CBHS Trap-Neuter-Return Program

What is a feral cat?

Feral or non-socialized, free-roaming cats cannot be picked up or handled by humans. They are often the offspring of free-roaming outdoor cats that are not sterilized. These cats are often many generations removed from human ownership and cannot be placed into a typical home situation.

What is Trap-Neuter-Return?

Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) is a method of humanely controlling feral/free-roaming cat populations. Free-roaming cats are humanely trapped, sterilized, vaccinated, and ear-tipped (a small notch in the left ear is the universal mark for a sterilized free-roaming cat). Socialized cats are adopted into homes, and cats that are non-socialized or feral are returned to their original location. 

CBHS TNR Program

CBHS has partnered with the City of Waterloo and the City of Cedar Falls to launch a Trap-Neuter-Return program to help reduce the number of free-roaming community cats living within the urban neighborhoods.

Waterloo Animal Control officers are working with community members to coordinate the trapping of free-roaming cats in neighborhoods. If you’re interested in assisting with the TNR program or want to request a trap, please contact Waterloo Animal Control at 319-883-0797.

The Cedar Bend Humane Society will evaluate each cat to determine if it’s a candidate for the TNR program. Determining factors include: health of the cat, and available resources. There will be no required holding period for cats considered to be free-roaming.

As an alternative to euthanizing free-roaming community cats, the CBHS may choose to alter the cat and release it to the same area where it was trapped. That will only be done after the cat is spayed/neutered, given a rabies shot, and ear tipped.

If a free-roaming cat isn’t a candidate for the TNR program, the cat may be chosen for our barn cat program or humanely euthanized.

This TNR program is currently only available for free-roaming cats in Waterloo, Cedar Falls, and Hudson.

If you’re interested in supporting the Cedar Bend Humane Society’s efforts to spay and neuter free-roaming community cats, please click here to make a donation.

If you’re looking for an affordable spay/neuter option for free-roaming cats outside of Waterloo/Cedar Falls, you can schedule a $50 spay/neuter through the CBHS Fix-A-Feline program or contact the Iowa Humane Alliance in Cedar Rapids.

Thank you for spaying and neutering. It is the key to help stop pet overpopulation.