Resources and Frequently Asked Questions
HOW DO I ADOPT AN ANIMAL FROM PAWS?
FILL OUT AN ADOPTION APPLICATION ONLINE. Click on the tab “Adoption” . If you don’t have a computer, please go to your local library or call PAWS at 440-442 -7297, and ask that a blank dog or cat adoption application be sent to you. Adoption fees are also listed under this heading.You can also go to PetSmart stores in Parma and Mayfield Hts to see some of our cats and kittens. We have paper applications available in the adoption centers even if you don’t see a particular cat that you are interested in.
DO YOU FOSTER HOME-OWNED ANIMALS?
WE DO NOT FOSTER HOME-OWNED ANIMALS. There are some exceptions to the rule about home-owned pets entering our foster system. In VERY RARE cases, we go above and beyond to help a very sick person or even someone who has passed away and left animals behind.
Check with friends, family, neighbors, or business associates to see if someone will adopt the pet. You can also place an ad in the paper. Be sure to ask for an adoption fee to offset your cost of getting the animal spayed and neutered prior to adoption. If you prefer, you can place a classified ad or "courtesy posting" on our website. The animal must be spayed or neutered in order for PAWS to provide you with this service. You need to send us all the info about the pet such as age, sex, breed, description, disposition, whether the animal gets along with other dogs/cats, children, what kind of home it needs, etc. – anything that might be helpful to someone wanting to adopt.
Send this along with up to 3 clear digital pictures to Pam for dogs or Laura for cats.
At the beginning of the info, put ‘Pet for Web site’. At the end give name, address, phone #. NOTE: Your name and phone #, as well as email address if you prefer, will be included in the ad so that interested parties can contact you directly. You can check the pet list on our Web site: pawsohio.org, to see how ads are written, if you wish.
WHAT CAN I DO IF I HAVE ALLERGIES TO MY DOG?
There are a number of products now available in pet stores for cutting down on thedander that causes allergies.Try the following:- vacuum thoroughly- groom dog outside- bathe dog with an allergy-free shampoo
WHAT CAN I DO IF I’M IN A “No Pets Allowed” SITUATION:
Offer the landlord a pet deposit. Ask the landlord if someone from PAWS could talk to him to try to keep the owner and pet together.
WHERE CAN I FIND LOW-COST VACCINATIONS:
Call your area PETsMART to see when they have scheduled another vaccine clinic.
Cleveland APL– offers affordable Vaccinations & Health Care for Dogs & Cats 4th Sunday of the Month from noon to 3:00pm – No appointment necessary
Pets Guard in Cuyahoga Falls 330-849-0635
Greenmont Veterinary- discounted vaccines on Wednesdays. 460 S. Green Rd. S. Euclid 44121. Call 216-531-7746 for appointment.
If the person is in dire need, Valley Save-a-Pet may be able to help. 440-232-9124 has low cost vaccinations and vaccination packages available.
WHERE CAN I FIND LOW-COST SPAY/NEUTER?
- Spay and Neuter Clinic: Fulton Plaza near Memphis 216-398-1081 or 216-398-1279
- Cleveland APL: $10. to spay/neuter free roaming cats in Cleveland for city residents
- Friends of Animals: 800-321-7387
- PetFix: Fees for spay or neuter from $25 to $95. 885 E. 222nd St. in Euclid, for appointment call 216-732-7040 or email
- Greenmont Veterinary: $35 spay and neuter
ARE THERE ANY LOWER COST VET SERVICES FOR SICK/INJURED ANIMALS?
Gateway Animal Clinic,1502 Abbey Ave. (near west side), Cleveland, 216-771-4414. An office call is $36, exam/vaccines including rabies $63. Feline leukemia/aids test $42. Costs may be higher now. Gateway also has a non-profit fund called Project Noah, established to help with vet care for animals dumped on the street or animals or their owners who are victims of domestic violence. Special needs cases such as someone with a seeing eye dog needing vet care may be considered. Each case is taken individually and has to go before the board of the project. If you meet these criteria, call Claudette at Gateway.
