Is there a tray cat here?

I used to raise a cat in Japan. Even after I started living without a cat, I have sometimes touched with stray cats in a town. However, I rarely see a stray cat in this country. I want to play with a cat. But I don't know the rule how I can play with the stray cats in this town. Do they have any diseases including rabies? I  don't want to think about that. However, I am "actually" a veterinary. To think about animal diseases, particularly zoonoses, is one of my occupational disease. Anyway, I love cats even if they have diseases, even if they are ugly. Can American cat speak and understand English? Can Japanese cats talk with American cats?