FAQ's

Frequently Asked Questions


Q: I know of a feral cat colony or a feral cat who needs help. What do I do?


Answer: Please visit our feral cat solutions page on ways we can help!


Q: I found a litter of kittens, what do I do?


Answer: Please email us immediately!


Q: I adopted my cat from you and now I can't keep her anymore. What do I do?


Answer: We will gladly take back any cat or kitten that was adopted out through our organization. In fact, this is a requirement signed in the adoption contract and understandings upon adoption (the cat(s) must be returned to Whis-Purr Rescue). Please email us immediately.


Q: I adopted my cat from another organization but can't keep him anymore. What do I do?


Answer: We would love to help you to re-home your cat. Whis-Purr Rescue can only help you re-home your cat if you agree to Spay or Neuter the cat, provide proof of testing your cat for FIV/FelV (please see our LIST OF LOW-COST VACCINATIONS/SPAY & NEUTER CLINICS for where you can receive these services), and provide a safe and loving home for your cat in the indefinite time period it takes for us to find the cat a new home.

While Whis-Purr Rescue will work with you to find a new home for your cat, we CANNOT TAKE IN CATS unless your cat was originally adopted out by Whis-Purr Rescue or Humanimal Connection.  WE ARE NOT A SHELTER. We are a rescue organization that works with a network of foster homes in our community that are all FULL. If a foster home becomes available, it is most often immediately filled with a rescued cat from a city shelter. Please note that although city shelters (including some Humane Societies) aim to find these rescued animals homes, city shelters are generally not a safe place for most animals.


Q: What Whis-Purr Rescue can do to help you re-home your cat:

Answer: We can help by listing your cat on our website and petfinder.com.You are also invited to bring your cat to our adoption fairs and we can help you list your pet on craigslist.com (where we find many of our homeless cats and kittens wonderful homes). In the interm, you would need to find a place to keep your cat until it can be re-homed (i.e. your home or in a friend's home).

If you CANNOT find a temporary home for your cat until it can be re-homed, please see our LIST OF OTHER LOCAL SHELTERS for other shelters who may be able to help take your cat. 


Q: I've lost my cat! What can you suggest for me to help find him?

Answer:  We send out an email to our adopters and others that helps them to get their kitty home.  Please print a copy to help with your search.  

We are sorry you are missing your cat!

If you can keep the door or window opened where kitty got out without jeopardizing any of your other animals, it will be good.  We see most kitties return by simply walking back in fairly soon or when they get too hungry (usually 3 to 4 days)!  Closing the door closes their access to return to you.

If you have other cats, make sure and close them safely into a room when you have the door open.   Open the window securely in the room they are in as cats will have a good sense when their kitty friend is near and may call out, keeping them nearby and even guiding them back in through the open door. 

Keep calling for him/her.  Your kitty needs to hear your voice so that he/she will stay near.

It is important to contact your microchip company and also the place where you adopted your cat/kitten (they may be able to help as well)

Put familiar bedding, food, water and familiar smelling litter box outside.  

Contact the humane society to post a lost cat/kitten report.

Print out and post flyers everywhere to circulate your cat/kitten's picture and info everywhere in your neighborhood.

Make sure your neighbors are ALL on the alert.

Post him/her on NEXTDOOR in your neighborhood.

The best time to find your kitty is in the early morning or dusk.  Or very late when it is dark and quiet.

If you have a normal sound that he/she is familiar with and will come to, like a can opening or shaking treat bag, do it outside.

Open up REALLY smelly tuna or salmon and put it outside! 

Take out a favorite stick toy you can play with in the nearby bushes where kitty may be hiding.  You could possibly be unknowingly leading the kitty back into your home.

Turn on an outside light.

Look around with flashlight in all bushes around your house and surrounding neighbors. Look under houses: in garages.  (The flashlight when it finds kitties eyes will glow).

keep looking and expanding your territory. Sometimes a cat or kitten might be chased off or scared away from your home and they are unable to find their way back. 

Don't give up hope but please keep calling and looking all over for him/her. Think about and project as a scared kitty... where would you go?

You could explore the possibility of trapping him/her if your cat/kitten is generally a more skittish cat.  Place the trap near the location where the kitty got out.

We hope that you will follow these steps and be reuinted with your kitty soon! Stay hopeful!


Cats In The Bag Website is a great resource with lots of helpful suggestions for finding your kitty!

http://www.catsinthebag.org/
Look for the info about “indoor only”, there is a link about one inch down that says "for indoor cats click here" and then it lists what methods of search are statistically better with that personality type of kitty.

There is another good website called http:// findtoto.com

Another site that has some good tips. https://missionreunite.org/