Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

I can't keep my cat, how do I surrender it?

Almost 3,000 cats entered animal shelters in Jefferson County during 2018. We receive hundreds of requests from owners looking to re-home cats every month. Unfortunately, as a small shelter with a maximum capacity of approximately 100 – 150 cats, we aren’t able to help every cat in need. The best option, if at all possible, is to keep your cat in your home. The resources below are designed to help you find financial aid for medical bills and pet supplies, behavior help, and pet friendly housing. We understand that sometimes, as painful as it may be, keeping your cat is simply not an option. If this is the case we encourage you to try to re-home your cat yourself with the help of the Petco Foundation. The fact of the matter is that no animal shelter is as comfortable as a home, despite how hard we try to make every cat feel safe and stress free. If none of these options are suitable for your current situation, please fill out our Intake Form and someone will contact you shortly to schedule a time to take in your cat.

I found a stray cat, what should I do?

First, it’s important to determine whether the cat is a stray, feral, or lost cat. If the cat is friendly, the easiest thing to do is to scan the cat for a microchip, which can be done at most animal shelters or veterinary clinics. If the cat does not have a microchip, check your local municipal animal shelter for lost cat notices. Post the found cat’s information on flyers in your neighborhood and online. If you cannot keep the cat in your house it is best to take it to the municipal animal shelter that provides animal services for your city, as this is often the first place that people look for their lost pet. If you suspect that the cat has been abandoned and would like to place it with us, please email or call us. We hold weekly intake meetings and will contact you if space is available. If the cat is feral, or not friendly to people, check out our resource section for stray cats to find organizations that trap, neuter, and return neighborhood cats. This is an important step in reducing the number of stray cats in our community. We also have humane traps available for a small, refundable, deposit.

I lost my cat, do you have it?

Because we are a limited admission shelter with very few open spaces at any given time we seldom take in lost cats unless we are fairly certain that they don’t have a home. The first place to look is at the municipal animal shelter that provides animal services for your city, lost and found pets are often posted online. You can also post flyers in your neighborhood and online forums such as Craigslist and NextDoor. Leave a blanket or article of clothing with yours and/or the cat’s scent on it. This deters predators but can still make it easier for a lost cat to smell home; many cats return home when it is dark out. If your cat is shy or frightened you may have more success using a live trap to try to capture your cat. We have live traps available for a $75 deposit which is refunded upon return of the trap.

Where can I get my cat spayed or neutered?

Spaying or neutering your cat is very important to their health. Spaying or neutering reduces their risks of certain cancers and helps reduce unwanted behaviors such as spraying. The Dumb Friends League Solutions Clinic offers free spay/neuter surgeries to cats regardless of the owners income.

My cat passed away, can you take the leftover food, toys, bed, etc?

As a small animal shelter that operates solely off of donations and grants we are always grateful for any donated pet food, gently used beds, pet carriers, and towels. We also accept opened and expired cat food for our Nibbles and Kibbles food pantry and for feeding feral community cats. Due to PACFA regulations we cannot use or accept used litter boxes or fabric cat furniture or toys.

Resources

We know how much time, money, and energy can go into taking the best possible care of your feline companions, which is why we’ve compiled this helpful list of resources. Whether you’re looking for medical care, behavioral tips, pet friendly housing, or aid during personal hardship, the following resources and organizations offer a wealth of information and answers to any challenge life with a cat can throw at you.

Resource

Low-Cost Clinics

Low Cost Clinics

It can be expensive providing medical care to your pet. The following veterinary clinics have been known to have lower than average prices. Click on the link to be redirected to their website or call for more information on services offered and standard rates.

Downtown Animal Care: (303) 595-3561.
1041 Galapago St. Denver, CO 80204

Dumb Friends League Solutions: Free spay and neuter clinic for cats. (303) 722-5800. 191 Yuma St, Denver, CO 80223

Lakeside Animal Hospital: (303) 955-4576
4243 Harlan St. Wheat Ridge, CO 80033

Maxfund Wellness Center: (303) 595-0532
1000 Inca St. Denver, CO 80204

Planned Pethood: (303) 433-3291
4595 N. Harlan St. Wheat Ridge
After hours 7pm-12am

Peace Love Paws: (303)990-1893
1280 Vine St. (Denver)
Free Veterinary Clinic for the homeless.

