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Help prevent unwanted litters of kittens, spay/neuter your cat!

PAWR and stray/feral cats

PAWR provides free intake for stray cats brought to the Chatham-Kent animal shelter. PAWR’s contract with the municipality does not include picking up stray cats, but in order to assist, we offer trap rentals with a deposit. The deposit is returned in full once the trap is returned.

When issues arise regarding roaming cats, we encourage you to speak with your neighbours who may be feeding the cats out of concern for their wellbeing. If they understand that it is an issue and taking the cats to the shelter is the most humane solution, you may be able to trap as a neighbourhood, making it much easier, and faster. If that is not possible, homeowners may trap the cat(s) on their own property and take them to the shelter. There is no fee to drop off a feral/stray cat at the Chatham-Kent Animal Shelter located at 405 Park Ave E, Chatham.

If trapping them seems too difficult, a pest removal company can be contracted.

Feral/stray cats brought into the shelter are held (impounded) for three days not counting the day they are brought to the shelter. If no one claims the cat(s) once the redemption period is up, the cats become property of the shelter. We, at PAWR, have been very successful with adopting out cats, transferring cats to other shelters across the province in need, and feral cats are given a second chance after being spayed/neutered to be rehomed to farms.

How to deter stray cats from your property

  • Remove the cats food sources. Use tight-fitting lids to seal trash cans.
  • Fence off any small openings under porches or decks. If cats gather in an area on your property, figure out what they are using for shelter and block the access to it.
  • Spray your yard with cat repellant
  • Repel cats from your garden with a motion-sensing sprinkler (Lee Valley Tools or check your local garden centre)
  • Toss citrus fruit peels directly into your garden. Cats do not like the smell and taste of citrus
  • Plant herbs and botanicals that cats find unpleasant such as lavender, lemon thyme, rue and pennyroyal
  • Sprinkle ground black pepper around areas where cats congregate
  • Motion activated ultrasonic devices (Lee Valley Tools or check your local garden centre)

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us anytime at  226-996-9969 or email [email protected]