Feeding a stray cat is very tempting, especially for a pet lover, but it is not always the right thing to do. A stray, or feral cat, is defined as a cat that is “living in a wild state after domestication.” Usually these cats have been dumped as kittens by people who are not responsible enough to have their parents spayed or neutered or to take care of the kittens themselves. Stray cats can also be those cats that have been lost or that simply live outside and are allowed to roam freely throughout the neighborhood. Feeding these cats can cause trouble for you and your family as well as any cats and dogs that you may have. Feeding these cats can also cause trouble for them as well.
The first and probably the most serious reason for not feeding stray cats is the risk of Rabies. Rabies is defined as “an acute, infectious, often fatal viral disease of most warm-blooded animals that attacks the central nervous system and is transmitted by the bite of infected animals.” Rabies can be fatal in humans, especially if not caught early enough.
Humans can also catch other disease from stray cats that they have come in contact with. This would include chlamidosis which is a respiratory tract infection, skin psoriasis which is a skin irritation, pink eye, lime disease, toxoplasmosis, cat scratch fever, cryptosporidiosis and campylobacterosis. None of these diseases are something anyone would choose to have and are prevented by simply not coming in contact with a stray cat.
Parasite transmittal is another reason that feeding stray cats is not a good idea. Hookworms can be transmitted to humans through contact with the cat’s saliva or its feces. Roundworms can also be transmitted from stray cats to humans. Fleas are another parasite that can cause trouble for humans and can come from cats. Not only do fleas themselves cause problems, but they can also transmit tapeworms into the human if they are somehow ingested by the human.
The last reason to refrain from feeding stray or feral cats, is the likelihood of the cat demonstrating unpredictable behavior. This behavior can come from the cat being in pain which will make it aggressive, plus stray cats are generally wild and are always on the defense. If you happen to catch a stray cat, it may scratch or bite you just trying to get away.
All these previous reasons are why you should not feed a stray cat and what can happen to you if you do decide to feed the cat. But what about the cat itself? Is there a good reason for not feeding the stray cat? What might this reason be? Stray cats have a different diet from pet cats as they can not depend on humans for their food. They do not have food that comes out of a can or out of a bag, or they usually do not. These cats, these stray cats, have to hunt and kill their food or eat what they can find and commercial food like pet cats eat can give them digestive troubles.
Stray or feral cats and people can exist in the same world, or even on the same piece of property and if done correctly, they can be taken care of. If you decide that you want to take care of the feral cats in your area there is a very good organization that can help you do just that. Alley Cat Allies is an organization that recognizes the importance of feral cats and works diligently to educate the public to the plight of these beautiful animals. They also educate those who are interested in feral cats on the ways to take care of them such as feeding and watering them, vaccinating them and having them spayed or neutered.
