I believe many of us have asked ourselves this question before. That’s why here is a quick guide on what to do in such a situation.
- First things first: Get the animal out of this immediate emergency situation.
Whatever the circumstances, find an appropriate way to bring the animal to a safe place. Sometimes, this may even mean buying the animal’s freedom. Unfortunately, this is sometimes the only option. Don’t be afraid! Even if you’re unsure about the next steps, bringing the animal to safety is the first step.
Remember: If you don’t have any animals at home, it’s always best to take the animal home with you first and then consider the next steps. If that’s not feasible, find a reliable vet.
- The next step is to provide basic care for the animal.
This means offering food and water to the often malnourished animals and getting them to a vet as soon as possible.
Remember: These animals have likely been suffering from poor nutrition for a while. It’s best to give them easily digestible food. Find suitable food depending on the estimated age of the animal. This might be goat milk for infant kittens and puppies and dry kibbles or boiled chicken breast with rice for adult dogs. Then bring them to a reliable local vet to check for contagious deadly viruses and basic blood test as well as infection CPR tests.
Our trusted vet in Nanjing can be found here:
睿安动物医院RYAN animal hospital
江苏省南京市栖霞区栖霞仙林文范路9号(公交车站)
- Consider where the animal can stay in the long term.
Sadly, dogs and cats are not safe on the streets and often fall victim to virus contamination, violence, and abuse. Consider these questions:
– Could I take the animal in, even temporarily?
Providing a temporary home to a lost or abandoned dog or cat would mean you are saving their lives and giving them time to find a permanent adoptive family. This would also mean that you become a foster for a temporary period and during this time keep advertising to find a long term home.
– If you can’t give it a temporary home, reach out to your online community and share the animal’s information. There might be someone available to be, do I know someone who could? If you need help you can contact us on our wechat channel: Furry Hearts Rescue
– Or, do I know of a shelter that could help find it a home?
Make sure to contact private shelters, not state-run ones! Conditions in state shelters are often worse than on the streets. If you don’t know of any shelters, search on Instagram or online. There are shelters for stray cats as well as abandoned house cats, and
For people in Nanjing: There are some big rescuing wechat groups which you can enter to contact shelters in Nanjing or search for further advice. If you want to join these groups, leave us a message!
Always remember! You are the one who is there and who can make a difference in their lives. Take a chance and give them a chance.
