Community Cats
Trap Neuter Vaccinate Return (TNVR)
There are tens of thousands of community (feral) cats in Dutchess County. These cats are the descendants of unneutered house cats, and because they were born outside and never had human interaction, they cannot live in homes. But they are also not wild animals that can fend for themselves. They live by scavenging and are prey to other animals, disease, and automobiles. The life expectancy of a community cat is two years.
DCSPCA works to control the community cat population in partnership with local TNVR organizations by trapping, neutering, vaccinating, and then returning these cats to their territories. DCSPCA also offers free and dramatically reduced spay/neuter services to these partner organizations.
Kittens that can be socialized are kept and adopted out. DCSPCA also offers educational and colony management workshops and supportive services to help ensure feral cats are given food and a warm place to sleep. In managed colonies, they can live out their short lives in relative security, and will not be able to reproduce.
Services
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For our good Samaritans who are helping to keep our community cats healthy, we also provide a low-cost Trap Neuter Vaccinate Return (TNVR) program. We can spay or neuter your community cat for $65 (including rabies vaccine and ear tip), and lend you a trap (if needed).
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If you need a trap, but will not be using our Spay/Neuter service, there is a deposit of $65, of which $55 will be returned when the trap is returned.
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For registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, we offer a 20/20 TNVR program. The first 20 cats are spayed or neutered for free - after that, the fee is $20 per cat. The program includes ear tip and rabies vaccination. Additional vaccinations or medical procedures will be charged at the normal rate.
Our program is run in partnership with the Dutchess County Department of Behavioral and Community Health.
If you need assistance with community cats in your area, email wellness@dcspca.org to rent a trap, schedule a date for TNVR, or inquire about one of our TNVR educational events.