Found a Cat | Friends of YCAS

I Found a Cat

IF YOU FIND A SICK OR INJURED STRAY CAT, DIAL (530) 668-5287 EXT 4 TO SPEAK TO A YOLO COUNTY ANIMAL SERVICES REPRESENTATIVE. AFTER HOURS YOU CAN CALL NON-EMERGENCY DISPATCH AT (530) 666-8282 FOR SICK OR INJURED ANIMALS ONLY.

IF YOU FIND A NEWBORN OR UNWEANED STRAY KITTEN(S) WITHOUT A MOTHER, DIAL (530) 668-5287 ext 4 OR EMAIL US AT YCASLOSTPETS@YOLOCOUNTY.ORG. YOU MUST CALL AND SET UP AN APPOINTMENT. DO NOT COME TO THE SHELTER UNTIL YOU ARE INSTRUCTED TO DO SO. PLEASE REFER TO OUR FOUND A KITTEN SECTION FOR MORE INFORMATION.

WE WILL ONLY ACCEPT A STRAY CAT IF IT WAS FOUND WITHIN YOLO COUNTY. IF YOU FOUND THE CAT/KITTEN IN A DIFFERENT COUNTY, PLEASE REFER TO THE LIST OF LOCAL SHELTERS AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE.

AT THIS TIME, WE ARE NOT ACCEPTING HEALTHY STRAY CATS. PLEASE CONSIDER HELPING US SAVE LIVES BY LEAVING HEALTHY STRAY CATS WHERE THEY ARE OR TEMPORARILY HOUSING THE CAT AND TRYING TO FIND THE OWNER. IF YOU CANNOT KEEP THE CAT, WE RECOMMEND ASKING A FRIEND, A FAMILY MEMBER, A NEIGHBOR, OR SOMEONE IN YOUR SOCIAL NETWORK WHO CAN.

STEp1

If you find a friendly, healthy cat, we ask that you please leave it be.

Often, friendly neighbor cats are indoor/outdoor cats and not lost at all, simply roaming, which is perfectly legal in city and county areas and something cats love to do.

When you find a friendly “stray” adult cat, the odds for this cat getting reunited with its family are more than 10 times better if the cat stays in its home neighborhood than if it comes to a shelter. If you find a cat that seems stray, you may first want to watch and wait to see if it goes home on its own – it might be a community cat that cruises around several homes for food and friendship. If not, the best thing to do is take a photo and post it on your local neighborhood network site, local lost and found facebook group, lost and found page for your local shelter, and post signs around the neighborhood. You can also take the cat to a vet or your local shelter to be scanned for a microchip.

If you decide to remove the cat so it can be scanned for a microchip, we encourage you to return the cat to the location at which it was found. Again, most cats don’t roam more than 6-7 houses from where they live. It is always best to knock on the doors on your street to see if anyone knows the cat.

If you found a cat, you can file a found report with the shelter.

Or Complete the found animal form and either fax the form & a picture to (530) 668-5288 or email the form & picture to the lost pet team at : ycaslostpets@yolocounty.org

Complete Found Animal Form (click)

STEp2

Post on neighborhood lost pet pages. The community has several pet pages to report found/lost pets before they are brought to the shelter.

Pawboost : Pawboost.com

Nextdoor: Nextdoor.com

Facebook - There are several lost pet pages for the respective cities in Yolo County.

STEp3

Post Flyers, Place a Yard Sign, Check with local veterinarians. Cats who are truly lost (and not just someone’s outdoor cat) likely live within a five-house radius from you. Print small flyers to put on doors in your neighborhood and large flyers to post at major intersections in the neighborhood.

Check out The SSPCA's information page on finding outdoor kitties.

STEp4

Register with Finding Rover, a free facial recognition app that scans the features of a cat’s face. With the app, you can take a photo of the cat and report the cat as being found.

What if the cat is feral, not friendly or has an ear tip?

When you find a feral or community cat in good condition, chances are someone is feeding this cat. If it is ear tipped, then it has been sterilized and the best thing to do is to leave it be. Feral cats are very stressed by coming in to a shelter. If the cat is not ear tipped, it would be best to bring it to one of the TNR (Trap, Neuter & Return) clinics available. To make a surgery appointment or discuss other feral cat solutions in Yolo County, contact ycfspayneuter@gmail.com or check out this list of low-cost spay/neuter resources for cats. Check out this page for some more information on living with community cats. Removing the cat does not tend to solve the problem long term.

What if I found a baby kitten?

Kittens almost always have a mother that is roaming around and trying to find something to eat. Taking kittens from their mother drastically decreases their chance of survival. Unless the kittens are in immediate danger, please leave them where they are or take them back to where you found them.
If the kittens are warm and not crying, the mother cat is most likely caring for them. If you are uncertain If the mother is returning, you can sprinkle a ring of baking flour around the kittens and wait at least a few hours to look for footprints. Make sure to give her and her kittens space so that she isn’t afraid to return.
If the mother hasn't returned after 8 hours and the kittens are truly abandoned, consider fostering the kittens until they are old enough for adoption (8 weeks of age). You can email a photo of the kitten(s) and your information to our team at ycaslostpets@yolocounty.org if you need help determining next steps or want assistance on becoming a foster parent.
- In addition to the Yolo County Animal Shelter, there are a few other groups in Yolo County that may be able to provide assistance/resources for kittens
  - Orphan Kitten Project
  - Yolo SPCA
- Check out this Kitten Age Chart if you are not sure how old the kittens are

Found a Kitten

What if a cat is sick or injured?

Please bring the sick or injured animal, during regular business hours, to the appropriate shelter. Please note that these agencies are currently only accepting sick or injured cats. If the cat appears healthy, please leave it be.

The information below is subject to change. Please visit their website for current information.

NeighboringShelters

Found In

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Website/Email

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Yolo County

City of Sacramento