Community Cat
ALSO KNOWN AS:
Outdoor Cat, Stray Cat, Alley Cat, Feral Cat, Street Cat, Barn Cat, and Tomcat
Outdoor Cat, Stray Cat, Alley Cat, Feral Cat, Street Cat, Barn Cat, and Tomcat
What is a Community Cat?
Community cats may have been previously owned and became either lost or abandoned and reverted to a wild state; or they were born outside with little or no human contact.
Even though some community cats do not have close personal contact with humans, they still depend on humans for their food source.
Community cats live in family groups called colonies, which form near a source of food and shelter.
Most adult community cats are fearful of humans, almost impossible to tame and are not suited to cohabiting with people.
Never take a community cat to a shelter, as they will be deemed not adoptable and will be euthanized.
Kittens can often be socialized to humans and adopted into good homes, if they are caught at a young enough age (8-10 weeks).
Even though some community cats do not have close personal contact with humans, they still depend on humans for their food source.
Community cats live in family groups called colonies, which form near a source of food and shelter.
Most adult community cats are fearful of humans, almost impossible to tame and are not suited to cohabiting with people.
Never take a community cat to a shelter, as they will be deemed not adoptable and will be euthanized.
Kittens can often be socialized to humans and adopted into good homes, if they are caught at a young enough age (8-10 weeks).
How can you help?
Spay/neuter your community cats through a local TNR program. Don't wait until it's too late or you will find yourself with kittens with no place to go (and raising kittens is hard work if you take it on yourself)!
Don't rely on shelters and rescues to take them...they will very likely be euthanized at a kill-shelter and refused at a rescue due to their own limits of what they can handle at a time.
Learn more about TNR, its benefits, and how to here.
If you are in the Central Florida area, Guardians will loan you traps, and teach you how to use them. Contact us for more information, or to reserve traps.
Spay/neuter your family pets. It only takes one unattended moment to create an accidental litter. Besides cutting down on overpopulation, spaying/neutering your pet can increase their lifespan by cutting down on cancers, aggression, and dangerous behavior. To find a low-cost clinic in your area, please check out http://www.spayusa.org/search.php where you can search for one near you.
*Please note, we are not a shelter or veterinary facility, we cannot accept cats or kittens, or assist with adoptions. We will provide resources and tools you need to help community cats in your area*
Spread the Word!
What is TNR?
TNR is the only method proven to be effective, humane and cost effective in controlling community cat population growth.
It immediately stabilizes the colony size, reduces nuisance behaviors, and helps increase shelter adoption rates by reducing intake.
Attempts to remove cats only result in the "vacuum effect"—new cats move in and the cycle repeats.
TNR has been shown to reduce euthanasia rates, improve cat behavior, and reduce costs for local shelters.
It immediately stabilizes the colony size, reduces nuisance behaviors, and helps increase shelter adoption rates by reducing intake.
Attempts to remove cats only result in the "vacuum effect"—new cats move in and the cycle repeats.
TNR has been shown to reduce euthanasia rates, improve cat behavior, and reduce costs for local shelters.
HOW TO TNR?
01
Educate Yourself
Handling feral cats safely and effectively takes some knowledge, but plenty of resources are available to help. Start by exploring the resources on this website, and downloading the Neighborhood Cats TNR Handbook (Get the book)
02
Connect with the Community
"Community cats" are so called for a reason—they live among us, in backyards, throughout neighborhood, near commercial buildings, and other public spaces. Many people interact with them, with opinions ranging from positive to hostile. Understanding the community’s perspective will help you create a better environment for the cats. Walk around, talk to neighbors, and learn what they know about the cats. Share TNR information, address concerns, and explain how TNR benefits everyone. Engage feeders and volunteers for the trapping effort, and secure permission from property owners for access. A supportive and informed community makes the process much smoother for both you and the cats.
03
Establish a Feeding Routine & Count the Cats
To prepare for trapping, get the cats on a predictable feeding schedule—set a specific time and place for meals each day, then remove any uneaten food after 30 minutes. Cats are creatures of habit and will start showing up at the designated time, making trapping much easier. While establishing this routine, take note of how many cats are in the colony and identify any special cases, such as young kittens who may need fostering.
04
Find a clinic, secure funds and set up your recovery aera.
Once you have a count of the cats, locate a low-cost spay/neuter clinic and schedule appointments.
Whether you’re trapping all the cats at once or working in smaller batches, plan for a holding period of four to seven days:
During this time, you’ll need a secure, warm (at least 65°F), and dry place to rest, free from strangers or other animals. Suitable locations include a garage, basement, shed, barn, warehouse, empty office, spare room, or bathroom.
Whether you’re trapping all the cats at once or working in smaller batches, plan for a holding period of four to seven days:
- 2–3 days for trapping
- 1 day for spay/neuter surgery
- 2–4 days for post-surgery recovery
During this time, you’ll need a secure, warm (at least 65°F), and dry place to rest, free from strangers or other animals. Suitable locations include a garage, basement, shed, barn, warehouse, empty office, spare room, or bathroom.
05
Arrange Spay/Neuter Appointments, Traps & Transportation
Observe/Obtain traps, we can help if you are in the central Florida area. Lots of local agencies have humane traps available for TNR projects. Plan transportation for multiple trips between the colony site, the holding space, and the clinic.
06
Time for Trapping!
Now comes the action! The day before trapping, withhold all food so the cats are hungry and more likely to enter the traps. Even if everything else is done correctly, if they’re not hungry, they won’t go in.
Allow:
This buffer helps in case of bad weather or if someone unexpectedly leaves food out. Once trapped, transport the cats to the clinic, then to your holding space for recovery. When they’ve healed, return them to their original location. If some cats weren’t caught in time for the scheduled surgeries, continue trying to trap them while the rest of the colony is confined—it’s easier than catching them later when they’re back in the wild.
Allow:
- 2 days to trap a few cats
- 3 days if you're trapping an entire colony.
This buffer helps in case of bad weather or if someone unexpectedly leaves food out. Once trapped, transport the cats to the clinic, then to your holding space for recovery. When they’ve healed, return them to their original location. If some cats weren’t caught in time for the scheduled surgeries, continue trying to trap them while the rest of the colony is confined—it’s easier than catching them later when they’re back in the wild.
07
Ongoing Care
Once the cats return to their routine, your role shifts to regular feeding, monitoring for new arrivals, and addressing any concerns from neighbors. Now that the colony is fixed, there won’t be kittens, complaints will decrease, and you can feel confident knowing you’ve made a real difference in their lives
RELEASE CAT BACK TO SAME AREA
This is very important, make sure that you release the cats back into the colony or the area where they were trapped at. If not, cats will try go back to where they came from and many times get killed in the process.
RELOCATION DOES NOT WORK WITH FREE ROAMING OR FERAL CATS.
RELOCATION DOES NOT WORK WITH FREE ROAMING OR FERAL CATS.
By following these steps, you will ensure a successful TNR process—making life better for both the cats and the community.