Community Cats
LifeLine’s Shelter-Neuter-Return Policy
To save the lives of outdoor cats, LifeLine follows a shelter-neuter-return (SNR) protocol based on best shelter practices and proven research.
Community Cats
LifeLine’s Community Cat Program is metro Atlanta’s first and largest Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) assistance program. And, it is dedicated to humanely managing community cat colonies using TNR.
Community cats are free-roaming cats who are often feral from lack of human interaction. Before LifeLine brought TNR to Atlanta, community cats were routinely picked up, taken to county shelters and euthanized. Now, thanks to TNR, cats are trapped, neutered, vaccinated, ear-tipped (to identify them as neutered) and returned back to their neighborhoods.
WHY TNR?
TNR is the only effective method to humanely and dramatically decrease the number of cats. Trapping and removing the cats doesn’t work because new cats will move into the area and breed up to capacity. This is well-documented and called the “vacuum effect.”
Additionally, relocating cats to a different area is animal abandonment, which falls under animal cruelty crimes in the state of Georgia. Less than 50% of relocated cats survive because they don’t know the dangers in the area and succumb to predators, car tires, starvation, etc.
POPULATION CONTROL
Community cats help control the rat and snake population
SAFETY
Because cats are spayed or neutered and vaccinated, there is less fighting over mates, howling, marking and disease spread
SAVES MONEY
TNR saves taxpayers over $3.5 million by keeping cats out of greater Atlanta shelters
0
Community cats have been spayed or neutered through our program
0
Georgia counties benefit from our Community Cat Program
0
Monthly average number of requests
WHAT IS SNR?
Shelter-Neuter-Return (SNR) is a protocol based on shelter practices and proven research. When healthy, friendly or feral outdoor adult cats are brought into LifeLine’s county shelters, either by residents or by Animal Enforcement, the cats are vaccinated, spayed or neutered and ear-tipped. After recovering from surgery, the cats are returned to the location where they were originally found.
Returning healthy free-roaming cats to the areas they were found increases their chances of finding their families. This gives them a 10-50 times greater success rate of returning home than cats at the shelter.
Read more about our SNR policies, procedures and exceptions.
Low-Cost Spay/Neuter Clinics in Atlanta
Community Cat Resources
Community Cats
Common Concerns About Community Cats
With the community having concerns about outdoor cats, we’ve compiled common concerns and how to address them.
Community Cats
How to Trap-Neuter-Return
Trapping a community cat may seem intimidating, but it’s actually very easy! With our step-by-step guide, you can learn how to safely trap community cats.
HOW WE CAN HELP
The Community Cat Program assists neighborhoods by:
- Loaning humane traps and providing easy trapping instructions for TNR
- Providing education to caretakers and the public about proper cat colony management
- Offering affordable spay/neuter services at the LifeLine Spay & Neuter Clinics
- Referring clients to other low-cost and free clinic services
- Maintaining data on more than 1,000 feral colonies in greater Atlanta
Our Community Cat Program is a resource, not a rescue. We will not remove cats from your property, but we provide the tools to help you humanely manage the cats.
DONATE TODAY
To perform such a large volume of spay/neuter surgeries and provide community cats with the medical care they need, we rely on generous donations from our community.
Please consider making a donation today!
