“Community Cats” is a term used to describe outdoor, unowned, free-roaming cats. These cats could be friendly, feral, adults, kittens, healthy, sick, altered and/or unaltered. Community cats are not socialized and are generally not adoptable. They may or may not have a caregiver. By this definition, the only outdoor free-roaming cats who are not community cats are those who have an owner.
Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) is the least costly and most humane, efficient way of stabilizing populations.
Trap: Humanely trap all cats living together in an outdoor colony.
Neuter: Take the cats, in humane traps, to a veterinarian or clinic to be neutered/spayed, vaccinated, microchipped and ear-tipped (universal symbol indicating cats have been neutered).
Return: Return the cats to their original outdoor home or colony.
If you need help with Community Cats, please fill out our TNR Request Form. One of our volunteers will then contact you, asking a series of questions to gather as much information as possible before scheduling a visit to assess the site and develop a plan for trapping.
We can work with the homeowner or caretaker to train you to do the trapping yourself or one of our volunteers can trap if you are unable or uncomfortable to assist. We also rent traps for a small, refundable fee. Anyone who agrees to do their own trapping must sign an agreement, stating they understand and will follow our policies and procedures for humane trapping.
After the cats are trapped, vaccinated, and neutered/spayed, they will be returned to their original site/colony.
HSLC will pay for the costs of the vaccinations and surgery. Due to our limited funds, we ask that TNR Requesters make a tax deductible donation commensurate with their ability to pay. Donations help us defray costs so that we can continue to provide help for everyone requesting assistance.
