A scraggly cat slinks into your backyard. A lost dog sits forlornly frozen on the median as you whiz past. To be prepared to call in a rescue, à la Animal Cops, keep the number of your local animal care and control agency or a shelter — or even just the nonemergency number of your local police department — programmed on your cell phone. For more information on how to help the next time you spot Spot, log on to www.hsus.org, on the website of the Humane Society of the United States.