If You can Feed 'em, You can Fix 'em

                                                    

And It's Free!

You know who I'm talking about: Those free-roaming felines waiting by your door for another helping of tasty charity. They probably sit just close enough to reach the bottom of the food bowl but far away enough to make a dashing escape when you ask for a thank-you pet. 

Close enough for a photo, but far enough away to avoid a snugly smothering of [unwanted] affection. 

They're community cats! Community cats can include friendly stray or abandoned cats as well as feral (unsocialized) cats. They're owner-less and free-roaming felines who live by their own rules--and that can occasionally include rearing a few "free" and stray kittens of their own...

And by a "few" I mean a few hundred to the very conceivable calculation of a few hundred thousand. 

There better only be one of you.

The average, un-spayed or un-neutered cat can have between 1-8 kittens per litter and 2-3 litters per year. That can add up to quite a bit of kittens, and for community cats, that can add up to quite a bit of homeless or un-socialized kittens. 

So what can be done about it? 

Trap-Neuter-Release | Community Cats Campaign

As part of PetSmart Charities®' "Community Cats" spay/neuter campaign, we are granted to do 200 FREE surgeries (including a rabies vaccine) this April for our local community cats. 

That means you can be a responsible community cat "owner" and get your local neighborhood cat fixed!

Trap 'em, Fix 'em, and Release 'em back into the **wild.

T-N-R is one of the most effective ways to reduce the homeless pet population and is safe for kittens as young as 8 weeks old who weigh at least 2 lbs, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.

All community cats brought to the San Antonio Humane society must be brought in a humane trap. These can be rented from the San Antonio Humane Society or the Feral Cat Coalition, or even purchased online.

We've already gotten 64 surgeries done this first full week of April (as of April 7th), so don't delay! Surgeries are done on a first-come, first-serve basis starting at 7:30am.

For specific dates, rules or guidelines, and spots left available, please visit SAhumane.org/spayneuter. 

And BTW, all community cats receiving surgery will be "ear tipped." 

                                                                                                           

I'm missing the tip of my what?*

Eartipping is the universal sign of a neutered/spayed community cat. It's done while the cat is anesthetized for surgery and healing is rapid. This procedure helps avoid further needless trapping and surgery. 

Participating in the "Community Cats" campaign means you are helping to keep our stray and feral populations low; this further ensures that all cats born will have a home waiting for them! 

*BTW:

This cutie with the ear-tip is Tobias. He was a stray community cat brought into the shelter for a little T-N-R, but we dropped the "R" and decided to let him stick around due to his affectionate lovability. He's 2 years old and available for adoption!

**

 This here is Tommy! He's one of our shelter ferals (and favorites). He doesn't mind being a model for the day, but he'd prefer it if you dropped the food already and dilly-daddled away. 

Funding for Community Cats is provided by PetSmart Charities®.