Community Cats

We provide resources; local, state, and regional summits, and build partnerships to humanely care for community cats while reducing populations and protecting local ecosystems.

Looking for low-cost spay/neuter services in Ohio? Visit our Statewide Resources for more information.

A tabby cat resting on a stone ledge against a stone wall.

  • Relocating or killing community cats is inhumane. Community cats are a result of people not spaying and neutering their cats. Any unaltered cats left outside contribute to this widespread problem. Community cats can be friendly or feral, the latter meaning they are not socialized to humans due to years/generations of fending for themselves with little human contact. Cats without owners usually band together in a location with food and water sources. A group of such cats is called a colony.

    Managing cat colonies and ensuring all felines are spayed or neutered is the only way to humanely reduce the population of community cats while providing appropriate care. Trap/Neuter/Return (TNR) is the only humane and scientifically proven way of stemming overpopulation in cats, and it should be done as early as possible. Cats can begin to have kittens as early as 4 months old. Spaying and neutering not only stems reproduction, but it also results in a better quality of life. For female cats, it virtually eradicates mammary tumors; and for male cats it stops the fighting which leads to wounds and infections. OAA suggests kittens be spayed/neutered by five months (if medically appropriate) as recommended by the Feline Fix by Five campaign.

    Relocating or killing community cats is not only inhumane – it will not remove any perceived nuisance problem. Community cats have been maligned regarding the killing of birds. This is inaccurate as city structures, such as building and windows, are indeed a larger source of avian deaths. Attempts to relocate or kill cat colonies for perceived nuisance issues, whether it is the killing of birds or other factors, does not reduce the number of community cats. If a colony is removed, the vacuum effect comes into play. The vacuum effect is a natural phenomenon based on scientific and anecdotal evidence showing removal of any species of animal, cats included, opens up the habitat for a new influx of the same animal to come in from the periphery as long as resources are available. Habitats support a certain number of animals; and when some of these animals are removed, the habitat will quickly be filled again.

  • OAA is proud to partner with United Spay Alliance and serve as the statewide leader for Ohio. Together, we are overcoming obstacles to help more families find the resources they need to get their pets spayed and neutered. When more pets are spayed and neutered, fewer animals enter shelters. The ultimate goal being to eliminate the euthanasia of healthy and treatable cats and dogs by reducing the pet population through spaying and neutering.

    Spay/neuter programs are incredibly cost-effective compared to sheltering animals. A national survey found that shelters spend an average of $176 for each impounded animal, with a cost of $450 to ultimately place an animal into a new home. Low-cost spay/neuter programs have been shown to reduce both euthanasia and shelter intake rates: a cost savings due to spay/neuter range from $116-$390 per animal.

    Feline Fix by Five

    Feline Fix by Five strives to increase awareness of the ideal time to spay/neuter cats – before five months of age. The goal is simple: spread the word cats can and should be spayed/neutered by five months of age, or even earlier (cats can become pregnant at four months of age). Early spay/neuter is essential to avoiding unwanted litters. According to the 2016 statement of the Veterinary Task Force on Feline Sterilization: 

    Given the known benefits of sterilization and the lack of evidence for harm related to age at which the procedure is performed, the Veterinary Task Force on Feline Sterilization calls for veterinary practitioners and professional associations to recommend sterilization of cats by five months of age.

    The key is to “beat the heat”—that is, to ensure that cats are spayed/neutered before their first heat. Far too many kittens (and pups) are born to mothers who would be spayed after the first litter was born. Far too many unwanted cats end up as strays or in shelters and euthanized. We can put an end to this with early spay/neuter.

    The American Veterinarian Medical Association is among the organizations that endorse Feline Fix by Five.

    Visit Feline Fix by Five to learn more about the campaign and see the list of major organizations that have endorsed fixing by five months, and also find helpful resources to push these efforts in Ohio communities.

  • Ohio Animal Advocates is actively working with Ohio communities to help community cats by:

    • Listen to the United We Spay Podcast as OAA Executive Director Vicki Deisner and Community Cat Management Expert Dan Spehar discuss the impact, value, importance, and feasibility of a community cat program with an emphasis on trap, neuter, return.

