TNR Community Cats

Why TNR?

The neighborhood cats you see around Palm Springs are often homeless, sometimes abandoned by their previous owners. Many are offspring of these forgotten felines. While some are like our household companion cats, approachable and friendly, most have had little or no contact with humans and are fearful of people, and therefore cannot be adopted out as pets. Palm Springs is estimated to have over 4,000 homeless cats. You can help manage the homeless cat population by participating in our Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program. TNR is humane and effective. It ends reproduction, stabilizes and reduces feral cat populations, improves cats’ lives, and reduces our annual intake of kittens at our shelter. The alternative method, removing cats from a neighborhood by killing them, is not only cruel—it is illegal — and it doesn’t work.

TRAP. NEUTER. RETURN.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE

Saturday, 8/25

Saturday, 9/1

Saturday, 9/8

Saturday, 9/15

Saturday, 9/22

Saturday, 9/29

Note: sometimes schedules change due to conflicts, so please confirm with one of our TNR Coordinators before trapping:

Colleen: cmwalsh@psanimalshelter.org -or- Mathew: mgrace@psanimalshelter.org

DROP OFF

OPTION 1: the night before surgery between 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM

OPTION 2: the morning of surgery between 7:15 AM -8:00 AM

TIP: ALWAYS CHECK TO ENSURE CATS ARE NOT EAR-TIPPED BEFORE BRINGING THEM TO THE SHELTER

NOTE: ALL CATS MUST HAVE THEIR TRAP COMPLETELY COVERED IN A SHEET (SUMMER) OR TOWEL (WINTER)

PICK UP

The morning after surgery between 7:15 AM -8:00 AM

Traps.

You can borrow an approved TruCatch 30LTD Trap from the Palm Springs Animal Shelter. Schedule your trap pick-up with our TNR Coordinator who will show you best practices for effective and humane trapping. The rental is free. Simply sign an agreement and provide a refundable deposit of $65 per trap. Cash and credit cards are accepted, and the amount will be refunded upon returning the traps to the shelter within the agreed upon time-frame. You may also purchase traps here: TruCatch All traps must be labeled on top using duct tape with the trapper's name, trapper's mobile number, and the exact address where cat was trapped.

Fees.

Thanks to a generous grant through Best Friends Animal Society, spay/neuter fees for Coachella Valley outdoor cats are currently being waived. However, in order to sustain the TNR program and to help offset actual medical costs, we ask participants for a voluntary $25 donation per cat.

Surgery.

Once sedated, cats are checked for potential microchips and potential past evidence of neuter/spay procedures. All cats are neutered/spayed, receive rabies vaccination, FRVCP vaccination (rhinotracheitis, calicivirus and panleukopenia) , a tipped ear, pain medication, a microchip and are treated for infection, fleas, or ear mites, if visible. Post-surgery the cats are held at the shelter overnight. This gives the cats time to recover in a quiet and safe space, while the anesthesia wears off. They are also given dinner. Cats must be returned the next day to the exact location where they were trapped.

Tipped Ears.

Eartipping is the preferred method to identify spayed/neutered homeless and neighborhood cats. Eartipping is the removal of one-quarter of a cat’s left ear (about 1 cm). This procedure is performed under sterile conditions while the cat is already under anesthesia. There is little or no bleeding, it is relatively painless to the cat, and does not significantly alter the appearance or beauty of the cat.

TNR COLONIES

Cat Colony Management

Our work isn't always complete after TNR. Occasionally, there are situations where it's unsafe or inhumane to return cats to their neighborhoods without supportive care. Examples include: the sudden passing of a caregiver, the sale of a home where a TNR colony exists, or low income neighborhoods. These are complicated situations. We have over 20 volunteers who provide daily food and water for these felines in need. Volunteers monitor the colony, watch for unaltered cats (to provide immediate TNR), and look for injured or sick cats (to provide medical care). Your donation to the TNR Cat Colony Management will assist more then 250 homeless cats currently under management.

Donate to Colony Management