Stray cat - please help! ?

Question

I was at a gas station tonight and I saw a cat that was super skinny! I asked the lady that worked there and she said he'd been around for awhile and is a stray. He is so skinny and I felt so bad - I couldn't just leave him there! So I brought him home....Now I don't know what to do. I have two other cats and a dog. Any thoughts/suggestions? Is there anything I need to be concerned about - like passing a disease on to my other animals or ?? I feel so clueless! I have always had animals but never just taken in a random stray before and I can't get him to the vet until Tuesday since tomorrow is a holiday. I don't even know if he's litter trained or how he'll react to my animals or how they'll react to him. AH!? :) Right now he's in my bathroom with a bed, food and water and a pan with litter in it.

Please, any thoughts, suggestions, concerns, etc. that you can offer, I would GREATLY appreciate it!!!

Thanks! :)

Answer 1

That is great of you  to take in this poor cat. Definitely keep it separated from your animals. Like you stated, you don't know if it has a disease or not. Also, make sure he is flea and tick free before introducing him.  After it is checked out by the vet and vaccines given, the rough part will be introducing him to your cats. Keep them seperated for at least a week.. Let the stray out and put your cats in the room where he is staying, so they can learn his scent. Put them in the same room several times a day for short periods. Good luck!!

Answer 2

Nothing will be passed through the door. You are doing the right thing keeping him in the bathroom, don't feel guilty. It would be way to stressful for him and your other cats to have them meet face to face. You are doing a very good thing taking him in and taking him to the vet.  

Answer 3

I think you are doing the right thing by seoerating him from the others. Who knows what he might have. Ask the vets office or look at the board( if they have one) for missing cats. He maybe someones precious little baby lost.

Answer 4

cats often cary airborne viruses that are very contageous -- lukemia, herpes, etc --  some of which are uncomfortable to deadly.  get the stray checked at the vet.  in the mean time, keep it seperated by at least one room from your current pets.

Answer 5

as soon as you can take him to the vet and have him evaluted and tested for FELV and FIV (feline leukeimia virus and feline immunodefiency virus). avoid contact with your other pets at least until he has been tested negative and vaccinated. make sure the toilet seat is down and provide a comfy towel and clean water and cat food (iams, science diet or purina are the best) and if you like, you can apply flea medicine (advantage or frontline) which can be purchased at any pet store or hospital.  good luck!

*Mary~

Answer 6

Good for you.  Yes, keep him separated.  There are very nasty, contagious diseases that he might have.  Wash your hands after handling him and before handling your others.

It won't hurt to put Frontline or some other flea/tick preventative on him right away.  Frontline not only prevents, but also kills any that might already be there.

Answer 7

Wet food will help to put on the pounds, and he SHOULD know instinctually to know what to do in a litterbox, so just place him in there and let him scratch around.  Introduce him slowly to the other animals once he's been tested (for Feline Leukemia) and vaccinated.  If he's a stray it's possible that he's infected with Feline Leukemia already, so make sure to have him tested, because it's so easily passed on to other cats!  Other than that, he should be fine, just make sure that you introduce him slowly to your cats and dog.... let them sniff a blanket he uses or toy at first, and then supervise them for the first few weeks... they'll work out their own dominance issues, just make sure there's no ganging up on the newcomer, etc.

Best of luck. =)

Answer 8

he is fine in the bathroom with everything you have provided (bed, food, water and bed ). Put flea control on him now. Whether or not you know if he has fleas, or put flea control on everyone.  There is a chance of this cat bringing disease to your cats.  At next chance, please have this cat checked for Felv/Fiv and given vaccinations....and if the other cats have not be checked or vaccinated, they should be checked at this time and not introduced to each other until negative results and vaccines given.  Good luck.

Answer 9

:P

Answer 10

Yes keep him separated there are allot of desies that they can have that are deadly and can be passed to your other cats! Feline AIDS, rabies, distemper and Feline Leukemia are deadly! You can also get sick from Rabies and distemper also Take them to the vet to be tested or to a no kill shelter if you can't find his home! Bravo for saving him or her!

Answer 11

take it to the vet if you are keeping it other wise give it to the animal shelter or give it to a friend

Answer 12

keep him

Answer 13

Congrats on being a "good samaritan".  It's good that you're keeping him separate from your other cats, since you don't know how healthy he may be (or not!).

Keep him separated until you can get him to the vet EARLY TUESDAY MORNING.  After the vet checks him over, and determines that he's healthy, you can SLOWLY introduce him to your other cats.

I'm assuming that your cats have all of their immunizations, and should be ok with the stray, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

Good luck...............and THANKS.  You're a good person!