Trap, Neuter, Return (TNR) Resources for Community Cats
Need spay or neuter resources for community cat(s) in your area?
Learn more about Trap, Neuter, Return (TNR) and find resources below:
STEP 1
Identify if you are in LA City or LA County by zip, to verify which animal care organization services your area.
STEP 2
Select a program based on your location:
Available to those within SEAACA’s service area: Bell Gardens, Bellflower, Buena Park, Downey, Lakewood, La Palma, Montebello, Norwalk, Paramount, Pico Rivera, Santa Fe Springs, South El Monte, South Gate & Vernon.
Learn more about TNR
TNR FAQ’s
TNR stands for Trap-Neuter-Return, and is a proven and humane strategy to ensure feral or community cats are not multiplying and creating unwanted litters.
A feral cat is defined as an outdoor, free-roaming cat that has little to no interest in human interaction. They are generally unfriendly and may run away when approached.
A community cat is defined as any cat, friendly or feral, that does not seem to have an owner. A community cat may be fed by one or multiple people in the community.
TNR programs are reliant on community members to take an active part in trapping and transporting feral and community cats to spay and neuter appointments.
Many TNR organizations and municipal shelter community cat programs will loan traps to support TNR in your community.
TNR spay or neuter procedures include an “ear tip”, which is an international sign that a community cat has been spayed or neutered. When an ear tipped cat gets trapped, the trapper will know to release them immediately as they’ve already been fixed.
Cat colonies can grow in size in a very short period of time – cats can have 2-3 litters of kittens per year, with litters of 5-6 kittens each. And those kittens can become pregnant as early as six months old. The math quickly equals a LOT of cats, and TNR can break this cycle.
If you find a litter of kittens with their mom, it is recommended to wait until they are approximately six weeks old before the mom is trapped to get spayed. Kittens under six weeks need their mother to nurse, keep warm and for assistance going to the bathroom. Find a litter of kittens outside and not sure what to do? Look to resources such as this video from Best Friends for best practices and how to help.
Healthy kittens can be spayed or neutered starting at eight weeks old, or at least 2lbs.
There are dozens of organizations across Los Angeles who will assist with Trap-Neuter-Return.
Los Angeles Animal Services City Wide Cat Program can provide assistance with resources and partner organizations, trap loans and vouchers for free TNR services.