Stray cat urgent

Question
QUESTION: I have found a stray cat a few months ago and I put fliers everywhere and it's been 4 months now and no one came so I'm groping to keep her. My mom said not to give her regular cat food because she is already used to eating in the wild. So what do I feed her and how do I care for her thank you. My mom also said giving a feral cat cat food can cause kidney stones and I don't want that.

ANSWER: Vanessa,

I do not know where your Mom got her information, but there is nothing wrong with cat food. We like to mix a good canned food like Friskies or Nine Lives with a good dry food, like Holisitic Select or Taste of the Wild. These dry foods have no corn, no wheat, no soy, and no gluten. You should be able to get thse

As far as how much to feed, it depend on the cat's size and metabolism. We feed our cats twice a day and never leave food out for them to "graze". If the cat begins to lose weight (its ribs begin to show), you are not feeding enough. If the cat begins to get fatter past where the ribs are just hidden, you are feeding too much. Your veterinarian can tell you what to look for.

We also give all of our cats distilled water to drink since it is neither acid nor base, and this will do as much for avoiding kidney and urinary tract infections as anything.

Has the cat been neutered or spayed? Has the cat been to see your veterinarian? Has the cat had its correct shots?

There are many, many books on cat care, but I would go to the library and see what they have. Check one out and see what it tells you to do.

You can always come back to me if you have questions.

Your kitty will need a litter pan. We like to use a covered litter pan with a Rubbermaid dishpan inside. You can dump the litter a couple times a week and wash the dish pan with bleach water. While the one litter pan is drying, you can use a second one until that needs washing and just alternate them weekly.

Please come back to me with follow on questions.

Best regards... Norm.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: How do you train cats to do tricks and to come when called?

Answer
Vanessa,

Getting cats to come when they are called is a real trick. They will often "take a message" and get back to you when they are good and ready.

An excellent training regimin for cats (among other animals) is called "clicker training".

You can check out www.clickertraining.com

This technique has had the most success for training cats as any I have seen.

One of the tricks to getting cats to do what you want them to do is to make the cat think it is their idea.  Also, negative reinforcement techniques tend to not work very well with cats. Clicker training is built on positive reinforcement techniques.

Best regards... Norm.