Quick - Cat followed us home. Dangerous?

[Buxton McGraff]

Yes, tuna should be OK, or cooked chicken cut into small pieces. Feeding him will increase the likelihood that he hangs around over night, or comes back at a later date if he does decided to move on tonight. Cats have territories and routes within them to check back at places where they usually find food, have an easy time stalking birds, good naps spots, etc. In the morning if he's not around you can try putting out some more food and he'll probably reappear in an hour or two.

Alright thanks man, really appreciate the help. If he sticks around, we'll take him to the vet and maybe make him part of the family.
And thanks everybody else, for all the helpful tips and advice!

[Butler to Baby Sloths]

Alright thanks man, really appreciate the help. If he sticks around, we'll take him to the vet and maybe make him part of the family.
And thanks everybody else, for all the helpful tips and advice!

I would take a photo and post it in the window of the burger place (they are bound to say yes) along with a note saying that the cat was found around the burger place and followed you home, and that if it belongs to somebody they are welcome to come and collect it. Just in case it already has a home but took its collar off (some cats hate wearing a collar).

[fishface]

Be careful when handling, you don't want to get Cat AIDS.

[TheShinyOne]

It's not using Prowl so it won't try to attack you -- unless it's just a much higher level than you and is toying with you. If the former is the case then it's fine, and if it's the latter then there's nothing you can do about it anyway.

[Sliske]

Cats scratching their ears doesn't always mean fleas, pretty sure 99% of cats do it multiple times a day. Also since you're new to cats, they clean themselves like 2-3 times a day, that's normal too.

Animals usually follow people home, i've been followed home by two dogs and a cat. If you feed them though they'll usually keep coming back, so people would advise you to ignore them.

[Klingers]

As for bugs that YOU could catch, youl be fine. There is not a single illness you can catch that a cat could catch too, it just doesnt work like that. Fleas and stuff maybe, but I doubt you could get sick from taking in a cat any more than you could from having a pet one from a kitten. My two cats eat rat, frogs and god knows what else all the time and are free to go outside any time they wish and they are perfectly healthy and ive never had a problem.

Just a quick note, this isn't exactly true. There is a particular feline intestinal parasite known as Toxoplasma Gondii that alters the brain chemistry of its early-stage rodent hosts (i.e. mice, rats) so that they will run towards light and the scent of cat urine instead of away from them. The parasite's end goal equals the rodent being eaten by the cat so it can begin the main stage of its life cycle in the cat's digestive system.

Suffice to say, the point of me saying all that is that if Toxoplasma Gondii is present within a cat can also infect humans handling cat litter. Obviously this isn't its evolutionary intent, but the nasty thing is that recent studies have been discovering that T.Gondii can lodge itself within a human brain and permanently alter neurochemistry. It could be responsible for life-long alterations of personality, increased rates of suicide and even in extreme cases, insanity.

Just saying... You can definitely catch something from cats.

[iicantdance]

I wouldn't let it in the house until it's had a proper bath and vet check. Maybe just put out some food and water as other have said.

[Darkis]

99,9% that you don't have anything to worry about - cats scratch their ears all the time, it's just this thing they do =) So unless there're visible skin/fur problems it's most likely nothing. Taking it to a vet is a must though, i wouldn't postpone it.

As for food, yeah, tuna is allright, but i'd suggest putting it in some kind of a bowl, instead of just leaving a can there, as the cat might cut the tongue on the jagged edges.

[Fuzzzie]

You should probably bring it to your local Humane society or SPCA or whatever you have there and have it checked for microchips and looked at by a vet. If it's someones pet you shouldn't be taking it in without notifying anyone. If everything checks out they can look at it for you and you can make arrangements to adopt it legit.

[yetgdhfgh]

Its prolly plotting your downfall as we speak

In all seriousness you got 3 choices

1. Adopt the cat take it to the vets it may have a simple ear infection nothing that cant be treated easily

2. Take it to your local animal shelter

3. Just leave it outdoors maybe leave some food outside or just ignore it till it decides to find another home

I hope you adopt it but i wouldnt think bad of you if you didnt

[Deleted]

If you're that worried, take it to a vet, though for now it seems just like it has fleas or hasn't washed in a while.

Also, let it go outside once in a while and teach it where to do its needs or it will do them in corners behind the tv and something and... yea.

Remember to feed it good stuff and give it a name.

[George]

I can't believe I am the first to ask but... give kitty pic

[Deleted]

I can't believe I am the first to ask but... give kitty pic

Yea, we wanna see the cat!

[Kogoes]

You should probably bring it to your local Humane society or SPCA or whatever you have there and have it checked for microchips and looked at by a vet. If it's someones pet you shouldn't be taking it in without notifying anyone. If everything checks out they can look at it for you and you can make arrangements to adopt it legit.

