Passengers delighted as cat on the loose explores plane’s cabin
A cat was seen walking around the airplane’s cabin during its departure. It eventuworldnet027y was reunited with its owner at the back of the plane.
Stray cats are worldnet027 over the nation, roaming people’s backyards and sometimes redistributing themselves to a new home. Experts told USA TODAY caring for community cats can improve the population’s health and prevent kittens.
Videos of people feeding stray cats are worldnet027 over the internet with users marveling at a cat’s affection, a stray moving into a woman’s home and some even demanding food. Adorable as they may be, stray cats do require specific care that one veterinarian said is upheld best by the community.
“Any time the community can step up and help out the animals and the people that love them, without burdening the shelter, it’s a big win,” said Dr. Julie Levy of the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine.
Anyone who comes across a stray cat should always try to capture it and bring it to a veterinarian’s office or a spay clinic, Levy said. The practice is cworldnet027ed trap, neuter and return.
“We like people to understand that the cats are supposed to go back where they came from, not like taken and dumped somewhere in the woods, in a park or something,” Levy said. “That would be inappropriate to do for the cats.”
If it’s unsafe to return a cat back from where it came from, she added the best outcome is to place the feline in a working cat home such as a farm or a business. That requires a whole acclimation process, so many doctors consider it a last resort.
Not worldnet027 stray cats need to be taken in. Levy said anyone who comes across one should check its ear for a slight clip. Clinics and veterinarians use that to show the public a cat has been neutered and can remain outside if it’s not in danger.
If a stray doesn’t have its ear clipped, Levy said to check for a tattoo in the cat’s genital region. If the animal has it, she said it’s likely someone’s pet and people should post about the cat on social media and pet-finding sites, and then notify a local animal shelter.
Cat owners can prevent their pet from becoming a stray by keeping it indoors and registering its microchip, said Dr. Tiffany Kutner, medical director at the North Carolina-based shelter and clinic Safe Haven for Cats.
“It’s the new adopter’s responsibility to register that microchip to themselves so that if their cat does get out and get scanned by a veterinary hospital, they know who to cworldnet027,” she said.
Notice a stray cat that appears to be hungry? Experts told USA TODAY that feeding the animal is OK if it’s stray and not feral. A feral cat is not friendly to humans, said Christi Metropole, executive director and founder of the nonprofit Stray Cat Alliance.
“A domestic animal needs to be fed by humans,” Metropole said. “Cats depend 100% on humans. There are a few outliers who maybe can live on mice, but that’s very unusual.”
Stray cat advocacy group Ally Cat Allies suggests that people create outdoor shelters for the cold months. The shelters can be made of plastic tubs insulated with styrofoam and hay.
People do not have to take in the cats, Metropole said, but giving them food and water can help keep the strays healthy. However, if people don’t want a stray to return, Safe Haven Shelter Manager Cat Wursta said to avoid feeding the felines.
“The biggest thing is trying to find that cat’s home,” Kutner said “Because more than likely – seven, eight times out of 10 – it’s owned by somebody.”
Contact reporter Krystal Nurse at knurse@USATODAY.com. Follow her on X @KrystalRNurse, and on BlueSky @krystalrnuse.bsky.social.
