Should you rescue a street cat?

STRAY cats have lousy lives. They have to fight to eat, to find water, and if they’re injured, there’s no help for them. Usually, street cats are lucky if they live more than two years.

It’s tempting to pick up a street cat and rescue it from a short, brutal life. However, as the qualities a cat needs to survive on the street conflict directly with the qualities that make a good pet clash, it can be extremely tricky. Possibly, picking up the wrong cat may even be an unintended cruelty.

Street cats who’ve had a bad time, can turn feral. This essentially makes them wild animals who are frightened by humans. Keeping them locked up is mental torture for them because these cats are constantly terrified. They cannot adapt to living with people.

However, street cats who have had some kindness from people will be shy but not terrified. They need time to get used to us but in their hearts they long for safety and shelter. When they settle down, they love the regular food, and live for the love we give them.

Telling what street cat needs a loving home and what street cat looks like a pet but is truly a wild animal at heart isn’t easy. It takes rescuers years to develop a sense for this – and even then, they sometimes get it wrong.

The tragedy is that if you do get it wrong, you end up terrifying a feral cat by keeping it locked up for weeks. Then, when you eventually see it won’t work, your heart is broken when you set it free again.

So, if you want to adopt a street kitty without the risk of mutual heartbreak, head for a shelter. Shelters put down tens of thousands of abandoned cats every year, so taking one (or two!) rescue cats from there is the best deal for everyone.