I found a cat - NOW WHAT?

What To Do When You Find A Homeless Cat

While some free-roaming cats are abandoned by their human families, many are lost. A little effort will help determine whether the cat you’ve found has been abandoned or is lost and what you should do next.

In the meantime, keep the cat apart from your other pets.

Is The Cat Lost?

Many pet owners don’t provide their cats with collars and identification tags or microchips. If the found cat has tags, contact the owner. The issuer of the rabies or city license tag can also provide the owner’s contact info.

If The Pet Has No Identification

Call the local animal shelters and the humane society or check there online lost and found service (for a list of Maricopa County Shelters, click here).

Take the cat to a local animal shelter or veterinarian to have it scanned for a microchip. If the cat is chipped, you can call the microchip company and get the owner’s contact info.

Next Steps

If you can’t identify the owner after these steps, you can do the following:

• Make “FOUND CAT” flyers with a picture and details of the cat and where it was found with your contact information;
• Look for “LOST CAT” signs in your area;
• Check the newspaper daily for “lost cat” ads that may describe the cat;
• Place a “Found” ad in your newspaper (many papers will run these ads for free);
• Search websites:
• craigslist
• foundandlostpets.com
• Home Again
• petfinder.com
• Ask neighborhood children and parents about lost pets.

If you have no success with these steps in a week, you can assume the cat is homeless.

If You Want to Keep It

If you decide to provide a home for the cat yourself, first take her to a veterinarian for a complete exam. The vet can tell you the cat’s approximate age, physical condition, gender, and if the cat has been spayed or neutered. Plus, the vet will advise you on the vaccinations it needs and the proper diet. It’s also wise to take a fresh stool sample to have it tested for internal parasites.

Check our website for more information on caring for your new cat and how to introduce it to your other pets.

If You’re Unable To Keep The Cat

If you’re unable to keep the cat, you can request to surrender to RAIN Rescue. Please review information on surrendering prior to requesting assistance. RAIN is a foster based rescue and intake is based on available foster homes.

We also recommend contacting the following for help:

Citizens for North Phoenix strays
602-332-6615
BadkittyTS@aol.com

PACC911**
Bari@pacc911.org
**an email blast will be sent to 60-70 rescues.  It is recommended to send photos, and a  bio on your pet.(age, reason why you are surrendering your Pet, likes and dislikes, etc.)

To find the best possible home for the cat, give yourself plenty of time because finding a responsible home for the cat can’t be done overnight.

It is also recommended to have the cat vaccinated and spayed/neutered.