About TNR and Community Cats

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Community cats, also known as feral cats, are unowned cats who live outdoors in groups. Although they are the same species as your pet cat, they are typically not socialized or friendly towards humans.  The only humane and effective approach to community cats is known as Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), and it helps both the cats and the neighborhoods where they live.

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In the TNR approach, community cats are trapped, spayed or neutered, vaccinated, ear-tipped for identification and returned to their outdoor home. This program compassionately manages community cats through non-lethal means. Existing community cats become healthier and easier to to track, and the number of cats will decrease due to a decline in birth rates.

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What is an ear tip?

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We use the word “eartip” to describe when a small portion of the tip of a community cat’s ear is surgically removed during neuter surgery, as part of a Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program, to show that the cat has been neutered and vaccinated. Eartipping is done while the cat is anesthetized and is not painful for the cat. Eartipping is the most effective way to identify neutered community cats from a distance, to make sure they are not trapped or undergo surgery a second time.

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