In a leafy back lane at golden hour, a volunteer in a navy jacket kneels and lets a tabby community cat sniff her hand.

For the cats nobody owns, and the ones somebody misses.

We provide trap-neuter-return for community and stray cats, help reunite lost cats with their owners, and promote responsible cat care in British Columbia.

Request TNR help Report a lost cat
Trap-Neuter-Return Humane TNR for community and stray cats, so colonies shrink instead of grow. Lost cat reunions Search advice and hands-on help to get missing cats back to their owners. Responsible cat care Plain, practical guidance on spaying, neutering, microchips, and safety.
Five smiling volunteers in navy t-shirts stand beside a car, holding humane traps, a cat carrier, and towels.

Fewer homeless kittens. More cats safely home.

Community cats live outdoors in almost every neighbourhood. Left alone, a few unsterilized cats soon become a colony. Trap-neuter-return is the humane way to stop that cycle: cats are sterilized, then returned to the outdoor home they know, where their numbers go down over time instead of up.

We also help owners look for cats that have gone missing, and we share practical advice so fewer cats end up lost or abandoned in the first place.

  • Humane TNR for community and stray cats
  • Help reuniting lost cats with their owners
  • Responsible cat care education
  • Based in British Columbia, Canada

Trap. Neuter. Return.

Each cat is away from its territory for as short a time as possible, and comes back healthier and unable to add to the colony.

  1. At dusk, a grey tabby approaches a humane box trap that is partly covered with a blanket beside a wooden fence.
    1

    Trap

    Cats are caught gently in humane box traps, usually around their regular feeding time. A cover over the trap keeps them calm.

  2. A veterinarian in navy scrubs examines a calm black-and-white cat on a clinic table while an assistant steadies it with a towel.
    2

    Neuter

    A veterinarian spays or neuters each cat and checks its health while it is under anesthesia.

  3. An orange tabby with a tipped ear rests on a fleece blanket inside a covered recovery crate.
    3

    Ear-tip and recover

    The tip of one ear is removed during surgery. It is the universal sign that a cat is already sterilized. Then the cat rests until it is ready to go.

  4. A tabby cat steps out of an open carrier onto the grass while a volunteer watches from behind.
    4

    Return

    Each cat goes back to the exact spot where it was trapped, to the territory and the caretakers it already knows.

Cats living outdoors near you?

Tell us where they are and what you've seen. We'll get in touch to plan trap-neuter-return with you.

It helps a lot if you can tell us:

  • Roughly how many cats there are
  • Whether anyone feeds them, and at what time
  • If you've seen kittens, or a cat that looks pregnant or hurt
An older man in a navy fleece sets down bowls of food for four community cats beside a garden shed.

Is a cat injured or in immediate danger? Call a local veterinarian or the BC SPCA Animal Helpline at 1-855-622-7722.

Tell us about the cats

Lost a cat? Start close to home.

A frightened cat usually hides nearby and stays silent, even when you call. Send us a report so we can help you look, and start on these steps right away:

  1. Search your own home and yard first. Check closets, sheds, garages, and under decks and porches.
  2. Go out when it's quiet. At dusk, at night, and in the early morning, bring a flashlight and look under bushes and parked cars.
  3. Ask your neighbours to check their sheds, garages, and crawl spaces. Cats get shut in by accident.
  4. Call nearby shelters, veterinarians, your city's animal control, and the BC SPCA.
  5. Post in local groups and put up posters near where your cat went missing, with a clear, recent photo.
  6. Check that your microchip contact details are up to date with your registry, such as the BC Pet Registry.
At night, a volunteer with a headlamp kneels by a porch and shines a flashlight underneath, where a grey cat is hiding.

Report a lost cat

Five habits that keep cats safe

Most cats that end up lost or living on the street started out as someone's pet. These habits prevent that.

A vet technician scans a ginger cat for a microchip while its owner rests a hand on the cat.
A tuxedo cat lounges on a shelf inside a screened outdoor catio surrounded by garden greenery.

  1. Spay or neuter

    It prevents unplanned litters and reduces roaming, spraying, and fighting. Ask your veterinarian about the right age for your cat.

  2. Microchip, and keep it current

    A microchip only works if it is registered with your current phone number. Update it whenever you move. In BC you can register with the BC Pet Registry.

  3. Give them a safe way to be outside

    Indoor cats avoid traffic, wildlife, and getting lost. A catio, a window perch, or a harness gives them fresh air without the risk.

  4. See a veterinarian regularly

    Regular checkups and vaccinations catch problems early and keep your cat comfortable for longer.

  5. Commit for their whole life

    Plan ahead for moves, travel, and emergencies. If you can no longer keep your cat, ask a rescue or shelter for help. Never leave a cat behind.

Every cat we help depends on people like you

Gifts go toward spay and neuter surgeries, traps and carriers, food for cats in our care, and supplies for lost-cat searches.

Fix a cat

Help cover the spay or neuter surgery for one community cat.

Donate
Most impact

Give monthly

Steady support lets us book clinic days in advance and keep traps out in the field.

Give monthly

Stock the kit

Help pay for traps, carriers, cat food, flashlights, and flyers.

Donate

Prefer to give your time?

We need people to trap, drive cats to and from the clinic, look after colonies, and join lost-cat searches. Veterinarians, shelters, and rescues can partner with us too.

Volunteer or partner

Questions people ask us

What is TNR?

TNR stands for trap-neuter-return. Community cats are humanely trapped, spayed or neutered by a veterinarian, ear-tipped, and returned to the place where they live. It is the humane way to reduce the number of cats living outdoors.

Why are the cats returned instead of removed?

Many cats that have always lived outdoors are not suited to life in a home. Removing them also tends to leave room for new, unsterilized cats to move in. Returning sterilized cats keeps the group stable while its numbers go down naturally over time.

What does a tipped ear mean?

The tip of one ear is removed while a cat is under anesthesia for its spay or neuter surgery. It lets anyone see from a distance that the cat is already sterilized, so it doesn't need to be trapped again.

I found kittens outside. What should I do?

Don't pick them up right away. Their mother is often close by, looking for food. Watch from a distance, keep the area quiet, and contact us so we can help you decide what to do next.

How do you help find lost cats?

When you send a report, we help you plan a search, share your cat's details with local groups and shelters, and join on-the-ground searches where we can.

Is Catty Rescue Society a registered non-profit?

Catty Rescue Society is being registered as a non-profit society in British Columbia. We'll post our incorporation details here as soon as registration is complete. We are not a registered charity, so we can't issue official donation receipts for income tax purposes.

Yes. Catty Rescue Society is a non-profit society incorporated under the BC Societies Act (No. ). We are not a registered charity, so we can't issue official donation receipts for income tax purposes.

Let's look out for them together

Questions, volunteering, partnerships, or a cat you're worried about. We'd love to hear from you.