I've found a cat
Depending on their current circumstances, stray cats and kittens have different needs. It’s important we don’t remove them from their environment unless we’re absolutely sure they aren’t:
- Owned by someone in the neighbourhood,
- Caring for a litter of kittens somewhere, or
- Kittens that have been left alone by their mum for a short period of time but are otherwise safe.
Click the button below to answer a few questions that will help you figure out the circumstances of the animal(s) you’ve found so we can help them if they need it.
Your options
Depending on your answers to the questions in the questionnaire, one of the below options may be suitable for you.
Paper cat collars
If the cat you’ve found is friendly, there is a high chance it’s someone’s pet and just needs help finding its way home. If you’ve tried knocking on your neighbour’s doors with no luck, why not try putting a paper collar on the cat?
Lost pets noticeboard
You may have just found someone’s lost pet, so don’t forget to check the AWL Lost Pet Noticeboard!
Local vets
If the animal(s) needs urgent care, please feel free to drop them off to us during our opening hours between 10am and 3pm. If you have found the animal outside of these hours, it’s best to contact a local vet. They will be able to give them a thorough heath check and contact a rescue group on your behalf. Click the button below to find a vet near you.
Local council or RSPCA South Australia
Under the Dog and Cat Management Act 1995, local council is the only authority mandated to impound injured or uninjured stray dogs and cats in South Australia. If you find an injured or uninjured stray dog or cat, you should immediately contact the local council that has jurisdiction over the area where you found the animal.
If you find an injured animal in need of URGENT veterinary care (physical injuries from being hit by a car, injuries from another animal, profuse bleeding, etc.), please phone RSPCA South Australia’s emergency hotline on 1300 477 722. Alternatively, you can submit an online report. Please note: RSPCA SA Rescue Officers are on duty between 9am and 5pm, 7 days a week.
Reach out to your local MP
If this is an ongoing issue for you and you're frustrated by you lack of options when it comes to the management of stray cats in South Australia, why not reach out to your local MP? We've drafted a letter that you can send to your local MP to request they consider supporting a statewide cat management plan that addresses key areas for management such as promoting responsible cat ownership, increasing desexing and microchipping rates, expanding cat containment requirements and reducing the impact of semi-owned and unowned cats.
Click the button below to download the letter as a Microsoft Word document and edit it where appropriate.
