01/05/2025
As a small rescue, OARS is not able to take in stray cats from the public. So what should you do if you find a stray? While different communities' practices can vary, here is a good general list of what to do if you find one.
1. Call your local non-emergency police department. In most cases, the city or town contracts with a particular shelter and the police can transport the cat to a shelter – even outside of normal shelter hours. If your community does not offer this service, please follow whatever steps the non-emergency police recommend.
2. While you wait for the police, if the cat is a kitten, or looks like a nursing mother cat, check the area thoroughly for other cats or kittens.
3. Give the cat water. Never give a cat milk – they are lactose intolerant.
4. Take some photos of the cat so you can post their picture in missing pet groups online so that the owner can see that they were found and what shelter they were taken to.
Cats are great escape artists. Just because a cat is outside does not mean that it was abandoned. It is illegal to keep a found cat without trying to reunite it with the owner, so please follow these steps to try to get them reunified. And finally, THANK YOU for taking the time to help a stray.