Saving Animals: One Cat at a Time

You don't need a lot of time or space to save the lives of stray cats and place them in good, responsible homes. We have rescued and placed hundreds of them in the last few years, even though we have no special facilities: only a suburban house with a garage and a basement. People who hear about our cat rescue work call us all the time to tell us about stray cats in their yards or on their streets. They mean well, but generally they want us to take the cat off their hands because they can't keep it, and they don't know what else to do.

The fact is, almost anyone can do what we do, even if you already have cats (we have four!). All it takes is a spare room, garage, basement, shed, or any other space where the stray can be confined away from the other cats. Don't worry about the amenities. This is a temporary situation. As long as you provide food, water, shelter and a litter box, the cat will be fine until a permanent home can be found.

You may choose to provide veterinary care. We have all of our strays tested for Feline Leukemia and FIV (Feline AIDS), just for our own peace of mind. We also have them vaccinated for rabies and distemper. If at all possible, put spaying or neutering at the top of the list! In addition to the benefits to the animal and to the pet over-population problem, it's a lot easier to find homes for altered animals. In fact, the more veterinary care you can afford, the easier it will be to find the right home for your foster cat.

So where do you start? Let me begin by describing our "facilities." Our own house-cats have the run of the house, and strays are definitely "felines non grata" in any of the territory belonging to our cats. Besides, it simply isn't safe to expose your house-cats to a stray unless the stray has been examined by a vet, tested for Feline Leukemia and AIDS (FIV), altered, and introduced gradually into your feline family. When we began we used a basement, a garage, a couple of spare bedrooms and sometimes even the bathroom to house our foster cats. We have since moved to a larger house where an additional bedroom can be used instead of the garage.

The number of cats we can put in each room depends upon how they get along; generally a mother with kittens, or three to five adults is the maximum for each area. Some cats do not like others, and those cats have to be kept in a room by themselves. Also, we prefer not to keep cats in our garage during the winter. We keep our snow blower and other winter gear there, and we don't want to take any chances on frightening our strays or allowing them to escape. Don't feel, though, that you need to work on the same scale that we do! If you have only one room and can save one cat, you've done a great thing.

We also have a few large cages. Two are "Tokyo" cages with two doors and two "shelves". One is a puppy cage which opens on the top as well as the front. While not really necessary, a cage is handy for shy or difficult-to-handle cats; and even cats who turn out to be very friendly and affectionate may start out acting in a decidedly unfriendly manner.

Goldenrod, a recent rescue of KittyCorner (Summer 2005)

Bringing the Stray Home

When you bring a foster cat into your home, it is vitally important that you isolate it from other cats. Stray cats are a notoriously unhealthy group. Respiratory infections are par for the course, and can infect your whole feline family. Look for runny eyes, coughing, or sneezing. If you see these signs, you need to consult your veterinarian. These infections can become chronic, and may even be fatal if not treated. Ear mites and/or worms are also standard. Take a stool sample along when you visit your vet.

If you have one available, it's a good idea to keep a strange cat in a cage for a few days until it gets used to you and learns that it will be fed regularly. A cage may seem cruel, but animal behaviorists tell us that a cat sees it as a safe territory which it can protect easily; making the cat feel more secure. Also, many cats are frightened and disappear behind the closest obstacle. If the cat hides from you, it will take longer for it to adjust. And don't forget to wash your hands between cats.

For cats who are very shy or difficult to handle, try putting a carrier with the door open in the cage. Chances are the cat will choose to hide in it. If you need to take the cat to the vet or relocate it, you simply close the door to the carrier, saving a lot of stress for both of you. This is a must if you are working with feral cats.

If the cat appears healthy and seems to be easy to handle, let it out of the cage into its room after a few days. We leave the cages set up so that if we need to take in an extra cat for emergency reason, we can keep more than one cat in the room in separate crates. Though we don't like to use cages for long-term housing, we sometimes need to do it temporarily until the "extra" cat is adopted or assimilated into another room.

If you can afford it, provide veterinary care. Ideally, all strays should be tested for feline leukemia and FIV, vaccinated for rabies and distemper, and spayed or neutered. You will also need to take care of fleas and ear mites. If you decide to make foster care an avocation and take in one stray after another, veterinary care can be expensive. Talk to your vet about what care is strictly necessary under the circumstances, and the most cost-effective way of handling it. Many vets will give a discount to cat rescuers; especially if you are already a good client.

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