Interview! Katie Lisnik, Director of Cat Policy and Protection, Humane Society of the United States
October 21, 2017
Interview! Sarah-Jane Farrell, Multi Sensory and Forensic Medical Intuitive
October 28, 2017
What To Do When a Cat Knocks on Your Door and comes into your back yard? Many folks still don’t know what to do. Unfortunately, the steps for helping community cats aren’t the same in all parts of the country, either!
We ultimately want what is best for the cat. In many cases that is either finding it a home or returning the cat to their owner. In my dream world, all cats would have some sort of guardian and they would have a microchip to identify who that guardian is!
If you are feeding a community cat, first check with neighbors and make sure that this isn’t someone else’s cat. Posting the cat on various social media sites and putting up posters help. Call your local humane society and animal control to see if anyone has reported the cat missing. If the cat is friendly, put a paper collar on the cat asking if the cat is owned with your phone number on it. This way, the person can reach out to you and let you know that the kitty has a home. Also, check to see if the cat is ear-tipped (generally will be seen on the left ear to identify that the cat has been spayed/neutered).
What To Do When a Cat Knocks on Your Door
If all of these avenues have been followed, the next step is to decide the best course for this kitty. Is the kitty friendly? It may have been abandoned. But, if the kitty is very shy and timid, it may be more of a feral kitty. In this case, it may be best to be trapped, neutered and returned.
If the kitty is friendly you can chose to rescue the kitty yourself. Try and find a home for the kitty or find a local shelter that will take it in to put it up for adoption. You also need to research options for getting the cat spayed/neutered, vaccinated (for rabies and distemper) and ear-tipped if he is going back outside. Below is a good link for Finding a low cost spay/neuter clinic at this PetSmart Charities website. You can also go to United Spay Alliance.
If you do chose to try and find a shelter to take the kitty in, check with management to see if you can follow the progress of the cat. Check if they do have to euthanize for space and ask if they can notify you to pick up the cat if space is an issue. Many organizations will tag animals with a note saying to not euthanize with an emergency contact. They will often be up front when you call them to tell you about their space issues. You might need to hold onto the cat until the colder months or times of the year when adoptions happen more quickly. Therefore, communicating often with your local shelter is really the best way to go.
If this kitty is a candidate to be a community cat you will want to make sure you have adequate shelter and the ability to feed the kitty regularly at the same time of the day (so he will be easy to trap if needed).
Good luck helping out kitties and hopefully you’ll now know What To Do When a Cat Knocks on Your Door!
Resources:
These are some great resources to check out.
Finally, check out the How to Build a Cat Shelter video from Hannah Shaw, aka the Kitten Lady!
