Is it bad to take in sick stray cats?

I have taken in two ill stray cats in the past to care for them, despite my minimal means to do so as far as funds to veterinary care etc.
A friend of mines was concerned that it isn't healthy to take in cats who are strays, given they are more than likely ill to begin with.
Should this be a concern of mines? If I do find they are ill is it best to leave them in the wild?
I don't know that I believe it is right to take them to a vet and euthanize them either, even given they have a disease like feline leukemia. What is the generally and/or traditionally accepted practice in this respect?

 

Why does she think they're more than likely going to be ill? Sure, there's a chance, but in my experience, that's not the case the vast majority of the time. And if you're getting them checked at the vet, then I don't see what the issue is there?

As for your question about leaving them in the wild.... you really shouldn't be "out in the wild" picking them up anyway. If they come to your house, that's a different story, but if it's not near you, you could potentially be picking up someone's pet and not know it.

 

I don't see a problem in adopting strays even if they are sick. If they are, you simply have to be aware of the commitment you are making as treatment for certainly illnesses can be expensive. Of course as Jessi mentioned most times the cat will probably be healthy anyhow. In a really unlikely circumstance in which a cat would be euthanized and is in pain or in degenerating at a rapid rate you still would of done the cat a great service, than if it were left to suffer in the wild.

 

I see your point Jessi! You are very correct. I did check around as far as the black cat we picked up from my college. However none of the students on campus were able to find an owner in the two years we were there. So we ended up keeping her. Thankfully my mom does check into these things and we are aware people lose their pets. Sadly no one claimed her, and it was a small town.

Thanks again for the support on this. I suppose I just wasn't certain if there were other major dangers I was not aware of. Clearly if the vet says the cat is ill and unsafe to be around people that is different. However if they are ill with something only dangerous to other cats I just need be careful not to expose other cats and animals to them. At least these are my initial thoughts.

 

This reminds me of when I once took in a stray dog. It was very thin, poorly, and had clearly been ill treated. I went to a pet shop to buy some bits and bobs for it and there was a litter of kittens in the shop, one of which was clearly ill. I ended up buying the sick kitten as well as the provisions for the dog.

The kitten turned out to have cat flu and needed twenty four hour attention and feeding through a dropper. I carried it to the vets every couple of days, tucked into the front of my coat, not knowing it had a tiny patch of ringworm on its chin. I soon realised though, as I developed a nasty patch on my shoulder, two days after buying an off the shoulder wedding dress.

Luckily the ringworm was just about gone by my wedding day, the kitten survived, although it had a snotty nose for the rest of its life and the dog turned into a fabulous loyal pet and my husband did eventually recover from the shock of the vets bills for both animals.

 

Awww! I'm glad the ringworm was about gone by your wedding, yikes. I'm sure your new husband was thrilled to see how much you spent on the two animals, haha.

 

I really don't see anything wrong with it if you intend to take them to the vet and get them nursed back to good health. I think it is an honorable thing to do. But if you have other cats, taking the sick, new one to the vet should be of utmost importance so you'll know if what they have is something your cat could catch. That way you'll know to try and keep them separated as much as possible until the new cat has recovered.

 

You need to get them checked out especially if you have other pets. Take them in but put them into another room. I like to call it the "isolation room."

 

Most of the cats I've had have been strays and fortunately most of them have been pretty healthy. But I agree with the posters who said you should keep the new cat isolated until you can take it to a doctor. You never know if it has feline HIV and even though it's a kind deed to help a homeless cat, you don't want to put your own pets at risk.

 

I have never taken in a stray cat and kept him/her as a pet, but I did take in a stray kitten once. It was several years ago. Someone dumped a box of kittens out at a local elementary school, and while I was there jogging, I came across them. We never had any issues with him.

I don't think I have ever experienced much of an issue with stray cats as I have stray or abandoned dogs.

 

I'd be more careful if I were you, because when you take in strays there is a big chance they might be carrying something really nasty, like for example rabies. I'd be really concerned about that if I were you. It's true my Bob was a stray, but he was too little when I found him and he looked super healthy. I'd have my reservations regarding to taking in adult strays who are sick... Just be careful!