Saving Lives

Rescuing Stray Cats and Dogs

Your Mission

Equipment

Safety

Alert the Experts

Trapping Feral Animals

How to Humanely Trap a Cat

--Preparation

--Trapping

Responsible Stewardship

--Assuming Ownership

--Relinquishing the Rescue

--Emergency Care

Important Questions

Take Action

Your Mission                                                                             Back to Top

Maybe you have seen a stray cat or dog around your property; maybe you have seen one wandering the roadways. Regardless of where and when you have seen a stray cat or dog, you may want to consider your options before taking action. Unless there is an immediate danger to the animal and you can respond quickly and safely, you are better off, and so is the animal, if you step back for a moment and think.

Equipment                                                                                Back to Top

Before you even contemplate your first rescue, make sure you have the necessary items in your car and at your home so you are prepared. In other words, be ready to rescue.

• cell phone and numbers of local animal control and/or animal shelter and a 24-hour emergency veterinary clinic
• carrier or crate
• collars and strong leashes for dogs
• heavy blanket
• water bowls and water
• strong-smelling foods, such as canned tuna or dried liver
• animal first-aid kit
• crate or carrier

Safety                                                                                       Back to Top

Think about safety first. You cannot help a cat or dog if you become injured in the process of rescuing the animal. Look in your rear-view mirror before braking, signal your intentions, pull your car completely of the road, turn off the ignition, set the parking brake, and put on your hazard lights. If you have emergency flares, prepare to use them.

Consider the safety of the animal. A strange, frightened, and possibly sick or injured animal may behave unpredictably. A sudden move by you may spook the cat or dog and cause the animal to bolt possibly right onto the highway. If the animal looks or acts threatening, or if for any reason you feel uneasy about the situation, remain in your car.

Use caution when approaching the animal. Even a small animal can inflict a painful wound; and if a cat or dog whose vaccination status is unknown bites you, you will be advised to undergo post exposure treatment for rabies, if the animal cannot be found.

While approaching, speak calmly and reassuringly. Make certain the cat or dog can see you at all times as you approach, and perhaps entice the animal to come to you by offering a strong-smelling food, such as canned tuna or dried liver.

If appropriate, try to lure the animal into your car with food, close the door, and wait for help. But do this only if you are certain someone will come to get the animal soon. In most cases, it is not a good idea to attempt to drive somewhere with a strange animal unrestrained in your car; as the cat or dog may become frantic or aggressive once you are in the car with them.

If possible, restrain the animal either outside or inside your car. Create a barrier or use a carrier, leash, piece of cloth, or length of rope to keep the animal from leaving the area. Signal approaching vehicles to slow down if you cannot confine the animal, or divert traffic around the animal if he or she appears to be injured and is still on the roadway.

Alert the Experts                                                                      Back to Top

If you are not able to safely restrain the animal, call the local police or animal control agency. Do so whether or not the cat or dog is injured, and whether or not the animal appears to be stray or owned (meaning the animal is wearing an identification tag or flea collar or has recently been groomed). Leave your phone or beeper number with the dispatcher and try to get an estimate of how long it may take someone to respond. If possible, stay on the scene to watch over the animal until help arrives. Make sure you report to authorities the animal’s precise location. If you are able to transport the cat or dog, take the animal to the nearest animal shelter.

Trapping Feral Animals                                                                Back to Top

Most often, when we see the word “feral,” we think of cats; and certainly there are more feral cats in most communities than there are feral dogs. However, feral dogs do exist is some locales.

Stray, abandoned, and feral cats have become a nationwide problem. Due to people’s lack of responsibility and care, pets who are not spayed/neutered are left to roam and freely create unwanted litters. The best way to help solve this crisis—a proven plan that works and brings positive results to communities across the country—is by using the Trap-Neuter-Return program created by Ally Cat Allies (ACA). This program allows volunteers to humanely trap stray and feral cats and provide medical care and sterilizations. All cats who have received care have a notch taken out of one ear to show they have received veterinary care. Upon their recovery, the cats are then returned to their approved colony; and volunteers pledge to feed and provide ongoing shelter for the colony.

