What to Do if You’ve Found a Dog
There may be owner or veterinarian contact information on its collar.
Walk the dog around the neighborhood in which it is found and see if anyone recognizes it. If you have their phone numbers, text your neighbors and see if they recognize the dog. Knock on neighbor’s doors to see if they recognize the dog. Again, most dogs are found close to where they belong.
Be sure the photos are clear and include the face and body. Make sure to leave the collar on and feature identifying marks. Don’t alter the appearance of the dog – this includes grooming.
Petco Love Lost uses facial recognition to match lost and found pets. If an owner has posted a photo of their lost dog, Petco Love Lost will connect you. The map below lists all lost and found pets in the Las Vegas community. Filing a found pet report with Petco Love Lost will display the dog here so their owners can potentially find them.
After you upload the dog’s photos to Petco Love Lost, you’ll be able to create a flyer for them. This flyer will include a QR code instead of your personal contact information, so your information will still be secure. Post this flyer to lost and found pet groups on Facebook, Nextdoor, and other social media.
Take the dog to an animal hospital or pet supply store to scan for a microchip. Even if there is no owner information, a microchip may have additional information that can help track the owner. Be sure to document the microchip number and manufacturer for further research, if needed.
Call 702-955-5932 or email The Animal Foundation (lostandfound@animalfoundation.com) for further assistance. Let us know if the dog is sick or injured. You may be asked to make an appointment to bring the found dog to the shelter, which you can do at the button below.
If you live in Henderson, Boulder City, or Nye County and find a lost pet, you will need to contact your local shelter for next steps.
For more information about found pets in Henderson, click here.
For more information about found pets in Boulder City, click here.
For more information about found pets in Nye County, click here.
What to Do if You’ve Found an Adult Cat
Please leave the cat where it is, as it likely lives there or will return home on its own. Ear-tipped cats have caretakers and have already been spay/neutered and vaccinated. Even if the cat does not have an ear tip, do not take the cat into your home or move it unless it is sick or injured. You may place cat food and/or water out for the cat, but do not feed cats or kittens milk.
There may be owner or veterinarian contact information on its collar.
Cats tend to stay close to home. Walk around the neighborhood and see if anyone recognizes it. Knock on neighbors’ doors to see if they recognize the cat. Again, most cats are found close to where they belong.
Snap a few good photos of the cat, including the face and body. Make sure to leave the collar on and feature identifying marks. Don’t alter the appearance of the cat –this includes grooming.
Petco Love Lost uses facial recognition to match lost and found pets. If an owner has posted a photo of their lost dog, Petco Love Lost will connect you.
After you upload the cat’s photos to Petco Love Lost, you’ll be able to create a flyer for them. This flyer will include a QR code instead of your personal contact information, so your information will still be secure. Post this flyer to lost and found pet groups on Facebook, Nextdoor, and other social media.
Take the cat to an animal hospital or pet supply store to scan for a microchip. Even if there is no owner information, a microchip may have additional information that can help track the owner. Be sure to document the microchip number and manufacturer for further research, if needed.
Call 702-955-5932 or email The Animal Foundation (lostandfound@animalfoundation.com) for further assistance. Tell us if the cat is sick or injured. You may be asked to make an appointment to bring the found cat to the shelter, which you can do at the button below.
If you live in Henderson, Boulder City, or Nye County and find a lost pet, you will need to contact your local shelter for next steps.
For more information about found pets in Henderson, click here.
For more information about found pets in Boulder City, click here.
For more information about found pets in Nye County, click here.
What to do if You’ve Found Kittens
Newborn and young kittens under 6 weeks of age are not able to care for themselves and require round-the-clock care from mom in order to survive. If you find a litter of kittens outdoors, follow the tips below to determine whether they actually need help or not:
If the kittens look well (i.e. their coat is clean and they are chunky), then mom is most likely nearby and has been caring for them. Observe them at intervals from a distance for 6 to 8 hours to ensure mom has returned and is able to continue caring for them. And unless you stake out the nest without any breaks, there’s a good chance you could miss her. Placing a ring of flour around the nest would be useful in these situations. Mom is less likely to return for her babies if she detects a predator around them (i.e. humans), so if they continue looking healthy and happy after the observation period, then be assured she is caring for them.
