There are millions of stray cats out there, and most of them avoid people. But sometimes stray cats also want to interact with humans, and in other cases, they just need someone who can feed them.
Whatever the reason, there are times when cats decide to adopt people as their new owner, showing up in front doors asking for attention, shelter, and food. If a cat adopted you and you are not sure what to do, here are some of the tips that can help.
Determine If A Cat Adopted You
If you want to know if a cat has adopted you, observe some of these scenarios. When a stray cat constantly visits your home and is seeking your attention, it is most likely that it has adopted you as its new owner. The stray cat will keep on coming back to your house, especially if you start placing food outside your house.
However, you must consider that not all cats coming around your house are stray. They might belong to someone in your neighborhood. It is also possible that the cat that keeps on coming in your home just loves something in your place. In fact, some cats love to roam around from one house to another, visiting some of their friends.
The very first thing you need to do when a cat keeps on coming to your home is to determine if it is a stray. You can bring the cat in a nearby rescue group or animal hospital to have it scanned. If it has a microchip, the cat has an existing owner. It means you have to help it be reunited with its owner.
Social media is another effective tool that can help you find its owner. The moment you found a cat coming in your home, take a picture of it and then post it online along with a helpful description. Once the post reaches someone who might know the real owner, they might help you to return the cat.
What To Do If A Stray Cat Adopted You?
After knowing if the cat that keeps on coming in your home is a stray, here are some of the things you must do. It is particularly if the cat has adopted you.
Earn Its Trust
Some cats tend to be friendly even at the very first time it has seen you. Others, however, may take some effort, patience, and time to establish trust. If the cat that has adopted you is not comfortable interacting with humans, it might bite or scratch you by surprise. To avoid this kind of situation, you have to earn its trust slowly and give it some space to feel comfortable.
Since it is the first step, which you have to take, you must have enough time and patience. If you do the right things to earn its trust, later on, the cat will come to you so don’t force it. Approach the cat slowly, eventually, you’ll realize that both of you gets pretty close to each other.
Take It To A Veterinarian
While giving food and shelter to a cat seems enough, taking it to a vet is also important. This step will allow knowing if the cat that has adopted you is healthy. If you have other cats at home, taking the stray cat to a vet can make sure that the new member of the family won’t cause harm or pass on a contagious disease.
If you haven’t earned the trust of the cat yet, try to catch it then take it to a vet. You can put some food inside a cat carrier to catch the cat easily. Most veterinarians will require you to utilize a carrier when bringing a cat to their clinic. Other than securing the cat, the carrier also helps to ensure the safety of all people involved, including you.
In the veterinarian clinic, the cat will undergo basic vaccinations and be spayed if it is not yet. Some rescue organizations neuter cats for less cost or for free. Also, invest in cat tick and flea treatment if your new cat has parasites. There are different ways on how you can treat them and various products in the market that provides fast results.
Welcome It In Its New Home
Before welcoming your new family member in its new home, you have to make sure that all the essential things it needs are ready. If the cat is previously an indoor cat, the transition should be easy.
You can distinguish an indoor cat when it keeps on hanging out on your backyard or porch. This means that it is well socialized and is used to being around people. On the other hand, feral cats can be a little harder to get inside your home. You have to invest more time persuading them and make them comfortable with your presence and with other people.
Do not trap feral cats and bring them into your home just to make the transition quick. It will only stress and frighten them. More so, take it easy and eventually, you can turn a stray cat into a friendly house pet.
Caring For An Outdoor Cat
Here is what you can do to take care of an outdoor cat who adopted you:
- Provide a shelter where it can stay comfortably and securely like heated cat beds, unheated cat beds, stray cat house, cat box, and so much more.
- Place a heated water dish in the area where they hang out often during cold climates.
- For summer and spring, provide them a shaded and cool area to rest as well as a good water source. You can also give them some cooling pet pad that helps to relieve the heat.
Final Say
Taking care of a stray cat is a serious decision to make. More so, if you think you are not able to give them you’re the time, love, and care, which they need, bring them to the right organizations or people who can provide such things.