    • With your support, OAA and our partner Together Initiative successfully conducted in-person Ohio Community Cat Summits in Cleveland and Cincinnati in the fall of 2023, and a virtual Tri-State Community Cat Summit in Winter 2024. With keynote speakers Stacy LaBaron from Community Podcast, Karen Little from Alley Cat Advocates, and Bryan Kortis from Neighborhood Cats - we attracted over 400 participants to these seminars. Watch the Community Cat Summit recording here!

    • Community Cat Summit 2024: Partnering with Together Initiative, Give Them Ten, Pet Friendly Services of Indiana, and Making a Difference Now (KY), OAA hosted a virtual Tri-State Community Cat Summit on 2/24/24, to share and replicate lifesaving models of community cat successes. The keynote speaker was Bryan Kortis, the National Program Director of Neighborhood Cats, and the program showcased successful community cat programs from the tri-state area. Over 350 advocates from all over the country and Canada and Mexico attended. Thank you to the Kenneth Scott Charitable Trust and the Joanie Bernard Foundation for their generous support!

    • Community Cat Summit 2023: Partnering with Together Initiative and Give Them Ten, OAA hosted in-person Community Cat Summits on 11/4/23 in Cleveland and 11/11/23 in Cincinnati.  OAA's Cleveland Summit had keynote speaker Stacey LaBaron from Community Cats Podcast discussing strategies to reduce outdoor cat populations, and Dr. Alba Michelle Gonzalez speaking on the vet shortage from an Ohio perspective, with a tour of a Rascal Mobile S/N unit.  OAA's Cincinnati Summit had keynote speaker Karen Little from Alley Cat Advocates discussing how to build robust municipal partnerships, and Dr. Joanna Reen speaking on how to expand S/N services in a vet shortage, with a tour of Licking County TNR mobile unit. Thank you to the Kenneth Scott Charitable Trust and the Joanie Bernard Foundation for their generous support!

    • Identifying Ohio’s Community Cat Resources: A State of the State Report 2023 - Produced by OAA and Together Initiative, this report created Ohio’s first comprehensive listing of community cat resources, including both spay/neuter and trap/neuter/return (TNR) services, by county. The report also identified Ohio’s TNR deserts which will provide the opportunity for OAA and Together Initiative to identify partners and resources to help fill these geographic gaps in service for Ohio’s community cats.

    • Community Cat Summit 2022 - Partnering with Together Initiative, OAA hosted a statewide virtual Community Cat Summit on 11/5/22 to examine current community cat resources in Ohio and beyond, with an interactive session to brainstorm on how to alleviate resource deserts and scarcities. The summit featured keynote speaker Peter Wolfe from Best Friends Animal Society. Thank you to the Kenneth Scott Charitable Trust for their support!

    • Community Cat Summit 2021 - Partnering with Together Initiative, OAA hosted a statewide virtual Community Cat Summit on 10/9/21. The event featured keynote speaker Sterling Davis the TrapKing. Thank you to the Kenneth Scott Charitable Trust and the Binky Foundation for their support!

    • Community Cats: A Guide for Busy Ohio Municipal Leaders - Produced by OAA and Together Initiative, this guide is an excellent resource for advocates to use when working with local policymakers to pass ordinances on community cat management, feeding, and trap/neuter/return.

  • OAA partners with the Ohio Department of Commerce and other government agencies to reach out to and educate trailer park managers on how to humanely address community cat populations.

    Community cats often form colonies around trailer parks (i.e. manufactured home parks) where kind residents offer to feed them. However, the cat colonies can be considered a nuisance for other residents, especially if food is left out that will attract other animals. Ohio trailer park managers, who may not know about or understand that trap/neuter/return (TNR) is the only humane and scientifically proven way of stemming overpopulation, may contact a company to trap and kill the community cats – which is illegal in the state of Ohio.

    Under ORC 4781-12-22:

    (B) Domestic animals or house pets shall not be allowed to run at large or create nuisances in manufactured homes parks. (Community cats are not considered domestic animals or house pets)

    (C) Whenever conditions in the manufactured home park provide harboring for pests, the presence of which may adversely affect the health or safety of the residents, the operator shall immediately remove such conditions in a manner satisfactory to the Department. (This could apply to community cats where the situation has escalated)

    OAA is partnering with government agencies, such as the Ohio Department of Commerce, to reach out to trailer park managers around the state. The goal is to offer education and TNR services that reduce any nuisance factor and address the feline overpopulation issue. In partnership with Licking County TNR, Humane Ohio and Together Initiative, OAA is arranging for training for the trailer park managers and residents regarding appropriate feeding and care of the cat colonies, as well as arrange for TNR services. OAA has assisted trailer parks in Licking, Defiance, Wood, Madison, Summit, and Richland counties.