Thrive Affordable Vet Care: Inside various Petco stores. Walk ins welcome

Resource

Stray Cats

The following organizations provides services and resources for feral or unowned community cats. If the cat is friendly enough to be picked up please visit the sections on shelters below.

Agents Of Chaos: (720) 765-6621. Trapping assistance and TNR program.

Alley Cat Allies: Resources for managing and caring for feral and unowned community cats

Metro Denver Cat: (844) 336-2287. Trapping assistance and TNR program.

The Feline Fix: (303) 202-3516. TNR program.

The Humane Society of the United States: Resources for caring for community cats.

Resource

Financial Help

It can be expensive taking care of a pet, and life doesn’t always go as planned. The following organizations can help provide financial relief to help keep your pet and you together throughout any hardship.

Cat Care Society’s Nibbles ‘n’ Kibbles: Cat food, litter, and other supplies for people in need every 1st and 3rd Saturday.

Care Credit: Line of credit with special financing for unexpected medical costs, often 0% interest for several months.

Colorado Pet Pantry: Monthly pet food banks located thoughout Colorado.

Diabetic Cats in Need: Provides insulin and testing supplies for diabetic cats.

Red Rover: Provides grants for medical care, domestic violence, and disaster relief.

The Pet Fund: Provides medical grants for non urgent medical care for chronic conditions.

Resource

Pet-Friendly Housing

Pet Friendly Housing

One of the number one reasons that pets are surrendered to shelters is due to housing, but that doesn’t have to be the case! Pet friendly housing is becoming more and more common. The links below will direct you to websites where you can easily search for housing that allows pets.

Apartments.com: Use this link, select your city, and choose from hundreds of pet friendly housing options.

Apartment List: More than 500 pet friendly apartments in the Denver region.

Avalon Communities: Because pets are part of the family, Avalon Communities offers pet-friendly housing in Colorado.

Zillow: Over 700 apartments and homes that offer pet friendly housing.

Resource

Open Admission Shelters

We are very fortunate in Colorado to have excellent animal shelters and a population that cares about pets, in fact the shelter pet is the state pet of Colorado! If you are looking to re-home a relatively young, healthy animal, find your lost pet, or report a found pet these open admission shelters are an excellent resource. Most will take any animal that comes their way and find a loving home for the vast majority of them. However, admission means that they may need to euthanize to make space for new animals coming in.

Adams County Animal Shelter:
(720) 523-7387
10705 Fulton St. (Brighton)

Aurora Animal Shelter
(303) 739-7000
15151 E. Alameda Pkwy (Aurora)

Bureau of Animal Protection
Investigates animal cruelty and neglect in Colorado.

Boulder Valley Humane Society
(303) 442-4030
2323 55th St. (Boulder)

Colorado Humane Society and SPCA
Investigates animal cruelty, abuse, and neglect in counties across Colorado.

Denver Animal Shelter
(303) 720-913-1311
1241 W Bayaud Ave. (Denver)

Denver Dumb Friends League
(303) 751-5772
2080 S. Quebec St. (Denver)

Foothills Animals Shelter (Jefferson County)
(303) 278-7575
580 McIntyre St. (Golden)

Humane Society of the South Platte Valley (Englewood and Littleton)
(303) 703-2938
2129 W Chenango Ave (Littleton)

Intermountain Humane Society
(303) 838-2668
67318 Hwy 285 (Pine)

Longmont Humane Society
(303) 772-1232
9595 Nelson Rd. (Longmont)

Resource

Animal Control

City and county animal control is also generally responsible for animals at large, dangerous animals, or concerns about animal abuse or neglect and work closely with open admission shelters shelters depending on jurisdiction.

