by Kate Johns

Created on: July 16, 2008

She walked into our garage and into our lives and was the very center of our attention for many years. At the age of ten I found a stray cat trying to eat out of our garbage cans in the garage. Coming home from school and finding the door locked to the house I went to the garage to wait for my Mother or my older sister to come home and unlock the door.

In the garage a half starved, black, white and gray cat with a pink and black nose meowed at me. She was super skinny, had a broken tail, and was trying to knock the garbage can cover off with her paw. I was shocked to see a cat in the garage, because I certainly did not expect to see a half starved kitten in there. I only wanted to go through the garage to the backyard patio and hang out until someone came home.

Kitty became my best buddy for 17 years. She was also pregnant when she found us that day a long time ago. But this is what you can do to take care of a stray wounded cat.

Depending on whether you want to take the cat to the veterinarian or not depends on what you can afford and how injured the cat is. The cat you have found may be dehydrated and very hungry and could have a simple wound such as a thorn in its paw. Obviously if the cat is seriously injured you would take it to a vet, and have it taken care of. You can also try your local SPCA or a nearby animal shelter to get the animal the care it needs.

When you find a stray cat after assessing how much damage has been done, then if it is not badly injured, and has several cuts on it and some fleas you can take care of this animal yourself. You can wash off its cuts with soap and water while trying to keep the injured animal from licking the soapy water off itself. You should offer it a bowl of water and some cat food. You can also give it scraps of meat, and even a little cheese which both have protein that can help it gain some energy.

Many people think that offering cats milk to drink is good for them, but really it isn't. Even though cats love to drink milk, it can cause them to have worms. Buying a flea bath for the cat and washing her in it can get rid of the fleas. Sometimes another bath is required to get rid of them all.

In the case of the stray cat that we found that one-day she was literally half-starved, pregnant, and had a broken tail. We gave her water and food right away that she gulped down. After eating she looked at us like she wanted more. We did give her more, but this time we gave her about half as much food so that she wouldn't gulp it down again, possibly throwing up. We noticed her broken tail and tried to wrap it up, but she kept twitching her tail around and we couldn't wrap it up. We gave up finally and let it heal on its own.

Try to find the owner as soon as possible so that kitty can go home. If this is a case of abandonment, then you could have a newfound friend living at your house. Put up posters and ask around the neighborhood if anyone lost the cat of your description. Many times when someone finds a stray there is an anxious owner out there wanting to see their pet back home safely. By looking in local stores and in local neighborhoods you may see a flyer or poster for the animal you have living so comfortably at your house.

When you can't find the owner and you don't want the cat, ask neighbors or friends if they want a cat. By asking around sometimes you can give a stray a new home. And if not, then the cat may have walked into your life for a very good reason.

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