If the kittens are in a dangerous location, move them to a safe area nearby where mom could still find them once she returns.
Newborn (or neonatal) kittens are born blind, deaf, and can’t regulate their own temperature for the first few weeks of their lives. Therefore, if they truly are orphaned or their mom is unable to care for them, they will require specialized around-the-clock care. This usually involves bottle-feeding and helping them go to the bathroom every 2-4 hours, as well as constantly keeping them warm. By the time they reach 4-6 weeks of age, they will generally be able to eat solid food on their own and will then require less intensive care.
The survival rate for neonatal kittens improves significantly when they remain with mom, but bringing the family (or orphaned kittens) to the shelter should always be a last resort unless they are sick or injured. The shelter environment can be extremely stressful for a lactating mom trying to nurse her babies in peace, so it is best to keep the family where they are to avoid mom possibly rejecting her babies or being unable to produce milk due to stress.
What should I do if I find kittens?
It depends on if their mom returns! Refer to the information below for examples on what to look for when you find kittens:
- If mom is around and seems to be caring for the kittens well, you can keep monitoring the entire family as the kittens grow so they can all be trapped once the kittens are around 8 weeks of age. Please visit our Community Cats Program page for Trap Neuter Return (TNR) services.
- If mom seems to be struggling to care for the kittens, you can routinely offer her food and water in an accessible area that is not too close to the nest to prevent possible predators from finding the kittens.
- Be sure to maintain a safe distance between yourself and the family to prevent spooking mom and abandoning the kittens if she considers you a threat. Not all outdoor cats appreciate close interactions with humans, and it is crucial to keep the babies with mom to increase their survival rate.
Although neonatal kittens require specialized care to survive, bottle-feeding can be easy to learn and we can help! If you are willing and able to care for the kittens you found, TAF can provide the knowledge (and most of the supplies needed).
If the kittens are already eating on their own, even better! Socialization with humans is critical for kittens between 4-8 weeks of age in order to make good indoor pets, and this is where the true fun begins.
If the animal you’ve found is not a dog, cat, or kitten, please click here to request an appointment. This link can only be used to request an appointment for an animal not listed on the buttons above.
Neonatal Kitten Care 101
Heat and Bedding:
Newborn kittens are not able to regulate their own temperature, so be sure to keep them constantly warm from the moment you find them.
- If the kittens are cold, warm them up immediately (and gradually) since they cannot digest their food when they are cold.
- Provide the kittens with a soft nest (like a box or carrier with blankets) with a heating pad or other warming device with enough space for them to move away from the heat if they get too warm.
Feeding:
All newborn kittens must eat around-the-clock depending on their age. Be sure to only use powdered or canned kitten formula to feed them and to refrigerate the product after it is opened. Never use cow’s milk or other home recipes as this will likely cause them to have diarrhea. Kitten formula (such as KMR or Breeder’s Edge) and the appropriate bottle for feeding can be purchased at any major pet supply store or online. They must always be facing down (lying on their stomachs) during all feeding sessions and never on their backs to prevent aspiration of the formula into their lungs.
- Kittens under 2 weeks of age should be fed every 2-3 hours
- Kittens 2 to 3 weeks old should be fed every 3-4 hours
- Kittens 4 to 5 weeks old should be fed every 4-5 hours
They may start to get weaned at around 4 weeks of age by mixing incremental amounts of kitten canned food into their formula and transitioning them to a shallow plate once the “gruel” gets too thick for the bottle. Once they are able to eat canned food on their own, kitten dry food can also be introduced into their diet. Remember never to feed a cold kitten since they cannot digest their food with low body temperatures.
Waste Elimination:
Kittens under 4 weeks of age must be stimulated to go to the bathroom after each feeding since they cannot urinate or defecate on their own yet.
- Use toilet paper or a damp paper towel to gently rub their genital area as their mother would when she licks them.
- Due to their liquid diet, kittens will not always have solid feces and they will not defecate every time they are stimulated; however, they will always urinate.
- You may start litter training them at around 4 weeks of age by placing the used toilet paper or paper towel into a shallow litter box that is easily accessible to them.
For more information, please visit Kitten Lady’s website for instructional videos and more!
If you or someone else you know is unable to care for a found orphaned kitten, please email lostandfound@animalfoundation.com for assistance.