Surrender

Hi there! If you’re reading this, it most likely means you have a cat who needs a second chance and a place to go. Whether it’s your own cat, a friend or family member’s, or one you’ve found, we know this is not an easy thing to do and we thank you for trying your best to find a place for this cat.

The Chico Cat Coalition takes every surrender request under consideration individually. We wish for a home for every kitty, and we will always do our best to help as many cats as possible within our capacity. As a small, volunteer-run non-profit, we do have a few considerations about the cats we can accept.

Please keep reading to see if we are a match! 👇🏼

Q: What can I expect if I can surrender my cat to the CCC?

A: Every kitty that comes to us has ample time in our large free-standing condos to transition to their new home with us. Many kitties are scared and confused when they come to us, so we offer them this condo space to get used to sights, smells, and sounds so that they are not overwhelmed. With that, every kitty has their own timeline for when they are ready to join the rest of our free-roaming kitties. We never push as it is a challenging transition for them, and we want to give them the time to acclimate and be comfortable.

Q: Where do you accept cats from?

A: The CCC only accepts cats from within the city limits of Chico and close outlying areas within Butte County. We wish we could help all the kitties from everywhere, but we are extremely small and would need more space or volunteers to do more.

Q: Do you accept strays?

A: Unfortunately, we only have the capacity to accept domesticated cats. What does that mean? We can only take in cats who can be petted and/or picked up. Unfortunately, that means we cannot take in cats who are feral and who do not have any human experience. This differs from a stray; strays are often lost or dumped and can be quite friendly.

Q: Is there a fee to surrender a cat?

A: Someday when we win the lottery, we hope to make surrenders and adoptions free. However, we are 100% run on donations and 100% run on volunteers. As a nonprofit shelter, the cats in our care are spayed/neutered, microchipped, and have preliminary shots. We also provide the cat food, vet care, and the heating/lighting/rent to operate a shelter. All of the costs for that have to come out of donations! We ask for a $200 surrender fee to help cover the cost of intaking a cat. If you have concerns about this fee, please reach out and we will be happy to discuss your unique circumstances.

Q: Do you accept kittens?

A: Our shelter is not set up to facilitate kittens at this time. Cats need to be 6 months of age and older for us to be able to help.

Q: Do you offer spay/neuter services?

A: We do not offer these services as we are only volunteers, not vets. However, we have a few recommendations:

• For strays & feral cats: Neighborhood Cat Advocates has a spay/neuter clinic. Visit https://www.facebook.com/pawprintsclinic/ to learn more. (They have a long waiting list, but they will get to you!) 
• For owned cats: Visit P-SNAP (PawPrints Spay/Neuter Assistance Program) or call (530) 895-1791 and leave a message

Q: Do you trap-neuter-return (TNR) cats?

A: Our friends at Neighborhood Cat Advocates are your best resource. Visit them here: https://www.ncachico.org/

Q: I found a cat but I don’t know if it has an owner. Can you scan it for a microchip?

A: Chico Animal Shelter has an amazing program called Pet Pals. To have an animal scanned, you can bring the animal to the shelter or a veterinary clinic, or contact a Pet Pal close to you.  Pet Pals are volunteers who can scan lost animals for a chip. http://www.chicoanimalshelter.org/pet-pals.html Please remember that strays legally need an owner actively sought after for 30 days before a shelter can step in. 

Q: If there is no space at the Chico Cat Coalition for my cat, are there any other resources in Chico? 

A: We recommend starting with Chico Resources for Cats: This is a Chico-specific directory of all the available cat resources in the area https://www.chicoresourcesforcats.org/

Other rehoming suggestions: 

• Reach out to friends, family, and coworkers–you never know who may be interested in helping out a kitty!
• Ask vet offices around town if you can put up a flier.
• If you’re affiliated with a church, consider asking members there who may be able to assist.
• Social media: but with caution. Some wonderful pages on Facebook and Instagram help with rehoming, but we cannot stress enough the importance of vetting potential adopters. Please do not offer kitties for free without a rehoming fee and without really looking into the adopter. There are some really horrible people out there who look for free kitties for bait in dog fights and other horrific acts, so please ensure due diligence before adopting your cat.

Q: I meet all the requirements. Can I bring in my cat today?

A: Because we are such a small shelter, we are often at capacity. However, we recommend you fill out our Surrender/Pre-Intake form to get the process started. Please fill the form out to the best of your ability, being as descriptive as possible. Our waitlist may be a couple of months out, depending on our available space, so please be patient and understand we are not often able to do immediate placements.

Q: I have more questions. How can I get ahold of you?

A: Our fastest response is through Facebook Messenger. Send us a message here. You can also send us an email. Chicocatcoalition@gmail.com