Many times we see a stray dog or cat in the neighborhood, or in the park. Being a pet lover, you show your concern and start feeding that stray cat that comes around everyday or you take the stray dog in. If you’re planning on adopting it, here are some things that you should know.

1. Make sure that the dog or cat is friendly. Many feral cats, don’t like being around people and would prefer to be outside, alone. If it is a feral cat, you really shouldn’t feed him. If you do, he’ll think that you are welcoming a home for him. Not all stray cats are lost pets. If the cat is constantly coming to your home, try to find out if it belongs to anybody. Ask around the neighborhood and check to see if it has any tags.
2. Stray dogs are usually lost or they don’t have a home at all. You can try feeding him but some dogs shy away from people because they were abused. Try to get him to a safe place. You can welcome him inside your home if he’s friendly. The first thing that you must do is take  him to a vet. Let the vet check him out first. You should do this with any stray pet that you’re planning on adopting. The vet will see if they carry any diseases, need any shots etc. They can also see if there is an identification chip in them. If they do, the vet will scan them to get all of the owner information. The owner would then be contacted.
3. Don’t go to the grocery store and feed him just plain dog food. It could disrupt his digestive system. I would boil some chicken and feed him that with some rice for starters. Feed him one cup twice a day. If he’s a pup, feed him once a day. This won’t disrupt his digestive system but rather settle his stomach.
4. Try to locate the owners first even if you are planning to adopt him. Post an ad for a missing dog, go on line to pet sites and give as much detail as possible. At least when you adopt him, you’ll have peace of mind that you’ve made every effort to contact the owners first.
5. Now you could buy those toys, leashes and accessories for your new pet!