PAWS SELF-HELP GUIDE 

Please read through the following information thoroughly before contacting PAWS directly by email or telephone.  This guide is for your convenience and is here to answer any questions that you may have. 

IF YOU WANT TO ADOPT
IF YOU WANT TO GIVE UP YOUR OWN PET FOR ADOPTION
DOG OR CAT BEHAVIOR ISSUES
ASPCA PET CARE QUESTION HOTLINE
FINDING LOST DOGS AND CATS
STRAYS
FERAL STRAYS
PITS, CHOWS and ROTS
DONATIONS
FREQUENTLY REQUESTED NUMBERS
LOW-COST SHOTS
LOW-COST SPAY/NEUTER
OTHER RESCUE GROUPS
ABUSE/CRUELTY
INJURED/ABANDONED PUPPIES
ORPHANED KITTENS
INJURED PET EMERGENCIES
NO KILL SHELTERS
PURE BREED INQUIRIES
WILDLIFE EMERGENCIES

 

IF YOU WANT TO ADOPT:
Animals that are up for adoption are located in our Foster Homes, we are not a freestanding shelter.  At times, we also advertise animals up for adoption from private homes.  Sometimes people think they can no longer keep their pets due to allergies, moving, etc.  You can check our website, www.pawsohio.org, for animals in our foster system, but keep in mind that it is nearly impossible to list and have photos of all our animals up for adoption.  Especially with kittens, since they come and go so quickly, we cannot keep up with photos and postings.  At any given time, we probably have 10 to 20 more animals available above and beyond the website listings.  All have been spayed/neutered and have had their shots.  

IF YOU WANT TO GIVE UP YOUR OWN PET FOR ADOPTION:
WE DO NOT FOSTER HOME-OWNED ANIMALS.  There are extremely rare exceptions to the rule about home-owned pets entering our foster system. You may contact us if you feel you have exceptional circumstances.   

Please try to follow the self-help steps listed below: 

Check with friends, family, neighbors, or business associates to see if you can adopt your pet.   You can also place an ad in the paper.  Make sure you always ask for money - at least $25-$50.  The reason you should ask for money is that a pet given away for free can be sold to a research lab or to a dog fighting ring (cats can be used as bait and practice to prepare the dog for the real fight) and therefore that person profits from obtaining an animal for free.  Also, some despicable people will feed kittens to pet snakes. 

You may choose to place a free classified ad on our website, however, the animal must be spayed or neutered, vet checked, and socialized before we can accept it. Click on the “Our Pet List” link, next click on the “Pets Available For Adoption” link on the new screen.  When the next page opens you will need to click on the “Our Pet List” link to access our Petfinder page. Then click the "Our Pet List" link to see a table of cats/dogs up for adoption. Check out some of the cat/dog postings in the table to get an idea of the type of text and picture typically used. If you would like PAWS to post, we need the text portion in .doc or .txt format or as inline text in an email you send us. All photos should be in .jpg form. Note there is no limit on the length of your text description, or on the number of photos you submit. One photo will be used as a lead for the posting, and the remainder will be included in an on-line photo album via a link within the text of your posting. Your email address will be included so potential adopters can contact you directly.  We need your phone number for our records. 

If you do not have a computer, go to your local library. They will help you. If this is not an option, you may choose to do this by mail. Photo and description of animal should be sent to: PAWS, PO Box 24651, Cleveland, Ohio 44124, with a self-addressed, stamped envelope if you want the photo returned. We will scan the photo free of charge and return it. Please put on top of your note "Pet for Website". The description should include breed, age, size, gender and what type of home it needs (without children, big backyard, etc.)  Regarding older dogs, the description might read "Quiet, mature, female beagle looking to spend remaining years in loving home."  

You must include your name, phone number and address for us. This will NOT be put on the website, as we never include someone's name or number on the website. If someone is interested in your animal, WE will have them call you, unless you'd like your personal e-mail address on the listing and they can contact you directly via e-mail. Be advised that depending on the animal’s breed mix and age, it can take several weeks to several months to find a suitable home.  

