Helping Abandoned Cats

Written by:
Helping Abandoned Cats

Each year, millions of cats end on the streets. This is a very sad situation indeed, no matter the circumstances that cause this situation. While some cats run away from home for various reasons and then end up getting lost, many of them are abandoned after spending a good portion of their life in a home. This can be a confusing, if not traumatizing experience for the feline. After getting accustomed to a safe and warm environment, the cat must now adapt to a newer, less friendly one.

Many cats end up dying on the streets from injuries, disease, cold, poisoning or accidents. Millions of lost pets become road kill each year in the USA alone. Because such dramatic situations are beginning to happen more frequently, many animal lovers have started to take action against the phenomenon. If you?d like to join in too, there are many ways you can do this. For starters, you can help spread the word either through word or on social media.

On platforms such as Twitter or Facebook, you can help promote the campaigns of humane associations whose goal is to find and shelter stray animals, such as cats. You can also tell all your animal loving friends to get a lot more involved in this. Another way you can help is by calling an animal shelter when you see a stray cat on the street that looks injured, malnourished or lost. Make sure that the shelter you wish to call has a good reputation when it comes to taking care of animals.

If you want to donate, you can do this easily. The nice thing about donating is that you don?t need a fat wallet. Any contribution counts, and you can even donate things such as food, towels or other useful things that can be used to help sheltered animals. If you have a lot of time available (maybe you are on vacation or have a very flexible schedule) you can also opt to volunteer at one of the numerous animal shelters available in your area. No experience is required for certain tasks, such as cleaning.

If you want to interact with animals, you can do so with supervision if you are a novice, but you need to be a very calm and patient person. Animals can be very unpredictable sometimes, so it is best if you are accustomed to living alongside them. People that own or have owned pets will have an easy time to adjust. Being patient is very important when dealing with cats, which have a much stronger personality compared to other pets.

Speaking of owning pets, you can also adopt these cats if you are a feline lover and can offer it a comfy, warm and loving home. Cats can be very good companions to many people. If you already own a cat, you can further contribute to the wellbeing of felines by having your pet spayed or neutered ? the shelters and streets are already too full of kittens that don't have a home.

Living with Multiple Cats

We all love animals, and some will go the extra mile by taking multiple strays in. Although that is a noble gesture, people that do this act of kindness need to find a good way to balance their personal lives and the habitat for the animals.

We all laugh at the ?crazy cat lady? jokes, but the truth is that people with that interest in cats are actually doing a lot to save them and tend to their wellbeing, which is a wonderful gesture. Felines are amazing pets to keep, but they are high maintenance animals. If you have just one cat, you know exactly just how much you need to work in order to offer them what they need and how much you need to invest in them. If you have more than 3 cats, these small pieces of advice might come in handy.

1. Separate

Cats have different behaviors. Although some can be quite friendly, most will not tolerate another cat in the household. You need to have more than one room available for these pets in case you want to keep the peace between them. Let the alpha members set their territory and make sure that it stays that way. The beds, litter boxes, food bowls and toys need to be separated from the others.

2. Manage your space

Having multiple cats can and will take a lot of your personal space. You need to take matters into your own hands before you lose your bed. For sleeping arrangements, you can save a lot of space by providing your cats with bunk beds. You can buy them from the bed shop, or you can improvise by building them yourself. The same strategy applies for litter boxes, and you need to have at least 3 medium sized water bowls left out, whereas food bowls (one for each cat) can remain in the pantry until feeding time.

3. Boundaries

Having more than 3 cats needs to come with some boundaries in order for you to have a personal life. You love cats, but you also need to separate yourself from them by setting up some boundaries. You need to limit their access to certain parts of your house, like your bedroom, bathroom or kitchen. Make sure that there are some places where the cats cannot enter. Showing dominance lets them know that you are in charge of everything.

Owning a pet can be quite challenging for most, let alone taking care of more than 3 of them at a time. If you really want to make a difference, but do not have the time and space for it, you can help those who can by donating. You can even help at the shelters in your spare time if you want to have more contact with the animals. However, you need to understand that taking on such a challenge comes with its obligations. If you know for a fact that you cannot accommodate them, it is better to help through other means.

If you enjoyed this article please take a look at our Pet Tips and Information Archive.

Discuss Helping Abandoned Cats on Facebook