Should I surrender an injured stray cat or let it go?
Deciding whether to surrender an injured stray leaves you torn between the risk of euthanasia in a crowded shelter and the certainty of suffering outside. Choosing to keep or release the animal without knowing if it has a home or will receive proper care makes it difficult to know the right course of action.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1trying to clean the wound with water
- 2putting down food and water
- 3Checking the cat for a collar or tags
- 4Brushing the cat and removing knots
- 5Allowing the cat to explore the house before deciding
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Im morally conflicted between the options of - letting nature take its course and maybe she survives, and at least she's with other cats and me giving her love but the drawback is she might suffer more. -having them pick her up & putting her through the stress of a crowded shelter and new environment, the thought of her being put down anyway after all that makes me so upset.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 9How to tell if stray kittens need to be rescued
- 6How do I know if I should rehome my puppy?
- 3What to do when local animal shelters won't take a stray dog?
- 21Accidentally cut my pet while grooming do they need the vet?
- 21How to tell if a neighborhood stray cat is in heat
- 2How to take your dog out when you are sick or injured