Want to know what to feed a stray cat and how to do it safely? Follow this guide to gain some practical tips for helping stray cats in your neighbourhood.
Feeding a stray cat can help them keep up their strength and may be the difference between life and death for these feline friends. However, feeding stray cats doesn’t always result in happy, healthy cats. This is because feeding stray cats will increase the population of strays, which will cause more starving cats to live in the area. More stray cats will also mean more hunting, which risks reducing wildlife populations. And what’s more, stray cats often carry diseases, which if spread to your home, could prove very harmful to you and your pets.
Nonetheless, you shouldn’t ignore strays altogether and leave them to starve. If you feel you want to feed a stray cat in your area, then follow this guide on what is safest to feed them, and why.
What to Feed a Stray Cat: Tips & Ideas
(Foto: CC0 / Pixabay / moshehar)
Generally speaking, stray cats can eat regular, commercially made cat food. Their stomachs should be able to take it as they contain enough protein and nutrients to keep them healthy and strong. However, it’s understandable if you don’t have cat food in your house or don’t wish to go out and buy some specifically. Luckily, there are alternatives you can safely feed cats that will not only keep their strength up, but might reduce waste in your own kitchen!
- Meat such as chicken and beef are a healthy source of protein for stray cats. Before you dispose of any meat scraps you may have, you might think of giving them to a hungry stray instead.
- Canned tuna is also very high in protein. It also contains lots of fatty acids and omega-3, which are great for coat and skin health in cats.
- Plain boiled rice will fill their stomachs, as well as aid in digestion. So next time you accidentally boil too much rice, think about sharing it with a hungry stray.
- Cooked vegetables such as sweet potato, carrots, or broccoli are a good source of carbs and can help ease digestion.
- Scrambled eggs might not be your first thought for feeding stray cats, but they can really help. Eggs are low in sodium and contain enough protein to help keep the cats going and sustain their strength.
Other Tips for Helping Stray Cats
(Foto: CC0 / Pixabay / Daga_Roszkowska)
Learning how to feed stray cats isn’t the only way to help them out. If you wish to do more, you can take any of the following steps to make their lives a bit easier:
- Take them to the vet: If you have gained their trust, and are able to interact with them causing them too much stress, take them to the vet to get checked out.
- Animal shelter: If the stray cat gets the all-okay from the vet and is fit and healthy, bring it to your nearest animal shelter. Here it can be cared for before finding a new home to be loved and fed.
- Create a shelter for them in winter: You may not want to take in a stray cat yourself, but leaving them to suffer out in the cold isn’t necessary. Fill an old box or basket with used and ragged blankets and clothes from the backs of your cupboards. Place these in your garage or somewhere sheltered and easily accessible for stray cats to reach.
- Provide them with plenty of fresh and clean water: Water that is free from pesticides and harmful insects and algae will reduce the chance of a stray cat catching a disease or worms, which will reduce the spread of diseases overall among the stray cat population.
Read more:
- Growing Cat Grass Plants: Treating Your Furry Feline
- How to Get Rid of Moles in Your Yard: 5 Home Remedies
- Water for Birds: Helping Refresh Our Feathered Friends
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