Trap, Neuter, Vaccinate & Return Program
Are you feeding Community Cats?
What is a community cat?
“Community cats” are free-roaming, outdoor cats with no verifiable signs of ownership. These cats are found all over the world. Community cats can be feral or friendly, young or old. Here in the Hamilton and Burlington area, they live in our urban areas, rural farms, parks, backyards, forested and industrial areas. It’s likely that they reside in your neighborhood, and you may not even know it.
Hamilton Ontario is home to an estimated 30,000-45,000 free-roaming, unowned “community cats.”
Caring for community cats, while working to stabilize and ultimately reduce their numbers, is one of the most complex issues facing animal shelters today. It’s one that leading animal welfare organizations, veterinarians and researchers have developed progressive solutions to address.
The Hamilton Burlington SPCA’s Community Cat Program was developed with a simple, clear goal in mind: to do what’s best for cats. We want to create the best, most compassionate outcome for every animal in Hamilton & Burlington, just as we’ve been committed to doing for more than 135 years. Our Community Cat Program accomplishes this by trapping humanly, neutering/spaying, vaccinating, and returning (TNVR) healthy community cats to their outdoor homes.
Hamilton Burlington SPCA’s Community Cat Program relies on years of scientific research, as well as discussion and debate among those in the animal welfare community who have dedicated their lives to doing what’s best for animals. Community cats entering the program are spayed/neutered, vaccinated and quickly returned to their outdoor homes. This program only applies to healthy cats, and those with easily treatable conditions, who demonstrate they are doing well living outside. It does not apply to cats who are unhealthy, show signs of having been recently abandoned, were relinquished by their owners, or were found in a location that presented an immediate danger.
By developing our Community Cat Program, we have taken the next step in our commitment to doing what’s best for the cats who need us. And that requires solutions that are innovative and push us to evolve how we think about our role in caring for animals in need!
Questions? Contact our Community Cat Coordinator Justin HERE
Please Note:
If you have less than 3 cats, we invite you to consider theLow Cost Spay/Neuter Program (CAP) and whether it meets your needs.
Already a registered caregiver? Please enjoy the self-serve resources below
PROUD MEMBER OF THE HAMILTON COMMUNITY CAT NETWORK
The Hamilton Community Cat Network (HCCN) is a collaborative of stakeholders committed to healthy, safe and wanted cats, working to improve the lives of our community cats for a healthier Hamilton.