    OAA will continue to work with the Ohio Department of Commerce and other government agencies to assist trailer parks with community cat colonies. We will help find humane solutions that trailer park managers and residents can use on community cats that have colonized in their parks.

  • OAA works with and provides resources to assist Ohio communities in passing community cat ordinances at the local level.

    Community cat ordinances are an effective way for communities to partner in caring and reducing community cats. At a minimum, community cat ordinances allow for trap/neuter/return (TNR) in a community. TNR is the only humane and scientifically-proven way of stemming cat overpopulation and should be done as early as possible. Attempts to remove and/or kill cat colonies for perceived nuisance issues, whether it is the killing of birds or other problems, does not reduce the number of community cats. If you remove a colony, the vacuum effect comes into play. The vacuum effect is a natural phenomenon based on scientific and anecdotal evidence whereby removing any species of animal, cats included, opens up the habitat for a new influx of the same animal to come in from the periphery, as long as resources are available. When animals are removed from a habitat with resources, the habitat will be quickly filled again with those same animals.

    At the most, community cat ordinances create collaborative, community-wide programs that will ultimately reduce cat overpopulation, minimizes neighborhood nuisances, and save lives. These collaboratives often include government and private shelters, humane enforcement, TNR groups, and individuals that step up to become community cat managers. 

    OAA highly recommends the approach that Fort Wayne, Indiana, or Cook County, Illinois have taken in establishing Community Cat programs to address their feral cat population and improve public safety. These programs delineate the responsibilities of a person who provides food, water, shelter, or otherwise cares for community cats and satisfy the municipalities administrative rules. Any person feeding or providing any level of care to free-roaming cats is required to follow the guidelines listed, with the ultimate goal of achieving a population of spayed/neutered community cats who have been vaccinated against. Under these ordinances, any person who feeds the cats without adhering to the rules may be subject to enforcement action. The rules were created to humanely prevent neighborhood nuisances and to improve public safety. These ordinances can be found by choosing the information button on OAA’s Community Cats homepage. 

    A community cat manager is generally defined as a person who provides food, water, shelter, and otherwise cares for community cats following the guidelines outlined in a municipality’s ordinance. Persons feeding and providing any level of care to community cats follow the guidelines with the ultimate goal of achieving a population of spayed/neutered community cats that will not reproduce. Community cat managers work in partnership with government and non-profit agencies to obtain surgical sterilization, ear tipping, and vaccinations; follow feeding, watering and shelter guidelines; and assist in resolving nuisance complaints.  

    Additional ordinances, including two recent Ohio ordinances (Mentor and Sebring) can also be found by choosing the information button on OAA’s Community Cats homepage, along with many other resources to assist communities in passing humane community cat ordinances.

    Midwest Ordinances:

  • Helping community cats is crucial to both their well-being and the health of local ecosystems. Community cats face numerous challenges, including lack of food, shelter, veterinary care, and the risk of disease. Here's what you can do to help:

    Support or Start a Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) Program

    • Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) is widely regarded as the most humane and effective way to manage and reduce the community cat population. The process involves trapping the cats humanely, getting them spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and returned to their outdoor home.

    • Volunteer with local animal shelters, rescues, or community cat groups that focus on TNR. Many organizations run TNR clinics or have experienced volunteers who can help you get started. Visit our Resources page to find TNR programs near you.

    • If there’s a large population of community cats in your area, consider organizing a TNR campaign. This could involve gathering volunteers, setting up trap-neuter-return efforts, and seeking funding for supplies like traps and veterinary services.

    • TNR can require significant funding for veterinary care (spaying/neutering, vaccinations, etc.), so organizing a fundraiser to cover the costs of these services can be a great help.

    Provide Shelter

    • Cats need a place to stay warm and safe, particularly in cold weather. Simple outdoor shelters can be made from insulated containers like storage totes, dog houses, or wooden boxes. You can follow this video or this article on how DIY shelter plans, or you can donate materials to local shelters and rescues that build them for community cats.

    • If you’re feeding a colony of cats, providing a safe, sheltered area (like under a deck or in a garage) can protect them from extreme weather and predators.

