Caring for Community Cats

To help ensure that community cats stay happy, healthy, and continue to be good neighbors, community members are encouraged to provide them with appropriate and adequate food and shelter. By feeding only appropriate amounts, cleaning up feeding areas, and having open communication with neighbors, potential for conflict is minimized. 

• Responsible Feeding – Feeding community cats helps keep them healthy and provides less reason for them to roam and rifle through trash. Familiarize yourself with our responsible feeding tip sheet so that you’re feeding cats the right way!
• Winter Shelter – Providing winter shelters for community cats gets them through our toughest winters unscathed. Our winter tip sheet offers shelter options for different materials, weather, and locations.
• Humane Deterrents – While cats are part of our community, everyone has boundaries that should be respected. Take a look at our humane deterrents tip sheet for ideas to keep cats in the areas where they’re welcome. 

Introduction to Trap-Neuter-Return

Volunteer with CatNiPP

There are lots of ways to get involved with community cat program even if you are not trapping cats in your neighborhood! Here are just a few of the opportunities we have:

• Trapping Cats – You’ll work with us as part of a team at locations that have been identified to have cats.
• Transportation – Help those who don’t have transportation to transport trapped cats to and from the clinic for surgery. We also distribute winter shelters to caregivers and can always use help with this!
• Community Outreach – Join us at community events to help spread the word about community cats, their welcome place in our neighborhoods, and how to coexist with them.
• Clinic Support – Join our monthly spay/neuter clinic team. Once a month on a Sunday we have a spay/neuter clinic just for community cats. Roles include preparing cats for surgery, assisting with post-surgical care and recovery, and assistance with the administrative work (data entry, check-in, and check-out).  Volunteer veterinarians licensed in DC are also needed to perform spay and neuter surgeries.
• Build Cat Shelters: Making kitty cottages is an easy and fun activity that helps to keep community cats safe and warm in cold weather.

New HRA Volunteers: Submit a volunteer application form and indicate your interest in being contacted with opportunities for CatNiPP.

Existing HRA Volunteers: Email [email protected] to get started.