outdoor cats
Do you see outdoor cats in your daily travels?
YOU can help these cats!
Feed them
Provide Trap-Neuter-Return
Monitor their health
Watch for new cats
Community cats is a term used to describe outdoor, unowned, free roaming cats. The cats can be any age and socialization can vary from friendly to feral. They may have a caretaker, multiple caretakers, or be in need of a caretaker.
If you are unable to become their caretaker, we may be able to provide you with guidance or connect you with another resource.
If all the cats are not ear tipped, please let us know!
TRAP-NEUTER-RETURN (TNR) FOR COMMUNITY CATS
What is Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR)?
What is Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR)?
What is Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR)?
Trap-Neuter-Return is the only humane and effective approach to community cat populations.
Cats are humanely trapped, brought to a veterinarian to be spayed or neutered, vaccinated, eartipped (the universal sign that a community cat has been neutered and vaccinated), and then returned to their outdoor home.
When TNR is practiced reproduction is instantly stopped. Mating behaviors like yowling, spraying, and fighting are eliminated. The physical health of the cats improves and they become better neighbors.
Removing cats to a new location will only provide an opening for new cats to move into the area to take advantage of resources.
See facts about the vacuum effect here: https://www.alleycat.org/resources/research-the-vacuum-effect/
Why the Eartip on Outdoor Cats?
What is Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR)?
What is Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR)?
We love Alley Cat Allies explanation of eartips. Learn more at alleycat.org/WhyEartip.
We use the word “eartip” to describe when a small portion of the tip of a community cat’s ear is surgically removed during neuter surgery, as part of a Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program, to show that the cat has been neutered and vaccinated. Eartipping is done while the cat is anesthetized and is not painful for the cat. Eartipping is the most effective way to identify neutered community cats from a distance, to make sure they are not trapped or undergo surgery a second time.
An eartip is required for all community cats fixed by Leftover Pets/The Pet Mechanics and many other organizations.
Target Neighborhoods
Spay/Neuter Transport
Spay/Neuter Transport
Leftover Pets/The Pet Mechanics work with target neighborhoods and a team of volunteers to capture and fix all of the community cats in a designated area. The residents of these neighborhoods have a history of taking care of these cats. But they don't have the resources to get the animals fixed. Many times they need outside help with food to feed the colony.
Spay/Neuter Transport
Spay/Neuter Transport
Spay/Neuter Transport
Atlanta's LifeLine Community Cat Program has this to say about community cats and T-N-R:
Relocating cats to a different area is animal abandonment, which falls under animal cruelty crimes in the state of Georgia. Less than 50% of relocated cats survive because they don’t know the dangers in the area and succumb to predators, car tires, starvation, etc.
POPULATION CONTROL
Community cats help control the rat and snake population
SAFETY
Because cats are spayed or neutered and vaccinated, there is less fighting over mates, howling, marking and disease spread
SAVES MONEY
TNR saves taxpayers over $3.5 million by keeping cats out of greater Atlanta shelters