Spay and Neuter Clinic for low-cost– 4225 Fulton Rd. around the corner from Memphis 216-398-1081 or 216-398-1279
If yours is a specific breed of dog, contact the National Club for the breed. In some cases, these clubs offer a vet financial assistance fund. You can then ask your vet to submit an assistance request to the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) “Helping Pets Fund”. In order to qualify, the caller’s animal hospital must be AAHA-accredited.
PET HOSPICE / EUTHANASIA
Rainbow Bridge Pet Hospice and Senior care: 440-338-6088. mobilevetcare.net. A licensed vet will come to your home so the pet (and the owner) doesn't have to leave his/her comfort zone for comfort care or euthanasia.
WHAT DO I DO ABOUT A CAT NOT USING ITS LITTER BOX?
Go to your vet to make sure your cat does not have a bladder infection. This is very common and very treatable with antibiotics. If the cat has a bladder infection, it will experience pain, pressure and discomfort and will try and squeeze out urine. We have had numerous success stories of cats not urinating completely or at all in the litter box, and when the vet discovers a bladder infection and the cat is treated, the cat begins to use the litter box again.If the cat is having bowel movements outside the litter box, clean more often and/or purchase a larger litter box.
After your cat to is checked for urinary tract infection and the cat is spayed/neutered, you can try a new litter “Cat Attract”. It has been used successfully to get a cat back to the litter pan. It’s a little more expensive than regular litters, and available at PetSmart. Check the website: www.preciouscat.com for info on Cat Attract and other ways to encourage litter box use including using only 1-2 inches of litter in pan and putting pan in a more private area. We find many people who adopt kittens buy the small size box and keep it forever. Cats are very clean and picky and they do not want to walk in their waste. As they grow and get bigger, it is too difficult for them to navigate in the small box without stepping on their own feces. Also suggest confinement for a period of 2-3 weeks in a small area like a bathroom, or small bedroom. This will re-train the cat to use the litter box.
WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT DOG BEHAVIOR ISSUES?
Call PAWS for the names of several trainer/behaviorists who work with us.
WHAT DO I DO IF MY DOG/CAT HAS RUN AWAY?
Check with your local police, animal wardens, shelters, vet offices and animal hospitals. Be sure to include neighboring municipalities, in case the dog or cat wandered from your city. Check newspaper ads. If the dog or cat is not found within 24 hours, place your own ad. You can distribute flyers (with photo if possible) offering a reward. Leave food outside in case your pet comes home.In some instances, certain communities do not have their own animal warden and subcontract to an animal warden service. Be sure to ask the local police department if their community subcontracts, and to whom, so that the subcontracting facility can be contacted.You may also write to director@pawsohio.org and ask her to send out a “Lost Pet” notice to cross post, saying where the animal was last seen, when it went missing, giving a description (picture if possible) and any other pertinent information.
WHAT DO I DO IF I FIND A STRAY?
The same rules apply as in the lost animal guideline above. You should check with local police departments, animal wardens, shelters, vet offices, animal hospitals and neighboring municipalities to see if someone is looking for your stray. Also check newspaper ads to determine if anyone is looking for a dog/cat that matches the description of the stray. Pay attention to any tags, collars or unusual markings that might help identify the specific animal. If the dog or cat looks like a pure breed, search on the Web for pure breed rescues, specifically that breed. PAWS also has a list of pure breed rescues.
WHAT DO I DO ABOUT THE FERAL CAT IN MY BACKYARD?
