Recently our family had the fairly common rural experience of being adopted by a feral cat. The very friendly little guy was wandering the neighborhood and, much to the dismay of our neighbors, singing an aria in nine parts in the early morning hours. After a few days of him returning to our yard, we managed to catch him and contain him in our little “foster” set up. At this point we really thought he must belong to someone given how friendly he was. So what is an animal lover to do when possibly catnapping a neighborhood pet? You call your local Animal Control.
Richmond Animal Control is a small, often volunteer-run, department of the town found next to the Transfer Station on Buttonwoods Road. A wonderful woman named Jess responded to my call and set up a time to come and get the cat. She walked us through the whole process and all our options for surrender and adoption. In the end we sent him to Animal Control where he could see a vet much faster than our family vet could accommodate and where he could find his owner if he had one.
When such an animal is found, Animal Control will advertise for seven days to see if an owner is looking for the animal. If no owner is found the animal is then available for adoption. For cats such as Pulsifer, Animal Control gets the rabies and distemper shots done while also testing for Feline Leukemia and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV). For a $50.00 adoption fee you can then take into your home a vetted and immunized pet. For an adoption fee of $150.00, Animal Control will provide you a voucher for a spay or neuter at one of two affiliated clinics. Given the current cost of veterinary care, this is a huge help for prospective pet owners and is instrumental in making sure pets are responsibly spayed and neutered.
The entire process was great from start to finish and Pulsifer has been acclimating to our home and other cats well. Jess and the staff at Richmond Animal Control are to be commended for their great community work. If you find a stray pet, or wish to look for a rescue to add to your family, reaching out to Animal Control is a great place to start. Contact information is listed below and this town service is an often overlooked gem.
51 Buttonwoods Road
Richmond, RI 02898
Ph: 401-539-8289
Associated Spay/Neuter Clinics
-- Alexis Turner
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