Adams County Animal Control
(303) 288-1535
https://animalshelter.adcogov.org/animal-control

Arapahoe County Animal Control
(720) 874-6750

Arvada Animal Control
(720) 898-6900

Aurora Animal Control
(303) 326-8288

Denver Animal Control
(720) 912-1311

Englewood Animal Control
(303) 761-7410

Lakewood Animal Control
(303) 987-7173

Littleton Animal Control
(303) 794-1551

Wheat Ridge Animal Control
(303) 235-2926

Resource

Emergency Rooms

Sometimes pets get sick when you least expect it, these clinics offer 24/7 medical care.

A.C.C.E.S.S: (303) 239-1200
2201 Wadsworth Blvd. Lakewood. CO 80214. Lower Cost Pet ER Service

Alameda East: (303) 366-2639
9770 E. Alameda Ave. Denver, CO 80247

Animal Urgent Care: (303) 420-7387
12520 W. 64th Avenue, Arvada 80004. Low cost clinic.

VRCC: (303) 874-7387
3550 S. Jason St. Englewood, CO 80110

Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital: (303) 424- 3325
10140 W 44th Ave, Wheat Ridge, CO 80033

Resource

Pet Loss & Grief

Organizations that can help when it is time to say goodbye to your beloved pet.

Caring Pathways: (720) 287-2553

Pet Cremation Services: (303) 403-1647

Resource

Behavior

It’s not always easy to know what a cat is thinking, or why they do the things they do. The following articles and behaviorists specialize in understanding felines and redirecting or better understanding unwanted behaviors.

ASPCA: Articles about common behavior issues such as scratching, aggression, and inappropriate urination.

Cat Friendly Homes: The American Association of Feline Practitioners has put together a full guide of answers to the very frequent question; “why does my cat do that?”

Cornell Feline Health Center: An extensive list of articles covering almost every health and behavioral concern that can inflict your furry friend.

Good Kitty Behavior: Sometimes the problem is just too big to be solved by a website-or you prefer speaking to a real person. We don’t have any behaviorists on staff, but encourage you to reach out to Billie Reynolds of Good Kitty Behavior for a consultation. (970) 231-7216

International Cat Care: Articles covering a wide array of feline health and behavioral concerns.

The Indoor Pet Initiative: Ohio State University has compiled an excellent catalog of articles to help you better understand your cat and keep it mentally and physically happy and healthy.

Resource

Pet Sitting, Boarding & Grooming

All Cat Clinic (Boarding): (303) 781-8540
3998 S Broadway (Englewood)

Cat Care Society: We offer a Temporary Care program for those experiencing temporary homelessness, domestic violence, or an extended hospital stay. We also offer complimentary nail trims for life for former CCS cats.

Cold Noses Warm Hearts:(970) 389-6650
Kari Ruder, Certified Veterinary Technician, provides personalized in home pet sitting and medical care for pets of all types, including those with chronic medical conditions such as diabetes or kidney disease.

Denver Animal Shelter Safe Haven:
Temporary care for those affected by fire, domestic, violence, hospitalization, etc.

Paradise 4 Paws Boarding: (720) 506-9800
24735 E 75th Ave. (DIA).

Resource

Limited Admission Shelters

The following shelters and rescues are in general, smaller, and thus more limited in space and resources. Like Cat Care Society they can only take in animals when they have the space available. These shelters and rescues may be a better option if you are no longer able to keep a cat that is older or has chronic health conditions such as diabetes or kidney disease, as limited admission shelters do not euthanize for space.

Almost Home Adoptions
(303) 432-2299
6010 W 88th Ave (Westminster)

Angels with Paws
(303) 274-2264
2540 Youngfield St. (Denver)

Animal Friend Alliance
(970) 484-8516
2321 East Mulberry St. (Fort Collins)

Barnwater Cat Rescue
(303) 759-2855
3131 E. Evans Ave (Denver)

Happy Cats Haven
(719) 635-5000
1412 S. 21st St (Colorado Springs)

Max Fund
(720) 266-6081
1005 Galapago St. (Denver)

Rocky Mountain Feline Rescue
(303) 744-6076
2390 Delaware St. (Denver)

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