We work hands-on with the cats
At Neighborhood Cats, our knowledge comes from the cats themselves - we're out there every day trapping, helping caretakers, working with animal shelters, teaching workshops and launching new programs. We have people on the ground in New York City and Jersey City, and on the island of Maui in Hawaii. The many thousands of cats we have personally handled have taught us how to make their lives better and support the people who care for them.
We innovate
Neighborhood Cats originated many of what are now common practices in the Trap-Neuter-Return field. We popularized mass trapping, the TNR of entire colonies at once. We helped develop targeting, the trapping and spay/neuter of a high percentage of free-roaming cats in high need areas. Caring for feral cats in traps instead of cages, a method we invented, has become the industry standard, saving space and preventing injuries. The first mass mass-manufactured drop trap and the new Neighborhood Cats Gravity Trap were co-designed by us. Cat Stats, a free online colony database for TNR programs, is software we built.
We teach
An essential part of our mission, and what has allowed us to have such a strong influence, is passing along what we learn to others. We produced the video How to Perform a Mass Trapping, wrote the Neighborhood Cats TNR Handbook, and co-authored The Return-to-Field Handbook. In partnership with the Community Cats Podcast, we present monthly online TNR certification workshops and in-depth quarterly webinars to an international audience. In addition, our website is full of instructional material and receives thousands of visitors a week.
We respond
When a wildfire recently destroyed the town of Lahaina on Maui in August of 2023, hundreds of cats survived, left to wander the over 5 square mile burn zone. Working under the Maui Humane Society, Neighborhood Cats has taken the lead in the months-long rescue operation. Using the latest technology, aided by professional trappers and incredibly dedicated local volunteers and staff, and driven by our love of the cats, we've rescued over 350 cats as of the end of November and have our sights set on the last 100 or so.
We succeed
The communities we work in were once all rough places for cats with high euthanasia rates at local shelters. Today, New York City, Jersey City and Maui boast high save rates instead. That's not all our doing - we have great partners - but we've played a pivotal role. Our educational materials have been named Best in Category five times by the Cat Writers Association in their annual contests, and our work has received the ASPCA Special Humane Award and the AKC Companion Animal Recovery Award. Most importantly, TNR has become the favored approach for managing feral and stray cats in the United States.
We listen
Whether you run a TNR program, are responding to a disaster, trap on your own, take care of a colony or simply are concerned about the cats, we welcome your input. Please send your thoughts and questions to info@neighborhoodcats.org.