Community Cats Assistance Program

Thank you for contacting Our Companions Animal Rescue regarding the community cats you are concerned about! Our Companions specializes in reducing the population of community cats through our Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program. This method is proven and the only effective way of helping community cats. Through our program we will teach you how to trap cats, loan you the equipment, and assist you with arrangements for a clinic that specializes in community cat spay and neuter.

The process is as follows:

• Attend Class:
  The person who is going to be trapping the cats needs to attend our trap training class. We can provide trap training in person at our Program Center in Manchester or via Zoom. This one time class is required even for people that have trapped before.
• Prepare:
  Review the Pre-trapping Protocols and email your colony log to [email protected] prior to your scheduled training class. You cannot borrow traps until you have provided a completed inventory of your colony. Be prepared to perform a Mass Cat Trapping. This means you will be borrowing enough traps for each cat in your colony. There is no cost to rent the traps, but we do collect a $50.00 per trap deposit via cash or check. Deposits will be returned to you when you return the traps in good working order.

Clinic Information
Dakin Pioneer Valley in Springfield, MA does surgery on Wednesdays and Thursdays and limits trappers to 2 cats/trapper, no appointment necessary. Other high volume clinics include POASpay in East Hartford and the Nutmeg Clinic in Stratford. There are also full-service practices in Bolton, Colchester, East Hartford, North Windham,
and Tolland, if those locations are more convenient for you. Each cat will receive the following services: spay/neuter, rabies and distemper vaccinations, pain injection, ear tipping, and topical parasite treatment. Costs vary from clinic to clinic, but range from $85 – $255/cat. We may be able to offer vouchers to help cover some of the cost of these veterinary services for those who have attended our TNR class.

We understand that the idea of trapping cats can be scary to some people, but we will teach you everything you need to know at the class! If you have any questions in the meantime, contact our Helpline at 860.242.9999 x302 or [email protected].

Sincerely,
Beth Merow
Community Outreach Manager