A GUIDE TO HELP THE STRAY ANIMALS 

All of us want to help the poor stray animals that wander our streets, hungry and thirsty. i asked a few people- why don't you help the stray animals? the answers i got seemed genuine-

"What if they bite me, i don't want to catch rabies"                                                                    "What if i catch some kind of infection, who knows where the animals have been"                 "Have you seen those horns and teeth, oh dear, i would never dare to go close."

I have the answer to each of these problems. different animals have a different nature. lets start with the most common stray animal in India- dogs

Most dogs are generally friendly, but there are some who might be unusually aggressive to you without any reason. The question is, how do we differentiate between a friendly and an aggressive dog. The answer is simple- if you are looking for a friendly dog, look for a dog whose tail is low and wagging from side to side. so, here is how you can help it-                    Step 1- when you find a dog wagging its tail, slowly approach it.                                            Step 2-Do not show it the food just yet, let it build some trust in you.                                      Step 3-After you are close enough, speak to it in a gentle voice and if the dog does not hesitate, gently pet it on the head, neck and back{ it is advisable to wear gloves}                    Step 4-keep the food in your hand and let it eat from your hand.

Some common mistakes people do are approaching too quick, which scares the dog. be sure to walk slowly.

Don't pet the dog if it shows hesitation, if a dog snarls, growls or barks at you, do not go closer. just leave the food there and slowly move back.

be careful and don't feed the dog anything sugary. the best thing to give them are sugar free biscuits and home made chapatis or bread.

Now that we have befriended the dogs, lets move on to the cats!

Cats are rather complicated animals. They are generally not as friendly as dogs, but you can make it work. And it is extremely rare that a stray cat would let you pet it, so iits best not to try!!!

The way of approaching and feeding a cat is little different.

Step 1- Take the food or a bowl of milk in your hand and sit cross legged near the cat. This will help the cat to trust you.                                                                             Step 2-The best things to feed a cat are milk or cat food purchased from a pet store.                                                Step 3-If the cat has its tail upright and bent in the end, she is safe to approach, put the food or milk beside the cat and sit cross legged near it.                                                                                                    Step 4-be careful not to make any sudden movements, this would scare a cat and you will be left with nothing but scratches on you.

If the cat likes you and trusts you, she would rub her head and tail against your leg. This is called a 'cat greeting'. this way, the car marks you by its scent. a friendlier cat will come near your leg and even purr awwww!! 

But, if you see a cat surrounded by its kittens, it means she is protecting them and the best thing to do is stand away, slowly place the food on the ground and back away.

A cat protecting its babies tend to be extremely aggressive towards anyone who comes close. If you do not want to get scratched or bitten, its wise to stay away

There are many other animals around us. Lets look into the notorious monkeys. they are much different than the dogs and cats- It can be dangerous to go too close. The best way to feed them is to stay away and leave the food on the ground and leave. Do not keep the food in your hand where they can see it as they might attack you for the food. keep the food in a bag and when you reach a good spot, take the food out and place it on the ground. your work there is done.

When it comes to helping the cattle, they are prettymuch harmless and it is safe to approach them, pet them and feed them fruits, vegetables, bread etc. They rarely are aggressive but it is always advisable not to make sudden movements. be gentle.

The easiest animals to help are the birds, just leave some grains, a bowl of water and a birdhouse, your work is done. Doing this will help the squirrels too.

Lets show love and respect to each and every animal, you can care about the ants too!! just leave breadcrumbs ans sugar near anthills.

I hope you all liked this blog and it helped you. i do my best to gather information and giving it to you guys!!! Stay tuned for the next post and until then, keep helping the animals

Thank you.