DIFFERENT KINDS OF OUTDOOR CATS

There are two main kinds of outdoor cats: community cats and your own cat. Although there are two different kinds of cats that are outdoors, there are a variety of cats who live outdoors. These can range from an abandoned cat who became part of the cat community to a feral cat who has never interacted with humans. You can tell the difference between the cats whether they have been ear tipped (community cats) or if they have a collar (owned cats). Here are ways to take care of these cats and how you can make their lives better based on each cat’s personality.

feral cats

Feral cats are cats who have never interacted with humans nor do they want to be near you. They are usually out at night and hidden in the day. They are fearful of human interaction and will try their best to make contact to a minimum with you. If you want to care for feral cats, you can provide food out farther away from the doorsteps of your house and farther away where there’s less people around. If you want to help with the rising feral cat population, you can do a process called Trap N’ Release (TNR). You can work with your local humane society on borrowing trap cages and finding a veterinarian for spaying and neutering.

"Feral cats are just cats that don't want to be around humans"

- Kitten Lady

stray cats

Stray cats are where a cat has been either abandoned by their owner or are just lost. When encountering a stray cat, make sure it’s safe to care for them. If they seem aggressive, stay away and let a professional handle them. However, if they come up to you with a happy manner, it’s safe to say they are friendly. When caring for animals that you want to care for, watch out for their teeth and claws because there might be hidden diseases and might accidentally injure you. Make sure to have heavy duty gloves and bring in the cat to a safe place to give food and water. If you don’t know the owner of the cat, check for a collar or bring them into the vet to see if they have been microchipped. If they is no information on the cat and no one is posting missing cat posters, its safe to say no one wants to claim the cat. There are two options you can do: take in the cat as your own or put them up for adoption. You can contact your local humane society to see if you can bring in a stray cat.

your outdoor cat

Sometimes you want your cat to go out and wander around outside. There are a few things to keep in mind when letting your cat go outdoors.
1. Make sure your cat has either been microchipped, collared or both. You want to do this so if you do lose your cat, you have a better chance of someone contacting you about your cat
2. Consistently check up on their for their health. You want your cat to be up to date on vaccines. If they have fleas, make sure to treat it immediately before it becomes worse.
3. Have your cat spayed or neutered