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Surrendering a Pet Page Banner Image
Back To: Salina Parks and Recreation | Animal Services

Are you considering surrendering a pet?

If you are considering surrendering a pet, read the helpful tips and options available here. 

Research Other Solutions First

Many minor behavioral problems can be corrected quickly and inexpensively by asking the right person. Spaying and neutering can reduce destructive/aggressive behaviors as well as running at large. If your income is insufficient to care for a pet you can seek assistance through various local charitable entities. There are also pet food banks and low-cost spay-neuter options. 

Consider "Rehome" by Adopt-a-Pet

Click here to visit the "Rehome" website and find a new home for your pet without the stress of having him/her spend time in a kennel. This helps reduce the workload of our staff/volunteers and helps you connect with people looking for new pets! 

Saline County Only

Our facility is a municipal shelter funded by the City of Salina and Saline County and cannot serve animals from other counties. If you need assistance and reside in another county, you will need to research other options. 

Please call ahead

Although our facility is open-admission, and Saline County residents will not be turned away, it is a big help if you can call ahead when planning on surrendering a pet. In many cases your pet will require vaccinations and/or spay neuter surgery prior to adoption and our facility does not have a veterinarian on-staff. You can reduce the time your pet spends in one of our kennels if you call ahead and learn the best day and time to surrender. In many cases this will be no more than 24-48 hours from the time you had intended.

Honesty is the best policy

We often have owners claim their pet is "a stray they found" rather than admit they can no longer keep it. Although this is a difficult time for you, it is in the best interest for your pet that you disclose the truth. If we receive your pet as a stray, it will be kept for 3 business days waiting for someone to claim it, before being prepared for adoption. Not only will your pet experience stress during this time, it will be occupying valuable space for animals that are genuinely stray, or are available for adoption. Once you have disclosed you are the owner of the pet you can also provide us with important details about your pet that will help it find the right home. If your pet is a spayed female, you can notify us, preventing your pet from undergoing unnecessary additional surgeries. It is for these reasons that it is never a good idea to leave your pet unattended for the purposes of having it impounded as a stray.

Fees

The fee to surrender a pet is only $2 per pet. Our facility will spend sometimes up to $400 preparing your pet for adoption, but endeavors to charge a low fee to discourage the dumping of owned animals. It is always appreciated if you are willing and able to donate at the time of surrender, whether it be gently used items, or a monetary donation.

Follow up discussion

It is common for pet owners to request follow-up phone calls. Please understand that due to the high number of intakes, this is not always possible. Your pet will be listed on the adoptable animals page of our website until it leaves the facility. Once you see that it has left, you are more than welcome to contact us to learn the outcome.

Euthanasia unlikely, but possible

Our facility is proud to achieve no-kill status, but this does not guarantee a live outcome for every animal that enters the system. No-kill can be defined as live outcomes for over 90%, or as not euthanizing healthy/treatable animals. There are also state laws and city ordinances preventing the adoption of certain animals due to disease or aggression. Salina Animal Services has developed guidelines to provide live outcomes for over 90% and does not euthanize animals due to space or length of stay. There must be a severe medical condition and/or severe behavioral problems for an animal to be euthanized.

Re-homing Barn Cats

Relocating feral and outdoor cats is not as easy as physically placing them in their new outdoor home. Cats are very territorial, and if you simply place them in a new location, they will try to find their way back to where they came from, often times killing themselves in the process. Fortunately, feral and outdoor cats can be acclimated to a new territory fairly easy and in a short amount of time.

  1. Place the cat in a large cage or kennel within the building they will be calling home. A room or any enclosed area will work for acclimating, just be sure the cat cannot roam freely until it establishes this space as its new territory. Give the cat a small towel lined carrier with the door held open (a small bungee cord works well for this), food and water, and a litter box. Clay litter is better than clumping in this environment, as clumping litter can get wet or in the water bowl, making a sticky mess that is more difficult to clean up. See diagram of re-homing cage on the back
  2. Clean the litter box and give fresh food and water daily. This can easily be done by closing the cat inside the carrier (the one you have bungeed open) to keep the cat safe while you are tending to its needs.
  3. After 2-3 weeks, you can open the cage door. Food and water should be kept both inside and outside of the cage. Once the cats leave, they may never want to go back into the cage.
  4. After two more weeks, the cats should be comfortable in their new home and the cage and supplies can be taken away. (The cat has now established its new territory and will likely stay)
  5. Caring for your barn cat is as easy as providing fresh food and water daily. Some barn cat caregivers keep litter pans inside their barns, but often are rarely used. Never rely on outdoor cats to sustain themselves on rodents alone, they need a nutrient rich diet to sustain a healthy life.

Setting up a re-homing cage

There will be times when it’s necessary to set up a re-homing cage for cats that you are recovering from intense surgeries, holding moms with kittens till weaned or relocating feral cats to barns when absolutely necessary.

On the back is a diagram of how to set up a re-homing cage for a cat, pair of cats or moms with dependent kittens. Please note; this is only to be used as a temporary situation. Cats should not be confined to cages for any longer than absolutely necessary.

Please contact the Salina Animal Shelter at (785) 826-6535 for any further questions.

View the diagram of how to set up a re-homing cage for a cat, pair of cats or moms with dependent kittens by selecting the PDF file below. Please note, this is only to be used as a temporary situation. Cats should not be confined to cages for any longer than absolutely necessary.

