What are Community Cats?

Community cats are domesticated cats with no identifiable indicators of ownership that predominantly live outdoors. These cats are sometimes referred to as feral cats, unowned cats, or stray cats. Community cats can be friendly or unsocialized, and can live full and healthy lives with their colonies in their outdoor homes. 

Learn what to do if you find kittens.

What is Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR)?

Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), commonly referred to as TNR, is the only scientifically supported humane method for managing community cat populations. It involves trapping cats, taking them to a veterinarian for spaying or neutering, vaccinations, and ear tipping for identification. The cats are returned to their original territory, where they may have a caretaker who may provide food and/or shelter.

TNR improves the lives of community cats, improves their relationships with the people who live near them, and decreases the size of colonies over time. TNR is the preferred method for managing free-roaming cat populations and is supported by decades of scientific, veterinarian-driven research and peer-reviewed publications. It is also usually supported and encouraged by municipal leaders, animal shelters (private and public), and animal rescue groups across the state and the country. 

April 15, 2026: Updates to Tri-City Animal Shelter’s Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) Program

We want to share an important update with our community regarding our Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program.

Due to a recent change in service providers, TNR services were paused for one week as we worked to ensure a smooth and responsible transition. We know how important this program is to so many of you, our residents, caregivers, and advocates, and we recognize the impact even a short pause can have.

During this time, an internal miscommunication led to the release of information that the TNR program was in jeopardy. To be clear, the TNR program was never in jeopardy but was put on pause for one week in order to establish procedures with the new provider.

TNR remains one of the City’s highest priorities. This program is a critical part of our shared effort to humanely manage community cat populations, support public health, and care for animals in our community.

TNR Services will resume on April 21, 2026, and we are focused on continuing this important work alongside all of you who make it possible. Our commitment to this program is strong; we recently added a dedicated van to our shelter fleet specifically to transport cats to our offsite partners for TNR services. Since July 1, 2025, we have helped over 900 cats receive spay/neuter services, improving their health, reducing suffering, and preventing thousands of kittens from being born into unsafe and uncertain conditions.

At the same time, we continue to actively recruit for vacant veterinarian and veterinary technician positions to bring this work in-house and build a more sustainable, responsive program for our community.

Thank you for your patience, your partnership, and your ongoing commitment to the animals we serve. 

What are the benefits of TNR?

Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) is the only method proven to be humane and effective at controlling outdoor cat population growth. TNR is a form of harm reduction with the explicit goal of immediately improving the lives of the cats we encounter. The goal of any TNR program is to maximize the quality of life for the cats and to limit the growth of the existing colony over time. Additional benefits of TNR include:

• Fewer kittens are born
• Fewer sick and injured cats
• Reduction in common nuisance behaviors like fighting, roaming, mating, and spraying
• Colony size may be gradually reduced without the need for euthanasia
• Shelters and rescues take in fewer surrendered cats
• Euthanasia rates go down

Why can't community cats just be removed and adopted out or relocated?

If community cats are removed from an area, other community cats in proximity will move into that area to take advantage of resources that were there supporting the original resident cats. The result of removing community cats is a temporary dip in the number of cats at the colony, followed by a rebound to the same or even greater population numbers. This "vacuum effect" is a natural phenomenon that not only impacts cat colonies but can be observed in other animal populations.

TNR programs, rather than removing cats and forcing a vacuum, end the breeding cycle of the cats altogether.

More information about this phenomenon can be found online:

Alley Cat Allies, the Vacuum Effect

Alley Cat Allies, All About the Vacuum Effect (YouTube video)

Swarbrick, H., & Rand (2018). Application of a Protocol Based on Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) to Manage Unowned Urban Cats on an Australian University Campus. Animals: an open access journal from MDPI, 8(5), 77.

How to distinguish between a community cat and a stray cat?

A stray cat is a domestic cat with clear indications of ownership that strayed from home and became lost or was abandoned.

Are some community cats associated with people?

Community cat is a broad term used to classify a range of cats. Many community cats have caretakers and guardians who love and care for them deeply, with a strong human-animal connection.

But what if a community cat is friendly?

This does not change the scientific support for TNR. Additionally, shelters are not good housing solutions for outdoor cats, and the shelters are also overburdened with animals who are more critically in need of their care. It is simply not practical or feasible to remove all cats from their outdoor homes. Additionally, in many neighborhoods, the community cats are known by community members who care for and are connected with the colony cats.

What is the City doing?

We work closely with TNR rescue groups to identify and sterilize colonies of community cats. The most successful outcomes, both in stabilizing populations and improving cat health, occur when 80% or more of the colony is altered.

Our TNR appointment request form will be available on the last Thursday of each month. Once our available slots are at capacity, the form will close and reopen the following month. After you submit a request, our team will follow up by text or phone to schedule your appointment.

Our partnership with Ohlone Humane Society is prioritizing requests from caregivers in Fremont who are aiming to reach at least 80% sterilization in their colonies within the next two months.