So you’ve found a stray cat or kitten. The initial and most important thing is to keep them safe. Please bring them into a safe space; whether that is in your bathroom, laundry, bedroom or another spare room. If you don't have a spare room we suggest a large dog crate if you already have one or they can be purchased at Kmart, Bunnings or second hand on Facebook Marketplace.

1) Safety

Keep the cat in a quiet space away from other pets and children. For kittens, make sure they are warm and hydrated. Do not try to feed kittens straight away, kittens cannot control their temperature and must be warm before trying to consume food or milk. Please avoid cows milk, this can make them sick. Please see our information pages for recommended feeding advice.

2)Assess Health

If the cat seems injured, distressed/in shock or unwell, take them immediately to a vet.

3) Check for Identification

Check for collars and any tags. If no tag or the number is disconnected take the cat to a vet for a microchip scan. If there is a microchip they will be able to attempt contact with the owner. Vets generally will not take on the cat for holding if there is no chip.

4) Provide Food & Water

Offer small amounts of food and fresh water. Continue providing warmth for young kittens.

5) Find the Owner

You must legally make the effort to find the owner. Check online/social media for lost cat posts, for flyers in your local area and call all local vets in case one of their clients has reported their cat missing. Post a clear photo of the cat/kitten with a location (suburb) and description on social media and community boards. A list of Facebook groups to check and to get you started is posted on our resources page.

Can you:

-Provide foster care, even if temporarily while their vet work is completed, health and individual personality is assessed?

-Make a donation of $300 per cat to cover desexing, vaccination, and microchipping?

-Take care of their vet work yourself?

If you can assist with some of the above, we may be able to support via listing the cat for adoption through our network once their vet work is complete.

If you're able to help with vet work but need assistance with cost please see our resources for further information.

If you're still unable to assist, we suggest reaching out to other shelters or no-kill organisations and rescues.

There are various ways you can help. As we're independent we are always on the lookout for great new foster carers.

Financial donations or supplies via our Wishlist.

Even just following our socials and sharing our fundraisers will be immensely appreciated.

Follow the links on our website or we accept bank transfers to:

The Diary of Rescue Cats

BSB: 670 864

ACC: 4444 6502

Please put the word "Donation" within the description.

Donations are not currently tax-deductable but we are working on our application to the ACNC and hoping to become a registered charity with tax-deductable donations soon!