Where do your animals come from?
Some come from loving homes and are surrendered to us for a variety or reasons, some are found on the street with no microchips and are rescued by animal-loving members of the public (Good Samaritans) and sometimes we take animals from the pound.
Why do you charge a fee?
We are a registered not-for-profit charity operating out of rented premises. We have all sorts of expenses for food, litter, preventatives, utilities, strata, council rates etc. We health check, microchip, desex, vaccinate and apply flea and worm products to every animal. We also provide medical tests & treatment as needed and our vet bills are high. We get no government funding and everything has to be paid for with money from donations, boarding fees, adoption fees, surrender fees and fundraising.
What should I do if I find a kitten/kittens?
If you find kittens their mother is probably nearby so leave them where they are until you can find out if she’s around. Kittens, especially those who are very young, do not thrive without their mum so it’s better if they can be together. If separated the kittens need round the clock care and can often die. If you don’t spot mum within a day or so bring the kittens into your house and contact every rescue organisation you can think of to see if they can help. If mum shows up, ask for help to trap her so the family can be brought together again. Most rescues are more than full during kitten season & and it is much healthier for the kittens so you can help by keeping the whole family with you until the kittens are big enough to be vaccinated. Then the rescue can put them up for adoption.
Meanwhile while you are trying to find help feed mum so she in turn can feed her kittens. You can also try to find homes for them all through your own network. If you can’t find a rescue to take them and the kittens get bigger it would help if you could get both them and mum desexed to stop the cycle of births. You may be able to get help from one of the larger rescue groups to organise this at a reduced rate.
What should you do if you find an adult cat or a dog?
They may just be roaming in your neighbourhood and in time they will return to their home, If they seem to be around a lot ask your neighbours if the pet belongs to them or someone nearby. If, after a while you are concerned, & the animal is friendly and approachable, you could catch them and take to the nearest vet. The vet will check for a microchip and locate the owner. If you post a photo of the animal on the neighbourhood pages on facebook this often leads to a successful reunion with the owner.
If there is no microchip you could take on the responsibility of caring for and feeding the pet. If you are concerned for the their safety, rescue organisations like SAFE may be able to help but they are limited in how many animals they can take and are often full. You can also contact the council but again they are often full and the ending may not be the one you hoped for. The best outcome is for you to continue to care for the pet, bring it into your home and either keep it yourself, or find someone in your family or circle of friends and neighbours to adopt it. Whatever the outcome it is wise to get any cat desexed and vaccinated to stop the cycle of births.
How can I help SAFE?
You can help in many ways. The most direct way is to adopt an animal from us! But there are other ways you can help us to save more animals.
What is SAFE’s euthanasia policy?
SAFE Rehoming is a No Kill animal welfare organisation
What does it cost to board my cat?
Do you need any towels/sheets/bedding?
We sometimes have to say Thanks but No Thanks! We have very little space for storage and usually have enough of these items as our cats are housed in comfortable suites which require only a small amount of bedding. You could ask your local vet if they need any sheets & towels as they go through more of these items than we do.