We took a stray dog or cat home from the street: what to do?

If you took a stray cat or dog from the street and don’t know what to do, read the article. It contains a lot of useful and interesting information.

Almost every person has at least once encountered a situation when, walking down the street, they noticed a small and incredibly cute puppy or kitten, with a sad look, sitting in a dirty puddle, or scouring trash heaps in search of food.

Of course, people’s attitude to what they see is different - someone’s soul is filled with pity, and therefore, there is a desire to shelter the baby.
Someone passes by, believing that a stray animal is not his concern.
Others pick up a four-legged friend, but do not plan to keep him.
They quickly begin calling shelters, posting advertisements with photos on the Internet, in order to place the baby, or at least provide him with temporary foster care.
What to do with a stray kitten or a puppy you just adopted? Read about it in this article.

Transporting a small, kind dog or cat from the street to a new home: a warning

Transporting a kind little dog or cat from the street to a new home
It is not difficult to guess that a cat or dog from the street that has not known human affection experiences stress from every second spent on the street. That is why, when a person tries to call him to him or catch him, the baby can hiss, run away, growl, and show distrust, even though the animal seems kind. It's quite normal.

Caution: Some people naively believe that an adult yard dog can be dangerous, and a small kitten will not “fight back” when trying to pick it up. But this is not so, even a seemingly cute, small and harmless animal can bite or scratch if it is scared.

That is why it is better to wrap your “new acquaintance” in a blanket and take him home (if he is found near your home), or use a pet carrier.

Get vaccinated

Vaccinate a kitten picked up on the street only 14 days after the meeting. Before this, it is important to exclude contact with other animals and carefully monitor his condition.

Kittens from the street and especially from the poultry market often have a dangerous virus - panleukopenia. This is a serious disease that can kill a cat in less than a day. Treatment is expensive and time consuming.

Other infections are calicivirosis and rhinotracheitis. If you visit a veterinary clinic in a timely manner, you can choose a therapy that can successfully treat the disease. When the kitten is already lethargic, it is much more difficult to help.

To protect a kitten from panleukopenia or, in any case, from the fulminant and acute forms of this disease, when the pet was cheerful in the morning but cannot get up in the evening, it is necessary to administer globulin for cats. It contains ready-made antibodies that will help the immune system cope if infection has already occurred.

If you take a stray dog or a cat home from the street - should you bathe or not bathe: which is correct?

They took a stray dog or cat home from the street.
The vast majority of people, upon arriving home, immediately rush to the bathroom to bathe the stray with flea and tick shampoo. On the one hand, this is correct. After all, the sooner the new owner begins to bring the animal “into divine form,” the better. To bathe or not to bathe a dog or cat from the street: what is the right way? You should be careful:

If a kitten has lichen, then after washing the infection can spread to healthy areas.
Accordingly, treating your pet will be much more difficult.
In addition, a homeless animal, in most cases, has a weakened immune system and general weakness as a result of malnutrition, cold, and constant stress. Therefore, it is better to use spray or drops for treatment.
If your puppy or kitten is calm, doesn't itch, and looks clean, you can hold off on bathing.

Perform a bath after your visit to the veterinarian. Read on.

The most common diseases of street kittens

The animal will have to be treated for parasites. Street cats cannot exist without such a neighborhood. If the animal does not have lichen, then it should be washed with shampoo intended for pets. After washing, the cat should be wrapped in a towel and kept warm, not in a draft. Afterwards, you can begin antiparasitic treatment.

Fleas

A special zoo shampoo, drops, and tablets will help in the fight against fleas. There are a number of remedies that act on both external and internal parasites.

The shampoo is effective if there are few fleas. The most preferred method is drops on the withers.

More information about these parasites: “Fleas on a cat: symptoms and diagnosis”

Worms

Internal parasites are even more dangerous. To remove helminths, tablets or suspension are used. The medicine and its dosage are selected strictly according to the age of the pet!

