What is TNVR?

• The term TNVR refers to Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return. TNVR is the model that many Community Cat Programs follow including LVHS. Community Cats are spayed/neutered, vaccinated and returned to the area they were living in. This process will help humanely reduce the feline population in an area.

What is a Community Cat?

• Community cats can be found just about everywhere that people live. These outdoor, free-roaming cats live in and are cared for by the community, hence the term “community cats.” We choose “community cat” to best describe what most people call “feral cats,” because community cat includes lost, abandoned, loosely-owned and stray cats in addition to “feral.” People feed and care about all the cats.

What is a feral cat?

• The official definition of feral is “living in a wild state after domestication.” We consider that feral simply denotes unsocial behavior toward people. Regardless of whether a cat loves people or fears them, any outdoor, unaltered cat reproduces and contributes to the homeless cat problem.

What is an ear tip?

• An ear-tip is the removal of about one centimeter of the tip of an adult cat's ear. This is a universally recognized, safe and humane procedure that is done while the cat is under anesthesia for spay/neuter surgery. This is only done for feral cats, barn cats, or outside community cats. This is not done on friendly pet cats that sometimes go outside.
• An ear-tip is a visual indicator that a cat has previously been altered and vaccinated. Because feral cats can be difficult to get close to, the ear tip can be seen from a distance and helps prevent re-trapping, transport, stress, and unnecessary anesthesia.