Found Cat Policy
spay or neuter your pets and ask about micro-chipping for safety
Lost and Found Policies and Procedures for Cats
In 2006, VIPP took in 69 found cats. Of those 69 cats, only 19 were claimed by their owner. While this is much better than the national average where only 2% of lost cats are returned to their owners, it is not good enough for Vashon.
If You Find a Cat
There are some simple things you can do if you find a cat:
- Check to see if it has a tag, and if it does, call the number listed on the tag
- Call VIPP (206) 389-1085
- Check with your neighbors
- Make posters and put them in the area you found the cat
- Put an ad in the paper
- fill out the lost and found report in this section and include a digital photo if you can to cats@vipp.org, and we will put the photo on the web site.
What VIPP Does
When a found animal is turned over to VIPP, we check our spreadsheet of reported lost cats to see if there is a match. If there is no match, we take the cat to the vet to have it checked for a micro chip, a small computer chip under the cat's skin which contains the owners' name, phone number and vet. If no chip is found, VIPP pays to have the cat examined, tested and vaccinated.
VIPP volunteers then photograph the cat and make posters which are posted in the location where the cat is found. We also place a photo ad in the Beachcomber and post the photo on our website. If no one steps forward to claim the cat, we pay to spay or neuter the cat (if it isn't already). Finally, we micro chip the cat and it is ready for adoption. We keep the cat at least two weeks after its photo appears in The Beachcomber before we make it available for adoption.
Tagging Your Cat
All of this work, cost and despair could be eliminated and pets could be easily returned to their owners if they were wearing collars with tags and were micro chipped. Please help your cats get home when they get lost. Put a collar on your cat with an identification tag with your name, address and phone number. Be sure to keep the information current. You will want to tag your cat even if it never goes out doors because there is always a chance that the cat can get outside accidentally.
There are collars made especially for cats that are elastic or have a piece of elastic sewn into the collar. These “break-away” collars will stretch or release if a cat gets caught on a fence or tree limb. It is important to have the collars fit snuggly around the neck so that the cat does not push an arm through the collar. Many more cats are injured or have died because their owner could not find them than cats that have been injured by wearing a collar.
When putting a collar on a kitten, remember to check the collar and adjust it regularly. Kittens grow really fast. If your cat has never worn a collar, the first time you put a collar on your cat, give it a catnip toy or a special food treat to distract the cat’s attention from having the new and strange feeling with wearing a collar.
For your cat’s safety and your own peace of mind, make sure your cat is wearing a collar with an I.D. tag. Lost without a tag, your cats may never return home.