I Found a Cat – Now What?
Thank you for caring enough to help this cat. We would highly recommend that you check these 2 sites for information about how to proceed and determine whether the cat is already owned by someone before you decide to place it up for adoption.
http://www.lostapet.org (look under Recovery Tips)
HOPE is an all-foster adoption group. We don’t have a shelter. Animals are fostered in the rescuer’s home until permanent homes are found for them. We do not currently have room in any of our volunteers’ homes for additional animals, so you would be expected to foster the cat until it is adopted into a permanent home. In addition, if the cat is returned in the future, we would ask you to foster the cat again. The cat must stay indoors and have no contact with cats that access the outdoors. Adoption doesn’t always happen quickly, so you must be prepared for a long-term commitment to fostering if you choose to go this route.
If you are able to foster the cat until a permanent home is found, we would be able to help you with getting the cat altered, tested for FeLV and FIV, and vetted. You would have to commit to fostering the cat as an inside-only cat and provide the appropriate food, water, and socialization.
If the cat is accepted into the adoption program, you would need to bring the cat to adoptions on the weekends at a minimum of twice each month once it is vetted and ready for adoption. We also request that you assist the site volunteers in setting up and/or breaking down the equipment we use to conduct adoptions.
HOPE has mobile adoption sites on the weekends in Pearland (Petsmart, Saturdays) and in Houston and Sugar Land at Petco locations at Weslayan & Bissonnet (Saturdays), North Shepherd & 11th (Saturdays), and Hwy 6 & Williams Trace Blvd (Saturdays). Are any of these sites located within a few miles of your residence? We have seen that having to drive long distances in Houston traffic often makes it difficult for fosters to meet their twice monthly adoption obligations. If you don’t think that any of these sites will be convenient for you to bring the cat to adoptions, please let us know where you live and we can recommend some cat rescue groups closer to your residence.
If you are able to foster, please email us at I-found-a-cat@homelesspets.net so we can make arrangements for you to bring the cat in to be evaluated for adoption.
If you are unable to foster, we would recommend that you check the local shelters on www.petfinder.com for additional groups that might be able to help you. There are other rescue groups and shelters listed on the site. You might also want to check out Best Friends for information about finding a home for your rescued cat.
