Lost a Pet?
Anyone who has lost a pet should contact the local municple shelter as soon as possible to report the pet missing and to see if the pet has shown up at the shelter. Please click on the links below to obtain more information.
Found a Pet?
If you’ve found a stray animal, please contact the local municiple shelter and take the pet to the shelter so that it has a chance of being reunited with the pet parent. In general, taking the animal to the shelter improves the chances of the animal being reunited with its owner. If you don't want to leave the animal at the shelter, you can ask about being a temporary foster for the animal.
What if I don’t want the pet to go to the municipal shelter? Legally, the owner has 3-5 days to reclaim their pet from the shelter. We strongly encourage all finders to turn the animal into the municipal shelter for the best chance of reuniting it with it’s owners. If the pet is unclaimed, the finder has the option to adopt the pet after the hold period is over if no owner comes forward.
Found Kittens?
During spring and summer, it’s not uncommon to discover unattended kittens or a single kitten seemingly abandoned by the mother. Before jumping to the rescue, consider these recommendations.
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First: Wait and Watch
You may have come across the litter of kittens while their mother is off searching for food or is in the process of moving them to a different location. It's important to try to determine if the mother is coming back for them or if they are truly orphaned. To do this, stand far away from the kittens and you might need to go away completely before the mother cat will return to attend to the kittens. It might be several hours before the mother cat returns — until she no longer senses the presence of humans hovering near her litter.
The mother cat offers her kittens’ best chance for survival, so wait and watch as long as you can. The best food for the kittens is their mother’s milk. Remove the kittens only if they are in immediate, grave danger.
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If the mother cat returns...
If mom returns and the area is relatively safe, leave the kittens alone with mom until they are weaned. You can offer a shelter and regular food to mom, but keep the food and shelter at a distance from each other. Please contact us to discuss next steps for our Trap Neuter Vaccinate Return program.
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If the mother cat does not return...
If for any reason it appears that mother cat is not coming back, then you should remove the kittens for their survival as they need to be kept warm and fed. But you must be prepared to see this project through to weaning if you decide to intervene!
Neonatal kittens (under four weeks of age) cannot eat solid food (not canned, not dry) and cannot urinate or defecate on their own, so you must bottle-feed them around-the-clock and stimulate their genitals after every feeding so they can eliminate.
Neonatal kittens do not do well in a shelter environment as the municipal shelter does not have the staff to feed and stimulate them for elimination around-the-clock. So it is critical to prepare for bottle-feeding and proper care before you take the kittens off the street.
Once the kittens are eating wet and dry food, please contact us to discuss next steps to get the kittens spayed and neutered.
