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You’ve found a stray cat and you want to help it. Good for you!
Thank you for taking the first step in improving an animal’s life.
All 4 Cats is a small feline rescue that works with the community to decrease the homeless cat population. This is a joint effort that we cannot do without your help! Please take the time to read through the content of this page to find out how you can best save this animal’s life.
If you see a cat that needs help, please rescue it if you are able. This means offering the cat safe shelter and food and water.
If this is a young kitten, please look for its mom and siblings; immediately taking the kitten may be separating him from his family. Baby kittens have no teeth or just a few and may not have their eyes open. Young kittens have a full mouth of teeth and can eat hard food.
If the cat seems friendly, coax them into a carrier with wet food as incentive. Scared cats can be unpredictable and your safety comes first! Be careful, even little 2 pound kittens can bite and scratch!
If the cat is skittish and cannot be approached, it could be feral. Click here for a link that shows you how to tell the difference. Alley Cat Allies is a great resource to help you with feral cats. Do not take action that would put or the cat in any danger.
When bringing home a stray, do not integrate him with your own animals until the cat has been checked out by a vet. If the cat has been on the streets, it might have parasites or viruses that could be dangerous for your pets. Discuss the need for a rabies shot with your veterinarian.
Don’t let this deter you from rescuing the cat, just make sure to isolate the cat in a room with proper ventilation or a large cage. Make sure it has access to food, water, and a litter box. You can make an interim litter box out of almost anything shallow and rectangular. Baby kittens will also need a heating source and depending on their age, may need to be bottle fed.
Be aware that calling animal control or taking the cat to an animal shelter may put the cat at risk of euthanasia. Ask questions and stay informed.
There are many situations that can lead to a cat becoming stray, but the cat could have an owner that is desperately looking for it. Before deciding to keep the cat or asking for a rescue to help, please try to find the cat’s owner. You could be doing everyone the greatest favor by returning it to its loving home.
Check to see if the cat is wearing an identification tag with the owner’s information. If the animal has a Home Again or other type of tag, call the number and let them know you found the pet. If they are not wearing an ID tag, have the cat scanned for a microchip at a vet’s office or pet store (this is always free of charge!).
If you cannot identify the cat, here are some additional things you can do to help locate the owner:
Please understand that local rescues, including All 4 Cats, are almost always going to be full. We are small organizations that are made up of volunteers! People just like you with lots of obligations. We do our best to assist as many concerned citizens and cats as possible. We would love your help with the stray you found and perhaps with other cats in the future.
If you are willing to foster the cat, we may have some options to assist even if we can’t get them immediately into our system. Each situation is unique and our space and limited resources are constantly changing. Please be patient; we are here to help!
Follow the guidelines above to house him safely and look for the owner, then email us at: [email protected]. Provide the date, circumstance and location you found him; physical description, including any health issues; any vetting he has received, and any other information you think would be helpful. A volunteer will get back with you as soon as possible.
Review our foster page for information on becoming a foster with us. We do accept one-time fosters, meaning you found the cat and you will commit to foster that cat until adopted, but are not required to commit to anything more.
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