Cats About Town Society Dedicated to stopping the suffering of homeless & abandoned cats & kittens P. O. Box 1224, Orangevale, CA 95662-1224  (916) 484-3700

I've found A Stray Animal - What Do I Do Now? But I can't keep this animal - I have too many pets already! How do I find him a home? DON'T EVER GIVE AN ANIMAL AWAY FOR FREE! When people start calling on the ad, what do I say? Listen closely to their answers! I've found A Stray Animal - What Do I Do Now? First - If the animal is aggressive, do not approach it. This animal may injure you. It's best to notify authorities of its location. With that caution, taking home a stray animal is one of the kindest things you can do in this world. So many are in great need, it's up to each one of us to do our part. When you first find the animal, keep him/her separate from any other animals you already have. This will help to avoid possible fights and the spread of disease. You want to be sure that this is not a lost animal that someone is trying to find. Look for an I.D. tag, rabies tag, or tattooing. If the animal has on a collar, look under it in case there is a name or phone number. Take him/her to the vet and have a scan done to search for a microchip. (There shouldn't be any charge for this service.) Run a "found animal" ad in the paper - the Bee and most of the local papers will do this free of charge. Scan the "lost animal" adds for someone who meets his/her description. Contact the Sacramento SPCA, and the Sacramento City and County Animal Shelters. Volunteers there will take found animal information. (You may have to go into the county animal shelter to fill out a found card.) They also keep information on lost animals, so be sure to check to see if any of these seem to meet your animal's description. Remember that people describe an animal in many ways. Keep an open mind when reviewing "lost" ads. Cruise the general vicinity of the area where the animal was found. Look for "lost" posters. Put up "found" posters. Ask people who are out for walks if they recognize the animal (have the animal or a picture with you). A note on all of this: If the animal seems to be in bad condition, you may not want to return the animal to an abusive or neglectful situation. Within the first few days, take the animal to a veterinarian. Have the vet check for disease and parasites. Get the full range of necessary shots, and have him/her spayed or neutered. Consider going to a low-cost vet for these services. If you absolutely can't afford to do all of this, discuss the matter with your vet. They are sometimes willing to provide services at a discount when you are trying to help a stray. You might also try contacting Sacramento Pets In Need for help with the spay/neuter cost. Next, give your animal a bath if he/she needs it. Brush and groom him/her and get an attractive collar. This will help the animal look even better! But I can't keep this animal - I have too many pets already! How do I find him a home? Finding a good home for an animal is possible. You just need to hang in there until the ideal home is located. Don't shortchange this poor animal by putting him/her back into a bad situation. You want to be able to sleep at night. After you have done all of the above, put an ad for the animal in the Sacramento Bee under pets (be sure that you have allowed at least a week for the previous owners to find their animal before giving up). Make the ad catchy. Try to get it in on a Friday. Weekends are the time that people are searching for an animal to love. A note of caution - don't put ads in the paper in December! Too many people want a Christmas pet and dump him/her in January. Also be on the lookout for people who are looking for a guard dog. Guard dogs are usually emotionally neglected. DON'T EVER GIVE AN ANIMAL AWAY FOR FREE! You want to charge money for these reasons: To reimburse yourself for at least part of the cost of rehabbing this animal (vet costs, collar, bath products, etc.) Good owners know that animals are going to cost money and they are prepared to pay an adoption fee. If the owners can't afford the adoption price, it's an excellent sign that they can't afford an animal for the duration of the animal's life. When people start calling on the ad, what do I say? Ask a lot of questions to figure out if the person on the phone sounds like a "good home". Here are some good questions to ask: Do you rent or own? Renters may be forced to give up their pets when they move. Will the animal be indoors or outdoors? Don't give an animal to somebody who only wants an outdoor animal. Studies show that people who leave their animals in the backyard don't really emotionally attach to the animal and so it gets abandoned, bored, and is lonely for life. For a cat, being left outdoors can mean an early death from cars, predators, or disease. What part of town do you live in? Certain parts of town are dangerous for people and animals. Don't place your animal in an unsafe neighborhood. Is your house on a street far from busy traffic, have a fenced yard? What kind of vet care will the animal receive? Have you ever had a dog/cat before? What happened to it? Listen closely to their answers! You can learn as much from what isn't said as by what is said. "My last cat ran away." Animals don't run away from good homes. Something happened to the animal or there was a good reason for it leaving. In any case, you probably don't want to place your rescue in this home. If any of the answers you get make you feel uncomfortable, pass on that home. You want to place the animal you have rescued in a wonderful home where it will be well cared for and loved for the rest of his/her life. Then you can sleep at night. If you don't want to put ads in the paper, you may be able to find a local rescue group that will work with you. All of the "no-kill" animal rescue groups operate on limited budgets with limited space for the animals that they care for, so do not expect them to have room to take your rescued stray in. Many of them are more than willing to work with you if you can take care of the animal in the meantime and transport it to and from adoptions. Pet Finders will usually let you sit in at their adoptions for a nominal fee. Cats About Town Society will allow you to bring a rescued cat to their adoptions. Contact us to make this arrangement. Cats About Town will also assist you with shots and the cost of spay/neuters if you work with them. Be aware that both of these groups will expect to keep any adoption fee that is collected if you work with them.

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