What We Do

First of all, you may ask: "what is a community cat?" Community cats are feral, stray or abandoned cats living exclusively outdoors. Kind humans referred to as caregivers monitor and feed these cats. Collaboratively with these caregivers, Topeka Community Cat Fix (TCCF) volunteers trap up to 35 cats within Shawnee County Kansas about every two weeks. Cats are spayed or neutered by senior veterinary students under the supervision of a veterinary professor from an area accredited state university (Kansas State University) in the university’s mobile surgery unit, which comes to Topeka. The cats are also vaccinated, treated for parasites, given pain medication, and ear tipped. Ear tipping is the universally accepted way to signify that a community cat has been spayed or neutered. After recovery, the cats are returned to their caregivers who continue to feed and provide outdoor shelter. Our success is measured by documenting the number of community cats sterilized through our programs. Since our 2014 inception over 10,800 cats have been spayed or neutered.

In between TNVR events with Kansas State University's senior veterinary students and staff, TCCF volunteers take community cats to the Community Clinic at the local humane society (Helping Hands Humane Society) and to several Topeka veterinarians for spay/neuter surgery. The cats are also vaccinated, treated for parasites, given pain medication and ear tipped while under anesthesia.