Aabout an hour ago I went to take out my garbage and was greeted by a very friendly feline. He followed me around the yard for about ten minutes, then to the front step. He sat meowing outside the door, so without giving it a second thought I let him in..
A male best I could tell.. front paws declawed.. dangerously skinny, and some fur missing around his eyes/nose, but otherwise appeared to be in good health.
Anyways, I wasn't thinking of the risk it could pose to my dog, who was in the backyard at the time..
So I invited him in. I don't have cats, thus no cat food, but I gave him some taste of the wild dog food, which he ate greedily out of a disposable bowl; then sat on the couch with me for about fifteen minutes while I watched the remainder of my show.
After that the meowing and sniffing around began-- I may not be a cat owner but I know what "i have to potty" looks like, so I put him outside with a bowl of food where he remains now.
So tomorrow when I bring my dog in for breakfast, do I need to be worried that she could catch something? And if so what can I do about it?
She's utd on vaccinations, but no flea medications...shudder...
On a side note, I'm sort of bothered that this cat was as skinny as he was.. I mean his spine was jutting out visibly, and his waist was barely that of an inch and a half.
In my neighborhood, 90% of the people own cats, and 90% of the people keep them outside. That means everytime I leave my garage door cracked, the next morning there's a persian sprawled out on the hood of my car.. but the cats I come across are always healthy looking and never stick around for more than a couple minutes.
And the fact that he's declawed brings concern as well and leads me to believe he may not be an outdoor cat.
If there is a chance he's just been separated from his owner, or gotten lost, what would be the best action to take without posing a health risk to my dog? Call animal control?
A male best I could tell.. front paws declawed.. dangerously skinny, and some fur missing around his eyes/nose, but otherwise appeared to be in good health.
Anyways, I wasn't thinking of the risk it could pose to my dog, who was in the backyard at the time..
So I invited him in. I don't have cats, thus no cat food, but I gave him some taste of the wild dog food, which he ate greedily out of a disposable bowl; then sat on the couch with me for about fifteen minutes while I watched the remainder of my show.
After that the meowing and sniffing around began-- I may not be a cat owner but I know what "i have to potty" looks like, so I put him outside with a bowl of food where he remains now.
So tomorrow when I bring my dog in for breakfast, do I need to be worried that she could catch something? And if so what can I do about it?
She's utd on vaccinations, but no flea medications...shudder...
On a side note, I'm sort of bothered that this cat was as skinny as he was.. I mean his spine was jutting out visibly, and his waist was barely that of an inch and a half.
In my neighborhood, 90% of the people own cats, and 90% of the people keep them outside. That means everytime I leave my garage door cracked, the next morning there's a persian sprawled out on the hood of my car.. but the cats I come across are always healthy looking and never stick around for more than a couple minutes.
And the fact that he's declawed brings concern as well and leads me to believe he may not be an outdoor cat.
If there is a chance he's just been separated from his owner, or gotten lost, what would be the best action to take without posing a health risk to my dog? Call animal control?