ARL offers tips should a pet become lost or missing

A lost cat who was missing for three weeks is back home safe and sound thanks to a Good Samaritan, social media, and the Animal Rescue League of Boston (ARL)

Mary, a 13-year-old cat, had never been outdoors, so when she snuck out of her Lowell home, her owner was instantly worried and turned to Facebook to report the missing animal.

Mary reunites with her owner!

About two weeks later, a resident was driving along Chelmsford Road near Route 3 in Lowell, and spotted the cat.

Concerned for her safety, the Good Samaritan pulled over, approached the cat, and took her in.

Mary was not wearing a collar, but was well-groomed and friendly, indicating she was likely an owned cat.

The finder contacted ARL and brought her to the organization’s Boston Animal Care & Adoption Center.

The cat was healthy, and settled in quickly, but meanwhile, a Facebook about the lost cat was spotted by her owner, who immediately reached out to ARL.

Soon after, Mary’s owner arrived at ARL and was reunited with her beloved pet!

When a Pet Goes Missing

An open door, a thunderstorm, slipping out of a collar or harness – situations happen where an animal becomes lost, and when that happens it’s important not to panic and to take steps to increase the likelihood of being reunited.

Take immediate action by following these 5 steps to increase the likelihood of a happy reunion with your pet: 

• Call the local Animal Control Officer of the town where you live, and of the town that your pet went missing in. List of Massachusetts Animal Control Officers.
• File a lost report with ARL either in person, over the phone at (617) 426-9170, or online. This lost report is seen by all three ARL locations. The staff will ask you to provide a photo of your pet.
• Contact your pet’s microchip company if your pet has one, to notify them that your pet is lost. Be sure to confirm that your contact information is current.
• File a lost report with every shelter within a 60-mile radius of where your pet went missing. Oftentimes, concerned citizens will pick up a stray pet they see on the side of the road and bring it to a shelter that is close to their destination instead of close to where they found the animal. Visit the shelters closest to you as often as possible to check for new incoming lost pets.
• Don’t give up! Many pets go missing for months before being reunited with their owners. You will have the best chance of finding your missing pet if you utilize all of the provided tips and continue to search for them as long as you can.

Additionally, as Mary’s story showed, social media can be a powerful tool when a pet is missing.

There are many community lost pet social media pages and should your pet go missing, not only can you post to inform your neighbors about your pet, but you can also be notified if someone finds your pet as well.

More helpful lost pet tips.

ARL offering $20,000 donation match for Community Cat Program

This past week the Animal Rescue League of Boston’s (ARL) Field Services Department rescued an eight-week-old community kitten who was living under a shipping container at a construction site in Charlestown.

ARL’s Community Cat Program focuses on this particularly vulnerable group of animals in Massachusetts.

Community cats are feral, stray and abandoned cats who live outdoors in harsh elements.

ARL has seen a dramatic rise in the number of community cats who need help in recent years and is offering a $20,000 donation match challenge to allow the organization to help even more community cats and kittens.

A resident at an apartment building overlooking the construction site at 75 Alford Avenue (Ryan Playground) in Charlestown contacted ARL’s Field Services Department after witnessing the kitten coming in and out from underneath a shipping container placed on the site.

With the help of Boston’s Park and Recreation Department, ARL was able to gain access to the site and began the trapping process.

It took two days, and in the end the kitten overcame her fear and gave in to her hunger. She emerged from underneath the shipping container and into an awaiting humane cat trap.

The kitten, now named Ally, was transported to ARL’s Boston Animal Care & Adoption Center to undergo veterinary care.

The kitten is in excellent health, is undersocialized but friendly, and she will likely be made available for adoption in the coming weeks.

Community Cat Program Match

With an estimated 700,000 community cats in Massachusetts, 70,000 in Boston alone, these animals live in harsh conditions and without proper care are at-risk for illness and injury.

ARL’s Community Cat Program was launched in 2017 and is the only large animal welfare organization in Massachusetts with a dedicated agent working exclusively with community cats and kittens.

In 2024 the program saw a record number of community cats, nearly 2,000, and the organization has found loving homes for more than 2,700 community cats and kittens over the past five years.

After identifying a community cat colony, ARL formulates a Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) plan, to evaluate, vaccinate and spay/neuter cats from the colony.

TNR is one of the most humane and effective ways to stop the cycle of homelessness among cats. Cats that are truly feral are returned to the colony, while those suitable as pets are adopted into homes.

ARL receives no government grants or funding and relies solely on the generosity of individuals to ensure these vulnerable animals receive the care they need and deserve.

