Lost and Found Pets
Are You Missing Your Pet?
Did You Find A Pet?
It is important to call all shelters in your area as soon as you can to report your pet missing. If your pet is missing in Lackawanna County, please send us a photo of your pet through Facebook along with calling us to fill out a lost report. We post photos of all incoming stray pets on the Griffin Pond Animal Shelter Facebook page, so please keep a close eye on that to watch for your pet in case we do not recognize it.
If you think your lost pet is at Griffin Pond Animal Shelter, please come to the shelter during open hours and bring the following things with you:
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A clear picture of the pet (this can be on your phone) to confirm ownership
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Your drivers license
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The reclaim fee ($35 impound fee + $15 per day at shelter)
If you have found a lost dog, be sure to first knock on doors nearby the location of the dog to check for owners. If you found a dog in Lackawanna County and are capable of transporting it to the shelter, please bring it to Griffin Pond Animal Shelter during our open hours. If you have found a dog during our closed hours, please enclose the pet safely, provide them with food and water, and bring the dog to us the next day during open hours. You can also post found pets on local lost/found Facebook pages to try to find the owner.
If you have found a cat that has some form of identification (a collar or microchip), please knock on nearby doors to check for owners. Many people let their cats go outside for short periods of time and the cat knows their way home. If that does not work, call Griffin Pond Animal Shelter and report the cat found so we can keep an eye and ear out for an owner. Also, posting the cat's picture on local lost/found Facebook pages is usually a quick way to find the owner. If you think the cat is in danger or appears sick or injured, please bring to Griffin Pond Animal Shelter during open hours. Otherwise, if you cannot keep the cat long term, please call Griffin Pond Animal Shelter to make an appointment to bring the cat in. We can provide any supplies needed for you to hold on to the cat until we can take it in.
If you have found a cat that does not have identification, call local vets or shelters to see if they can scan the cat for a microchip. If the cat is feral (not socialized to people) this is likely a community cat. Community cats are very resourceful and able to find adequate food and shelter and tend to live in colonies. If you believe the cat is injured or sick, please bring the cat to Griffin Pond Animal Shelter or the emergency vet hospital. If the cat appears healthy, it is much better to leave them in their outdoor home, rather than bring them to the shelter which could be detrimental to their happiness and health. The best thing to do in this case would be to make sure the cat is spayed or neutered (a tipped ear indicates that this can was already fixed) to ensure that the community cat population does not increase. If you do not see an ear tip, Trap Neuter and Return (TNR) is the most helpful option to the cat and the community. Contact EPAA or No Nonsense Neutering to find out more about their TNR services.
Pregnant Cats or Kittens
It is common to find pregnant cats or kittens in the spring and summer time, but cats can give birth at any time of the year. Cats only have a 2 month gestation period, so if they are visibly pregnant they are likely close to their due date. If you find a cat you think is pregnant,
If you find a kitten or kittens there are a few steps to follow to make sure you do what is most likely to save them. If the cat is warm, fluffy, has a full belly, or if the group of kittens are all huddled together there is likely a mom nearby who is taking care of them. Taking kittens away from their mom too early decreases their likelihood of surviving drastically, so the best thing to do for them in this case would be to watch from a close spot for the mom and if one comes, let them stay there. Once the kittens are weaned around 2 months old, you can make an appointment to bring them in if they are socialized. For the mom and kittens if they are older than 3 months or not socialized, we may recommend TNR depending on the situation. If you are worried for their health in the location they are at, you can try to trap the mom and kittens to keep them somewhere warm and safe until Griffin Pond Animal Shelter can take them in (appointment is needed).
If the kitten(s) appear sick, cold, wet, injured, or skinny they may need medical help and the mom may not be helping them anymore. In this case, please bring the to the shelter during open hours. If you find a kitten in need during our off hours, keep them in a warm, dry place and feed them wet kitten food or Kitten Milk Replacer until we are open. If you feel their health is an emergency, please take them to the emergency vet hospital.