Ventura County Animal Services is proud to be a part of a coordinated countywide effort to help reduce the overpopulation of outdoors cats living in our community.  TNR (or Trap Neuter Return) is the process by which community/feral cats are trapped by experienced humane trappers, spayed/neutered at a participating organization listed below, microchipped and returned to the community from which they came if the location is safe to do so.  These cats can now live out their lives in the environment they were thriving in without the possibility of procreation.  Altered cats also have the tendency to keep out unaltered cats.

The process begins with the humane trapping of feral/community cats by an experienced trapper.  Trappers can then schedule an appointment to bring these cats to VCAS for spay/neuter surgery.  When they arrive, cats are scanned for a microchip to determine if there is an identified owner.  While under anesthesia for their spay/neuter surgery, the VCAS Veterinary Team vaccinates, microchips, flea treats, and ear-tips each cat.  Ear-tipping is the process by which a small portion of the cat’s right ear is removed.  This is an easy indicator that the cat is already spayed or neutered and is part of an established colony, thus does not need to be re-trapped.  If the area from which the cat was trapped is unsafe for return to (i.e. being too close to a busy street), the cat may enter our VCAS Working Whiskers program which allow members of the community to adopt a feral/community cat to live out their lives on their property, in open areas.  An application process ensures these cats are placed in appropriate locations with owners who fully understand their responsibility to these cats.

VCAS is proud to be one of four (4) participating organizations who offer spay and neuter services for community cats: