Stray
Cats
Stray cats can be annoying or they can become your
best friends. If you're a pet-loving person, there may have been
a time in your life when you repeatedly witnessed the same adorable
kitty staring at you on your daily walk home from the office, school
or local park.
From underneath a rusted-out jalopy, wide, tear-filled eyes (if
stray cats could cry, they would) look desperately hungry, sad and
forlorn and pull at your heartstrings.
You tried your best to ignore this furry feline, but your curiosity
gets the better of you and you started giving this cute stray cat
scraps of your leftover sandwich each day.
Pretty soon, the little ball of fur began to await your arrival
and started following you home, meowing and purring contentedly
when you paid it the least bit of attention. You tried to avoid
the little critter, but the stray cat wouldn't leave your mind or
heart and you took it in, against your better judgment, providing
your timid four-legged friend with shelter, nourishment and a number
of inoculations from the vet. In return, your stray cat friend provides
you with hours and hours of aloof fun and tons of independent love.
Hundreds of thousands of stray cats every year are taken in by
strangers falling victim to their charms and every year, house cats
become stray cats because of neglectful owners allowing them to
become lost or go missing. Most people have heard the child-like
cries of sad stray cats yowling all night from the depths of their
local garbage cans and alleyways.
The cries from these alley cats can be tiresome, heart wrenching
and downright frightening. Too many owners let their feline friends
wander freely and without proper collars containing nametags or
emergency information. When these house
cats become lost, disoriented or found by a stranger, they are
unable to be returned to their rightful owners, thus becoming stray
cats or someone else's pet. These legions of pets wandering the
streets become the lowest common denominator of feline, the stray
cat.
If you have become the object of a stray cat's affection and you
don't necessarily have the time or inclination to have it move in
with you and take over your home, you can befriend the stray cat
by leaving a bowl of food and water on your doorstep or porch.
The stray cat will continue to have all its freedom to roam without
you worrying where it's been, how late it's been out and what other
felines it has been cavorting with. You will have the peace of mind
to know that your "pet" stray cat is being well fed and
surviving the struggles of the streets.
If you are a kitty lover and you just can't say no to your green-eyed
furry friend, it is wise to take it in and treat it with a lot of
tender loving care. Make sure that you take your stray cats to the
vet for proper vaccinations and a thorough checkup to make sure
it hasn't contracted any diseases and can boast a clean bill of
health.
Taking in stray cats can bring a lifetime of love into your home.
Just look at all the "cat ladies" out there who are perfectly
content with 10 stray cats that they have befriended, most of whom
they have rescued from the mean streets of your town or from the
local animal shelter. Sometimes, taking in a stray can be right
on the mark.
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