El Monte Outdoor Community Cat Spay/Neuter Services

Follow this found kitten chart to decide the best course of action you can take for the kittens.

"Community Cats" are outdoor, unowned, free-roaming cats. These cats (adults or kittens) can be friendly or feral (not friendly to people) and either altered or unaltered (via spay/neuter). Often these cats will live together in a group sometimes referred to as a “colony.”

Community cats, present in most neighborhoods, can start having kittens as early as 4 months old and will often birth multiple litters a year causing overpopulation concerns. These cats often end up in animal shelters, which make up a large percentage of cats euthanized every year.

Research shows that by ensuring 75% of the community cat population in an area is altered* (also known as high-intensity and strategic TNRM), there will be a more stable and eventually lower population of community cats in that area.
*Due to the possibility of new cats coming into the area, 75% alteration status for the group of cats should be confirmed at least every 6 months.

• TRAP : Community cats are humanely trapped in their location by trained volunteers or caretakers.
• NEUTER : In their traps, they are brought to a veterinary clinic to receive a spay (female) or neuter (male) surgery as well as other medical services such as a rabies vaccination and an ear tip*.
• RETURN : After recovering from surgery, the cats are returned to their location to live out their lives without contributing further to the population and reproducing more litters.
• MONITOR : The cats’ caretaker will continue to monitor the cats’ well-being and provide food, shelter, and identify if any new cats come into the area that need to be altered.

*Ear-tipping is a widely accepted and safe means of marking a community cat who has been spayed or neutered. Ear-tipping is the humane, safe surgical removal of the top quarter inch of the cat’s ear snipped during alteration surgery. This is a painless and risk-free procedure that helps rescuers, community cat caretakers and volunteers visually identify an already-altered cat to prevent the stress of re-trapping for a cat and an unnecessary surgery.

Most community cats are not adoptable and those who live in a managed group—a group with a dedicated caretaker who provides spay/neuter services, regular feedings, and proper shelter—can live healthy and happy lives outdoors.

After being spayed or neutered, cats live healthier lives. They no longer have the stress of mating, fighting, and giving birth. Altering cats not only prevents births of unwanted litters but also largely eliminates “nuisance” behaviors for community members including spraying, excessive noisemaking and fighting —which makes them better neighbors!