02/25/2026
Happy National Spay Day!
Today is the purr-fect day for a reminder that the most humane and effective way to manage outdoor cat colonies is through Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR).
The Community Cat Program at the Nebraska Humane Society works with colony caretakers and TNR groups that trap and bring in community cats by having them spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and then getting them returned to their outdoor home. Why do we do this? Well, because altering saves lives and helps prevent suffering.
When community cats are spayed and neutered some great things happen:
- They can no longer reproduce, which means kittens aren’t born into harsh outdoor conditions (did you know 80% of the kittens that are born each year are born to outdoor cats??)
- Nuisance behaviors like fighting and spraying decrease
- Overall colony size stabilizes and gradually declines over time
Removing or culling cats may seem like a quick fix, especially for those that don’t want the cats in the area, but it has been scientifically proven that it doesn’t work long-term. When cats are taken away, new unaltered cats move in to take advantage of the same food sources and shelter. This is known as the “vacuum effect.” The cycle simply starts over, often leading to even more breeding.
TNR addresses the root of the issue: population control through prevention, not elimination.
On this National Spay Day, we encourage everyone to:
- Spay and neuter your own pets
- Support TNR efforts in your community
- Advocate for humane, science-based solutions for outdoor cats
Together, we can reduce overpopulation, improve cat welfare, and create healthier neighborhoods one spay and neuter at a time. 🖤