    Educate Others

    • Many people are unaware of how effective TNR can be in controlling the stray cat population. Share information about TNR and its benefits through social media, local community groups, and educational campaigns.

    • Address misconceptions about community cats—such as the belief that they are a nuisance or that they should be killed. Help others understand that feral cats are often just doing what they can to survive and that TNR is the most humane solution.

    • Advocate for your local government to support or fund TNR programs, as many municipalities still rely on outdated and inhumane methods of dealing with community cats, such as trapping and euthanizing them.

    Adopt or Foster

    • Some community cats may be friendly and adoptable, especially kittens that are young enough to be socialized. Consider adopting or fostering a cat (or kitten) if they are suitable for indoor living. Socializing young kittens can make them great pets, and fostering adult community cats helps reduce the number of cats in need of homes.

    Support Local Animal Shelters and Rescues

    • Many shelters and rescue organizations that help community cats run TNR programs. Donating food, supplies, or time can make a big difference to their efforts. Animal shelters often have community cat programs where you can help by assisting with TNR, outreach, or care for cats. Shelters may also have adoption programs for feral or semi-feral cats that are socialized enough to live indoors. You can donate supplies like food, cat litter, humane traps, or shelter materials to local organizations that focus on feral cat care and TNR.

    Advocate for Humane Legislation

    • Advocate for local or national laws that support the humane treatment of community cats. This can include pushing for funding for TNR programs, banning the killing of feral cats, and promoting the idea that feral cats are not pests but animals that deserve care.

    • Many municipalities still enforce trap-and-kill policies that result in the senseless euthanasia of healthy community cats. Advocate for laws that favor TNR and other non-lethal methods of managing community cat populations.

    Help Reduce Cat Overpopulation

    • One of the root causes of the feral cat crisis is the lack of access to affordable spay and neuter services. Advocate for or support low-cost spay/neuter clinics, which make these services available to people who might otherwise be unable to afford them.

    • In addition to addressing the needs of community cats, help spread awareness about the importance of keeping cats indoors and spaying or neutering domestic pets to prevent future overpopulation. Stray cats often result from unspayed or unneutered pets being allowed to roam freely.

    Partner with Businesses or Local Organizations

    • Many businesses, such as pet stores, veterinary clinics, and community centers, are open to partnering with TNR programs and rescues. Work with these businesses to create donation drives, offer discounted services to TNR programs, or set up locations where people can drop off food or supplies for community cats.

    • If you're working on TNR or other initiatives, consider partnering with your local government to help fund or administer a TNR program. You can also work with municipal offices to ensure that cats are treated humanely and that TNR programs are promoted over outdated methods of control.

    Foster Community Involvement

    • If you have a colony of community cats in your neighborhood, consider organizing a TNR event with your neighbors, local shelters, or a group of volunteers. This collective effort can help manage a large number of cats at once. Encourage neighbors and community members to help with feeding, caring, or donating supplies to community cats. Building a strong network of people who care about community cats can help reduce the burden on any one individual.

    There are many ways to help community cats, whether it’s through direct action (like feeding, sheltering, or TNR) or by advocating for policy change and better treatment of these animals. Addressing the root causes of community cat overpopulation, such as lack of spay/neuter services and irresponsible pet ownership, is essential to reducing the number of stray and feral cats in the long term. By supporting humane solutions, such as TNR, and spreading awareness about the needs of community cats, you can make a significant difference in their lives and help create more compassionate communities for all animals.

  • Resources and Materials:

    • Feline Fix by Five - Emphasizes the need for spay/neutering kittens by 5 months and provides resources to get the job down.

    • OAA Resources - Find where to get free pet food (many animal shelters can also provide limited food), low-cost spay/neuter services, and report animal abuse (when in doubt, call your local law enforcement or humane officer).

    • Ohio Veterinary Student Debt Assistance Program - Established by Ohio House Bill 67. It is the first legislation of its kind in the country, rechanneling unused veterinary license fee revenue back towards veterinarians to help address the growing veterinary student debt burden.

    • Tru Catch Traps - Designed to trap community cats for TNR; purchase live traps or borrow from local shelter.

    • United Spay Alliance Spay/Neuter Referral Directory - select your state on the map below to discover affordable spay/neuter services nearby.

    News Media:

    Literature & Toolkits:

    Websites:

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