Contact Us

Salina Animal Services

Location

329 N. 2nd Street

Office Hours

Monday - Saturday

Phone

(785) 826-6535

Fax

(785) 826-7415

Monday-Friday: 9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Saturday Hours: 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
After Hours Emergency: (785) 826-7210

If you are considering surrendering a pet, read the helpful tips and options available here. 

Are you considering surrendering a pet?
Banner

Research Other Solutions First

Many minor behavioral problems can be corrected quickly and inexpensively by asking the right person. Spaying and neutering can reduce destructive/aggressive behaviors as well as running at large. If your income is insufficient to care for a pet you can seek assistance through various local charitable entities. There are also pet food banks and low-cost spay-neuter options. 

Consider "Rehome" by Adopt-a-Pet

Click here to visit the "Rehome" website and find a new home for your pet without the stress of having him/her spend time in a kennel. This helps reduce the workload of our staff/volunteers and helps you connect with people looking for new pets! 

Saline County Only

Our facility is a municipal shelter funded by the City of Salina and Saline County and cannot serve animals from other counties. If you need assistance and reside in another county, you will need to research other options. 

Please call ahead

Although our facility is open-admission, and Saline County residents will not be turned away, it is a big help if you can call ahead when planning on surrendering a pet. In many cases your pet will require vaccinations and/or spay neuter surgery prior to adoption and our facility does not have a veterinarian on-staff. You can reduce the time your pet spends in one of our kennels if you call ahead and learn the best day and time to surrender. In many cases this will be no more than 24-48 hours from the time you had intended.

Honesty is the best policy

We often have owners claim their pet is "a stray they found" rather than admit they can no longer keep it. Although this is a difficult time for you, it is in the best interest for your pet that you disclose the truth. If we receive your pet as a stray, it will be kept for 3 business days waiting for someone to claim it, before being prepared for adoption. Not only will your pet experience stress during this time, it will be occupying valuable space for animals that are genuinely stray, or are available for adoption. Once you have disclosed you are the owner of the pet you can also provide us with important details about your pet that will help it find the right home. If your pet is a spayed female, you can notify us, preventing your pet from undergoing unnecessary additional surgeries. It is for these reasons that it is never a good idea to leave your pet unattended for the purposes of having it impounded as a stray.

Fees

The fee to surrender a pet is only $2 per pet. Our facility will spend sometimes up to $400 preparing your pet for adoption, but endeavors to charge a low fee to discourage the dumping of owned animals. It is always appreciated if you are willing and able to donate at the time of surrender, whether it be gently used items, or a monetary donation.

Follow up discussion

It is common for pet owners to request follow-up phone calls. Please understand that due to the high number of intakes, this is not always possible. Your pet will be listed on the adoptable animals page of our website until it leaves the facility. Once you see that it has left, you are more than welcome to contact us to learn the outcome.

Euthanasia unlikely, but possible

Our facility is proud to achieve no-kill status, but this does not guarantee a live outcome for every animal that enters the system. No-kill can be defined as live outcomes for over 90%, or as not euthanizing healthy/treatable animals. There are also state laws and city ordinances preventing the adoption of certain animals due to disease or aggression. Salina Animal Services has developed guidelines to provide live outcomes for over 90% and does not euthanize animals due to space or length of stay. There must be a severe medical condition and/or severe behavioral problems for an animal to be euthanized.

Re-homing Barn Cats

Relocating feral and outdoor cats is not as easy as physically placing them in their new outdoor home. Cats are very territorial, and if you simply place them in a new location, they will try to find their way back to where they came from, often times killing themselves in the process. Fortunately, feral and outdoor cats can be acclimated to a new territory fairly easy and in a short amount of time.

  1. Place the cat in a large cage or kennel within the building they will be calling home. A room or any enclosed area will work for acclimating, just be sure the cat cannot roam freely until it establishes this space as its new territory. Give the cat a small towel lined carrier with the door held open (a small bungee cord works well for this), food and water, and a litter box. Clay litter is better than clumping in this environment, as clumping litter can get wet or in the water bowl, making a sticky mess that is more difficult to clean up. See diagram of re-homing cage on the back
  2. Clean the litter box and give fresh food and water daily. This can easily be done by closing the cat inside the carrier (the one you have bungeed open) to keep the cat safe while you are tending to its needs.
  3. After 2-3 weeks, you can open the cage door. Food and water should be kept both inside and outside of the cage. Once the cats leave, they may never want to go back into the cage.
  4. After two more weeks, the cats should be comfortable in their new home and the cage and supplies can be taken away. (The cat has now established its new territory and will likely stay)
  5. Caring for your barn cat is as easy as providing fresh food and water daily. Some barn cat caregivers keep litter pans inside their barns, but often are rarely used. Never rely on outdoor cats to sustain themselves on rodents alone, they need a nutrient rich diet to sustain a healthy life.

Setting up a re-homing cage

There will be times when it’s necessary to set up a re-homing cage for cats that you are recovering from intense surgeries, holding moms with kittens till weaned or relocating feral cats to barns when absolutely necessary.

On the back is a diagram of how to set up a re-homing cage for a cat, pair of cats or moms with dependent kittens. Please note; this is only to be used as a temporary situation. Cats should not be confined to cages for any longer than absolutely necessary.

Please contact the Salina Animal Shelter at (785) 826-6535 for any further questions.

View the diagram of how to set up a re-homing cage for a cat, pair of cats or moms with dependent kittens by selecting the PDF file below. Please note, this is only to be used as a temporary situation. Cats should not be confined to cages for any longer than absolutely necessary.

Department Salina Animal Services
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