Treatment is carried out twice, with an interval of 10 days. First, living parasites are destroyed, and after 7-10 days, new generations of worms can hatch from the laid eggs. It is for their destruction that double processing is carried out.

After the second treatment, you can take the kitten for vaccination.

Lichen

Ringworm is a disease of the skin of the body caused by pathogenic microorganisms or of an allergic nature. Cats under one year of age and older cats are more likely to suffer from deprivation.

To recognize lichen without experience, you will have to study the signs of the disease:

rounded bald patches, local baldness;
Exposed skin appears inflamed;
The wounds may bleed;
The affected area has a whitish coating;
There may be bubbles in the center and along the edges of the affected area.

Each type of lichen (ringworm, pink, weeping) has its own treatment methods.

Read more about lichen in the article: “Ringworm in cats: symptoms, types, treatment”

If you adopted a good stray kitten or puppy, what to do: go to the vet immediately

We adopted a good stray kitten
Even the most compassionate people sometimes have concerns. After all, a street animal can be a carrier of various diseases, even if you have adopted what you think is a good kitten or puppy. He is homeless and may suffer from various ailments.

Of course, “animal” diseases rarely spread to people. But what to do if there is an opportunity to adopt a new pet, but there are already pets in the apartment that he (theoretically) can infect?

Advice: All kinds of ailments should not be a reason to abandon the idea. Accordingly, you can take home a street kitten or puppy - the main thing is to approach this undertaking wisely and with full responsibility. Go to the vet immediately.

Even if the baby looks healthy, eats well, is playful and active, you should not put off going to the veterinary clinic - after all, he may be infected with dangerous infections:

Lichen
Various skin parasites
Worms

You can, of course, worm your pet yourself and remove ticks and fleas without the help of a doctor. This is usually done by ardent cat or dog lovers who know everything or almost everything about caring for animals. But even in this case, you need to take your “new friend” to the veterinarian so that the doctor can perform an initial examination and determine whether there are other diseases that are more dangerous for the animal and humans.

Toilet training

The baby should be placed in the litter tray as soon as he begins to wander around and look for somewhere to relieve himself.
Having found a suitable place for the tray, you need to pour filler or sand. Next you should monitor your pet. If kittens run around screaming, lift their tails and try to dig for something, they need to be taken to the litter box. It is possible that the work will be done on the floor or carpet. In this case, the baby should be scolded and taken to the tray. The kitten needs to remember the way to the toilet.

We took a stray cat from the street, and he has leukemia: what kind of disease is this, what should we do?

We took a stray cat from the street, and he had leukemia.
Leukemia is a viral infection that is transmitted from a sick animal to a healthy one. Other names for this pathology:

Blood cancer
Leukemia
Viral leukemia
Lymphosarcoma
Hemoblastosis and others

This is a very dangerous disease that leads to the development of other serious pathologies, as well as death. You already know what kind of disease this is, and now let’s figure out what to do if you take a stray cat home from the street with leukemia. Here are the tips:

First of all, you need to take the foundlings to the veterinarian. He will examine the animal and prescribe treatment. It happens that owners make incorrect diagnoses on their own, and an animal with a simpler illness, after prescribed treatment by a doctor, quickly recovers.
Be proactive in managing symptoms to improve your cat's well-being. Use all medications prescribed by your doctor. This will help stimulate the immune system and it will be easier to fight during the treatment process.
Feed your pet well so that he has the strength to fight the disease. The diet should include meat or special food.
You may need to keep your pet in quarantine for the rest of its life and prevent contact with other pets. It is worth noting that leukemia in cats is not transmitted to humans. Therefore, you don’t have to worry about your health.

If a sick cat gives birth to kittens, then after 3 months they will need to be given their first leukemia vaccination. It is also important to properly disinfect and clean the room so that the virus does not spread throughout the house. Read on to find out how long quarantine lasts for a stray cat or dog and how it should be carried out.

