before we would class the cat as a stray.
Please be careful not to mistake an old thin cat with a stray. Many elderly cats get very thin in old age but are well cared for. if after all this you still think the cat is a stray then email us at barnstaplecats@hotmail.co.uk or phone 03453 714203