newbie with a cat, Pet shelter? (Jacksonville: real estate, home, neighborhood)

[amy_sk]

Hi all,
Found a cat few days back at our door. Never having owned a cat before i was a little apprehensive.
But now i really like him. Having said that, i won't be able to keep him because of my travel schedules.
He/she(?) is very nice, quite, i think a little older, sleeps all the time. Looks like his previous pet owner took very good care of him. He is very obedient and did i say he sleeps ALL the time. I know free food and a place to sleep....who wouldn't want that
It breaks my heart to write this but I need to find a home that can keep him.
What are my options? where can i find a shelter that will keep him so that pet owners can adopt him/her. Also, if anybody here is interested in taking him in, please DM me.

Thank you

[riveree]

Hi Amy ,

It's entirely possible that cat belongs to someone in your neighborhood. Cats are known to move in with neighbors for a while, especially if the menu is good .

This is what I would do:

1) I would post a notice at your nearest vet's office (a few of them if you can).

2) Look for a lost listing on Pets911:

Pets911.com - Lost and Found Search - Post your lost and found pets, search for your lost and found pets. (http://www.pets911.com/lost-and-found-pets/ - broken link)

3) If you've had no luck finding the owner, place an adoption listing on Petfinder:

Pet adoption: Want a dog or cat? Adopt a pet on Petfinder


Here's the sad reality...

70% off all cats brought into Animal Control are euthanized. That number reaches nearly 100% for feral/wild cats. With the current economic crisis and real estate crisis, the number of dogs and cats being left behind to fend for themselves or being dropped off at the shelters is reaching staggering proportions. That 70% is probably much higher right now .

If you feel confident in doing so, you can try to adopt the cat out yourself, but it may take some time. Your better bet might be to find a rescue group who can take the cat. Please be aware that if you decide to adopt the cat out yourself, some unscrupulous people will be more than happy to take a *free* cat off your hands . They'll use the cat for various things, some of them will use a cat as a bait animal to train dogs for fighting. We have a lot of dog fighters in NEFL (in all the counties). Here's just one recent story to give you an idea (and I can pull these up for any county, in case anyone thinks this only happens in Jax proper):

116 Pit Bulls Confiscated From Northside Home; 4 People Arrested - Jacksonville News Story - WJXT Jacksonville (http://www.news4jax.com/news/17742787/detail.html - broken link)

The Humane Society has a campaign called "Pets For Life" and they have some very good guidelines on how to adopt your cat out:

Guidelines for Finding a Responsible Home for a Pet | The Humane Society of the United States (http://hsus.org/pets/pet_care/guidelines_for_finding_a_responsible_home_for_a_pe t.html - broken link)

Lastly, we have a cat forum here on City-Data. You might be able to get some assistance in finding a local cat rescue group should you want to go in that direction:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/cats/

You're a sweetheart for opening your home to the cat . Feel free to DM me if I can be of any further help.

[mawipafl]

Riveree is correct that neighborhood cats can sometimes take a vacation and move in with someone else for a bit for a number of reasons. It's quite scary for an indoor-only cat who finds himself out in the "wild" by mistake and he just might attach himself to anyone who makes him feel safe.

Put out some flyers where possible in your area.

In the interim, depending on what you mean by your "travel schedules", cats can manage alone-ness better than dogs. We have a large dry-food feeder, a large litterbox, and a water dish that can hold about a gallon of water in its reserve (fresh water delivered by gravity). We have toys and scratching posts. We have happy well-adjusted cats and we do travel. No, it's not ideal, but if you have a friend or neighbor who can look in on your cat from time to time while you're away, that's a better solution than calling Animal Control or trying to find the impossible open space at a no-kill shelter.

[JagFan27]

You could also go to the offices of vets and see if they know of someone who wants a cat (provided it doesn't belong to a neighbor).