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I FOUND KITTENS

 

  • If you found kittens, STOP!  Removing a litter is often the wrong thing to do.  Watch the video below for an overview of what to do and how to determine a kitten's age.
  • If kittens are under 5 weeks, they need their mother's milk to survive.  Even with bottle feeding, many of them don't make it.  Mother cats can disappear for several hours at a time.  As the video below states, if the kittens are plump, clean, and relatively quiet, then they have a mom. If they are skinny, dirty, and in distress, then they may have been abandoned and you can consider intervening.
  • We also accept healthy and friendly kittens 5 to 12 weeks old and feral kittens 5 to 8 weeks old if we have capacity in our foster care system or shelter. However, due to various factors including limited staffing and lack of spay/neuter surgery availability, there are times where we are unable to take more kittens. Be sure to contact us before bringing in kittens to check whether we have capacity. If our shelter doesn’t have capacity and you’d like to help the kittens, you may remove them from mom when 5 weeks or older, care for them, and place them up for adoption after a few weeks of socialization. The Kitten Lady (CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO) has tons of great resources for raising and adopting out kittens.
  • If (1) you find a kitten by itself or (2) you find multiple kittens under 5 weeks and you are sure they have been abandoned by their mother due to their condition or (3) you find a kitten of any age that is sick or injured, dial 311 to speak to the City of Sacramento 311 Call Center (24 hours a day / 7 days a week).  If you are unable to dial that number, please call 916-808-7387.
  • We will only accept a stray kitten(s) if it was found within the city limits of Sacramento. If you find a kitten(s) in the county limits of Sacramento, please call the Bradshaw Animal Shelter at 916-368-7387.

 

 

IF YOU BELIEVE THE KITTEN IS SOMEONE'S LOST PET, FOLLOW THE STEPS BELOW

 

STEP 

Purple Circle Number One

Click on the link above to see if an owner has reported the cat as being lost.

If you see a cat that you believe is a match, write down the ANIMAL ID and dial 311 to speak to the City of Sacramento 311 Call Center (24 hours day / 7 days a week). If you are unable to dial that number, please call 916-808-7387.

 

STEP 

Purple Circle Number Two

Text STRAY to 833-511-0426 to receive our proven tips to help you find the owner as well as a website link to fill out a found cat report.

 

STEP 

Purple Circle Number 3

FOLLOW THESE FOUND PET TIPS

  • Make it easy for someone who lost a cat to find you by filling out a FOUND CAT REPORT. These online reports are posted to our website daily.

  • Make a found cat ad on CRAIGSLIST (with a photo) and post to the NEXTDOOR neighborhood where the cat was found.

  • There are many local LOST & FOUND PET FACEBOOK PAGES for different areas of the city. Post a picture and description of the cat on the pages near where the cat was found.

  • Search Craigslist, NextDoor, and Facebook Pages to see if the owner has posted an ad looking for his/her cat.

  • Take the cat to a shelter or veterinarian to scan for a microchip. Ask for the microchip number and search it on the MICROCHIP LOOK-UP WEBSITE.

  • Make found cat posters that look like this:  CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO. Hang them at the 6 busiest intersections near where you found the cat.

  • Take a moment to add the cat's picture to PETCO LOVE LOST, a free tool that uses facial recognition to match lost and found pets.

  • Report your found cat to other LOCAL ANIMAL SHELTERS

  • If the found cat is wearing a tag with a phone number, call and send a text. People tend to be more responsive to texts than phone calls from unknown callers.

  • Continue to update and re-post your online found cat posts every couple of days.

 

IF YOU HAVE FOUND AN ADULT CAT, PLEASE CLICK HERE

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

    Pets are considered to be the legal property of their owners. Finding a pet does not entitle the finder to keep, sell, or give away the pet, nor does it convey ownership to the finder. If you find a pet, you must actively look for the owner for at least 90 days.  Even after that period of time has elapsed, the owner may still have the right to reclaim his/her pet under certain circumstances.

    According to California Penal Code 485, a person who finds lost property without first making reasonable and just efforts to find the owner and to restore property to the owner may be guilty of theft.  It is important to report the found pet to the animal control agency servicing the area where the pet was found and to follow your jurisdiction's policies and procedures regarding stray animals.

 

 

HOW WE CAN HELP YOU FIND THE OWNER

    TEXT  STRAY TO 833-511-0426 TO RECEIVE OUR PROVEN TIPS TO HELP YOU FIND A LOST PET'S OWNER AS WELL AS A WEBSITE LINK TO FILL OUT A FOUND PET REPORT.

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