Have you found a stray cat or just want to learn more about our services? Look at how SAFE Haven For Cats helps you and our community:

How Your Community Benefits If You Find a Stray

SAFE Haven For Cats serves the entire Triangle region of 1.2 million people including more than 3,500 square miles encompassing Raleigh, Cary, Durham and Chapel Hill. Cats rescued by SHFC are no longer roaming Triangle streets nor breeding, thus helping in a humane manner to alleviate animal control problems throughout the Triangle.

Our Benefits to the Triangle Community Include:

More than 400 cats and kittens per year are rescued, sheltered, sterilized, rehabilitated and placed in permanent adoptive homes. Adopters are offered professional, individual assistance when matching a cat to their individual needs, children or other animals in the home. We are a resource for the life of the cat. To help rescuers in the community, SHFC runs a Low Cost Spay and Neuter Clinic that is open for stray and feral cats at our shelter four (4) days a week. We provide assistance to caretakers of feral colonies through trap loan and a TNR (Trap/Neuter/Return) Program. We serve about 5,000 people per year in the Triangle.

Help and support is provided to Citizens Who've Found a Stray and don't know what to do to help it. We provide volunteer opportunities for interested citizens who have a love of cats and want to make a great difference in the life of a stray. We provide educational handouts on a variety of cat-related topics from behavior problems to veterinary referrals.

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You have found a stray cat - or it has found you! Here's what to do:

NOTICE
Due to the volume of stray cats and kittens we are currently experiencing and the current backlog on our waiting list, we regret that we are unable to accept any new Stray Information Forms at this time. Please watch this area of our Website for updates to this notice. The Community Links section of our Website provides links to other local and national rescue groups and resources for additional help.

Step 1 Try to provide basic care for the cat. If you're able, move the cat to a secure location. If the cat is friendly and tame, please place a FREE FOUND AD in one of the following newspapers: Raleigh News & Observer 919-829-4500 | Website Durham Herald-Sun 919-419-6910 | Website Placing an ad immediately upon finding the cat will help to avoid heartbroken families in the event the cat is a lost pet.

Step 2 SHFC is a limited-access shelter; therefore one cat or kitten has to be adopted, before another is rescued. Because of this we often have a waiting list and it can be 2-3 months or longer.   NOTICE:  We are not accepting Stray Information Forms until further notice.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

SAFE Haven can assist ONLY if:

1. You have found stray cat(s)/kitten(s) that are approachable and have a good chance of being adopted. A good measure of adoptability is whether you yourself would want to take this cat into your home and make a life-long commitment to it.
    
2. You have found young (6-10 weeks) kittens among feral cats.
    
3. You have placed free found ads in local newspapers and made efforts to find the owner of this stray.

PLEASE remember we usually have a waiting list for our adoption program. We are, however, able to help stray cats almost immediately through our low cost spay/neuter program. In addition if the stray you have found has been sterilized, vaccinated and is healthy, you would have a much better chance of finding it a home on your own.

SAFE Haven CANNOT help if:

1. You have feral cats in your neighborhood or place of business. A feral cat is one that is mostly nocturnal, cannot be approached, touched, easily picked up and/or put in a carrier. They generally do not make good pets without foster care in a home for 6 months to years, if ever. The exceptions are young kittens. If caught early (6-10 weeks) they sometimes can be rehabilitated and adopted. If you have feral cats please fill out the spay/neuter request form. We can help you help these cats right away with the loan of humane traps and low cost sterilization. Sterilizing these cats will help break the cycle of unwanted births and colony growth. We advocate a TNR approach for feral cats.
    
2. You live outside the 919 area code. See www.petfinder.com for resources in your area.
     
3. You are seeking to give up a personal pet. A personal pet is defined as one you have cared for six months or more regardless of how you acquired the cat.
     
4. You adopted/purchased your cat from another rescue group or breeder. Please contact them directly.
     
5. You have an abuse or neglect concern about an owned pet in your area. Please contact the appropriate Animal Control office.
     
6. You have found a cat that needs immediate medical attention. Please take it to an animal hospital. We do not provide any emergency or wellness care through our Spay/Neuter Clinic.

Due to the volume of requests we receive we are unable to respond to stray inquiries for any of these situations.

Because we receive so many stray requests from the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area, we are generally not able to take cats from outside the Triangle. Please see the Community Links section of our Website for links to other local and national rescue groups and resources for additional help.

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