Community Cats

ONE UN-SPAYED CAT CAN LEAD TO THOUSANDS!

Due to the high demand of helping reduce cat overpopulation, we offer scheduled and walk-in community cat appointments only. We strongly recommend that you call us to make an appointment for community cats as we cannot guarantee walk-in appointments.

Community Cat drop off time is 10AM.

Scheduled community cat appointments do not require a deposit. We ask that if you are unsuccessful in trapping your cat, please call or email to cancel your appointment so another caretaker can utilize it.
All community cats MUST come individually in a live, humane trap. There are no exceptions.
No transfers from carriers to traps will be allowed in your car, our parking lot, or in our building. If a community cat does not arrive in a trap, we will not accept the cat that day.
We offer trap rentals for a fee. When the trap is returned to NWSNC within two weeks, the fee is refunded.
If you need to rent a trap, please visit our clinic Monday – Friday, from 10 am – 5 pm prior to bringing any community cats in carriers.

Our Community Cat Package service fee is a $25 copay.

The package includes the spay or neuter surgery, rabies vaccination, FVRCP vaccine, ear tip (required), tattoo, and flea treatment (if needed).

All cats brought in through Northwest Spay & Neuter Center’s Community Cat Program must be true community cats that will live their lives outdoors. Community Cats are not owned pets.

In cases where cats appear to be owned pets, you will be charged full price for all the services included in the community cat program.

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Why do we require community cats to come in live, humane traps?

Northwest Spay & Neuter Center is passionate about decreasing the overpopulation of cats and strive to give these cats the most stress-free experience possible while in our care. We require community/free-roaming cats to come in live, humane traps to minimize the handling of these cats. Handling these cats is often unsafe, and can lead to unnecessary stress and anxiety for the cat. When the cats arrive, we ask that they be brought into the clinic covered by a sheet or blanket. The cats are visually checked for an existing ear tip before being brought back to our feral cat room where they safely remain in their covered trap.

What is a community cat?

The ASPCA defines “Community Cats as outdoor, unowned, free-roaming cats. These cats can be friendly, feral, adults, kittens, healthy, sick, altered and/or unaltered. They may or may not have a caretaker. A caretaker is a person who conducts TNR and provides care to a community cat, but who is not the legal owner. By this definition, the only outdoor free-roaming cats who are not community cats are those who have an owner.” The Humane Society of the United States says “There are millions of outdoor cats in America; some are pets allowed outside by their owners, but most outdoor cats are what we call community cats—friendly strays and feral felines who are fearful of people and not suited to life indoors. These cats are supported by millions of compassionate people who provide the food, shelter, and veterinary care these cats need to survive.”