Many animal shelters and rescues are beginning to develop programs for community cats. This is great news, but something that sets the Humane Society of Huron Valley apart as leaders is that we have had a program for over 15 years, and over that time we have continually analyzed and improved our processes to better serve the cats in our community.

The primary goal of TNR is to reduce unsocialized cat populations over time, so that all cats get the chance to grow up indoors with access to veterinary care. However, just because a cat doesn’t have an owner doesn’t mean it too doesn’t need some TLC and occasional medical care as well, and this is why HSHV offers more than just sterilization and vaccines. Services we can help with include:

  • Lice relief
  • Wound examination and repair
  • Dentals
  • URIs and other infections
  • Deworming
  • Providing food and helping find shelters
  • Matting
  • Picking up community kittens for intake and adoption

NOTE: because of feral cats’ aversion to being touched by humans, they must always be in traps when brought in for care. Also, it is important to note that community cats are always sedated in their traps, so while we can examine them, they are never awake when we do so, which can make some diagnosis a little trickier. Please be aware, for services beyond simple sterilization, we do need you to touch bases with our cat wrangler to find a time to bring a sick or injured kitty in.

HSHV’s commitment to community cats pertains not only to what we can provide for these cats, but it also reflects how we care for these cats in the shelter. It starts with a covered trap while in the TNR room to reduce stress and extends to a pheromone plug in, all the way to a juicy Friskies shreds breakfast with a side of filtered water. Cats that come in small live traps to be spayed / neutered are transferred to larger more size appropriate transfer crates during their short stay in the shelter to additionally reduce any stress.