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LET US HELP YOU AND YOUR PET

Each day shelter staff answer common questions from pet owners, some of which are problem solving questions which could keep an animal from being surrendered or even just keep them happy and thriving. Below you will find printable information from CASA or other trusted sources which may help you and your pet.

        
DOCUMENTS

          ALL 

          CATS

          DOGS 

            
OUTSIDE INFORMATIONAL LINKS

          ALL 

          CATS

          DOGS 

POST-ADOPTION DOCUMENTS

You should have received various paperwork with details about your new pet including, but not limited to essentials items such as:

» Medical Sheet (microchip, vaccines, deworming, flea treatment info & confirmation of FeLV/FIV blood testing) share this with your vet.
» Medical Insurance Page (tells you about free insurance offer which must be activated within 48 hrs) if you wish to use it.
» Microchip Registration Confirmation (copy of registered adopter/owner contact information which the system will auto-register)
» Adopter Discount Offers (Occasionally business members may offer discounts on your initial purchase when you adopt)

If you feel you may be missing essential paperwork from your adoption please call or email the shelter.

ACCLIMATING YOUR NEW PET WITH SUCCESS

The initial move can have some bumps. I'm sure if you have ever had a new job you can understand how that "new" felt and you may have had some bumps while you adjusted to your new world. It is no different for your new pet. We are always here to consult with you during the transition and years down the road if you have any issues. We are just a call or email away.

The first week or so with your new pet should be calm and limited as much as possible. While you are likely very excited about your new addition and may want to introduce them to your friends and family or even take them to a house party we highly recommend that you don't. Being adopted from the shelter is an amazing thing, but even if your home is heaven on earth for animals it is DIFFERENT for your new pet and they should be allowed to adjust at their own pace and be able to take it one step at a time. Throwing too much at a new pet too soon can set even the best pet up to fail. The first week we recommend you focus on working on the new personal relationship with your new pet. Bond with them, care for them, allow them to acclimate and learn you are not only their new person - you are there to stay. If you can, refrain from taking our new dog to a dog park too soon for the same reasons.

CATS:

If you have a new cat or kitten remember that limiting their home space initially is often best. Confining them to a room with their food and litterbox and allowing them to take in the new sounds, smells, and possibly a change in food or litter may make things easier for them. If you throw them into an open home it might be harder for them to navigate and nail down the basics as fast as you would like. Please do not adopt a cat of any age and throw them outside. Even a cat we may adopt as an indoor/outdoor cat or even a barn cat should have a secure indoor space with their food and water where they can acclimate to the things around them, including you, before you make their world more large and scary than it already is. If you have other cats it is also best to separate initially for the same reasons.

Make sure you have enough litter boxes so that each cat has at least one, even if this plan is temporary for you. If you really want to ensure success it is recommended that you have one litterbox per cat plus one extra box. Many cats do not like sharing their litterbox with a stranger-cat and that issue could lead to one pottying somewhere other than the litterbox. The same issue can take place with food and water so in a multi-cat home extra food and water bowls should be out so that each cat still has access to food and water.

Do not be alarmed if your new cat doesn't choose to eat the first day, but make sure they are drinking water every single day. A water fountain can help encourage the desire to drink if needed. If you cat still doesn't eat after the first day you may want to temporarily try treats or wet food from your hand. Do not let your new cat go without food for more than a day or two, but they must be at least drinking every day. If you still cannot get them to eat please do not delay in contacting us or your personal veterinarian. Cats are known to starve themselves from stress alone and not eating can lead a healthy cat quickly going down a dangerous road - to a point they could struggle to then recover from.

DOGS:

Regardless of their age a new dog should initially be treated like a puppy. Take them out to potty in the place you want them to go more often than you think they might need. Use a leash even if you have a fenced yard so your new dog knows that they cannot run off to play before they potty or you might end up with a dog that goes out, runs around, and comes back in before they actually have gone potty. Set a command for it like "go potty" and instruct them to potty before doing anything else - potty before play. One of the best things you can train your dog to do is to potty before entering any building, whether it is your home, a friend's house, the vet, pet store, or any other dog-friendly public place. We know well trained dogs like this and even if there is only a drop in them they will potty, because they know they don't get to go inside otherwise. One of the reasons dogs are not allowed in some places is because others have ruined that privilege when their dog wasn't properly made to potty before entering which lead to it happening indoors.

Utilize a crate or kennel; our staff can talk with you about what would work best for the dog you adopted. Dog's are naturally den animals and they will instinctually adapt to resting times in their "den". A crate is also the best tool to assist you with potty training. Even if you think you might never need one, there will be a point where crate experience for your dog is needed and maybe even critical - like at the vet or in an emergency.

If your dog isn't bonding to one of the household members you may want to consider having that person be the one to give every single meal and treat to them so they associate one of their largest desires with the person they are having a harder time with. Food is usually the quickest way to bond with an animal.

RETURNING YOUR CASA PET

If you realize your new pet just isn't working or really is the wrong fit please do not feel bad about contacting us to return them. WE ALWAYS TAKE OUR PETS BACK - WE WANT THEM TO COME BACK TO US. We will never turn our back on our shelter animals regardless of the time that has passed. We not only put time and effort in to each animal we adopt out, we put our heart into it so we do not want you to just give your adopted CASA animals away to someone else. Giving them away may cause you pet additional heardship and may keep them from being reunited with an owner if they ever go missing.

Please call us first - we care and want to have a conversation with you. There are many cases were we may have had a backup adopter for your pet which we kept documentation for in the event they did get returned. This still could be the case even if more than a year has passed. Every person and every animal deserves the right fit so we will never make you feel bad about returning your adopted CASA pet back to us. Your adoption contract also outlines these return policy requirements.