Community Cat TNVR Program

T.N.V.R. FAQs

• What is a Community Cat?

  “Community Cats” is a term used to describe outdoor, unowned, free-roaming cats. These cats could be friendly, feral, adults, kittens, healthy, sick, altered, and/or unaltered. They may or may not have a caregiver. By this definition, the only outdoor free-roaming cats, not community cats, are those with an owner.
  Abandoned – An abandoned cat is an unowned cat living outdoors after previously having a home.
  Free roaming – A free-roaming cat is defined as a cat living outdoors at least part of the time. This may be a pet cat that is allowed to spend time outdoors, a lost or abandoned owned cat, a tame unowned cat, or a feral cat.
  Feral – A feral cat is an unowned domestic cat that lives outdoors and avoids human contact: it does not allow itself to be handled or touched and usually remains hidden from humans.

• What is a Feral Cat Colony?

  When several feral cats group together in a specific space they become a colony. Colonies are all over the Greater Rochester area and can be in backyards, behind restaurants, on college campuses, and in neighborhoods. Feral cats gather where there is a food source and some kind of shelter. Feral cats in a colony will continue to breed with one another and the population will continue to grow.

• Are Feral Cats Dangerous to Humans?

  Feral cats are usually very afraid of people and will not come close or harm you. You can tell that a cat is feral by that very characteristic. Feral cats will not come up to you seeking attention. If they have no escape route and are cornered, they can be aggressive.

• What about Stray Cats?

  A stray or “unowned” cat may end up living among a feral colony. A stray cat is one that has had the opportunity to interact with humans regularly but is now no longer owned and cared for.

• What is Lollypop Farm Doing?

  Lollypop Farm has a goal that all cats in our community have homes. One step in achieving this goal is working on behalf of feral and unowned cats living in our community. Lollypop Farm is assisting in the control of feral cat populations by endorsing trapping of feral cats and, when possible, the use of a Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return (TNVR) program as our most viable present options.

• What is TNVR?

  TNVR is a program where feral cats are humanely trapped, spayed or neutered, vaccinated, ear-tipped, and then returned to their “home.” Research proves that cat populations will reduce and stabilize over time by ending the cycle of reproduction. In our program, the cats are returned when there is a “colony caretaker” who has agreed to provide the cats with food, water, shelter and health care. They are brought to Lollypop Farm, spayed or neutered, vaccinated for rabies, and ear-tipped (a small piece from the tip of their ear is removed during surgery) to signal that they have been sterilized. The cats are then returned to their colony.

• Why is it so important to Spay/Neuter Cats?

  There are many benefits to spay and neuter. First and foremost, we need to combat the influx of homeless cats into the shelter. Spay/neuter will also decrease mating behavior like yowling, roaming, and spraying!

• Do you ever euthanize the Cats?

  Every cat and situation is considered on a case-by-case basis. Sometimes, feral cats are very ill and we believe that it is better for them to be humanely euthanized than to continue to suffer.

• Why can't Lollypop Farm just take the Cats in and put them up for adoption?

  In some cases, we can tell if a cat has had a significant amount of interaction with humans or if they are young enough to be socialized, the cats may be suitable to be considered for adoption. However, most feral cats have not had the socialization they need to interact with humans safely. They can be dangerous and it is very, very difficult to socialize them to people, not to mention very stressful for the cats. In these cases, the most humane approach is to support feral cats in their current living area.