Note: We are a local animal rescue organization in Northern Virginia. We take in stray cats only from the Washington DC metropolitan area (N VA, MD, & Washington DC). These tips, however, generally apply to cats in other geographic locations.

Steps to Take If You Find a Cat Outdoors (Feral or Friendly Stray Cat)

Feral Cats

What is a Feral Cat?

A “feral” cat has not been socialized toward humans. The cat was born outdoors and is essentially a wild animal. A feral cat will be very skittish toward humans, and not allow direct contact. Over time, a feral cat may become more comfortable outdoors with the person who is feeding them.

How to Determine If a Cat Is Feral vs. Friendly

It can be hard to determine initially if a cat is feral (not social with humans) or friendly (social with humans). Even a friendly cat may be skittish at first until the cat learns to trust you. A friendly cat will usually warm up to a human within a few days if you are providing the cat with food and water and you are patient and non-threatening. It can be harder to determine if a mother cat with kittens is feral because she is likely to hiss and spit if you approach her kittens. So more time and greater caution may be needed when trying to determine if a mother cat is friendly or feral.

If the Cat is Feral

  • Provide food, water, and shelter.
  • Take note of whether the cat’s left ear is tipped. If so, this means someone has previously trapped the cat and the cat is spayed/neutered.
  • If the cat has not been spayed/neutered, trap the cat (see Step #3 below); get the cat spayed/neutered; and return (TNR) the cat to where they were found. You also need to commit to providing food, water, and shelter (e.g., wood houses, dogloos) for the rest of the cat’s life.
    • For TNR advice or assistance:
      • Contact your local animal shelter.
        • Many local shelters will not trap the cat and won’t take feral cats into the shelter. However, many shelters provide training, traps, and access to free spaying/neutering.
      • Contact a feral cat group (e.g., Metro Ferals). They may be able to refer you to a local rescue organizations that assist with TNR.
  • If the feral cat has kittens, see Step #6 below.

Friendly Stray Cats

What is a Stray Cat?

The word “stray” refers to friendly cats who are social with humans and don’t have a home. They are either lost or have been abandoned outdoors. Sadly, cats do get lost and far too many cats are abandoned outdoors when someone moves away or simply decides they don’t want to care for the cat anymore.

Determining if the Cat is a Friendly Stray (i.e., lost or abandoned)

Ask yourself – why do you think the cat is a friendly stray cat (versus someone’s indoor/outdoor cat)? A few things to consider:

  • How long have you noticed the cat outdoors? Do you see the cat at all hours – especially late at night or at dawn (suggesting the cat has been outdoors all night)?
  • Is the cat underweight, malnourished, injured or sick?
  • Does the cat’s coat look dirty, matted or unkept? (A cat that is well-cared for will have a clean, well-groomed coat).
  • Is the cat crying/meowing excessively? Or trying to come inside your home?
  • If you are feeding the cat, is the cat showing up every day (once or twice a day) for food? Or if you see the cat less frequently, is the cat gorging their food like they are afraid of where their next meal will come from? (Suggesting the cat does not have another food source).
  • How is the cat responding to you? Is the cat a little shy or immediately friendly? Can you pet the cat? Things you can do to earn the cat’s trust:
    • Even friendly cats who are suddenly lost or abandoned outdoors will often be shy, at least initially.
    • It could take a little time to gain the cat’s trust – talk softly to the cat, sit down on the ground to get to the cat’s level, provide food and water, and try to pet the cat if you are comfortable doing so.

Gather information about the cat. Such as:

  • Talk to neighbors to see if they know anything about the cat.
  • Post notices with photos online via social media or neighborhood networks such as Facebook or Nextdoor. If you have a Ring security camera, or you have a neighbor who has one, you can post notices there as well.
  • Post messages online with lost/found pet databases such as PawBoost or the Missing Pet Network.
    • PawBoost seems to be the most used in the Northern Virginia area.
  • Place signs around the neighborhood asking if the cat belongs to anyone.
  • Contact local shelters to file a “Found Cat Report.”
    • Contact the shelter in the county where the cat was found as well as neighboring counties if they are close by.

Note: If someone contacts you in response to your signs or posts, don’t provide the cat’s exact location unless you have determined the cat belongs to this person – ask for photos or vet records as proof. Sadly, this precaution is needed to prevent someone from getting the cat into their care who may want to do harm to the cat.

After Determining the Cat is a Stray (i.e., lost or abandoned)

Tips on Handling Stray Cats on Your Own

1. Provide Food and Water

  • Provide cat food (or short term provide tuna or cooked meat for adult cats) if you don’t have cat food immediately available.  Cats are carnivores – meat eaters!
  • Provide kitten food for nursing moms and kittens (keeping in mind that very young kittens starting at about 5 weeks old need canned food).
  • Provide clean water. Do not give cow’s milk which is hard for cats to digest!

2. Lure the Cat Safely Inside a Carrier or Into Your Home

  • Be cautious about picking up a cat since this could scare the cat.
  • It’s best to try to carefully lure the cat inside a carrier with food. Once safely inside the carrier, bring the cat inside your home and let the cat out in a small, contained room, such as a bathroom.
  • Depending on your setup, you could also try luring the cat inside your home with food and guide the cat into a smaller room. Of course, if you have pets, contain them inside a separate room until the cat is contained in a separate room.