Try to avoid giving the pet away by following some of these hints:

• If the reason is because of allergies, try the following:
  • Vacuum thoroughly
  • Groom dog outside
  • Bathe dog with an allergy-free shampoo
  • Use Allerpet for dog or cat, applying dry powder once a week -can be found in pet stores.
• For a "No Pets Allowed" situation, offer the landlord a pet deposit and he might make an exception.
• If the reason is poor health and impending medical bills, PAWS can refer you to reasonably priced vets who will work with the pet owners.
• If the reason is “cat not using litter box” go to you vet for a possible bladder infection.  This is very common and very treatable with antibiotics.  If they have a bladder infection, they 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 with medicine, they begin to use the litter box again.  If cat is having bowl movements outside litter box, clean more often and purchase a larger litter box.  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.

DOG OR CAT BEHAVIOR ISSUES

The following vet and cat behaviorists can help:

• Rescue Village behavior hotline (Geauga Humane)  440-338-4819
• John Reveley, DVM, PhD in Rocky River 440-331-6511 (cats and dogs)
• Good Kitty Behavioral Practice:  fee based consultations for behavioral problems
  216-323-4882 Feline (cat) Behaviorist

ASPCA PET CARE QUESTION HOTLINE:

610-254-7900

FINDING LOST DOGS AND CATS:
You should check with local police, animal wardens, shelters, vet offices and animal hospitals.  Be sure to include neighboring municipalities, in case the dog or cat wandered from their 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 the 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.

STRAYS:
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 a 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, PAWS can refer you to a rescue group for that particular breed. 

Determine if you are able to foster the stray yourself, or if you have a relative who can do so.  If you can only do the fostering with financial assistance from PAWS (for veterinary care or supplies, i.e. food, condo, etc.), PAWS will have to be contacted for approval.  Some help we may provide includes assistance with veterinary care, leads, help with the actual adoption process and posting of a picture of the stray on our website once veterinary care (shots, testing, spay/neuter) has been completed.

FERAL STRAYS:

At this time PAWS does not have a Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program. This is an area that the Board of Trustees of PAWS will decide in the near future. Please refer the caller to Alley Cat Allies, www.alleycatallies.org, for hints on what to do for feral cats, i.e. how to provide shelter, how to trap, etc.

If someone has been feeding the cats, make them aware that “to feed is to breed”. Ideally, they should be trapped, spayed/neutered, given rabies shots and then released. The caller can get in touch with their local Humane Society or APL to sign out for Have-a-Heart traps. They should instruct how to use. Withhold food for 2 days; trap on 3^rd.

After altering, the caller must be prepared to find a temporary shelter for them as the females need 3 days to recover, males 1 day. They should remain in their traps. The traps should be placed on cinder blocks, with plastic or newspaper underneath to catch the elimination. We can refer them to a low-cost animal clinic. When the trap door is opened, they 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 corner 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 lay on and also this can be replaced. Other ideas in Alley Cat Allies site.

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, not foster.

PITS, CHOWS and ROTS:

We deal with these breeds of dogs on a case by case basis.

DONATIONS: 

If you wish to make a donation to PAWS, the donation can be made as a general one to the PAWS organization, or it can be made specifically “in honor of” or “in memory of” an animal of your choice.  The donation should then be sent to PAWS, P.O. Box 24651, Cleveland, Ohio 44124.  An appropriate acknowledgement will be sent.

FREQUENTLY REQUESTED NUMBERS:

LOW-COST SHOTS:

·        PETsMART gives shots every other Sunday, at rotating stores. 
         $12 - $18 (basically eliminating the cost of the vet office visit).

·          Pets Guard in Cuyahoga Falls  330-849-0635

LOW-COST SPAY/NEUTER:

• Valley Save a Pet  440-232-9124 (offer certificate)
• Friends of Animals  216-587-0476 or 800-321-7387, www.friendsofanimals.org
  (offer certificate), $40-$75 (depending on type of animal, etc.)
• Dr. Susan Metz  216-398-1081 Memphis and Fulton Spay Neuter Clinic –
  near west side – will do ferals
• Cleve Kennel Spay and Neuter Clinic  216-664-2759
• Citizens for Low Cost Spay and Neuter  216-781-0080
• Western Reserve Low-Cost Spay and Neuter  216-289-5274

