Helping Stray Cats

Make a Difference in a Kitty’s Life

Stray Kittens

1. The most important thing for kittens is to get them warm and dry. Mother cats may leave their kittens for several hours at a time. If the kittens are warm and don’t appear sick or in distress, their mom is likely nearby, getting food or hiding from you. The kittens’ best chances for survival are with their mom. However, if the kittens are cold, they need to be made warm and dry. If you can spare a corner of your warm garage, basement, bathroom, bedroom, or anywhere that they can be safe from the weather, it will help save their lives. These links provide more information about what to do if you have found stray kittens:

What to do if you find kittens

What to do and not do if you find a newborn kitten

2. Nourishment – For young kittens, we recommend kitten milk or human baby food (chicken). Older kittens can be fed canned or dry kitten or cat food. If the kittens are very tiny, they will need to be bottle fed with kitten replacement milk. You can call your veterinarian for help with this. Many will provide assistance at no charge.

3. If injured, please keep the kitty warm and seek veterinary care immediately. Many veterinarians will provide discounted services for those helping strays.

4. Kittens can be spayed/neutered when they are 3 lbs. This is typically between 12- 15 weeks old. For more information on how to help spay/neuter stray cats in your neighborhood contact these LOCAL organizations:

– The Spay/Neuter Assistance Fund at www.snapofpa.org. Low-cost spay/neuter and vaccines for owned or stray cats.

– The Nobody’s Cats Foundation at nobodyscats.org. Nobody’s Cats Foundation is specifically focused on Free-Roaming Cats only. 855-867-4228

– Derry Township Community Cats 717-592-8087 www.DerryTownshipCats.org

– Steelton Community Cats 717-877-4146 www.SteeltonCats.org

– Both the Harrisburg Humane Society and the York County SPCA offer low cost spay/neuter for owned cats and dogs, as well as reduced rates on vaccinations. Go to their web site for more information.

Orange and white kitten - Photo by Wokciech Kumpicki
5 kittens in grass
Orange cat sitting outside on porch railing - photo by Bekka Mongeau

Adult Stray Cats

1. Take the cat to a local veterinarian or shelter to scan for a microchip (your local police station may also have a scanner).

2. Visit https://www.findtobyinpa.org to learn of all the things you can do to try to find the owners of the kitty you have found.

3. Visit these sites to see if anyone has reported the kitty lost. If not, be sure to create a “Found” post for the kitty.

https://www.pawboost.com/

https://www.lostmykitty.com/

https://nextdoor.com/

https://petcolove.org/lost

Find Toby in PA Facebook page

Your neighborhood or township’s Facebook page.

4. Provide fresh food and water for the cat. Most friendly strays do not have adequate hunting skills to live on animals alone and depend on people to feed them to get the nourishment they require.

5. Provide shelter. If you are able, the very best thing is to bring the cat into a warm garage, basement, bathroom, or bedroom to keep them safe from weather and other threats associated with living outside. If this is impossible, then provide shelter outdoors, preferably in a sheltered area, such as along a building, behind bushes or under a deck.  A shelter should be insulated, but can be anything from plastic containers, purchased doghouse from a pet store. It is important to fill the habitat with straw to help keep the kitty dry and warm. There are many inexpensive ways to provide shelter.  The internet is a good source of information. Nobody’s Cats Foundation in Camp Hill has information and samples of cat shelters and workshops on how to build an outdoor cat shelter. To get the cat to use the shelter, gradually place the food closer to the shelter and feed the cat at the shelter or in it, if possible, or right outside.

6. If the animal is injured, please seek veterinary care immediately. Many veterinarians will provide discounted services if you are helping a stray.

7. Be sure to spay/neuter and vaccinate the cat for its health and well-being and, of course, to prevent anymore unwanted kittens. Refer to organizations above to help with Spay/Neuter. 


Please contact us with any questions.

Last modified on April 5, 2024 at 10:39 am