Neighborhood Cats

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Neighborhood Cats

Feral cats are too-often forgotten. Our goal is to make life better for community cats locally and throughout the United States. Help us help more cats!
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Neighborhood Cats is a private not-for-profit 501(c)(3) charity. Using the method known as Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), our mission is to improve the lives of the millions of cats living on our streets and support the compassionate people caring for them. Check out our campaign: donate.neighborhoodcats.org/givingmewsday

06/23/2026

Whether you’re just starting out and have never used a drop trap, or you’re an experienced drop-trapper looking for innovative ways to use this great piece of equipment, this Saturday’s virtual workshop is for you! 🪤

Join us for our webinar, Drop Traps: Beginning & Advanced, led by the team at Neighborhood Cats—co-designers of the Tomahawk drop trap—to learn how to use them safely, effectively and creatively.

Register here: https://communitycatscentral.com/events/drop-traps-beginning-advanced-2026/

Registration is $10. Check out available scholarships at: https://communitycatscentral.com/scholarships

06/21/2026

Happy Father’s Day! 🎈

As you’re celebrating today, don’t forget that while fatherhood is sacred to us humans, it’s better avoided when it comes to outdoor cats. We don’t want those colonies you’re looking out for to start growing.

That’s why Trap-Neuter-Return is so important! Get all the male (and female) cats in your colony neutered as soon as you can. By doing so, you’ll stop fighting and related injuries, slow the spread of disease, and make life more pleasant for the cats’ neighbors, in addition to preventing more litters.

From all of us at Neighborhood Cats, have a joyous and restful Father’s Day!

06/18/2026

If you or someone you know needs to learn how to practice Trap-Neuter-Return safely and effectively, register for this Saturday’s workshop!

In just a few hours, the experts at Neighborhood Cats will show you everything you need to know about trapping, feeding and working with neighbors. Earn your TNR certificate and confidently help the community cats near you.

Sign up here:
https://communitycatscentral.thinkific.com/courses/the-neighborhood-cats-tnr-certification-workshop-june-2026

P.S. Need help covering the $10 fee? Check out available scholarships: https://communitycatscentral.com/scholarships

06/18/2026

Skunks are another unwanted critter that can end up in your traps! So how do you get them out without getting sprayed?

🦨 First, grab a thick blanket that’s heavy enough to be thrown from several feet away.

🦨 Approach quietly from the side or behind and toss the blanket on top of the trap—skunks have poor vision and can only see about 10 feet in front of them. They are easily startled though by sudden noises.

🦨 Pull back the blanket just enough to quickly remove or open the rear door, then gently step away and allow them to wander out on their own.

Heads up! Skunks give warnings before they spray, such as stomping their front paws, growling, spitting or twisting so their face and rear end are both facing you (the spray emits from their a**l glands). So if you see any signs of agitation, slowly and quietly back off!

06/14/2026

Hot summers require a little more care when feeding your colony. Food left out for too long can attract flies, ants, slugs… you name it.

The best solution? Instead of leaving food out all day, train cats to come eat at a certain time and take away any leftover food when they’re done. Consistent feeding windows can keep unwanted critters at bay. Just make sure the cats have access to water at all times!

When that’s not possible, consider these options:

🐾 Put food bowls inside bigger bowls or pans filled with water (ants and slugs won’t cross the “moat”).

🐾 Circle the feeding area with chalk or food-grade diatomaceous earth. On a microscopic level, these are sharp and create a barrier for bugs and slugs. Be careful not to inhale any chalk or diatomaceous earth—you don’t want sharp items in your lungs—and wear a dust mask if necessary.

🐾 Use dry food, which will attract fewer flies than wet food.

Have any other great ideas for keeping bugs and other creatures out of your colony’s food? Share them in the comments!

06/13/2026

Our next Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) Certification Workshop is happening one week from today!

It’s not too late to grab a spot for this virtual session, taking place Saturday, June 20, 2–4:45 pm ET.

For just $10, you’ll get Neighborhood Cats’ expertise and guidance on the TNR approach, plus 365 days of access to the recorded workshop and a TNR certification!

Sign up now ➡️
https://communitycatscentral.thinkific.com/courses/the-neighborhood-cats-tnr-certification-workshop-june-2026

06/11/2026

Another common creature that may get caught up in cat traps: Opossums. It's quite rare for opossums to carry rabies but you should still be careful not to get scratched. They’re very gentle and not aggressive by nature. Still, keep out of range of their claws when you’re opening the trap door to release and wear gloves, preferably bite or scratch-proof.