OTHER RESCUE GROUPS:

If we cannot take in an animal due to our foster homes being at full capacity, here are some other organizations that may be able to help (this list goes in order from Geauga, Lake, Cuyahoga, Medina, Portage and Summit Counties):

• Rescue Village (Geauga Humane Society)  440-338-4819
• Sanctuary for Senior Dogs, Chardon  216-485-9233, email: seniordogs@aol.com
• Lake County Humane Society  440-951-6122
• Animal Rescue Center 216-476-0433
• Love-A-Stray  216-556-4993
• Parma Animal Shelter  440-885-8014
• Hug-A-Pup, Cleveland  216-973-8938 – dogs; email: elaine@hugapup.com
• Cleveland Animal Lifeline (C.A.L.L.)  216-382-7387 (PETS) – South Euclid
• Erie Shores  216-933-8569/216-934-4254
• Love a Stray  216-556-4993
• Caroline’s Kidz (SENIOR CATS)  440-449-3496, email: carolineskidz@aol.com
• Adopt-a-Pup  330-274-2790, email: webmaster@adoptapup.com
• North Coast Humane Society  216-661-2292
• Medina County Shelter  330-752-9121
• Portage County Humane Society (may euthanize)  330-296-4022
• Tri-County-Vet Humane Society  330-654-1397
• Summit County Humane Society  330-794-9449
• Homeward Bound  330-920-1522
• Just Strays  330-927-2331
• Precious Lives Sanctuary, Akron, 1-800-238-4423 – May be closed permanently
• Paws and Prayers, Akron  330-724-0561, email: erinskie@aol.com
• Hearts and Paws, Akron  330-665-9941
• Humane Society of Greater Akron  330-657-2010
• Rainbow Connection email: rainbowconnection@eriecoast.com

Names of other Humane groups, but we do not have their numbers:

• South Euclid Humane Society
• Also, look on the Internet for possible rescue groups.  Look on www.Petfinder.com, they should list rescue groups, including Pure Breed rescue groups
• More Suggestions:  Call local PETsMART’s and ask if they have any phone numbers for Animal Rescue Groups

ABUSE/CRUELTY:
Call City of Cleveland APL, Cruelty Inspector 216-771-4616.  

If not available and the case involves a dog, call Cleveland City Kennels 216-664-3069 or Cuyahoga County Kennels (Valley View Shelter) 216-525-PUPS.

Always leave your name and phone number. If at all possible, try to record the abuse with a photo or videotape (i.e. too small a cage, frozen water bowl, etc.).
Note:   It is not considered abuse if a caged animal can turn around and stand up, has a covering overhead from the elements and can reach that area, and is provided food and water.   If an animal is in a life-threatening situation, PAWS can approve treatment at a participating PAWS veterinarian clinic or at an after-hours emergency clinic, so please call our hotline or email us.  

INJURED/ABANDONED PUPPIES:
Call Cleveland City Kennels at 216-664-3069.

ORPHAN KITTENS: 

WHAT YOU WILL NEED FOR BOTTLE BABIES
Box/Carrier
Towels
Small towel scraps or washcloths
KMR (a milk replacer)
A/D or baby food
Bottles and nipples
Small syringes
Dishes with low sides (pie tins)
Hot water bottle or Heating pad
Timer/ticking clock
Flea comb
Baby shampoo
Kaopectate
Litter box with low sides (a pie tin, plant water catcher, or box)
Clay litter
Kitchen scale that measures in 1 oz. increments
Paper and pen to track daily weight and food intake

