Should you feed a stray dog or cat?

Although you might be tempted to feed a stray dog or cat especially if you are a pet lover however, it is not advisable to do so. A stray dog or cat is one that lives in the wild which could have been a pet. These dogs or cats might have been abandoned while they were still young by their owners who were unable to spray or neuter them their parents. A stray dog or cat can also be one that is wanders freely in the neighborhood or one that got lost. These dogs or cats can cause trouble to you and your family or to your pet animals when they are fed.

The first possible reason for not feeding these animals might be the spread of rabies which is a very dangerous viral disease that could affect humans when in contact with already infected warm-blooded animals. The virus tends to attack the central nervous system and can be fatal in humans if treatment is delayed.

Another reason why feeding them is not advisably is their tendency to display unexpected behaviors. Most times their aggressive and unexpected behavior is displayed when in pain. Also, generally, stray animals do not like to be held and would always defend themselves. When you get hold of a stray dog or cat, there is a high possibility of being bitten or scratched by them so you would let go.

These reasons mentioned above tells you why it is not advisable to feed a stray dog or cat and what might happen if you attempt to do so. However, we might ask, what about the dogs and cats? Is there any good reason why they should not be fed? Stray dogs and cats can feed on various things unlike the domesticated ones. Stray dogs and cats do not depend on humans for their survival, they go in search of food themselves or they could feed on whatever is available to them as food. Commercial food eaten by their pet counterpart might cause digestive problems to them when they consume it.

The normal dogs and cats live in the world with the stray ones hence if you truly care for them you get contact organizations such as animal shelters and humane society for help so as to take care of these stray animals. These organizations are able to find out the significance of the animals enlighten humans on the importance of the stray animals. They as well try to find out the difficulties and challenges of these animals. The organizations also inform those who wish to have the stray dog or cat placed in normal living condition about the importance and consequences of having such animals in a particular environment.