If you’re like many others, you’ve probably seen a cat outdoors and wondered what to do. If the cat lets you approach and pet them, then you should try to find the owner. However, if the cat is feral (or not socialized to humans) that might not be an option.

The Roanoke Valley SPCA’s Community Cat Crew is here to help address outdoor cat overpopulation in our community!

With this program, we help caretakers stabilize and improve the health of cat colonies by spaying or neutering and vaccinating the cats against rabies through a process called Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR).

During TNR, cats are humanely trapped, spayed or neutered, vaccinated for rabies, ear-tipped (the universal symbol that outdoor cats have been TNR’ed and should be left alone), and then returned to their home territories.

Spaying and neutering reduces problem behaviors such as spraying, fighting or howling, and will reduce the number of intact cats attracted into the neighborhood. Spayed and neutered cats will no longer be able to reproduce, which lowers the number of homeless kittens being born outdoors.

The Community Cat Crew is often able to assist outdoor cat caretakers with:

  • TNR training
  • Pet food pantry for outdoor cat food
  • Trapping assistance from our trained volunteers
  • Transport to/from Mountain View Humane vet clinic in Christiansburg
  • Financial aid for spay/neuter and rabies vaccine for outdoor cats

Availability of the Community Cat Crew is dependent on many factors and we cannot guarantee immediate assistance.

We are always looking for new volunteers to help with trapping, transport, talking to community members, and more. Contact Erin Dams at edams@rvspca.org or 540-339-9503 to volunteer or request assistance!

Want to learn more about TNR? Check out the info here.

 

Thanks to Alley Cat Rescue for providing us a generous grant of $7,000 to help pay for spaying and neutering community cats in our area!