- Not a substitute for professional veterinary help.
Do you keep noticing a stray cat in your neighborhood who looks slightly out of place? Perhaps they seem a bit thin and scruffy, and none of your neighbors recognizes them or knows who they belong to.
In the United States, 70 million cats are unowned, compared to about 85 million cats who do have pet parents. Plenty of cats you see outside do have homes—they’re simply wandering through their territory, or maybe lost and unsure how to get back home. Others may be stray or feral cats, so you’ll always want to approach with caution.
Feral cats avoid interacting with people and don’t want to be touched. “When cornered, these cats may quickly become aggressive, leading to bites and scratches,” explains Stacy Choczynski Johnson, DVM. “This can lead to injury, infection, and transmission of the rabies virus.”
How can you tell the difference between a wandering outdoor cat, stray cat, and a feral cat? Keep reading to find out, plus get some tips on caring for a stray and finding it a loving home.
Avoid Handling Feral Cats On Your Own
Determine if the cat is a stray, feral, or outdoor cat. Not all cats are strays, which means you may not need to worry about their condition just yet. In the U.S., 63% of domestic cats are kept entirely indoors—which means the other 37% spend some of their lives outside.
Dr. Stacy breaks down the differences between feral, stray, and outdoor cats.
- Outdoor cats: These cats have homes with pet parents, but they spend some or all of their time outside.
- Stray cats: These cats live outside and don’t have owners. Some strays have lived in a home before, but they were abandoned or got lost. They may have a friendly temperament and approach people eagerly.
- Feral cats: These cats, also called community cats, are unowned outdoor cats who have wild, unruly temperaments. They have not been socialized to humans and may live in a colony.
Unless you have special training in handling feral cats, you’ll want to avoid approaching them. If you are concerned about a feral cat who seems ill or in need of assistance, you can call your local shelter or cat rescue for guidance.
How To Get A Stray Cat to Come to You
When dealing with a stray cat, it’s important to first get them to trust you. Many stray cats are frightened and might scratch and bite if you approach them too quickly. Instead, encourage them to approach you so you can help them.
Without food
If you find a stray cat when you’re away from home and don’t have any food to offer, you can still help the cat by following these steps:
- Search online for your local animal control agency.
- Call and explain you need help with a stray cat.
- Provide a description of the cat and tell them if the cat seems to need medical attention.
- Give them the exact location of where they can find the cat.
- If possible, stay with the cat until help arrives.
With food
One of the easiest ways to gain a cat’s trust is with food. Still, this will take time and lots of patience, so try not to rush the process.
Dr. Stacy recommends providing canned food on a dish near the cat. At each encounter, place the dish closer to you. Over time, you may be able to reach out your hand and touch the cat.
She also recommends synthetic feline cheek pheromone spray to help the stray cat feel comfortable. You can spritz it on your shirt cuff like perfume, she says.
Note: If you don’t already have cat food, avoid giving the stray cat milk. Many cats are lactose intolerant and shouldn’t drink milk.
What to Do After Finding A Stray Cat
If you’ve found a stray cat, it’s important to take things slow to make sure they’re friendly and willing to trust you. Try to approach slowly and cautiously, using a soft, gentle voice. Put your hand out in front of you and wait, letting the cat come closer when they feel comfortable.
Once you have gotten close enough to the cat, you can check for a collar—this likely means the cat has a home and is out making their rounds through the neighborhood. A clean, well-fed, and well-groomed cat may also have a home.
If you think the cat has pet parents waiting for them, you can help them return home by taking photos and posting them on these websites:
If you have the time and resources you can also post flyers around your neighborhood.
While taking steps to find their pet parents, you can set up a shelter and food outside—you may want to avoid bringing them in until they’ve taken a trip to the vet.
4 Ways To Help A Stray Cat
Once you’re able to get close to the cat, you can work on getting them the help they need. If you don’t have a cat carrier or kennel, your local shelter may lend you one.
1. Check for ID tags
Once you can get close enough to the stray cat, you’ll want to check to see if they have an ID tag. If a cat has a collar with an ID tag, check the tag for the owner’s contact information. Then, you can give them a call and let them know you have their cat.
2. Arrange a visit to the vet
Many stray cats may need medical care. You can lure them into a cat carrier and take them to the vet by following Dr Stacy’s advice:
“Each day, place a dish of food in the kennel. When you learn the cat’s routine, schedule a vet appointment a few hours after the normal feeding time. Before the appointment, you can trap the stray in the kennel and take him in for the needed vet care.”
Along with providing medical care, the vet can also scan the cat for a microchip. If the cat does have a chip, the vet can easily find contact information for their family.
3. Contact your local shelter
Shelters in the U.S. receive about 3 million cats per year, and at least half of those are euthanized.
For that reason, ASPCA recommends contacting your local shelter to ask for advice on next steps before bringing a cat in.
The shelter may be at full capacity and unable to accept the stray cat, so it’s always best to check first.
4. Find a Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) program
If you’re finding it tough to earn the cat’s trust and don’t think you’ll be able to lure them into a cat carrier, you can contact your local animal welfare group to check for a TNR program in your area.
These programs trap stray and feral cats, take them to be sprayed or neutered, and then vaccinate them before returning them to their neighborhood. TNR programs help reduce of shelter cat impoundment, so it’s worth checking for one near you.
Should You Take In a Stray?
“Stray cats can be affectionate,” Dr. Stacy says. “They might purr, approach you, and even rub their cheek on your pant leg.”
If you have the space to welcome a cat into your home, there’s nothing wrong with adopting a stray—once you’ve done everything you can to find the cat’s home.
That said, it’s always best to take the cat for a vet appointment before bringing them inside. Dr. Stacy recommends the following tests and treatments for any stray:
- Physical exam
- Fecal testing
- Flea prevention
- Feline leukemia testing
- FIV testing
- Vaccines (at minimum, a rabies vaccine)
These medical checks are especially important if you have other animals in your home. You and your pets can get sick from parasites or diseases that enter your home with the stray cat.
Is adopting a stray cat ever a bad idea?
If you find an adorable, affectionate stray cat who needs a home, you might want to adopt them right away. But it’s important to consider whether they’ll make the right addition to your family.
A few reasons you may want to wait on adopting the stray cat:
- You’re not in a position to support a cat financially.
- Your landlord doesn’t allow pets.
- Your living space is too small for a pet.
- You live with other pets who might not get along with the new cat.
- You already have multiple cats and live in an area with restrictions on multi-cat households
- You live with people who have allergies to cats.
But you don’t have to adopt a stray cat to help them! You can still do them a lot of good by taking steps to find their owner, helping them get adopted, or making sure they get the medical attention they need to thrive.