First purchases

I wanted to create a place for the cats before we took them home, so I made a shopping list first. Here's what came in handy:

bed,
food (dry food and pate for kittens),
bowls for food and water,
tray,
filler,
tray mat,
cat litter scoop,
game balls,
carrying,
scratching post

I also ordered animal shampoo and a clicker for training. We are just starting to use the clicker, and the veterinarian did not recommend washing the cats, so the shampoo has not yet come in handy.

I ordered everything except food and carrying on Ozone. For two kittens it cost 4,799 rubles with free delivery.

I had no idea what a tray should be like, what kind of fillers there are and how many bowls are needed for two kittens, so I consulted with friends and read reviews of products. I spent a total of four hours on this.

Here's my favorite review of the tray:

We bought one tray for two kittens, and overall it’s enough for now. The tray had a grate, but a cat lover we knew said that we would be too tired to wash it, so we took it off.

We made a mistake with the filler. Friends advised me to take wood or clay litter, because such litter smells familiar to cats and they get accustomed to the litter box faster. I bought a clay one, but it was too strongly scented and the cats somehow didn’t like it. So two days later we bought another one. And during this time I had to clean up after them in the apartment a couple of times.

Quarantine for a homeless kitten or puppy: tips

Quarantine for a homeless puppy
An animal in the house that has not been fully examined is a big risk for existing pets. That is why, until examined by a veterinarian, it is better to keep the “foundling” in quarantine. Here are some tips on how to properly quarantine a stray kitten or puppy:

This could be a separate room, a balcony (in the warm season), etc. Arrange a cozy corner for a stray kitten or puppy so that he can feel comfortable.
It is forbidden to feed a “street” kitten or puppy from the same bowl with domestic animals, or give them the same toys.
Place bowls for your baby in the place where he sleeps - this will make him more comfortable.
The incubation period lasts about two weeks.

If during this time the pet has already been examined and no diseases have been identified, then you can introduce it to other cats or dogs that are present in the home.

Kitten nutrition

If the purring miracle is less than a month old, then it is better to find a nursing cat. You can try to find such an option on social networks by calling out and asking for help. The baby will be sheltered for a while and then returned back. If this option is excluded, then food for newborn kittens is purchased at the veterinary pharmacy. The diluted mixture should not be hot!

You can go the other way and mix two tablespoons of goat's milk with a couple of raw yolks. This is an extreme option, since milk can cause diarrhea, and eggs can also contain salmonella. You definitely can't give cow's milk. We urgently need to start studying information about how and what to feed newborn kittens.

Fresh, clean water is an important component of pet nutrition.

Is your new pet over one month old? You can feed him industrial food or natural food. In any case, the base is meat.

You should not feed kittens chicken bones, canned food, smoked meats, or fatty meats.

Vaccination: the key to safety for a homeless kitten or puppy from the street

A homeless puppy from the street
It is not difficult to guess that both the found animal and your other four-legged “old-timers” at home must be vaccinated against infections, worms and parasites. Of course, vaccination will not cure an existing disease, but it will protect against the emergence of new diseases - this is the key to safety for a homeless kitten or puppy from the street.

Worth knowing: It is prohibited to immediately vaccinate a “street” pet. Before vaccination, the animal must be dewormed, fleas and ticks must be removed.

On average, this can be done 10 days after the puppy or kitten is “cleaned up.”

Treatment against worms

It can be assumed with 100% probability that a kitten taken from the street will definitely have worms. You shouldn’t give your cat pills right away. It needs to be fed for a couple of days so that at least something appears in the intestines, and then given one of the following remedies:

Drontal.
Profender.
Prosit.
Stronghold.
Milbemax.

Exactly ten days later the treatment is repeated. It is highly advisable to combine anti-worm measures with washing the kitten. This is due to fleas, which are mechanical carriers of parasitic worms.

