Tag! You’re Home! Reunification of Pet Cats With Their Owners Using a Community Engagement Approach: A Community Case Report

Aimee M. Dalrymple; Nina E. Stively; Rachael Kreisler

doi:10.56771/jsmcah.v3.113

Authors

Aimee M. Dalrymple Shelter Veterinary Care Consulting LLC, Natick, MA, USA https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8895-3126
Nina E. Stively Loudoun County Animal Services, Leesburg, VA, USA
Rachael Kreisler Midwestern University College of Veterinary Medicine, Glendale, AZ, USA https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5562-5521

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.56771/jsmcah.v3.113

Keywords:

lost cat, stray cat, microchip, identification, managed intake, return to owner, return to home, community engagement

Abstract

Return to Owner (RTO) percentages for cats in shelters are reported as low as 3%. However, the percentage of recovered pet cats located within their own neighborhoods is much higher. Loudoun County Animal Services, an open-admission shelter with an annual intake of 2,300 animals (46% cats), developed the Tag! You’re Home! Program (TYHP). This program encourages finders to return un-microchipped healthy social adult cats to their neighborhoods with a collar containing the shelter’s contact information. Finders can return them for intake after 5 days. Between 7/1/2022 and 12/31/2023, 476 stray cats were admitted, 253 (53%) of which were adults. Of the 32 cats enrolled in TYHP as an alternative to intake, 31% were confirmed RTO via owner contact, 31% did not require additional services, 19% were brought back for intake, 13% were kept by finders, and 6% were rehomed by finders. For the cats admitted, the adult RTO rate was 28%. Cats returned to owners through the shelter were found a median of 0.27 km (interquartile range 0.07–2.5), or approximately 2.7 city blocks, from home. Over 80% of TYHP cats did not require shelter intake, with a 31% confirmed RTO rate. The TYHP reduced the intake of adult stray cats by 9% while maintaining similar RTO rates.

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