Photo by Bethan Hazell
Extraordinary things happen on the most ordinary days at the most unexpected times. That’s always the case for me, at least. I never wake up thinking, “Yep, this’ll be the day I rescue a stray.”
I can just be sitting at home, minding my own business, and suddenly have a stray run by, or come up to the door (it honestly happens), and next thing you know I’m making a new friend and trying to figure out where he or she came from and how to help them get back.
One little neighborhood escape artist, Luke, seems to make his way here every other week or so. His owner and I have a running joke now that Luke just needs his “Murphy fix.”
Luke’s easy. He has a collar and tags with his number, so I call and his people come get him right away. But last Friday I found a little cat in the middle of a busy road. I rushed her to the nearest vet, and as I sat with her waiting for the doctor to come in, I realized reuniting her with her owner might prove more challenging than Luke.
So how do you help a stray with no collar, chip, or other ID of any kind? Here’s what I do:
Step 1: The Vet
In my case, Tabby (as she’s now come to be known) didn’t have a collar, but maybe she had a chip? The vet scanned her, but nothing registered.
Step 2: City Animal Control/Shelters
You have two options here: (1) Either take the animal to them or have them come pick it up; or (2) Keep the animal in your care, but leave your information with them and a description of the pet found in case the owner comes looking.
If you opt for choice number 2, proceed to the next steps. (Yes, you must do them all for the best chance of making a reunion possible.)
Step 3: Call Area Vets
Many times they’ll take your information over the phone and post your found notice on the boards in their offices.
Step 4: Internet and Newspapers
Back in the day (the pre-Internet day, that is), placing a found ad in the local paper’s classifieds was the best way to spread the word of a found pet to a mass audience. Nowadays, in addition to running it in the paper, it will also appear in the paper’s web-based classifieds. (In many cases, they’re also still free of charge.)
In addition to the newspaper, online sites are a good option (and also free of charge). Ones to try include:
Step 5: Flyers
These are important to post up in your neighborhood, or in the area where you found the stray. Keep the information basic: type of animal you found, color or markings, where you found it, when you found it, and your home phone number.
Unfortunately, caution must be exercised when fielding calls. Don’t be too eager to reunite the pet to an owner who might not be theirs (and who may have ulterior motives for claiming it). For instance, I choose not to state the sex of the animal on my flyers. I want them to tell me what they lost, a boy or girl. Then we proceed from there.
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