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What’s a street cat? Typically they’re lost or abandoned strays that find a colony of cats to live with. They can also be born on the streets, making them feral which means they have little to no experience interacting with people. Feral cats are hard to adopt and find forever homes for.

Why do cats group together? Cats will gather around a food source and sometimes a shelter forming a colony, complete with a hierarchy. Most times a colony consists of 3-6 cats, but can be as large as 20 or more! In 2020, the Hamilton Community Cat Network (HCCN), registered colony caregivers, volunteers, local vet clinics and the HBSPCA helped over 600 cats receive TNVR services. There are still hundreds more in need of care.

Who takes care of street cats? Sometimes nobody. However, there are over 100 registered Colony Caregivers that provide food and shelter to community cats. They get to know each cat’s behavior and mannerisms, sometimes making it easier to detect changes and possible illness. Although food is often donated to the HBSPCA for the caregivers, there’s a cost per cat for TNVR (Trap, Neuter Vaccinate, & Return) services.

What’s included in TNVR services?

  • Safe and humane trapping of a community cat
  • Food & shelter while in HBSPCA care
  • Spay/Neuter surgery by a registered Veterinarian
  • Microchip implantation
  • Rabies vaccination
  • Ear tip procedure
  • Safe and humane return of a community cat
  • Hours of attention, dedication and patience!

Our Giving Tuesday goal is to raise $15,000 in 24 hours.

A donation of $50 will fund the caregiver cost and provide a weeks’ worth of food for a small cat colony. Help contribute to TNVR services to reduce the amount of cats born to the streets, and bettering the lives of those that consider the outdoors their home.

We invite you to join us next Tuesday, December 1st for Giving Tuesday.

Together we can make a difference. All for the animals.