Through June 30, any donation towards ARL’s Community Cat Program will be matched, dollar-for-dollar to help twice as many community cats in need.

Those interested can visit https://www.arlboston.org/services/community-cat-services/ to help ARL continue this important work.

Vulnerable cats spotted at Roxbury Preschool day before Nor’easter

A three-year-old female community cat and her five, four-week-old, kittens are resting comfortably today after being rescued by the Animal Rescue League of Boston (ARL) on the eve of a spring Nor’easter.

A custodian at the Haynes Early Education Center in Roxbury contacted ARL’s Field Services Department on Wednesday afternoon with concern after spotting the mom and her kittens on school grounds.

ARL responded and were quickly able to safely corral the kittens and mom and get them ready to travel.

The animals were brought to ARL’s Boston Animal Care & Adoption Center and were provided the care and medical attention needed to allow them to thrive.

The mom and kittens are doing well, but due to a lack of safe shelter on the school grounds, the animals, kittens in particular, were vulnerable due to the Nor’easter moving into the area today.

Due to their young age, the family will be placed into foster care and will not be available for adoption for at least a month.

ARL is the only large animal welfare organization in Massachusetts with a dedicated agent working with community cats, and with temperatures beginning to warm, ARL is beginning to see an influx of kittens, which will continue throughout the summer months and likely into the fall.

In 2024 ARL’s Community Cat Program helped nearly 2,000 community cats, a record since the program’s inception in 2017.

While community cats are incredibly adept at finding safe shelter and food sources, kittens are vulnerable to a multitude of things including the elements, illness and predators.

If you spot community cats and kittens, you are encouraged to contact ARL’s Field Services Department at (617) 426-9170 x563 for assistance.

How You Can Help

Caring for young kittens like them requires significant resources.

To help support them on their journey, please consider donating.

Your donation will help make sure these kittens, and other animals like them, get everything they need in order to be adopted into loving homes, including time, medical treatment, and expert care. 

ARL is a resource for overwhelmed pet owners in overcrowding situations

 In the past two weeks, the Animal Rescue League of Boston (ARL) has taken in 25 cats through two separate overcrowding situations where the owners were overwhelmed by the number of animals in the home.

One of 25 cats taken in by ARL due to overcrowding.

The cats are will be made available for adoption soon, however, situations like this put a strain on ARL’s resources and the organization is asking the public for assistance to provide the care and support these animals need.

Both instances of overcrowding are due to lack of accessible and/or low-cost spay and neuter services.

Once the cats began reproducing, the numbers quickly spiraled out of control for the owners, who then reached out to ARL for assistance.

ARL worked with the owners to safely corral the cats, and then transported them to ARL’s Boston Animal Care & Adoption Center for medical care.

While it is common to see upper respiratory infections and under-socialization in cats from overcrowding situations, these cats were healthy, well cared for, and the majority of the animals are incredibly friendly and social.

They are receiving vaccinations, spay/neuter surgery, and will soon be available for adoption.

ARL is prepared to help anyone who has too many animals in the home, as the organization works with the pet owners to find a solution that works best for both the animals and people involved.

If you or someone you know is in need of assistance, visit our Here to Help page or call (617) 426-9170.

 A sudden large intake of animals strains ARL’s limited resources, as care for these animals is already well into the thousands.

Please consider donating to support ARL and the ongoing care for these cats and animals like them.

Stray dog needed emergency surgery

The Animal Rescue League of Boston (ARL) is caring for a Shih Tzu puppy that was found alone in Jamaica Plain just before the New Year and needed emergency surgery due to an eye injury.

The animal is recovering, but still has a way to go before finding his new home.

Louie after receiving emergency surgery.

Louie, an 8-month-old Shih Tzu, was found along a cold and damp Boylston Street in Jamaica Plain on December 28, and taken to a veterinary clinic for an initial assessment.

Boston Animal Care and Control was contacted to retrieve the dog, and because of the nature of his injury, contacted ARL’s Boston Animal Care and Adoption Center to provide emergency care and support.

The dog did not have a microchip or identification tags, but had suffered from a ruptured corneal ulcer, causing extreme pain and discomfort; an umbilical hernia was also discovered upon examination at ARL.

ARL’s community and shelter medicine team performed surgery to remove the injured eye and repaired the hernia.

Louie is pain-free and recovering well, however, he will not be made available for adoption until he is healthy enough to go home.

ARL is a Resource

ARL is a resource to pet owners and to partners like Boston Animal Care and Control, but emergency services and surgery do come at a high cost.

To date, Louie’s cost of care is several thousand dollars, and ARL is seeking financial support to help offset the cost of his medical needs. Please consider donating today.