Community cat program

Charlottesville and Albemarle residents: Uur Community Cat Manager is available to provide guidance as well as assist in trapping colony cats for veterinary services. To inquire, please fill out this form.

Residents outside of Charlottesville and Albemarle: Please contact the Cat Action Team.

Yes! Fees are as follows:

• Sterilization Surgery: $75 – includes post-operative pain medication
• Rabies Vaccine: $10
• FVRCP-C Vaccine: $15
• Ear tipping (required): Free

Charlottesville and Albemarle residents: We have humane capture traps available for rent at the SPCA for $5.00 a week plus an $80.00 deposit. The deposit will be refunded to you once the cat is fixed, released and the trap is returned to us. We have a limited number of traps in our trap bank; calling ahead is recommended. 

Residents outside of Charlottesville and Albemarle: Please contact the Cat Action Team.

You can also purchase humane capture traps at Tractor Supply and Amazon.

We offer easy-to-follow instructions on how to successfully trap community cats for surgery. 

No. For the safety of yourself, the cat, and our staff, community cats must arrive in individual humane capture traps.

The top 3/8 inch of a cat’s (typically left) ear is removed leaving a straight edge.

Cat ear-tipping is extremely safe and is performed while the cat is already anesthetized for spay or neuter surgery. There is little or no bleeding involved, and it is not painful to the cat nor will it affect their hearing. 

Yes, this is a requirement at the SPCA’s veterinary clinic. It alerts people from a distance that a community cat has been spayed or neutered. This saves the cat the stress of being potentially trapped and anesthetized for a second time. An ear tip also allows a caregiver who is setting traps to know this cat has already been sterilized.

A tipped ear indicates that the cat has already been sterilized and vaccinated, so the cat should remain where you found it. 

View the Lost & Found Pets page on our website for information on helping lost pets.

Families seeking assistance through our Pet Food Pantry program can visit the shelter between 10am and 6pm Tuesday through Sunday. Please bring your ID.

Check out this article by The Humane Society of the United States on what to do if you find kittens.

Kittens must be at least 2 months old and weigh 2 lbs. to be eligible for surgery. Rabies vaccinations cannot be given until kittens are 3-4 months old. 

The First Night: 

• While recovering from anesthesia, cats can’t regulate their body temperatures. Keep the cat in a temperature-controlled area to prevent them from getting too hot or too cold. 
• Be sure all traps are equipped with clean bedding. Soiled bedding increases the risk of infection. 
• Keep the trap covered with a towel or sheet to reduce stress on the cat. 
• Feed a small amount of wet food and offer water once the cat has regained full consciousness. When putting the food and water in the trap, slide the back door of the trap up slowly and only enough to slide the food and water into the trap.

The Next Day:

• Unless specified otherwise, you may release the cat 12-24 hours after surgery as long as they have regained full consciousness. 
• Release the cat in the same place the trap was set. Do not be alarmed if the cat hesitates before running out; you may need to walk away from the trap before the cat will exit.

Attempts to permanently remove cats from an area always fail because of a natural and scientifically-documented phenomenon known as the vacuum effect. Whenever cats are removed and a food source still exists, new cats move in, or the surviving cats left behind breed to capacity.

Relocation is also ineffective for the same reasons: it puts the vacuum effect into motion. And it endangers cats’ lives and causes them undue stress and suffering. 

For more information, please check out this article by Best Friends Animal Society on Relocating Feral Cats: Safety Considerations.