Drop Off a Cat to an Animal Shelter

Admissions

Surrendering your pet to a sheltering agency should be considered a last resort. Please consider all available alternatives prior to considering surrendering. Our free Pet Help Line has many resources and referrals that may help you keep your pet. You may also want to consider rehoming your animal instead of placing them in a shelter. Please reach out to our free Pet Help Line for more information on our pet retention resources and programs.

Is your recent adoption from KHS not working out?

To ensure the right fit, KHS gives Adopters a 14 day adjustment period to evaluate the pet's progress and their adoption decision. You will be aware that, within those 14 days, if you determine your new pet isn't a good fit, you can make an appointment to return your pet to KHS and will receive an adoption credit that can be used within six months towards the adoption of another animal that better fits your lifestyle. You will understand the adoption credit will be equal to the adoption fee of the original pet. If you choose a new pet with a higher fee than the original adoption, you will pay the difference at the time of adoption. KHS will not issue monetary refunds for any difference in adoption fees.

The Admissions Process

We apologize for the inconvenience, but our process for surrender has changed slightly due to the national staffing shortage. We are a private, non-profit shelter that does not euthanize for time or space. Because of this, we do admissions by appointment for both stray and owned animals. We are often on a wait list for appointments, so we will not be an immediate option for surrender. If you have a stray animal that you need picked up or that you cannot hold onto for more than a week, we recommend contacting Louisville Metro Animal Services, which is the municipal shelter that is responsible for stray animal pickups and can take strays in sooner.

If you would like to start the process of surrendering an animal to us, please see the instructions below for our surrender questionnaires. Our Pet Help Line Staff will not be able to reply to inquiries about surrender in less you have submitted a questionnaire.

Before we can schedule a admissions appointment, you will be asked to complete an online owner questionnaire for each of your pets. This questionnaire will be received by our helpline@kyhumane.org. A Pet Help Line representative will get in touch with you to clarify any details, discuss all possible options available to you, as a pet owner, and when applicable, set up the surrender appointment. Please click on the approriate link below to complete the form. Keep in mind that no pet is perfect and we do not expect them to be. It is best to be detailed and honest about your pet's personality, habits and needs.

• Dog (dogs 4 months and older) Owner Questionnaire
• Puppy (dogs under 4 months) Owner Questionnaire
• Cat (cats 4 months and older) Owner Questionnaire
• Kitten (cats 4 months and younger) Owner Questionnaire

To ensure a speedy adoption process, it is helpful if your pet is clean and well-groomed, with nails trimmed; free of parasites, such as fleas, ticks, and ear mites; and up-to-date on vaccines.

Once the appointment is scheduled and the date arrives, expect your appointment to take approximately 30 minutes. You should bring all medical records for your animal and your photo ID.

Learn about Admissions FAQ

Admissions Fees

Because KHS is a private nonprofit agency, KHS charges a small admissions fee for surrendered pets. This fee helps cover food, boarding and medical costs. It costs KHS approximately $250 to provide care for each animal that comes to us, so we welcome any donation you are able to make in addition to the admissions fee.

Dog / Cat

• $40

Kitten Litters

• 2-5 kittens = $45
• 6-10 kittens = $55

Puppy Litters

• 2-5 puppies = $45
• 6-10 puppies  = $75

Unadoptable Pets

There are some circumstances where animals cannot be placed up for adoption. These include:

• When animals show signs of aggression or severe behavior problems during administration of a nationally recognized temperament test. Please be aware that an animal that is friendly in your home may react differently towards strangers in the stressful shelter environment.
• When a veterinarian, after examination, determines the animal is too ill to be adopted.

In cases when pets are deemed unadoptable, the owner or finder can choose to be notified and can pick up the pet. Learn about our Euthanasia Policy

Drop Off a Cat to an Animal Shelter

Source: https://www.kyhumane.org/services/pet-surrender/

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