What to do if a stray cat visits

Ilived in a house in a classic row of English houses for a while and one of the ever present rescued cats from work called L&P decided to get on the two-storey roof.

The first time I had to put a chair out the upstairs window on to the front door little alcove roof in order to stretch up to the gutter to reach him to get him down. I couldn’t find out how he got up there.

After the third time and being woken up by him howling on the roof I decided to try the theory that L&P would find his way down by himself. Well, the theory was good but, luckily, I decided to duck home for lunch that day. I turned the corner and was met by a crowd of people gathered around the house looking up at the little monster on the roof. And they were waiting for the fire brigade to turn up to get him down.

So with much embarrassment I again put the chair out the window and rescued the cat, to the delight of all the onlookers who were unaware that he was my cat all along. Needless to say, my little friend was confined to indoors for a while after that.

But speaking of rescued cats, we have recently had several stray cats brought in by caring people who want to see them have a better life.

And, coincidentally, both local SPCAS have been overrun with the same scenario and have asked me to publicise some advice. The Society for Protection from Cruelty to Animals’ primary role is to help sick and injured animals and not as a re-homing centre for what people believe to be stray cats. Once these ‘‘stray’’ cats are at the centre they cannot be just released back to their domain and possible owners (unless the owners can be found) and can’t always be re-homed due to various factors.

Many apparently stray cats are actually owned by someone but no-one has any way of knowing that, nor finding the owners. This year has seen a population explosion of cats because they have been able to breed twice during the long spring and summer. Another reason why a quick snip is a very good idea (and costs less than you think).

So what can you do if you have a stray cat visiting you:

Check to see whether it has a collar (and ID tag) and therefore belongs to someone. If it has a collar but no address to return it to, and it looks healthy, then don’t feed it, as this will encourage it to return home. Cats can wander long distances in their daily walks, for example 2 kilometres.

If you can catch it then place a paper collar on it with a note to say to contact you if it returns to its rightful owner. This is often successful in finding its home.

Ask the neighbours if they know who owns the cat.

Contact the SPCA and local vet clinics