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We’ve all come across a stray dog or cat at one time or another. The animal might be wandering alongside the road or, worse, in the middle of traffic. Sometimes a hungry, abandoned dog or cat might even show up at our back door in search of food. While your first instinct may be to try to capture the animal and bring it to safety, do so with extreme caution in order to avoid injuring the animal or yourself.

What to Do About a Stray Cat

A wandering cat may be stray or feral. According to the ASPCA, a stray cat is usually someone’s pet that may have become lost or abandoned. This differs from a feral… Read More

Image: mxkai

The statistics regarding stray animals in the United States are alarming. According to the ASPCA, 5 to 7 million “companion” animals (primarily cats and dogs) enter animal shelters each year. Sadly, 3 to 4 million (roughly 60 percent of dogs and 70 percent of cats) end up being euthanized due to illness, age or simply because there are more animals than there are people who are willing and/or able to provide them with a suitable home. As an animal control professional, rescuing stray animals and taking them to shelters is an unfortunate but necessary daily task. The good news is there are a growing number of organizations dedicated to controlling the population of stray and wild animals in the hope of preventing the unfortunate circumstances that many of them face. Many use Havahart®… Read More

Image: wimmulder

In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, many people have returned to homes devastated by floods, extreme wind and rain, and power outages. As people evacuated, the primary concern was keeping their families safe. Therefore, many in the danger zone had to make a tough decision—to try to bring the family pets along as they escaped the hurricane, or leave their animals behind and hope for the best.

Pets Left Behind

New York City officials were very proactive in the effort to save both people and pets before the storm—as people evacuated, shelters were encouraged to accept new animals, and transit stops were told to allow all pets in the days leading up to the hurricane’s strike. But many animals were still left behind out of desperation, pressure,… Read More

The Benefits of Feral Cat TNR Programs vs. Euthanasia

Feral and stray cats are the greatest source of cat overpopulation in the United States. A large percentage of feral cats are euthanized each year and governments are trying to implement “catch and kill” programs to decrease the cat population. Feral cats deserve to be treated humanely and be given a chance at a healthy outdoor life. Wikipedia defines a feral cat as a free-roaming cat that is born and raised in the wild. A stray cat is a pet cat that has been abandoned or lost and has reverted back to its “wild” instinctual self in order to survive. These cats have also been referred to as alley cats, street cats, or outside cats.

In the U.S. alone,… Read More