WHERE DO I TAKE A STRAY CAT?
Source: Weny News (Extract)
Posted: June 2, 2022
With kitten season in full swing, some people with strays are panicking about where to take them.
Elmira resident Ashley Armstrong-Furness found five kittens in a box with their mother on the side of the road. She said she knew she had to do something to help. She took them in with the hope of finding them a new home. She said she went to hand them over to two different shelters who were unable to take them.
“They asked me where I found them and…it was basically not in their jurisdiction for them,” she said. “They gave us another place to go and they were too full to take them as well.”
Executive Director of Chemung County SPCA, Tom Geroy, said it is not unusual for their organization to take in strays. Despite their best efforts, if a person lives in a municipality that is out of the SPCA’s jurisdiction, they redirect them to a different location for help.
“The kindest, most humane thing you can do is pick them up and then you have to determine…based on the municipality where you find those kittens…you have to determine who is responsible for them…whether it be an animal control agency or whatnot,” he said.
Geroy said although some strays get turned away, the SPCA does preventative work to keep cats and kittens off the streets. The SPCA has a program, Community Cat Program, which is a more proactive approach.
The SPCA works to prevent problems, keep cats out of shelters and at home with their owners. The Community Cat Program has already made great strides by neutering approximately 2,000 cats.
Geroy said the SPCA mainly handles surrendered animals and helps out when needed. There are different locations to take strays such as Elmira City Animal Control and Southern Tier Animal Control.
“Some of those municipalities do not have cat control…and so…we will help those municipalities out,” he said.
Despite being able to find an immediate solution, Armstrong-Furness has come up with a plan on what to do next.
“I’ve got a couple of calls into a few more rescues…so hopefully they’ll be going somewhere tomorrow,” she said. “If not, I’m taking them on Sunday to get some shots and vaccines and I’m going to find homes for them myself.”