At this time PAWS does not have a Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program. PAWS is a foster home rescue and we don't take in feral or semi-feral cats.When you feed a feral cat, we say “to feed is to breed”. Ideally, they should be trapped, spayed
eutered, given rabies shots and then released. The Cleveland APL in Tremont now has a TNR program, geared to Cuyahoga County, but they accept cats from out of the county for a slightly higher fee. The person in charge is Sara at 216-377-1624. She is available from 11:00 on Tues. through Sat. There is a minimal charge for borrowing a trap, except for $1.00 per day while the person has the trap. Sara will show someone how to use the Have-a-Heart trap, and make an appt. for spay/neuter, etc. This program has an extremely reasonable price to S/N a cat – $10.00 for Cuyahoga Co residents- which includes FVRCP, rabies and ear tipping.
eutered, given rabies shots and then released. The Cleveland APL in Tremont now has a TNR program, geared to Cuyahoga County, but they accept cats from out of the county for a slightly higher fee. The person in charge is Sara at 216-377-1624. She is available from 11:00 on Tues. through Sat. There is a minimal charge for borrowing a trap, except for $1.00 per day while the person has the trap. Sara will show someone how to use the Have-a-Heart trap, and make an appt. for spay/neuter, etc. This program has an extremely reasonable price to S/N a cat – $10.00 for Cuyahoga Co residents- which includes FVRCP, rabies and ear tipping.
https://clevelandapl.org/programs-services-resources/trap-neuter-return-program/
After altering, you can re-release the next day. The traps should be lined with newspaper to collect waste. When the trap door is opened, the cat will scamper to the back, allowing you to leave food and water. When you release, provide some shelter, i.e. large covered Rubbermaid type box, hole cut in one end for cats to get in and out, line the box with styrofoam (all four sides and bottom and top) for insulation, place straw or shredded newspaper in the box that they can lie on, and then this can be replaced. For other ideas, go to AlleyCatAllies.org.Unless the ferals are kittens, the chances of socializing them are poor. At best, it would be on a one-on-one basis, and you would probably be the only one they would respond to, so you would have to be prepared to adopt, if the cat is taken inside.At the end of FAQ’s, you will find a list of shelters and rescues, which is a great resource if PAWS does not have an available foster for your cat. The APL does not alter adoptable or friendly cats/kittens for the public. The APL only does spaying and neutering of friendly cats/kittens through non profit organizations. If you live outside of Cuyahoga Co, please check with local vets and animal rescue groups to find spaying and neutering of feral cats/kittens at a reduced rate.
After altering, you can re-release the next day. The traps should be lined with newspaper to collect waste. When the trap door is opened, the cat will scamper to the back, allowing you to leave food and water. When you release, provide some shelter, i.e. large covered Rubbermaid type box, hole cut in one end for cats to get in and out, line the box with styrofoam (all four sides and bottom and top) for insulation, place straw or shredded newspaper in the box that they can lie on, and then this can be replaced. For other ideas, go to AlleyCatAllies.org.Unless the ferals are kittens, the chances of socializing them are poor. At best, it would be on a one-on-one basis, and you would probably be the only one they would respond to, so you would have to be prepared to adopt, if the cat is taken inside.At the end of FAQ’s, you will find a list of shelters and rescues, which is a great resource if PAWS does not have an available foster for your cat. The APL does not alter adoptable or friendly cats/kittens for the public. The APL only does spaying and neutering of friendly cats/kittens through non profit organizations. If you live outside of Cuyahoga Co, please check with local vets and animal rescue groups to find spaying and neutering of feral cats/kittens at a reduced rate.
WHAT DO I DO ABOUT A DOG RUNNING LOOSE IN THE CITY OF CLEVELAND?
If the dog is not injured, and within the county, please refer them to the county kennel at 9500 Sweet Valley Dr, Valley View, Ohio. Phone number is 216-525-7877. Give all the information. If the dog is injured, contact the county, and the City Kennel, to see if they will pick up the dog. If these facilities won’t pick up the dog, call the APL Humane Investigations Dept. at 216-771-4616, x130. Leave messages at all three. The City Kennel closes at 3pm, and Cuyahoga County Kennel and APL close about 5 or 5:30pm. You can leave a message, and then try police in area. If you don’t know which police station, call any one and ask what precinct the area would be.