Meeting the needs of our community

Helping Colorado’s Community Cats

Spay and neuter services for Colorado’s unowned cats

Calico cat with green eyes and white chest looking directly at camera, framed in a circular teal border

Colorado is home to thousands of community cats – unowned cats who are more comfortable living outdoors than inside a home. To better meet the needs of our community, reduce overpopulation, and give these cats the chance at healthier, safer lives, Humane Colorado offers low-cost spay and neuter services for community members who want to help the unowned cats in their neighborhood.

Want more information on how to support community cats? We’re here to help!

Community Cat Socialization Types

While these are the most common socialization types, behavior and socialization is a spectrum. When interacting with any unknown cat, pay close attention to their body language for your and their safety and comfort.

Orange tabby cat with golden eyes staring directly at camera, standing on brick patio near a doormat

Feral cats

A feral cat lives outdoors and has never been socialized to humans. This means they are not likely to enjoy the “luxuries” of indoor living.

Most feral cats are fearful of humans. They are not aggressive when left alone but may act with aggression if too much contact is attempted by a human when the cat does not have a visible escape route.

Black and white cat walking through a barn with hay piles and cattle stalls in the background

Semi-feral cats

A semi-feral cat has had some contact and experience with humans and has developed a comfort level with humans due to feeding, receiving medical care or similar contacts, but is unsuitable as an indoor pet.

Woman in blue sweater and glasses holding a brown tabby cat with green collar looking at the camera

Social cats

While social cats are more likely to seek out attention from humans and may allow petting on their terms, behavior can vary between individuals, and not all cats tolerate handling. It should be noted that these cats may be owned, outdoor-dwelling cats. Check for a spay/neuter tattoo or ear tip, and a microchip before bringing a socialized cat in for spay and neuter services.

What can I do to help community cats in my neighborhood?

The easiest way to help community cats is to ensure they receive preventative care through local shelter community cat or trap-neuter-release programs.

While Humane Colorado does not provide trapping services, we do work with local individual trappers and trapping organizations to help spay/neuter community cats. Please call 303.751.5772 to learn more about Humane Colorado’s community cat resources and to schedule an appointment for spay/neuter services. You can also schedule an appointment for community cat spay/neuter services online below.

If you have a community cat that is sick or injured, please do not hesitate to bring them in to our Pet Admissions department.

Pet Admissions

Schedule a Community Cat Spay/Neuter Appointment

Humane Colorado does not provide trapping services. Please review the Feral Cat TNR Guide for organizations that provide expanded services and trap rentals. You can also purchase humane traps at Harbor Freight or other farm supplies stores.

What can I do if I find a kitten or kittens in my neighborhood?

If you come across community kittens, you may have to resist the urge to immediately bring them home or to your local shelter. But did you know that removing kittens from their current environment may not be the right answer? Mother cats may be finding food nearby or even waiting for you to leave.

If you do see a kitten or kittens alone outdoors, learn what steps you should take before attempting to humanely trap them.

Can a feral cat be a good working or barn cat?

The short answer is maybe! Life as a barn cat, or working cat, can be a great option for unsocial (feral) or semi-social cats, in the right situation and with the right planning.

Often when people try to relocate a feral cat into a barn home, the cat attempts to return to their original colony, which can be dangerous. We only recommend barn placement, working cat programs, or relocation if it the best option for the cat. When it is the best option and the process is done methodically, it can be a success for the cat and the caretaker.

Learn more about our Working Cat Program

FAQs

Trap-Neuter-Return is the best thing to do to help feral cats and cat overpopulation, preventing new kittens every year while reducing the spread of disease and territory marking behaviors.

We advocate for returning the altered cat to the original location. Relocation is an ineffective tactic as many community cats will seek out their original territory or colony and relocation exposes the territory to future unaltered cats, restarting the breeding cycle.
Community cats is a term to classify all outdoor cats, regardless of ownership and socialization, including but not limited to feral cats, stray cats, and owned outdoor cats.

Where a feral cat is completely unsocialized to humans, stray cats may have been socialized at some point in their life but no longer have regular human contact. Meanwhile, an outdoor cat may live a combination indoor/outdoor life. Outdoor cats may have consistent human interaction and access to both indoor and outdoor spaces for enrichment purposes.
We believe the best option for a feral cat is returning to its territory where it knows how to survive.

That said, we evaluate each cat’s behavior to assess their adoptability and placement, including potential placement in the Humane Colorado working cat program. If the cat is deemed social and healthy, it will be placed for general adoption.

There are few cases where a feral cat becomes more social with their people over time, it is rare to build trust and socialize an adult feral cat or kittens over 16 weeks.
Kittens under 16 weeks are at a great age for socialization and adoption. Kittens, especially those under 8 weeks, are vulnerable, so it is important to ask yourself these questions when considering trapping a kitten:
- Have you seen the kitten(s) with a mother cat?
- Did the mom cat come back for the kittens a few hours later?
Answer “No” to both questions? Take the kittens to your nearest animal shelter as soon as possible.

If you’ve seen a mom, do not separate the kittens from her. Once the kittens are walking on their own, and if you are comfortable doing so, trap the kittens for spay/neuter services. If you are not comfortable trapping on your own, contact a local shelter service for assistance.
Life as a barn cat, or working cat, can be a great option for unsocial (feral) or semi-social cats, in the right situation and with the right planning. Often when people try to relocate a feral cat into a barn home, the cat attempts to return to the area they lived before, which can be dangerous. Usually, barn home placement, working cat placement, or relocation is if it is the last choice when there are no better options for the cat. When it is the best option and the process is done methodically, it can be a success for the cat and the caretaker.

There are a few reasons when relocating a feral cat makes sense:
- The caregiver is no longer able to care for the colony and there is no one else willing to take over colony care.
- The area the cat came from is being demolished or is otherwise no longer a safe habitat.
- The cat’s safety and health is a concern due to other circumstances in the original area.
- There has been a significant change in the resources (access to food, water or shelter) in the original area, and it will no longer support the cat’s survival.
If you have a barn or other location and are interested in a working cat, view our available cats and submit a request form today.

Have a question?

We are happy to help!

Fill out our contact us form and select Community Cats in the dropdown option. A member of our team will get back to you as soon as possible.

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