Found a Cat? Help is Here.
Whether you have encountered a colony of community cats or a stray cat/kitten, we have guidance for you.
I found a cat/colony that needs to be fixed
1Find a clinic for spay/neuter and make a plan.
a. finding a clinic
c. what will happen during TNR surgery/vet care
- United Spay Alliance Low-Cost Spay/Neuter Programs Locator
www.unitedspayalliance.org/state-local/program-locator-map/ - Neighborhood Cats' Low-Cost Spay/Neuter Clinic Database
https://www.neighborhoodcats.org/resources/find-help/find-a-low-cost-spay-neuter-clinic
c. what will happen during TNR surgery/vet care
- i. Alley Cat Allies' tip sheet on working with a vet covers the main things that will happen during TNR surgery
https://www.alleycat.org/community-cat-care/working-with-a-vet/ - ii. Alley Cat Allies explains why the left ear is so important
https://www.alleycat.org/community-cat-care/why-the-eartip-on-outdoor-cats/
- i. Humane Society of the United States' position on combo testing community cats (see page 16)
http://www.humanesociety.org/assets/pdfs/pets/feral-cats/overview-caring-comm-cats.pdf - ii. Alley Cat Allies' protocol on combo testing community cats
https://www.alleycat.org/resources/protocols-testing-feline-immunodeficiency-virus-fiv-and-feline-leukemia-virus-felv/ - iii. Information from Neighborhood Cats on combo testing community cats
https://www.neighborhoodcats.org/how-to-tnr/veterinary/fiv-felv-testing
2Trap those cats!
- finding equipment
- i. lists of trapping equipment needed from Alley Cat Allies
https://www.alleycat.org/community-cat-care/trapping-equipment/
and Neighborhood Cats
https://www.neighborhoodcats.org/how-to-tnr/trapping/traps-equipment
- i. lists of trapping equipment needed from Alley Cat Allies
- other things to think about/make sure you have in place before trapping
(hint: traps aren’t the only thing you’ll need to have in place!)
- i. Alley Cat Allies’ tip sheet on pre-trapping set up
https://www.alleycat.org/community-cat-care/pre-trap-setup/ - ii. Neighborhood Cats’ “7 Steps of TNR” guide
https://www.neighborhoodcats.org/how-to-tnr/getting-started/the-7-steps-of-tnr - iii. Community Cats Podcast’s TNR Certification Workshop, presented by Neighborhood Cats
https://vimeo.com/43420504 - ii. The Kitten Lady’s trapping video
http://www.kittenlady.org/videos/
- i. Alley Cat Allies’ tip sheet on pre-trapping set up
- recovery & return – what happens after surgery
- i. Alley Cat Allies’ tip sheet on post-surgery care
https://www.alleycat.org/community-cat-care/post-surgery-care/
and returning cats
https://www.alleycat.org/community-cat-care/returning-the-cats/ - ii. Neighborhood Cats’ guide to caring for cats in traps
https://www.neighborhoodcats.org/how-to-tnr/trapping/caring-for-cats-in-traps
- i. Alley Cat Allies’ tip sheet on post-surgery care
3Sample question
- setting up a feeding schedule and finding help caring for your colony
- i. Alley Cat Allies’ food and water tip sheet
https://www.alleycat.org/community-cat-care/food-and-water-tips/
and tips on how to find help
https://www.alleycat.org/community-cat-care/getting-help/ - ii. Neighborhood Cats’ how-to guide on feeding colonies
https://www.neighborhoodcats.org/how-to-tnr/colony-care/feeding
- i. Alley Cat Allies’ food and water tip sheet
- setting up shelters and feeding stations
- i. The Kitten Lady’s video on shelters for outdoor cats
http://www.kittenlady.org/videos/ - ii. winter cats shelter ideas and plans from Alley Cat Allies
https://www.alleycat.org/community-cat-care-category/cat-care/colony-care/shelter/
and Neighborhood Cats
https://www.neighborhoodcats.org/how-to-tnr/colony-care/feral-cat-winter-shelter - iii. Alley Cat Allies explains how to choose feeding locations and how to set up a feeding station
https://www.alleycat.org/community-cat-care/feeding-locations-and-stations/
- i. The Kitten Lady’s video on shelters for outdoor cats
- what to do with kittens and friendly cats
- i. what to do if you find kittens outdoors
https://www.alleycat.org/community-cat-care/finding-kittens-outdoors/ - ii. learn about caring for kittens yourself
https://kittenrescue.org/cat-care/ - iii. what to do about friendly cats outdoors
https://www.alleycat.org/community-cat-care/help-friendly-cats/
- i. what to do if you find kittens outdoors
4Deal with issues that might arise.
- how to pay for surgery, food, and care for sick/injured cats https://www.alleycat.org/community-cat-care/financial-resources-for-cats/
- local ordinances https://www.alleycat.org/community-cat-care/get-help-with-ordinances/
- unhappy neighbors
- i. Alley Cats Allies’ tip sheet on keeping neighbors of cat colonies happy https://www.alleycat.org/community-cat-care/making-nice-with-the-neighbors/
- ii. tips on keeping cats out of neighboring yards and gardens https://www.neighborhoodcats.org/how-to-tnr/colony-care/keeping-cats-out-of-gardens-and-yards-2
- sick/injured cats
- i. what to do when there is a sick or injured cat https://www.alleycat.org/community-cat-care/sick-or-injured-cats/
- ii. how to foster feral cats safely https://www.neighborhoodcats.org/how-to-tnr/trapping/fostering-feral-cats-safely
- hard to trap cats
- i. tip sheets on tricks for catching hard-to-trap cats from Alley Cat Allies https://www.alleycat.org/community-cat-care/tips-for-hard-to-trap-cats/ and Neighborhood Cats https://www.neighborhoodcats.org/how-to-tnr/trapping/hard-to-catch-cats
- relocation: why it’s not the best answer
- i. information on relocating community cats from Alley Cat Allies https://www.alleycat.org/community-cat-care/relocation-the-last-resort/ and Neighborhood Cats https://www.neighborhoodcats.org/how-to-tnr/colony-care/relocation
- ii. when relocation is your only option, make sure it's done correctly to increase the chances that the cat(s) will stick around https://www.speakcdn.com/assets/2439/blue_collar_cat_acclimation_tips.pdf
- language barriers
- i. a variety on information on TNR and community cats is available in Spanish from Alley Cat Allies https://alley-cat-allies.myshopify.com/collections/en-espanol
5Find your community for support and help.
- online groups
FeralCats https://groups.io/g/FeralCats is a large, nationwide message board group with lots of traffic, Facebook groups (search in your area, or check out Neighborhood Cats’ page https://www.facebook.com/neighborhoodcats/
or Alley Cat Allies’ page
https://www.facebook.com/AlleyCatAllies/) - local shelters & TNR groups
Google for resources in your area! - Alley Cat Allies’ Feral Friends Network
https://www.alleycat.org/our-work/feral-friends-network/feral-friends-network-connect/
