FAQ
If you have found a sick or injured cat, or an abandoned kitten...
Please bring any injured or ill animals to the Humane Society ASAP. You will need to look up your closest campus but all are open Tues-Sun 10am-6pm. If you cannot safely handle the animal, call (619) 299-7012 and press option 1 to be directed to a Humane Law Enforcement Officer. This line is open 24-7 and they will come get the animal from your location. If a cat is lethargic, limp, or lifeless, do not wait. Just bring them straight in! If the Humane Society is closed and they will not send an officer out for any reason, you can take them to your closest 24hr VCA Emergency Hospital. They will stabilize the cat if possible and transfer them to the Humane Society when they reopen. Be very careful if attempting to handle them. Even if the cat is normally friendly, they may act aggressively when in pain. Use gloves and a pet carrier or trap if you have one. Keep in mind that if you get bitten by a cat they will have to go on a Rabies quarantine and depending where you bring them that could put their life at risk so take precautions for your safety and the cat's.
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Will the Humane Society send someone out?
The Humane Society will send officers out for cats in danger but they get many calls everyday and have a limited number of officers, so if they are unable to find or trap the cat when they come out, they will eventually leave and just ask you to keep an eye out for them. The best thing you can do in this case is rent a trap from the Humane Society and attempt to trap the cat yourself. See our website for tips on how to do this! The Humane Society will only come out for injured/sick cats. They do not have a trap team to help with healthy cats and kittens.
I want to help these cats but I am unable to do the trapping myself..
We are currently unable to send someone out to help with trapping. We can put you in contact with other trappers in the area if you absolutely need it but we strongly urge you to get involved yourself. Most rescue groups and other trappers are overwhelmed with requests right now and while they will want to help they desperately need community members to do what they can to lighten the load. We will provide you with step by step instructions on how to trap cats and what to do when you catch them. The only thing you will need to purchase is some tuna! We know it can be intimidating when you have never done this before but it is very easy to learn. Trapping also requires some routine and persistence so it works best when the feeders/neighbors are involved. You guys are there all the time to monitor the traps and you know the cats best. Please view our how-to videos for a step-by-step tutorial and reach out with any questions.
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What do I do if I find a litter of kittens?
If you find a litter of kittens leave them where they are. Mom is either watching you or has just gone out to find food and will return shortly. Watch them from a distance. If mom returns and finds you there she will likely move the kittens immediately. Unless they look very sick, they don't need immediate help. Kittens are hardier than you think. If you can do so quickly, take a photo of the litter so you can try to determine how old they are. From there you can make a plan on how to catch them and hopefully catch the mom with them. Please don't take the kittens first if you don't have to. Once you remove the kittens it can be extremely difficult to catch the mom. Even if the kittens are old enough to be without her, we want to trap her and get her spayed right away so she does not just go get pregnant again.
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How do I know if a kitten is abandoned or in need of assistance?
If you find a newborn kitten please leave it where it is and observe from a distance. If the kitten has it's eyes closed it is under 2 weeks old and the mom should be close by. If possible observe from inside your house or car as the mother cat will not return if she knows you are anywhere nearby. She should not be able to see/hear/smell you. At this age mom should be checking in at least every few hours. If she does not return after 3 hours something may have gone wrong. It is rare for mother cats to reject/abandon their kittens so you want to be sure intervention is warranted. If the kittens appear clean, warm to the touch, and active, they are being cared for. Neonatal kittens do not survive long without their mother so if they are doing well it is safe to assume mom is caring for them. If you find kittens that are cold to the touch, non-responsive, out in an open location like a driveway or sidewalk, or still in their birthing sac, then it is time to intervene.
How to care for neonatal kittens if I have to intervene...
Neonatal kittens need constant specialized care. Please do not attempt to do this yourself. If the Humane Society is open, bring them straight there. They have a Kitten Nursery just for this purpose. If you have to keep them overnight until they open, be sure to follow proper care guidelines. The first thing you will want to do is try to figure out how old they are using this chart. If they are less than 4 weeks you will need to have them on heat support around the clock. Make sure this is not too hot as it can burn their skin. Neonatal kittens also need to eat every few hours and be stimulated to go to the bathroom. Be sure to consult this website for step by step guidance on how to properly care for kittens at each age. Neonatal kittens are very fragile and can easily aspirate if fed wrong so please do your homework before attempting to bottle feed!