FOSTER KITTENS : FEEDING BOTTLE BABIES by Karen Stone
Make sure the nipple is big enough! Cut the tip—don’t just pierce it with a needle. Milk should drip out when the bottle is held upside down. Otherwise, if the hole in the nipple is too small, kittens will exhaust themselves sucking, not get enough milk, and can starve to death even though they appear to be nursing.
Use KMR, which stands for “Kitten Milk Replacer.” This is the preferred formula for kittens. It can be purchased at vet hospitals as well as pet food stores. It’s cheaper to buy the powder and add water rather than buying the milk in a can. Make sure milk is warm (test it on your wrist). Kittens don’t like cold milk; they may refuse to nurse and won’t digest it well. Avoid the milk replacer called “Just Born”. It is a soy-based product and frequently causes diarrhea.
Hold kittens to bottle feed in the same position they would be in if they were nursing on mom: their feet should be on the floor or on your lap. Do NOT hold them on their backs like a human baby–they can aspirate milk, choke, and get pneumonia. As kittens get older, they will stand up on their hind legs and stretch up with their front PAWS to get to the bottle—that’s ok and normal.
If kittens are very hungry, they will act frantic. They will grab the nipple with their teeth and shake it or paw wildly at the nipple. Pull the nipple out of their mouth, give them a second or two to calm down, and try again. If they nurse too fast, milk will come out their nose. Slow them down by using a nipple with a smaller hole or don’t tilt the bottle up as high. However, always tilt the bottle enough so the kitten is sucking milk and not air (You should see bubbles in the milk as they nurse).
The GI tract (stomach and intestines) of kittens is very sensitive, and they are prone to getting sick with bacterial infections in their gut. Try to keep everything as clean as possible—only pour a small amount of milk into the bottle for the kittens to nurse on, and when they have finished, pour any leftover milk into a clean bottle and refrigerate it. Then clean out the dirty bottle with a bottle brush, dish detergent and very hot water and rinse the nipple thoroughly.
I bottle feed every 2–3 hours during the day and also at night until kittens are about 2 weeks old. Then I feed every 3–4 hours during the day and feed once during the night until kittens are 4 weeks old. If kittens are sleeping, wake them up if necessary to feed them! Normally they would nurse a little on mom, fall asleep, nurse a little more, fall asleep, etc. Hungry babies can fall back asleep if there is no mom to nurse on and appear not to be hungry when in fact their blood sugar is dropping and they are starving. Their bellies will be rounded and appear full after they have eaten and will feel slack when they are empty. The books will tell you not to let kittens nurse too much at one time and not to let their bellies get too full. What I have found from experience (I have fostered about 100 kittens) is that if you don’t let them nurse until they are satisfied, you will have crying, whining kittens. Occasionally a kitten will want to nurse until you are sure it is about to burst—so in that case I intervene and pull the nipple away. But usually they stop on their own when they are full.
Stimulate kittens to urinate and defecate immediately after feeding. To do this, use a piece of gauze or a cotton ball, dip it in warm water and ring it out. Rub gently on the lower abdomen (just in front of the anal-genital area) until kitten urinates. They will not have a bowel movement every time—sometimes they don’t have one for several days. Don’t worry as long as they are still nursing. They seem to go through a period where their little bodies are absorbing just about everything they eat in order to grow and there’s not much left over to excrete out. You will need to stimulate them after every feeding until the kittens are about 3 weeks old or else they will bloat and die. At about 3 weeks of age, their GI and urinary tracts are mature enough to know they have to empty without stimulation from you. (Mom cat naturally stimulates her kittens as part of the cleaning process after her babies nurse–she licks them all over and eats any urine or feces that are excreted. This keeps the nest clean so predators will not detect the scent of the kittens.) I stimulate kittens over the bathroom sink until they are about 3 weeks old, then I stimulate them in a litter box so they start to get the idea that this is the potty area. I leave a small amount of urine and feces in the litter box to attract them to that area.
Keep the nest clean. Replace any towels that have urine or feces on them as soon as you discover kittens have soiled them. Otherwise, their carrier or box will smell bad very quickly, and kittens can develop infections from bacteria.
Make sure to clean the kittens after every feeding. Mom would do this and you are simulating being a mom cat. Use a piece of gauze or a cotton ball, dip it in warm water and wring it out, then clean the face (especially under the chin where milk dribbles), head, and rest of the body. This doesn’t take very long, but it is important for the kittens’ sense of well being. I usually stimulate kittens to urinate and defecate at the end of the cleaning process so everything done with the damp gauze gets done at once. If the mouth area is not kept very clean, bacteria will start to grow and the kitten will lose fur under the chin and even on the chest. This can happen after just 1 or 2 days of not cleaning, so it’s best to avoid this situation.
Keep kittens warm because they cannot regulate their own body temperatures until they are about 2 weeks old and if their body temperature drops they will die. You can use a heating pad set on LOW (That is the only setting that should ever be used) but I prefer to use a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel. I put a stuffed animal in the carrier with the hot water bottle and blankets, and the kittens like to sleep next to the bottle or on top of it. I change the bottle every time it starts cooling off. If you don’t keep the water bottle at a warm temp, the water bottle will actually draw the heat out of a small kitten. I keep a hot water bottle in the carrier until the kittens are about 5–6 weeks old because if they don’t have a mom they really enjoy snuggling up to the warmth.