No offense but do not follow that advise. I've had friends who intended to take care of strays they found pending the Humane Societys investigation to whether it was lost and they ended up paying fees which I presume are related to the adoption. May just be a lame shelter but if you aren't looking to spend unnecessary money on the cat then flyers or some alternative route may be the way to go.

[Squigglyo]

No offense but do not follow that advise. I've had friends who intended to take care of strays they found pending the Humane Societys investigation to whether it was lost and they ended up paying fees which I presume are related to the adoption. May just be a lame shelter but if you aren't looking to spend unnecessary money on the cat then flyers or some alternative route may be the way to go.

Most of those 'fees' would have paid for the vet check and desexing that would have come with the cat.
Real shelters barely make a profit, if at all.
I used to volunteer at a shelter, and your average, cutest kitty would go for $120. Considering i pay that just for a normal checkup for my own cats, its a damn good price to ensure the cat is definitely brought up to health standards.

[Fuzzzie]

No offense but do not follow that advise. I've had friends who intended to take care of strays they found pending the Humane Societys investigation to whether it was lost and they ended up paying fees which I presume are related to the adoption. May just be a lame shelter but if you aren't looking to spend unnecessary money on the cat then flyers or some alternative route may be the way to go.

If you're going to take in a cat and accept that responsibility then a small fee to register the animal and have it microchipped shouldn't be your biggest concern. You should also want to get the animal checked out to make sure it's healthy.

[Talokami]

Just a quick note, this isn't exactly true. There is a particular feline intestinal parasite known as Toxoplasma Gondii that alters the brain chemistry of its early-stage rodent hosts (i.e. mice, rats) so that they will run towards light and the scent of cat urine instead of away from them. The parasite's end goal equals the rodent being eaten by the cat so it can begin the main stage of its life cycle in the cat's digestive system.

Suffice to say, the point of me saying all that is that if Toxoplasma Gondii is present within a cat can also infect humans handling cat litter. Obviously this isn't its evolutionary intent, but the nasty thing is that recent studies have been discovering that T.Gondii can lodge itself within a human brain and permanently alter neurochemistry. It could be responsible for life-long alterations of personality, increased rates of suicide and even in extreme cases, insanity.

Just saying... You can definitely catch something from cats.

It's more a risk for pregnant women than it is for others and the reason is that it can pass through the placenta and infect the fetus. The majority of the human population is capable of fighting it off and don't even notice infection. It's really a problem for the immuno-compromised such as AIDS patients and newborn or unborn babies.

[Ciddy]

Take him to a vet. That's the only way to be sure he's safe and healthy. If you're serious about keeping him, it'll be worth the cost just to get him all the shots and whatever else he might need.

If you're looking for something to feed him, tuna or pretty much any kind of meat is good. You can also buy those small individual cans of cat food at the grocery store REALLY cheap if you just want to feed him short term without having to spend money on those big-ass bags. The grocery store here has them for something like 70-80 cents a can.

He might belong to someone else, but if he's not wearing a collar, it's pretty unlikely he'll get back to his old owner. Keep him around a few days and see if he sticks around. He'll leave on his own if he wants to. Outside cats are known to roam around a lot, especially if neighbors who will feed them are around.

If you do end up keeping him and are serious about it, make sure you get him a collar with one of those tags that has a phone number or something in case he gets lost. The tags cost like $5 to get made most places. My dogs both have tags with their names and my phone number/address.

[mirthen]

any time you find a cat that is this friendly it means they were raised around humans. this means they likely have a home. One of my cats recently vanished(no im not in cal ) its my 5 year old daughters cat, this cat would hear me tell my daughter its bed time and this cat would come running up and jump in her bed and wait to be covered up with the blankets with my daughter. He started going outside and would hang around the home. We of course put a collar on him but with those break away collars these days it just breaks off any time he has an itch... so i have a collar and no cat. I know there are people in my area who take in cats they find around on the street, likely with the best intentions, however cats wander around, they might show up on others peoples door steps from time to time, but they will generally come home. Taking a cat in that shows signs of having owners(friendly, well kept fur, lack of multiple scars n such) is just a bad idea all around. Sure you can give it some food/water if you think its starving but i wouldn't take it into your home just in case it decides to go back to its real home.

far as any dangers brought by the cat, the absolute worst is rabies of course, but that is very unlikely. aside from that just fleas/ticks which can be annoying but easy to get rid of. only other real danger is knowing there is a broken heart some where if the cat has an owner(s). If you want to have a cat i would recommend going down to your local shelter and picking up a cat that needs a home, you can drop off the cat you found there as well if it sticks around a few days and doesnt really leave then it could be abandoned or truly lost and the shelter can help the real owners find it.