risk of taking in a stray? cat

[raggie33]

i realy cant afford to take her in but it has to be better then living outdoors it is so cold and the cat is my best freind who is offline. very sweey but i do admit i wonder if she has rabiies since my luck sucks. can they live on on cheicken eggs if i cook them ?

 

[Dave D]

Proper cat biscuits would be a better option, they are pretty cheap in supermarkets, and would be cheaper than eggs. A 1.5kg (3.3lb) bag last my two cats about 18 days.

 

[Poppy]

raggie, you're too nice.
Why not just give her table scraps? She's probably currently eating out of garbage cans anyway.

 

[bykfixer]

Ferel cats in my area go to storm drains at night. It's 60 some degrees in those pipes. Neighbors set out food for them and they do fine. They eat, hang around for a bit and mark their territory then meander into nearby storm drains. One neighbor recently said one his girlfriend feeds was missing. I said "dude, look down the street, those new people set out better food". Sure enough there was the cat hanging out with its new friends at the house with better food.

Squirrels and birds don't freeze to death in Georgia and neither will cats.

 

[Lumen83]

I have no idea whether the cat has rabies or not. But if you suspect rabies, you need to avoid it. If you are exposed to rabies, and you do not get vaccinated, you will die.

Nice of you to look out for the cat though.

 

[Poppy]

Yeah, and she might be fighting with your snake for the mice you feed it.

 

[bykfixer]

Rabid animals typically snarl a lot.

One year at my work a possum was attacking cars going past. That one made the 6 o'clock news.
Another time it was a kitten attacking cars going past. People were pulling over to "help" the poor little kitten. A police officer showed up and said "BACK AWAY FROM THE RABID ANIMAL" as ladies and children were crying. Cars were still going past and the kitten hurled itself under a car that ran over it. The women and children were ready to strangle the driver who unknowingly had run it over. "MURDERER" they shouted at the driver when he pulled over.

It's a primal instinct where animals instinctively hide pain because it makes them appear weak in the food chain. A rabid animal is in severe pain so it lashes out in order give a sense it is not weakened, but will kick your butt if you try to eat it.

 

[OttaMattaPia]

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/181980#symptoms

What you need to know about rabies

Incubation

Incubation is the time before symptoms appear. It usually lasts from 2–3 months and varies from 1 week to 1 year, depending on where the virus entered the body and the number of viral particles involved. The closer the bite is to the brain, the sooner the effects are likely to appear.

By the time symptoms appear, rabies is usually fatal. Anyone who has exposure to the virus should seek medical help immediately, without waiting for symptoms.

 

[ironhorse]

You run the risk of falling in love with it. I'd recommend dry food, fresh water, and you'd have the expense of cat litter and vet bills. Well worth it.

 

[SCEMan]

I took in a stray cat that used to wake us up going through our trash cans when I lived in an apartment in the early 80's. "Fleetwood" (his buddy was "Mac") turned out to be my best friend until he passed in 95'.

 

[raggie33]

great advice everyone he is my only offline freind i was so worried when he didnt show up for a while he is very sweet and furry. im pretty sure ive known him for a few years but he wanst as furry. but back then he would folllow me around like a dog

 

[raggie33]

weird just this very moment i recalled as a kid a cat attaccking us weird becuase criiters always have loved me

 

[Hooked on Fenix]

If you're worried about rabies, set out a cage trap for it and take it to the vet to get checked out. My sister has taken in a few stray cats. Two after their mother gave birth on her porch, and one a little older. With cats, if they are very young, they will do fine living indoors (after you potty train them to use a litter box). It doesn't take long for the young ones to become feral, and when that happens, watch yourself if you want to take one in. The third cat my sister took in was borderline feral. It eventually adapted to living indoors, but it was a long process. It bit and scratched my sister's kids constantly and tore up furniture. It punched me in the face. The cat has a mean left hook. It's a southpaw. If the cat is feral, it's a risk to take it in even if it doesn't have rabies. For a feral cat, maybe make a box shelter for it outside (like a dog house) and feed it there rather than bring it inside.

 

[jtr1962]

If you can afford to take it in. You won't regret it. I've had nine cats in my life so far. I was very close to two of them but I loved them all. Cats are great friends, great companions, easy to care for, and nice to cuddle with on cold days.

 

[defloyd77]

Is it a male or female?

I have quite a bit of experience with regards to taking in feral cats. All 4 of my current kitties were feral,2 of them took many, many years to establish trust with.

I'm not going to lie, if you bring it in, it won't be cheap. You'll need to get it seen by a vet, tested, vaccinated and treated. You will also need to get it fixed, otherwise it's going to want to mark it's territory inside and sneak outside, often not coming back for days.

As far as non financial risk to yourself, it doesn't seem like you're dealing with a cat with rabies and have already established a connection with the kitty, your biggest risk would probably be it getting angry at you for not letting it out. Getting it fixed will help with that. Good luck!