Community Cats Program

Community cats are free-roaming felines who live outdoors in every community. You'll find them in almost every corner of the globe where people reside. These cats are part of the same domestic cat species as your indoor kitties, known scientifically as Felis Catus. 

Yet, there’s a twist! Unlike the cuddly cats curled up on your couch, community cats—sometimes called feral or outdoor cats—aren’t used to human interaction, and they prefer the great outdoors. They thrive living their best lives in their cozy colonies with their fellow feline friends. 

Despite not being house cats, these adventurous furballs enjoy happy and healthy lives in the wild. 

Because community cats are unsocialized, they can't live indoors with people. The most humane and kindest solution is Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR). In a TNR program, cats are humanely trapped, taken to a clinic to be spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and ear-tipped (the universal sign they've been through TNR), and then returned to their outdoor homes. So, if you see a cat with a tipped ear, don't trap it – it's already been spayed or neutered. TNR improves their lives and offers a humane, effective, and cooperative way for communities to live alongside cats.

As a Colony Caretaker of Community Cats, you can register your colony with NHS and apply for the Colony Caretaker Pet Pantry. Please see our section above for more information about food assistance for Colony Caretakers. This program lets you pick up food for your colony once a month during normal business hours at our Reno or Carson City Campuses. Thanks to our generous donors, this program helps supplement your colony’s monthly food supply. Just bring your ID when you come to pick up the food each month. 

Registering your colony address allows us to monitor the cats within a zip code boundary. We document their health, whether they are spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and have already gone through the TNR program. We partner with the caretaker to have their colony cats S/N. The result is that the cats are healthier, better behaved, and the number of kittens being born decreases. 

Community cats need to be in a humane trap covered with a sheet or towel (sorry, no cat carriers, boxes, or bins). When you drop them off, bring an empty, clean, medium-sized plastic carrier with a towel inside for their recovery after surgery. If you need a humane trap, you can rent one from the Client Services Desk at either Campus desk during normal business hours. Just remember, the trap rental program is only for transporting feral cats to appointments—not for catching cats to surrender to Washoe County Regional Animal Services or similar agencies. 

When you find kittens outdoors, it’s tempting to bring them indoors or to a shelter. However, it is important to know that this is almost never in a kitten’s best interest. The best thing to do if you find a kitten or litter of kittens is to leave them be. Even if you think they are alone, it is more than likely their mother is nearby. Unless the kitten(s) is sick, it is best to leave them where they are. 

Yes! There are several organizations that help with TNR:

• Community Cats: 775-360-8053 or communitycatsofreno@yahoo.com
• Feral at Heart
• Options Veterinary Care: 775-499-3700
• SPCA of Northern Nevada