Feral Cat Policies

We strongly recommend a Trap Neuter Vaccinate Release (TNVR) program for the maintenance of feral or community cat colonies.  A feral cat is a cat that is unsocialized to humans and must be trapped.  

All feral cats MUST be admitted in a live animal trap with a towel or blanket covering the trap. We ask that you bring an empty carrier with you so the cat can recover overnight comfortably. If you do not have a carrier, we will return the cat back in the covered trap. After you have the cat back home, please put the cat in a quiet and safe place for the night. DO NOT open the carrier/trap door to check on the cat. Please allow your cat 24 - 48 hours from the time you get home to recover from the anesthesia.  After that time, you can release them back in their colony.   If you need a trap, please contact us in advance to pick one up from the clinic.

Feral cats will not be given a pre-anesthetic exam or post-op pain medications to go home. All other procedures are the same for feral cats. Feral cats are returned to their carrier/trap when recovered from anesthesia.

Feral cats that are vaccinated at the time of surgery have been shown to have an excellent response to vaccinations. Therefore, it is recommended to vaccinate feral cats at the time of surgery with both the rabies and FVRCP vaccines. Rabies vaccination is required. We will not euthanize a cat based on a single Feline Leukemia (FeLV) or FIV test result alone. A decision about euthanasia is based on the individual situation.

We will “ear tip” (cut 1/8” of the ear tip off) all feral cats to facilitate identification of cats that have previously been spayed or neutered. We will clip the left ear at the completion of surgery.

We will tattoo all animals on the abdomen to indicate that they have been sterilized, but this is often not found on a feral cat until they are anesthetized. Ear tipping can minimize the costs and stresses associated with unnecessary anesthetic events to identify a previously spayed or neutered cat.