Community Support

You are ready to draw attention to the wonderful work you are doing: helping cats and the community alike. You want to be elevated from “crazy cat lady” status or worse “hoarder” status. There are tools to assist you.

The first step is to determine what the ordinances concerning feral cats are in your community and if they are enforced. If there are no laws forbidding feeding and nothing specific in place for T-N-R, it shouldn’t be too difficult to get your message out. Animal Control, Neighborhood Associations and City Councils are good places to start.

In some communities, local ordinances forbid assisting outdoor cats. Often the policy is to trap and kill. If this is the policy in your community, there are organizations dedicated to helping you deal with law enforcement and policy makers. Alley Cat Allies and Best Friends Animal Society are two non-profits dedicated to T-N-R and to helping the people that help cats. Your local “Community Cat” group is another great resource. A variety of printed materials, videos, webinars and Power Point presentations are available for this purpose.

There is power in numbers.

Networking with people involved in T-N-R, animal rescue, and with veterinarians and spay/neuter clinics will help to gain support and credibility for your cause. As people are educated about feral cats and understand their value to a community, it becomes easier to implement programs that benefit them. It takes time and patience but the results are worth it.