Weaning:
1. Don’t rush it. Some kittens want to start weaning at about 4 weeks and others don’t really get into it until they are 5 or more weeks old.
2. Use canned food mixed with KMR. Warm it. Put a little food into the kitten’s mouth. They usually like to eat off your fingers or the floor first—then they move to eating out of a dish. It is not uncommon for them to chew at the rim of the dish first instead of eating the food. Some kittens prefer to just have canned food without the KMR in it.
3. Experiment with the tastes of your kittens—they are all different! I recommend a product like Precise as an excellent canned kitten food that most kittens seem to like (found at better quality pet food stores). I don’t offer kibble (dry food) until kittens are at least 5 weeks old. Make sure to use kitten chow because it is smaller than kibble made for adults. I watch the kittens at first so they don’t choke. It’s a good idea to soak the kibble first in some warm water to soften it.
4. As kittens start to wean, everything is a potential food source, including litter. So it is normal to see them eating litter in their litter box! When I see this, I take them over to their food dish and, if they are old enough, offer some dry food in case they are having the urge to start chewing. Don’t use clumping litter with kittens less than 6 months old. If they eat it, it can clump and cause a blockage in their stomach or intestines. Very small kittens can get blockages in their respiratory system from breathing in fine grains of litter that clump in their nasal passages.

 

INJURED PET EMERGENCIES:

Cleveland City Kennels answers calls primarily about stray dogs from 7:30 AM to 3 PM at 216-664-3069. After 3 PM, an answering machine takes calls which wardens check when they return to the kennels. This could be anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours.

From 9 AM to 5 PM, Cuyahoga County Kennels will answer calls primarily about injured dogs at 216-525-4810.

After 5 PM, call the non-emergency number for a police department, preferably for the city in which the accident happened.

The Cleveland dead-animal collection number is 216-664-3276. This number is not always answered, even in the daytime, and has no answering machine.

NO-KILL SHELTERS:
Note: To our knowledge, the following facilities are no-kill, but policies change, and it is always advisable to call the individual shelter to ask basic questions, such as "do you euthanize when overcrowded? Etc."

• Rescue Village (Geauga County Humane Society) 440-338-4819
• Parma Animal Shelter (no longer no kill) 440-885-8014
• Sanctuary for Senior Dogs, Chardon, 216-485-9233; email: seniordogs@aol.com
• Berea Rescue 440-234-9119, www.bereaanimalrescue.com

• Stay-a-While Cat Shelter  440-582-4990

PURE BREED INQUIRIES:
Look on the Internet at www.Petfinder.com, or do a search for Pure Breed Animal Rescue.

As a second resort, a directory of rescue organizations is available via PAWS, so please call or email us for specific numbers.

WILDLIFE EMERGENCIES

If you have a wildlife emergency and have found a wild animal (e.g. birds, rabbits, squirrels, raccoons, skunks, etc.) please call Penitentiary Glen Wildlife Rehab Center at 440-256-2131, or the general number at Penitentiary Glen, 440-256-1404.  They will offer assistance as to how to care for the stray or injured animal.  Their website is www.lakemetroparks.com.

Birds

• Pam Frederick  216-524-7561 (Valley View)
• National Rescue Group (Medina)  330-722-1627 (Dottie)
• NorthCoast Bird Adoption and Rehab (Aurora)  330-562-6999
• Bird Placement Program  216-749-3643 (may be area code 440)
• Birds of Prey (Medina)  330-667-2386

Rabbits

• 440-543-4959
• 614-797-3085

Skunks

• 440-327-4349