Caution when feeding a stray puppy and kitten: tips

Homeless puppy and kitten
Having picked up an animal on the street and analyzing its emaciated appearance, you will immediately want to feed your new pet to the fullest, and only then proceed with other manipulations. In fact, it is extremely undesirable to overload the “foundling’s” digestion at first. Here are some tips and explanations for why you need to be careful when feeding stray kittens and puppies:

The baby's stomach can be weakened both from malnutrition and from existing helminths.
It is better to start with food for small puppies/kittens.
Do not exceed the dosage.
If the baby has coped with the portion, you can add a little food. But there is no need to try to “shove” as much food into him as possible. It is important that it is digested well.
Natural foods include low-fat dairy products: fermented baked milk, cream, cottage cheese.
You should not feed your new pet fish or canned fish from the table.
A kitten or puppy, accustomed to starving, will instantly eat everything that the new owner gives him and ask for more. But you shouldn’t give in to provocations. After all, both constipation and diarrhea, as well as vomiting and even loss of appetite, can begin.

It would be wiser to consult a doctor. Based on the condition of the animal, he will make a verdict - what and how much is better to give him.

Feeding your pet

The baby's first treat should be food with a wet consistency.
With the appearance of a pet, the problem of proper nutrition will arise. For the first few days, it is better to try feeding your pet wet food. In addition, you can give the cat a little kefir, low-fat cream, cottage cheese or fermented baked milk. Near the plate of food there should be a bowl filled with water. Small suckling kittens will have to be fed using a syringe without a needle. It should be filled with warm store-bought milk, previously diluted with water. After drinking the milk, the baby needs a light tummy massage. When the cat defecates, you will need to wipe the butt with a cotton swab. This should be done after each feeding, since there is no mother to monitor the baby’s condition, and he still cannot lick himself.

If you have chosen a five-month-old kitten whose body is stronger, you can feed him both dry and wet food. The main thing is that the cat receives all the necessary vitamins and minerals. It is permissible to feed an adult cat with purchased food, as well as food that is prepared independently. The diet should include veal and chicken, various offal, and low-fat fish. Cereals and fermented milk products will be beneficial.

We adopted a pregnant cat from the street, a pregnant dog from the street: what to do?

They took a pregnant cat from the street.
Imbued with “someone else’s dog or cat’s trouble,” some sincere people at first do not notice what is “wrong.” But often, if an adult animal has been selected, when examining it, an interesting fact is sometimes discovered - the new pet is pregnant. What to do when you take a pregnant cat or dog from the street? There are several options:

Inhumane:

Let the animal give birth, and then “get rid” of the cubs, leaving them to their fate.
Of course, this is an extremely wrong approach. Indeed, in this case, the “good deed” that a person accomplishes by giving a cat/dog shelter comes to naught. Doing this is strictly prohibited.

Operating:

This may be surprising to some, but animals, just like people, sometimes have abortions.
Yes, it kills lives, but for some owners it may be a solution.
This is possible if a “canine” pregnancy is detected at an early stage.

Donate to a shelter:

Almost every city has shelters for cats/dogs, staffed by responsible and caring volunteers. You can send your kids there.
It will be extremely difficult to prove to the shelter staff that the dog became pregnant before she was adopted.
Most likely, they will be indignant and reproach you for the fact that the kittens/puppies were born because you did not sterilize your animal on time. After all, they don’t know that just recently it was homeless.

“Grow” and attach:

After the cubs begin to eat on their own and no longer depend on their mother, you can post an advertisement with a photo on the Internet.
Pictures should be as cute as possible and of good quality.
In this case, the likelihood that the babies will find caring owners is much higher.
Then the animal will need to be sterilized.
But, if the pet turns out to be pregnant, and the babies were conceived while on the street, taking their life or taking them back to the yard, leaving them there in a box, is not the best option.
It is better to take care of the kids until they grow up, and then place them in good hands.

Ace Ventura method:

If there are few kittens/puppies (2-3 no more), you can take on additional responsibilities: maintain and raise them for the rest of their lives.
But this option requires experience and responsibility.
If you have a dog or cat in your home for the first time, it will be difficult for you.
However, there are many examples of families that successfully have 2-3 dogs.
Therefore, if not all the cubs were able to be accommodated, then you can keep the remaining one or two for yourself.

As you can see, there are many ways. Choose the one that suits you and help a homeless child.