The T-N-R program benefits a community in many ways. First, it ceases the creation of more unwanted litters of kittens. Secondly, it provides a health benefit in that the felines are tested for disease and they are vaccinated against rabies. This is an absolute plus for any community. Finally, cat colonies tend to keep the rodent population in check, which can also be a benefit to a locale.

How to Humanely Trap a Cat

Traps should be used only as a last resort for cats who are feral or too frightened to be handled normally.

Preparation                                                                                Back to Top

• Alert cat owners by posting signs in the neighborhood announcing you are trapping cats, explain why, give dates when you will be setting out traps, and a phone number for information.
• Contact your animal shelter for information about trap availability and trapping guidelines. Arrange to borrow a trap which will safely trap the cat without injury.
• Make arrangements with a veterinarian or a shelter to handle the cat immediately after you trap him or her. Only trap when help is promptly available.

Trapping                                                                                     Back to Top

• Choose a feeding spot which is accessible to you and safe for the cat; preferably a spot which allows you to observe the cat unnoticed. Feed the cat twice a day at the same time in this location, thereby establishing a pattern.
• Place the trap outdoors near the feeding site so the cat becomes used to seeing it. Cover the trap with a blanket or towel. Secure the trap door in the open position so the cat can go inside without becoming trapped. Continue the same feeding schedule, placing food at the trap entrance with the door still held open. Repeat until the cat is comfortable eating at the trap entrance.
• Move the food farther into the trap and set the trap mechanism. Once the trap is set, check the trap every 15 minutes. Do not open the trap once a cat is confined inside. Keeping your hands away from the trap, transport the cat to a clinic immediately.

Responsible Stewardship

Assuming Ownership                                                                   Back to Top

If you plan to keep the animal in the event no owner is found, notify animal control you have the animal or you have taken the animal to a veterinary hospital for treatment. If the animal has a collar on, keep that and any tags to help identify ownership. Many times, the dog or cat you find along the highway will turn out to be unowned, unwanted, and unclaimed. Even so, the person finding the stray dog or cat does not automatically become the owner or keeper until he or she has satisfied certain state and/or local requirements. Be sure to check the laws in your state, county, or town; contact your local animal control agency, humane society, or SPCA.

If the owner is found, do not assume you are dealing with an irresponsible person. Accidents can happen to anyone. The frantic owner may be looking everywhere for his or her beloved pet.

Relinquishing the Rescue                                                             Back to Top

Understand the limitations of animal care and control agencies. Once you have taken the initiative, time, and trouble to rescue a cat or dog, you may be surprised to find the rest of the pet care community may not necessarily rush forward to do what you see as its part. For instance, you may take a badly injured stray dog to animal control, only to learn that the agency is unable to provide expensive surgery to treat the dog’s injuries; and, to relieve the dog’s suffering, euthanizes him or her instead. A cat with relatively minor injuries may be kept for only the mandated stray holding period and then euthanized. Virtually all animal control facilities have severe budgetary or space limitations and must make painful decisions on how best to allocate their inadequate resources.

Emergency Care                                                                           Back to Top

Before you take an injured animal to a private veterinary hospital for treatment, be willing to assume financial responsibility for the animal before treatment begins. Anyone who is committed to trying to save injured stray animals should discuss the financial issues in advance with the veterinarian.

Important Questions                                                                        Back to Top

If you are uncertain about whether or not to assist or keep an animal, ask yourself:

• What would I want someone to do for my pet?
• How much can I afford to do for a rescued animal if no owner shows up?
• Am I willing to rescue the animal if no animal control agency or rescue facility can immediately help me?
• Am I willing to add the animal to my household in the event no owner is found or the facilities available are not viable choices?
• Am I willing to return the cat or dog to the original home if the owner appears after I have started to bond with the animal?

Thinking these issues through in advance may help the next time you see an animal in need.

Take Action to Save the Lives of Stray Animals

What can you do to save the lives of stray and feral animals in your community? First, be a responsible pet owner and make sure your own animals are safely confined within your home or yard. Other humane actions include:

• Contact your local animal shelter and animal control to find out their policies on stray or injured companion animals.
• Volunteer your time, talents, and money with a local shelter or rescue group.
• Educate family, friends, and colleagues on ways to keep their own companion animals safe, thereby avoiding the need to rescue them.

December 2009                                                                                   Back to Top