What if I want to keep the kittens?
It is completely understandable if you have grown attached to these new babies you have found and want to keep one. That is great! We do still recommend getting help from a rescue group to ensure the cats get the care they need. Any cat you bring into the Humane Society you can place a "finder's hold" on. This guarantees that you will be contacted as soon as the cat is available for adoption and given the option to adopt first. While you do have to pay an adoption fee in these cases, it is much less than what you will pay if you keep the kittens and attempt to provide all the care yourself. The kittens will be dewormed, vaccinated, spayed/neutered, microchipped, etc. making the fee well worth it. If you still really want to foster the kittens rather than taking waiting until they become available then we recommend you reach out to a private rescue group like The Rescue House or East County Animal Rescue who can help assist you in providing medical care while still allowing you to foster and adopt if you decide to do so. Please do not attempt to do this alone unless you are financially prepared to pay for vet visits, spay/neuter surgeries, vaccines, deworming and any other medical expenses that arise. This quickly adds up and can be overwhelming.
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Can't I just give away the kittens when they are old enough?
Please please do not give away kittens until they have had proper medical care! Even if they appear healthy and you think you have found them a great home, you are putting them at significant risk by not getting them vaccinated and fixed before they leave. Kittens are susceptible to many viruses which can be life threatening. They can contract these from other cats, vet offices, or anything that has come into contact with other cats. Some of these viruses can live on toys, dishes, carriers, and in the home for 1-2 years. Even if no other cats in the home have been sick, they can be carriers. Making sure kittens are vaccinated before moving to new homes is essential. Getting them fixed before they leave is also extremely important. Do not trust the adopters to do this. Most people do not understand how expensive these procedures are and how far out vets are booking right now. Cats can get pregnant as young as 4 months and will start trying to escape to mate at this age. This is a huge contributor to the overpopulation of cats so please do not perpetuate the cycle by sending them off before they are fixed. Also keep in mind siblings can and will mate with each other! They will also mate with their parents so if you are keeping them together do not wait too long to get them fixed. Please visit our website for a list of low cost spay/neuter clinics.
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What about mama cat??
Please do not forget about mom! This will not be her only litter, but you can make sure it is. It is absolutely vital to catch mom and get her spayed asap. She can and will get pregnant again as soon as you take her kittens away. She can also get pregnant again even while the kittens are still with her. The best way to catch mom is by using her kittens as bait. Catching mom as soon as possible is also very important if the kittens are very young and still need her. Kittens under 2-3 weeks do not have a good prognosis without mom so do everything you can to catch her with the kittens! See this video for a tutorial on how to use the kittens as bait. Also keep in mind that if mom sees you messing with her babies she will not reject them but there is a good chance she will move them to what she thinks is a safer location. That is why you want to make sure the kittens are in a secure carrier so mom can't just pick them up and run off while you're trying to trap her. Once you trap mom and assess how old her kittens are, you can make a plan for getting her spayed. If the kittens are over 5 weeks and eating solid food, they are fine to be away from mom for a day while she has her surgery. She will still be able to nurse them after surgery. If mom is very feral then the best plan for her might be to go right back outside after surgery rather than staying in a foster home with her kittens so try to assess this before trapping anyone. If you do keep mom in foster with her babies do not under any circumstances let her outside until she is spayed. It only takes minutes for her to get pregnant again and there is a good chance she will not return, even knowing her kittens are still there. To get mom spayed, simply bring her to the Humane Society and tell them she is a community cat and needs TNR services.
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What do I do about "stray" cats in my neighborhood?
If you are seeing cats in your area the main things to determine are:
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- Is the cat injured or sick?
If the cat appears sick or injured then of course please do what you can to trap them and bring them to the Humane Society. Even if they are a community cat, they will receive free treatment there. Common things they will treat include wounds/lacerations, limping, upper respiratory infections..
