The Community Cat
FACT: Cats live outdoors-always have always will
Cats have lived and thrived outdoors for thousands of years, and it is their natural environment and their home. Today, we call them community cats.
Policies that impound, and kill, community cats in shelters under the misguided notion that they "belong" indoors are fundamentally flawed and ineffective. Cats who live outdoors do NOT NEED RESCUING and deserve protection and respect.
alleycat.org/CommunityCats
FACT: TNR is the only humane and effective approach to community cats
TNR is the only humane and effective approach to community cats. Through TNR, cats are humanely trapped, brought to a veterinarian to be spayed or neutered, vaccinated, microchipped and ear tipped, then returned to their original outdoor homes. Catch and kill in shelters, meanwhile is an endless cycle of slaughter that does not reduce cat population nor benefit communities. Alleycat.org/TNR
FACT: Community cats can live long and healthy lives outdoors
Community cats can live as long and fulfilling of lives in their outdoor homes as indoor cats do in theirs. And, they have equally low rates of disease. Alleycat.org/Cat-Health
FACT: Community cats are often killed in shelters
Community cats are generally not socialized to people or adoptable. Even friendly community cats are often only tolerant to their feeder. In shelters without lifesaving programs, these cats will be killed. Cats ae highly stressed in shelters and are very susceptible to disease. Edgar and Ivys will only intervene with community cats to facilitate TNR.
FACT: If kittens outdoors have their mother cat LEAVE THEM BE.
If you see kittens alone, their mother is likely close by, and her instincts make her their best caregiver. Kittens should NEVER be separated from thier mother and brought indoors or to a shelter. Alleycat.org/LeaveThemBe
FACT: Community Cats are bonded to their outdoor homes-relocation is dangerous
Relocation of community cats is not done by Edgar and Ivy. Community cats are highly bonded to their outdoor homes and the other cats in their colonies. Relocation rips cats from these homes and places them somewhere unfamiliar, which is extremely stressful and disorienting for them.
According to Alley Cat Allies, community cats should not be trapped and released somewhere else because they are highly territorial and rely on their established environment for survival. They know where to find food, water, shelter, and how to navigate threats in their specific territory. Removing them from that location does not give them a better life—it places them in an unfamiliar environment where they have no resources or safety. Because of this, relocating a community cat is considered abandonment, or “dumping,” even when done with good intentions.
Relocating a cat can lead to serious harm. Cats often attempt to return to their original territory, becoming lost, injured, or killed in the process. In a new location, they may face starvation, exposure, or conflict with other animals as they compete for resources. Without a structured relocation program, most displaced cats do not survive or suffer significantly trying to adapt.
Alleycat.org/Relocation
FACT: The law and community Cats
Texas House Bill 3660 legally protects Trap-Neuter-Return programs by clarifying that returning a sterilized community cat to its original location is not abandonment.
Texas Penal Code § 42.092
Providing temporary food or care for a cat does not create ownership. The statute defines Custody as having care/control. You do not CONTROL or shelter a community cat. providing care, feeding, or participating in TNR does not make a community cat your property. The law clearly distinguishes custody from ownership, meaning temporary care does not create legal ownership. Feeding or sterilizing a community cat does not establish ownership under Texas law. Cities can still regulate behavior, as long as they don’t directly conflict with state law. Cities may regulate animal-related activities, but they cannot redefine ownership or criminalize actions that Texas law allows. Under Texas Penal Code § 42.092, custody does not equal ownership, and local policies cannot override that distinction. Reach out to TEXAS HUMANE LEGISLATION NETWORK. thln.org
FACT: Trap/Neuter/Return not Trap/Neuter/Relocate
Under Texas Penal Code § 42.092 (Cruelty to Nonlivestock Animals):
“Abandon” includes abandoning an animal in the person’s custody without making reasonable arrangements for assumption of custody by another person. You cannot trap and community cat and release it elsewhere. This is dumping.
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