What does a kitten need in the house?

If you brought a kitten into the house and decided to make it your pet, you need to collect everything necessary for the new home from the list.

Everything for the toilet: tray, filler, scoop for removing excrement. A wild street cat will have to be trained to do its business at its destination. There is a large selection of trays, it’s easy to choose the right one.
Everything for nutrition: there should be two bowls. Food is placed in one, water is poured into the other. In accordance with the diet, it will be possible to purchase sets of feed and vitamins for the future.
Scratching post: sharpening claws is not a whim, but a necessity for an animal. If you don’t train your cat to use a scratching post, she will happily sharpen her claws on your furniture, walls, and carpets.

Everything for relaxation: a place for the cat to sleep is provided. This could be a house with a roof, a couch, or a hammock. It is not difficult to make a house with your own hands. This also includes purchasing or making toys. To start, you can make a traditional garter rope and buy a small rubber ball.
Everything for the trip: you will have to visit the veterinary clinic, creating stress and inconvenience on the road. Buy a carrier right away. The animal will be more comfortable in it and it will be convenient to carry it.

Shelter for homeless cats and dogs to hand over for free: in which cities is there one?

Homeless cat and dog
Free shelters for cats/dogs exist in almost all major cities of Russia (and the countries of the former CIS). The only thing to remember is that most of them can be crowded. Therefore, they will simply refuse to adopt the animal, and this is not because they do not want to accept the foundling, but because there is not enough money or space to keep a large number of animals.

Consider several options at once. There will definitely be a place in one of these establishments from the list. Here are the cities in which there are shelters for homeless cats and dogs that can be surrendered for free:

Moscow and Moscow region
St. Petersburg and Leningrad region
Novosibirsk
Ekaterinburg
Nizhny Novgorod
Kazan
Chelyabinsk, etc..

When giving an animal to a free shelter, it is worth remembering that the maintenance of this institution is carried out not by the authorities, but by volunteers on a voluntary basis. Accordingly, you should not always count on balanced and high-quality food and excellent conditions. Of course, there will be a roof over the animal’s head, but the food and conditions will be the simplest.

Advice: If you have the financial ability, even if the shelter is “free,” make a voluntary donation or, together with the animal, transfer a certain amount with a note that it is intended to support the four-legged friend.

These free shelters always need money:

To veterinary clinics
Toys
Leashes
Collars
Food for cats and dogs

Therefore, if you have the opportunity to help volunteers financially, do so. A noble gesture will help improve both the living conditions of the new animal and the other inhabitants of this institution.

Children and other pets: basic rules for adapting a kitten to a new home

In order for a young cat to find a family in your home, you need to help him adapt, especially if there are children in the house. In most cases, they perceive the little furry as a living toy. This is stopped immediately, completely and irrevocably. Respect for tiny life should be shown in everything.

Learn yourself and teach your children to communicate with animals. It is necessary to show how to play with it correctly, how to hold it, explain and even more than once the rules of behavior with a pet.

Other animals can create stress for your pet. You need to let your pets know that the baby is under your protection and also stop any attempts to offend him.

Jealousy is also characteristic of animals, so communication should not be structured in such a way that the other pet feels deprived of your attention.

At first, it will be better to accompany the cat on his walks around the house after the quarantine period.

They took a stray cat home from the street: a sign

We took a stray cat home from the street.
According to the beliefs of our ancestors, a picked up kitten or an adult cat on the street is a messenger of fate. Guardian Angels send such a gift to people who need their help, consolation, and support. It is worth noting that a baby purchased from a reputable breeder will never be as grateful to you as a foundling from the street. This means that fate will be favorable to you.

Interesting: If you have a kitten or even a puppy, give it a place in your heart and home. When the time comes, everything will return a hundredfold. As our ancestors claimed, this sign is very good for families in which they dream of adding more children.

It was from those times that the sign that is called “iron” began: a stray cat coming home from the street means an early pregnancy. It has been in effect for many centuries, and all peoples of the Earth believe in it, without exception.