To keep them out of traps, consider stringing up twinkle lights around your trapping area if you’re trapping at night. (opossums don’t like light and can’t actually see in daylight.)

Also, don’t locate your colony feeding spot (and therefore your trapping spot) near potential opossum dens, such as wood or brush piles, or discarded pallets.

If you do catch a opossum, release them near a tree so they can quickly climb to safety. This is especially important if you release them during daylight hours because they can’t see where they are.

06/10/2026

Accidentally catch a raccoon and need to release it from your trap? Here are some helpful ideas:

👉 First, raccoons can carry rabies so stay out of range of their very long claws. They’re generally gentle and mild-mannered, but be careful anyway! Keep your hands covered, preferably with bite or scratch-proof gloves.

👉 If there are two of you, have one person distract the raccoon at the front end of the trap while the other removes the rear door or raises it to a fixed open position. Quickly back away and let the raccoon find his way out.

👉 If you’re on your own and using a Tru-catch trap (they’re usually brown), roll the trap upside-down with your shoe-covered foot, staying out of scratching range. The doors should automatically fall open.

👉 If you’re on your own and not using a Tru-catch trap, be patient. Wait for the raccoon to settle down towards the front of the trap, then quickly open the rear door. Back off and wait.

👉 If you have a partner, slip a broomstick through the handles of the trap to safely carry the trap to a good release spot, like a tree.

Important reminder: If you get scratched or otherwise injured, seek medical attention immediately.

🦝 Have you ever caught a raccoon? Let us know how you safely removed it from your trap!

06/09/2026

CHECK OUT ORVILLE'S AMAZING TRANSFORMATION! ❤️
https://donate.neighborhoodcats.org/campaign/763372/donate
Look who’s feeling waaaaay better! Yep, it’s Orville, the gentle tabby we introduced you to in April after his dramatic rescue from a busy Queens street. Poor Orville had collapsed in the midst of traffic, too sick, starved and exhausted to make it to the other side of the road. A guardian angel must have been watching over the little fellow that day because a local rescuer came along and swooped in before the unthinkable happened.

The photo to the left shows Orville just hours after he was brought to safety. The next morning Neighborhood Cats got an urgent call for help from his rescuer, Marisol. Orville was impossibly frail then, and his survival was uncertain. But inside that beleaguered, five-pound body beat the heart of a champion. He fought to get better with everything he had, slowly overcoming respiratory and gastric infections, anemia and more. Broken and decayed teeth in his upper jaw made it impossible for Orville to eat solid food, so weeks passed before he’d gained the two pounds required to safely undergo dental surgery.

Finally, the doctor gave the green light. On a bright May morning we brought Orville back to the hospital, patted his fuzzy head and promised him that having his teeth fixed was the last hard thing he had to do. Agreeable as ever, he purred and came through the operation like a trooper. He hasn’t looked back since.

Today Orville’s a happy cat - thanks to you! Your generous donations paid for his extensive surgery plus medications, x-rays and other essential treatments. Now that he’s a healthy eight pounds, he looks like a furry bean bag as he follows Marisol around her flat, or bustles from sunny windowsills to his new toy box filled with ping pong balls and catnip fish. See for yourself! That’s our boy in the second photo, fully recovered and enjoying a four-feet-in-the-air nap before lunch.

Marisol works long hours so she’s looking for a forever home where Orville (a world-class cuddler) can soak up attention to his heart’s content. Interested? Please contact us at [email protected].

Missed Orville's original story? Read it here: https://mailchi.mp/neighborhoodcats/save-orville?e=5b70ad143d

06/06/2026

Summer trapping means more chances to catch critters other than cats! Here are a few good ideas for keeping unwanted creatures out of your traps.

First, get your cats on a daytime feeding schedule, since most wildlife is nocturnal. Then, trap at their feeding time. (Unless birds are your problem animals… then, feed the cats soon after dusk or later at night when the birds are sleeping!)

If they’re still hanging out at trapping time, distract them with food they like but cats don’t. Here’s a cheat sheet:

😋 Chickens: cracked corn
😋 Raccoons: apples, marshmallows, corn, bread
😋 Possums: acorns, tomatoes, apples, bananas
😋 Skunks: nuts, bananas, apples, bread

Save this post so you have it handy next time you’re trying to keep critters out of your traps!

Address

244 Fifth Avenue Ste 2222
New York, NY
10001

Telephone

+12126625761

Website

https://www.neighborhoodcats.org/

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