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GEM CITY KITTIES
  • About
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    • Donate
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      • TNR Certification
    • Giving Up A Cat
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  • Gem City Vet

Giving Up a Cat

We're sorry you're facing the difficult decision to re-home your cat or taking on the task of finding a home for a lost stray. In Montgomery County, the only resources for cats are privately run non-profits who are limited intake (also called no-kill). Unfortunately, this means the wait lists can be long. We have medical and behavioral resources listed below to try to keep cats in their homes. If surrendering is the only option available, our surrender criteria and application are below as well.

Affordable Veterinary Care

For low-cost veterinary care, we recommend the following facilities. Our low-cost clinic, Gem City Vet, treats both cats and dogs in low-income families.
  • Gem City Vet - Trotwood, OH
  • His Hands Extended Sanctuary - St. Paris, OH
  • Pet Advocate League - Dayton, OH
  • SICSA Pet Adoption Center - Washington Township, OH
  • Rascal Unit - Southwestern OH
For standard vet care, we recommend:
  • Orchard Veterinary Care in Wilmington, OH.
  • Dr. Horton at Germantown Veterinary Clinic in Germantown, OH.
  • Suburban Veterinary Clinic in Dayton, OH

Having behavioral issues?

If you are considering re-homing your cat due to behavioral issues such as inappropriate elimination, aggression with people or other animals, aggressive play, fear, or furniture scratching, changing a few routines may help solve some of the problems you are experiencing. We have links for the most common issues on our Resources Page here. Another great option is working with a professional trainer in your home. We recommend Pawsitive Pet Behavior, you can find their information below.
Get in Touch
For outdoor cats, we recommend Trap, Neuter, Return (TNR) instead of surrendering to a shelter or rescue.
READ MORE ABOUT TNR

Our Surrender Process

Our adoptable cats live at Gem City Catfe in the cat lounge with 17 other cats and see many visitors each day. For this reason, we have specific surrender criteria to accept cats that will thrive in our environment. Our applications will be processed based on needs of the surrendering family and the needs of the cats currently in our program.

Please read all of the criteria before starting your application.
 
Surrender Criteria
  • Must be spayed or neutered before applying. We don't have a full time veterinarian yet and aren't able to complete these surgeries in house.
  • Must pass behavior assessment. Cats who are fairly timid become extremely stressed at the Catfe and are not a good fit for the cat lounge environment.
  • Must be in overall good health. While we do our best to help with medical cases, our program is currently full with several cats who have special needs at this time. If this changes, we'll update our website accordingly. Cats over 8 years of age must have bloodwork completed during the surrender process. 
Costs
As a nonprofit, we rely on donations and program fees to keep caring for cats.
If your cat isn't fully vetted, we are able to assist with low-cost veterinary care (excluding spay & neuter surgeries) to help keep the surrender process affordable. During the application, you can select which vet care has been done already and we can coordinate with you to schedule the remaining items once your application is being processed.
  • Intake Fee - $30 per cat
  • Exam - $15 per cat
  • FVRCP Vaccine - $10 per vaccine 
  • Rabies Vaccine - $8
  • FeLV/FIV test - $25
  • Microchip - $11
Steps
We have two different processes to keep applications from owned pets separate from stray or lost cats. 

Owner Surrender Applications 
  1. Read criteria. Be sure you'll be able and willing to meet our program guidelines.
  2. Fill out application online. Cats must be spayed or neutered before you begin your application. 
  3. If necessary, bring your cat to complete the needed vaccination or testing requirements. We can combine this with the behavior assessment in step 4.
  4. Complete behavior assessment. If your cat is highly stressed by new situations or new people, we will not be able to accept them.
  5. Sign Owner Surrender Contract & Pay Surrender Fees. We will keep the cat on site and get them set up at Gem City Catfe.

Stray Surrender Applications 
The stray surrender process is the same as above, with two added steps. Lost or stray cats surrenders must complete the following items before applying, to avoid taking in a lost pet:
  • Make sure the cat has been scanned for a microchip before starting your application.

​Look for the owner:

  • Post on Dayton Area Lost and Found Pets - Facebook Group
  • File a Lost and Found Pet Report with SICSA
  • Call Humane Society of Greater Dayton to see if a lost pet matches this profile
  • Post flyers in your neighborhood
Owner Surrender Application 
If you are helping a friend or family member, you can still use this application and help them enter their information. 
OWNER SURRENDER APPLICATION
Stray Surrender Application
STRAY SURRENDER APPLICATION

Other Local Resources

We understand that we may not be the best fit for your needs at this time. Other local organizations may be able to offer more help. Adopt-A-Pet also offers ways to help post your pet for adoption.
SICSA
joseph's legacy
Humane society of greater dayton
Humane Association of Warren County
his hands extended sanctuary

In 2019, Montgomery County ended all programs to help cats in our area.

If you'd like to see our taxpayer resources being used to help cats too, rather than only dogs, please contact our County Commissioners. For email addresses and meeting schedules, please visit the county website here.

Carolyn Rice

Phone: (937) 225-4912

Judy Dodge

Phone: (937) 225-6470

Deborah A. Lieberman

Phone: (937) 225-4015

1513 E 5th St
Dayton, OH 45403

​937.949.9170

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  • About
  • Adopt
  • Give
    • Donate
    • Sponsor a Cat
    • Be a Sponsor
  • Resources
    • Behavior Resources
    • Community Cats >
      • TNR Certification
    • Giving Up A Cat
  • Get Involved
    • Foster
    • Volunteer
    • Job Opportunities
  • Contact
  • Gem City Vet