How Can Stray Cats Be Helped?

As winter approaches, warnings begin circulating on social networks  to avoid running over stray cats under the cars. And with the arrival of spring, many of them must be able to survive on the street, so you need to know how to help them. Now we will tell you where to start.

Help street cats in a controlled colony

The simplest step in helping stray cats  is to make sure there are colonies that someone is looking after.  You can get in touch with an association that takes care of animals  and offer to help out.

In shelters there is always a need for volunteers and donations of money, food or other materials. Think about the type of contribution you want to make and start collaborating. 

Visiting colonies in collaboration with associations that deal with animals will help you understand how to act. You will be accompanied by more experienced people who already know the cats of the colony and who will tell you what they need. 

The feeding of the colonies

It seems easy to help stray cats by leaving food for them where they live, but if you’re not careful it  could be dangerous for them. You could also cause health problems in the neighborhood where the felines are located.

If there is a colony near where you live and it is not managed by anyone, you can start doing it, but to  feed the cats you must take into account the following factors:

• Food should be dry only (kibble). Do not give him the meat that is in the cans unless it is strictly necessary and, above all,  do not leave him your leftovers. Wet foods attract insects, mice, and other animals. On the other hand, people’s food leftovers could be harmful to cats.

• Take away empty plates or spoiled food. Do not fill the place where cats live with garbage,  both for them and for the people who live nearby.
• Every time you go to the colony, change the water and replace it with fresh one. If you don’t, cats may not drink it or even get sick.
• If there is any food left over, hide it from passersby before you leave  . Some may put poison in it or scatter it on the street. Other animals might eat it too.

Sterilization of colony cats

Part of the responsibility for controlling the feline colonies is the sterilization of its members. For example, through the CES project in Spain, stray cats are captured, neutered and returned to their home colony. It’s the hardest and most expensive part, but it’s the only way to avoid new births and keep growing.

The more neutered cats there are, the fewer litters will be born during the breeding season. Neutered cats also won’t fight each other for territoriality or during heat. In these cases, neutering felines increases their quality of life and considerably decreases the risk of having accidents.

Shelters to protect yourself from the cold

There are many solutions to help stray cats during the winter. You can build shelters so that the colony cats can protect themselves from the cold.

We suggest you build one using two plastic boxes,  one larger than the other. Make a hole in both and put them one inside the other. Then fill the remaining space between the two with straw. This way,  the air chamber between the boxes will help isolate the one in which  the cats will sleep.

Another option are wooden boxes, in which cats can take refuge. Some managed colonies have them, but they are cheaper than shelters built with plastic boxes.

Orphan litters

Especially when spring comes, cats start breeding. If you come across a litter of newborn kittens,  follow these tips to care for them:

1. Make sure they don’t have a mother. Mothers have to go hunting and leave the kittens alone for some time every day. Check, without being noticed, if the mother comes back after 2 or 3 hours. If it does not arrive, it means that they are orphans and therefore are your responsibility.
2. Try looking for a cat or another animal that has recently given birth that can also feed another litter. Ask for help from those who have already had such an experience.
3. Learn how to bottle feed orphaned kittens to help them survive. It is not difficult to take care of it if you know how to do it, on the internet you will find all the information.
4. Try to give them up for adoption. Once you stop breastfeeding them, get them a family. Make sure they are responsible people who will not abandon them once they grow up. 

Helping stray cats is not difficult, and it is everyone’s responsibility. These animals share the streets with us, and it takes very little to make their life easier.

Source of the main image: Antonio Marín Segovia