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Cat Help

Kzoo Cat Rescue does NOT take in cats AT the cat cafe!!

Cat intakes go through foster homes for full vetting BEFORE joining the kitties at the cat cafe to find a forever home!! 

If you have a cat in need and think, 'someone should do something' - YOU can BE that someone!!
Refer to the resources below, and feel free to text 269-350-4099 if you have questions, we are happy to answer 

If you find a stray cat, YOU can help!!

✓ Firstly, report the cat found to Kalamazoo County Animal Services here - someone may be looking for them!! IMPORTANT NOTICE ABOUT FOUND PETS: There is a MINIMUM HOLD TIME you MUST wait before you can provide any vet care or re-home/give away a found pet.

✓ If you find a tiny kitten - DO NOT TAKE IT!! It is NOT always an emergency. Mama may be nearby, and kittens have a WAY higher chance of survival with their mama. Read here for more info on What To Do (and NOT Do) If You Find a Kitten 

✓ Bring the pet to Animal Services or a local vet, or text us (269-350-4099) to scan them for a microchip. Click here for the PET MICROCHIP LOOKUP if you have found a pet with a microchip - the company will try and contact the owners

✓ Utilize social media and/or family and friends to try and find if they have an owner -remember you cannot legally re-home prior to the legal hold time the cat if it isn't yours!!

✓ Hang flyers around your neighborhood, and local vet offices.

✓ Try using apps like 'Pawboost' or 'Nextdoor', or websites like Petco Love Lost for lost pet posts and/or post that you've found a pet.

✓ Contact another rescue in the Kalamazoo Area -

✓ Sometimes, feral cats/community cats need to stay outside... BUT:

  • In the hot summer months, make sure there is plenty of water available to outside cats - DO NOT GIVE CATS MILK! Only water - and add ice cubes for fun, and to keep it colder, longer!
  • If it is cold outside, consider building a DIY - shelter for them, something like this, these, or these.

✓ If you feed them, FIX THEM! Make SURE to get them spayed/neutered!! Consider taking advantage of a low cost spay/neuter program like at the Kalamazoo Humane Society, Kalamazoo Animal Rescue, Eaton Co Humane Society or your county Humane Society, SNAP (Spay Neuter Assistance Program of MI), CSNIP, or Spay Neuter Express.

✓ If you need funding assistance to spay or neuter community cats, please contact Animals Best Friend Fund for funding assistance.

✓ NEW: TNR Workshop and SN Program at Kzoo Cat Cafe and Rescue! Sign up for our trapping workshop (find upcoming dates here, tinyurl.com/KCCTNR-Workshop) and we will cover transport and payment!! Workshop MUST be completed first to be eligible for this program. Email questions to kzoocatcafe@gmail.com

✓ Already know how to trap? Check out the $25 feral cat program at C-Snip in Grand Rapids

✓ You can rent humane cat traps at Kalamazoo County Animal Services
✓ You can find some tips and tricks for trapping here: Tips for Trapping (Kzoo Cat Cafe and Rescue) - DO NOT TRAP A CAT BEFORE YOU HAVE A PLAN!!!

I found a cat outside

Temporary Housing for Pets

✓ Michigan Humane Safety Net - foster care of owned pets while their owners are temporarily unable to care for their pet(s) due to illness, housing crisis, domestic violence, or other emergencies. 
✓ Kalamazoo Humane Society, in conjunction with the YWCA may be able to offer assistance in situations of DV.
​✓ PACT - gives peace of mind to Veterans, hospital patients and military personnel by placing their pets into temporary foster homes until their owners can be reunited with the devoted companions they love

If you have a cat you can no longer take care of, please consider the following:

​✓ FIRST, Contact the rescue/foster/person you got the cat from - they may be willing to assist cats they've adopted out

✓ If your cat is having behavioral issues, please check with your vet to see if there are underlying medical problems! Lots of times, these problems can be solved without relinquishing your cat to a rescue or shelter where the problems may just get worse or just end in euthanasia. Check out these resources as well:

✓ If you need financial assistance with caring for your cat, or feeding your cat, please check our list of resources: HERE

✓ Moving? Make sure you can take your pets with you!! Use a site like Animal Humane Society, or select "Pet Friendly" or "Pets Allowed" online to search for pet-friendly housing when you are moving. Otherwise, see below regarding REHOMING your cat instead of relinquishing them to a shelter.

✓ If you need food/litter/treats, etc... ANYONE is welcome to visit the cafe and request food or litter from our (no) Flea Market! ​If you are feeding feral cats, or are in need of supplies for your kitties, please contact us via email or text (269) 350-4099 to setup a time to stop by. We cannot guarantee we will have any items available.

✓ If you STILL can't keep your cat, utilize social media and/or family and friends to try and REHOME your cat BEFORE you call a rescue - "The best way to save a beloved pet is to keep them OUT of the shelter system"

  • Talk to staff at your veterinarian's office, or other local veterinarians
  • Post on local community bulletin boards, or in the newspaper
  • Join local social media groups for rehoming
  • You can also try sites like "Rehome" (by adoptapet.com and the Petco Foundation - click on the blue icon for a direct link) or "Home to Home" to DIRECTLY re-home your pet

If you are struggling to find a place - PLEASE DON'T GIVE UP! Lots of shelters/rescues  are constantly overcrowded, and underfunded, and as much as we would all love to take in every cat we hear about, it just isn't possible. PLEASE try the above resources and ideas, and KEEP TRYING!!

​They're depending on you!! If you think someone should help them - YOU ARE SOMEONE!! Everyone can help.

If you believe you've exhausted ALL the above resources, you can submit and intake REQUEST - we are not able to take in every cat we get a request for and have to prioritize based on need, available space and resources. We will contact you if a space becomes available. If you believe it is an EMERGENCY situation, please text 269-350-4099 with as much detail as possible. 

Intake Request Form

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