| Dear God, please send me somebody who'll care! I'm so tired of running and sick with despair. My body is aching and filled with such pain; And dear God I pray, as I run in the rain That someone will love me and give me a home, A warm cozy bed, and food of my own. My last owner left me alone in the yard... I watched as they moved, and God that was hard. So I waited a while, then went on my way To rummage in garbage and live as a stray. But now, God, I'm so tired and hungry and cold; And I'm so afraid that I'll never grow old. They've chased me with sticks and hit me with straps While I run the streets just looking for scraps! I'm not really bad, God, please help if you can, For I have become just a "Victim of Man!" I'm wormy, dear God, and I'm ridden with fleas; And all that I want is an Owner to please! If you find one for me, God, I'll try to be good. I won't scratch the carpet; I'll do as I should. I'll love them, play with them, and try to obey. I will be so grateful if they'll let me stay! I don't think I'll make it too long on my own, 'Cause I'm getting weak and I'm so all alone. Each night as I sleep in the bushes I cry, 'Cause I'm so afraid, God, that I'm gonna die. I've got so much love and devotion to give That I should be given a new chance to Live! So dear God, please hear me, please answer my prayer, And send me somebody who will REALLY care. WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU FIND A HOMELESS CAT While some stray cats are abandoned by their human families, many are just plain lost. They may have been chased by a dog or other wild animal and became disorientated during the run. A little detective work will help determine whether the cat you've found has been abandoned or is lost and what your next steps should be. In the meantime, the cat should be kept separated from your other pets as you do not know whether this homeless kitty has any diseases. Most pet owners do not provide their cats with collars and identification tags in case of escape. If the cat you find does have tags, the owner can be notified from this information. The issuer of a rabies or city license tag can also provide the owner's name, address, and phone number. The issuer's phone number should be on the rabies tag. If the furball does not have any ID in them you should call your local animal shelters and humane societies- some do have computerized lost and found services. You can also call the national hotline for found pets at 1-800-755-8111. Go ahead and put up signs around the neighborhood that you have found a cat. Don't be "too" descriptive as there are many weirdos out there looking to cash in and you want to make sure the true owner comes forward. Most newspapers will let you place a free found ad for 30 days. You should check the paper yourself in case the owner can't get out and see your "found" posters. Put the word out to all the kids in the area. They just may know the owner. Another great place to put up a found poster is inside your local post office and supermarkets. They all usually have bulletin boards and wheres a better place to get the news out! If you have no response from these steps, you can safely assume the cat is unfortunately homeless. Should you decide to provide a home for the cat yourself, your first step is to take her to a veterinarian for a complete examination. The veterinarian can tell you the cat's approximate age, physical condition, and sex. Whether the cat has been neutered or spayed. It is a good idea to take a fresh stool sample along with you to be checked for internal parasites. Of course it can be costly but this is a living breathing creature and should be treated with the utmost respect. You will be their hero! You will truly be rewarded for saving their life! If you are unable to keep the cat, please don't assume that the local humane society will be able to find a good home for it. In addition to the placement rate for adult cats being very low, millions of healthy adult cats, as well as kittens, must be euthanized (put to sleep before they would die naturally) because there are just not enough homes for all of them. First you should do the right thing and have her spayed/neutered. You can be assured you will be saving future lives. Then check with your immediate friends and families. They just might be looking for a cute furball to take into their home. Maybe someone at your work would be interested too? You can place ads in your local newspapers but be very careful on whom you consider for adopting the cat. There are people out there that will take cats that are free and sell them to laboratories to make a quick buck not having any concern for the cats welfare. You can have a list of questions to ask any potential adoptees and then determine whether you want to set up an appointment with them: Do you currently have a cat? If yes, why do you want another cat? If no, have you ever had a cat before? If yes, what happened to her? What other pets do you have? When were your present pets last seen by a veterinarian? When were your present pets neutered? Did you know it could take a while for all pets to adjust? What do the other members of your family think about getting a cat? Do you rent or own? How does your landlord feel about your having pets? Do you have children? If yes, what ages and have they ever been around cats? If you feel comfortable with the answers to these questions, make an appointment (set a specific time) for the prospective owners(s) to meet the cat. At that time, observe how all of the family members interact with the cat, especially children. Do they demonstrate respect toward the cat, making a gentle self-introduction by allowing the cat to take the initiative for touching? Trust your intuition - remember not to feel obligated to adopt the cat to the first family or person you interview. Just tell them you do have a couple other people with appts coming to see the cat too. This is an easy way out of committing the cat to someone you may not be comfortable with. The prospective adopter will want to know all about the cat. Tell her everything you have learned about the cat in your short time together. Clearly state any conditions you may require of a potential adopter (i.e., neutering , indoors only, no declawing, etc.). A written agreement is common at most animal shelters and it may also work well for you. Include all conditions you want the adopter to meet in this agreement, a description of the cat, the date, amount paid for the cat, and the signature of the adopter and yourself. Let the potential adopters know you value the cat; and if the situation doesn't work out for the cat or the people after a period of time (suggest a two to four week adjustment period), let them know that the cat can be returned to you. You may want to check their I.D. for current address and take their home and work phone numbers. Don't be shy, just do whatever you can to make sure this furball has a nice caring home to go too! |
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