How to Adopt a Stray Cat
You don't adopt a stray cat, rather a stray cat adopts you. Although this adage has a bit of truth, being a responsible pet owner requires you to take care of a few things to ensure the health and well-being of your adopted cat.
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Instructions
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Find a stray cat. Perhaps there is a stray cat nosing around in your backyard with no collar or tags.
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Get a pet carrier. Place the carrier outside, where the stray cat can smell and explore the carrier.
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Establish trust with the cat by offering food and water. The best way to get a cat or any pet to not be afraid of a pet carrier is to offer food and water to the stray inside the carrier with the door unlatched. This lets the stray become familiar with the carrier and your scent. This may take several repetitions to establish trust.
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Enclose the stray cat inside the carrier. Now you can take the stray to the vet.
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Have a vet examine the cat. A vet can look over the animal and and determine the cat's state of health and administer any required shots.
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Register or license the cat. Depending on where you live, there may be city or township regulations concerning pets. You may have to pay a small licensing fee, and usually you will have to prove that certain vaccinations have been done to register or license your new pet.
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Name your cat. Go get a collar and tag with the cat's new name. Congratulations! You've adopted a stray cat.
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Tips & Warnings
You can also visit a local humane society or animal rescue organization and ask about adopting a cat. Usually, these organizations take care of the vet exam and immunization as part of their adoption fee. Ask for more details.
Some people use embedded microchips rather a collar or tags to mark their pets. When you take the cat in for an exam, ask them to check for these kinds of identifiers before adopting the cat.
Some municipalities and organizations require you to spay or neuter adopted stray pets in order to control the animal population.