3. Trap the Cat – Only If the Cat Can’t Be Safely Lured into a Carrier

  • Use a humane trap to capture a cat, if absolutely necessary.
    • A rescue organization or local animal shelter may be able to loan you one.
    • Otherwise, you can purchase one at home supply stores.
  • You must monitor the trap carefully.
    • Don’t leave the trap unattended for longer than 30 minutes.
    • Trapped cats may injure themselves trying to get out.
  • Traps should be covered with a towel.
    • This helps to lure the cat inside, and protects the cat once the cat is inside – it’s less likely the cat will injure themself trying to get out of the trap if they can’t see out of the trap.
  • Place a thin sheet (one or two pages) of newspaper on the bottom of the trap.
    • This protects the cats paws once they are inside and  hides the elevated plate the cat steps on to trigger the door to close.
  • Use smelly/fishy canned cat food, and lure the cat inside by:
    • Placing a small amount in front of the trap, and slightly inside the trap, and
    • Placing a larger amount in the back of the trap (on a paper towel or plate – not in the can which is sharp and can cut the cat’s tongue while trying to eat out of the can).
  • Let the cat out of the trap only inside a closed room, like a bathroom.

4. Consider Contacting Your Local Animal Shelter

  • Ask your local animal shelter what their policies are regarding taking in friendly stray cats, and find out how full they are with other cats.
    • Explain what steps you have already taken to determine the cat is a stray (i.e., lost or abandoned).
      • Its critical that you demonstrate the steps you have already taken to determine the cat does not likely have a home.
    • Be clear why you think the cat needs help. For example:

      • the cat is showing signs of distress like excessive meowing,
      • the cat is sick, malnourished, or injured,
      • you live in a neighborhood with lots of traffic or have predators like coyotes and foxes etc.
  • Sadly, many local shelters won’t take in friendly stray cats, unless the cat needs dire medical attention.
    • Some shelters argue that there is no reason the cat can’t just live outside. This thinking is misguided and means you have to wait until the cat is sick or injured before they will help. Then it could be too late.
    • While shelters are trying to prevent over-crowding, which can lead to euthanizing adoptable cats, many shelters neglect friendly stray cats living outdoors who need help.
  • It is NEVER best to just leave the cat outside to fend for him/herself.
    • Stray cats are often hit by cars, get into fights with other cats or dogs, starve, or injure themselves.
  • Be persistent when a cat needs help. Don’t take no for an answer.
  • ALL friendly stray cats outdoors deserve a loving home of their own. We encourage shelters to reach out to rescue organizations in our area for help when they get overcrowded.

5. Bring the Cat into Your Home and Provide Vet Care

  • Most people have the capacity to bring a cat or kittens into their home, at least temporarily. If you have other pets of your own, just keep the cat/kittens in a separate room away from your pets.
  • Put the cat/kittens in a bathroom or small separate room by themselves, away from pets if you have any. Why this is important:
    • Cats feel safer in a small space when in a new environment.
    • If you have concerns about the cat passing any diseases on to your own pets, keep the following in mind.
      • There are very few feline diseases that can be transmitted to dogs.
      • If you have cats, there are very few diseases that can be transmitted to your cats if the cat is kept in a separate room (with the exception of upper respiratory infections which can be transmitted through the air under certain conditions).
      • You can purchase safe and effective flea treatment like Frontline from pet stores. Products like Revolution require a prescriptions.
  • Take the cat/kittens to a vet ASAP for exams; testing for feline AIDS/leukemia (FIV/FELV); age appropriate rabies and distemper shots; treatment for worms; and spaying/neutering when appropriate based on health and age.
  • Keep the cat/kittens separate from your cats for at least 10 days to watch for possible infectious diseases, such as upper respiratory infections.

6. If the Stray Cat Has Kittens – How to Socialize Feral Kittens

  • If you found a friendly stray mom cat with kittens, it’s critical that the kittens be socialized properly.
  • Feral kittens (born outside without human contact) who are over 6 weeks of age are hard to fully socialize, although this depends on the method of socialization and whether the mom cat is friendly or feral.
  • Some older feral kittens may learn to trust one person (their caretaker who is feeding and caring for them) after a longer period of socialization, but they don’t usually fully transfer that trust to another person in a new home.
  • Read more about Taming Feral Kittens.
  • Read more about Rescuing Homeless Kittens.

7. Find the Cat/Kittens the Right Home(s)

  • If the cat is over 4 months of age, get the cat/kitten spayed/neutered before rehoming them.
    • If the kitten is younger, require the adoptive family to have the kitten spayed/neutered at the appropriate age (4-5 months of age).
    • Inform the adopter about discounted spay/neuter programs such as SPCA NOVA’s Spay Inc. program. They can also contact local animal shelters – many have low-cost programs.
  • Place notices on online social networks like Facebook and Nextdoor; post signs in vet offices and on community bulletin boards; and use word of mouth. Adopt-a-Pet also has a newer program called Rehome where they will assist you with posting notices online and screen applications.
  • Make sure the cat is going to a safe, loving, life-long home. See our adoption policies for tips on what to look for in the right home. A few important items:
    • Do not allow declawing,
    • Insist the cat be kept indoors,
    • Kittens need to stay in pairs or placed in a home with another young cat, and
    • Young kittens should not go to homes with very young children/toddlers.
  • Finding the right homes for cats and kittens takes time and commitment.