I found a feral cat in Las Vegas. Now what?

Most of the calls we get start the same way: "There's a cat, and I don't know what to do." Good news — figuring out the right move takes about ten minutes of observation and a few honest questions. Here's exactly how we'd walk you through it.

First question: is this cat feral, or a stray?

This is the single most important thing to figure out, because the right response is completely different for each.

• A stray is a lost or abandoned pet. Strays often approach people, meow, make eye contact, and may look disheveled or confused. A stray might be reunited with a family or adopted into a new one.
• A feral cat was born outside and has never lived with people. Ferals avoid humans, stay silent, keep low to the ground, and will not let you approach. A feral cat's best life is outdoors, fixed, with a caretaker — not in a shelter cage.

Check the left ear. If the tip is flat and clipped — like the corner was neatly trimmed off — that's an ear tip. It means the cat has already been through Trap-Neuter-Return, is fixed and vaccinated, and almost certainly has a caretaker. An ear-tipped cat that looks healthy needs nothing from you. That's the system working.

Second question: is the cat injured or sick?

An injured or clearly sick cat changes everything — feral or not, it needs help now. Look for limping, open wounds, crusted or sealed eyes, heavy discharge, extreme thinness, or a cat that doesn't move when you get close (healthy ferals always move). If you see any of that:

• Call The Animal Foundation at (702) 229-8022
• Or Clark County Animal Control at (702) 455-7710
• Or contact us — if we can't respond directly, we'll point you to someone who can

Don't try to grab an injured feral cat with your hands. A scared, hurt cat will fight you, and cat bites are serious. If you can safely contain it under a laundry basket or in a garage until help arrives, great. If not, keep eyes on it and make the call.

Third question: is it a kitten — or a litter of kittens?

Here's where good intentions go wrong most often. People find kittens tucked under a shed, assume they're abandoned, and scoop them up. Please don't — not yet.

Mom is usually nearby, out hunting or in the middle of moving her litter one kitten at a time. Unweaned kittens' best chance of survival is their mother, full stop. Kittens pulled too early need round-the-clock bottle feeding, and even then the odds are worse than with mom.

If mom does return: the whole family is a TNR case. Once the kittens are weaned, mom gets fixed, and young-enough kittens can often be socialized and adopted.

So when do I observe, and when do I intervene?

1. 01
   Healthy, ear-tipped cat
   Do nothing. This cat is fixed and managed. Enjoy the free neighborhood pest control.
2. 02
   Healthy feral, no ear tip
   This cat needs TNR. Start feeding on a schedule and reach out to us — a routine makes trapping far easier.
3. 03
   Friendly stray
   Check for a collar, post to local lost-pet groups, and ask a vet to scan for a microchip. Someone may be looking for this cat.
4. 04
   Injured, sick, or orphaned
   Intervene now. Call The Animal Foundation at (702) 229-8022 or Clark County Animal Control at (702) 455-7710.

What about feeding?

Feeding a healthy outdoor cat is kind — but feeding without fixing creates more cats. One unfixed female can start a population boom in a single season. If you start putting food out, pair it with a plan: feed at the same time daily, and line up TNR. When you're ready, our step-by-step trapping guide covers everything from choosing a trap to recovery after surgery.

You don't have to do this alone

We're a small Las Vegas network, but we've helped a lot of residents go from "there's a cat in my yard" to "there's a fixed, healthy cat in my yard." Reach out and tell us what you're seeing. We'll help you figure out the next step — and sometimes the next step is beautifully simple: nothing at all.