- Does the cat appear intact (not spayed/neutered)?
If you can try to catch a glimpse of the cat from behind, you can usually tell if a male cat is neutered or intact. Females are more difficult but if they are friendly you can try to check their belly for a tattoo. (Cats without a tattoos may still be spayed). If a cat is not fixed the best thing you can do for them is help trap them and bring them to the Humane Society or Feral Cat Coalition for TNR services (spay/neuter, vaccines, flea treatment, etc.). This will save them a lot of suffering and give them a healthier life.
- Is the cat someone’s pet?
This is always the most difficult part of cat rescue. It can be extremely difficult to determine whether a cat is a pet who is just roaming, a lost pet in need of help, an abandoned stray, or a community cat. These cats can be feral or social so do not use that alone as a determining factor. One good way to determine whether a cat is owned is to notice what times of day you see the cat. Most feral/community cats show up late at night, in the middle of the night, or very early in the morning when most pet cats are inside. The best way to find out where a cat comes from is to talk to your neighbors! Talking to them in person, posting a photo of the cat on NextDoor, Facebook, PawBoost, etc. is the first step. You will get a lot of information this way. Often someone will know or recognize the cat. You can also check the Humane Society's lost animal database if you think they are lost. If the cat is wearing a collar but does not have a contact number and the cat will let you approach them, one option is to attach a note to the owners on the collar asking them to contact you. If the cat lets you put them in a carrier you can also take them to your nearest vet or the Humane Society to be scanned for a microchip. Keep in mind not all owned cats are microchipped or wear a collar. While many people feel concerned for these cats, try to resist the urge to "cat-nap." A huge percentage of cat owners do let their cats roam outdoors and it does not mean they are neglected. Some of these cats wander and don't come home every night so oftentimes owners will not go looking for them after one day. Unless the cat appears in distress do not attempt to adopt or re-home them until you have done your due diligence and talked to all the neighbors to ensure you are not stealing someone's cat.
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Should I feed these cats?
This is ultimately up to you. Most people assume every cat they see is starving. This is rarely the case. Most community cats you see will appear well fed and clean. It is a common misconception that people assume if a cat is fat and clean they are a lost pet. Often the lost pets are the ones that appear unkempt and skinny because they are not used to finding their own food. Community cats are good at manipulating people into feeding them but they usually have at least one regular feeder in addition to hunting. If you do not want these cats hanging around your yard, definitely don't feed them. See here for humane deterrents to keep cats out of your yard. Also try talking to your neighbors. Someone else has probably seen them around, and might even knows who owns or feeds them. If you do decide to feed them, you do have the responsibility to get them fixed. Otherwise you are helping perpetuate the overpopulation problem and suffering. See here for tips on how to be a good community cat caretaker.
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My cat had a litter, what should I do?
The best thing you can do for your cat is get her spayed as soon as she's done raising her babies. The Humane Society has a Litter Abatement Program which means as soon as the kittens are old enough to be weaned, they will take them into their care and adopt them out and spay your mama cat for free. This needs to be scheduled ahead of time so please contact them as soon as the babies are born. If you or any of your friends/family wants to adopt a kitten they can place a finder's hold on whichever one they want so they will have priority when they become available for adoption. This ensures they will receive all the medical care they need before going to their new home. During peak seasons there is sometimes a hold on community spay/neuter programs but ask them specifically about their litter abatement program. They will at least give you a voucher for a low cost clinic if they cannot accommodate the surgery themselves.
What if I have pet cats I am needing to surrender?
We cannot take in any cats at this time. The Humane Society will take owner surrenders but this is done by appointment only. You can call them to make an appointment or visit their website for more information. If possible it helps if you can keep them until a new home is found. During peak times (spring/summer) there is sometimes a long waiting period for surrendering. You can also contact The Rescue House for help rehoming. Typically email is the best way to contact them and be sure to give them as much detail about your cats as possible including photos, health information, behavior details, etc.
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When in doubt, contact us. We do not mind answering any questions or offering advice.​