Any free-roaming, unowned cat is considered a community cat. They may be friendly or unsocialized, truly feral or anywhere in between. Some live in managed colonies but others thrive by finding alternative sources of food from neighbors, trash or hunting.
HITCHCOCK ROAD
Animal Services
Serving Monterey County and the City of Salinas
Cat Resources
Animal Services understands the impact that cats have in our communities. We are committed to humane and proven programs, such as Shelter-Neuter Return (SNR) to reduce the number of cats within those communities. There are simply not enough homes for them.
SNR programs have been proven as humane as effective ways to reduce the community cat population by spaying/neutering, vaccinating and ear tipping healthy feral cats that come in to the shelter and then releasing them back to their community. There, they continue to utilize resources while not contributing to the cat overpopulation. It is much more effective than simply removing cats and euthanizing them.
We recommend that, if the cat is healthy and thriving, it be humanely trapped and taken to a veterinarian or low cost spay/neuter clinic where it can be altered, vaccinated and ear tipped. There are resources on this page that may be able to assist (see below). It can then be released back to it it's community. If it is unhealthy, sick or abandoned and needs help, you can bring it to Animal Services Tuesday - Saturday depending on it's location.
If you have any questions, please call us at 831-769-8850 or send an email to animalservices@co.monterey.ca.us.
At this time, Animal Services is accepting sick, injured, abandoned cats and orphaned under-age cats (under 8 weeks) unless circumstances dictate otherwise. (Please call us first if you have questions). Healthy, obviously thriving cats that do not require any help should be left in their community so that they can return to their home. We know they have better chance of getting home than coming in to the shelter system. Feral cats with an ear tip that are healthy should be released back to their community to continue to do their part to keep the population low. If you have a healthy feral and it needs to be spayed or neutered please see resources below. If there are other circumstances that you would like to discuss, please give us a call at 831-769-8850 or send an email to animalservices@co.monterey.ca.us.
If you found a friendly, healthy cat, find out if it has a microchip. We'll scan it for you and most Veterinary clinics will as well. Often, friendly neighbor cats are indoor/outdoor cats and not lost at all, simply roaming, which is perfectly legal in the City of Salinas and unincorporated areas of Monterey County and something cats love to do. A cat’s chance of ever getting back home when entering a shelter is dramatically reduced. We may encourage you to return the cat to the location at which it was found as, again, most cats don’t roam more than 6-7 houses from where they live. It is always best to knock on the doors on your street to see if anyone knows the cat. If there seems to be circumstances that are unsafe for the cat or you have questions about it's situation, please call us at 831-769-8850 or send an email to animalservices@co.monterey.ca.us.
Animal Services does have a limited Shelter-Neuter-Return program for feral cats that do end up in the shelter. Only healthy feral cats will be spayed/neutered, vaccinated and ear tipped. Depending on the situation, either the person that brought in or a volunteer will release it back to its community. Our veterinarian retains the option to test cats for FIV/FeLV depending on symptoms of the cat and will make the final decision of the outcome for the cat. This program is not for owned cats, feral or friendly. Please call us at (831) 769-8850 for further information or send an email to animalservices@co.monterey.ca.us.
If you find stray, abandoned kittens and wish to bring them to the shelter, we would greatly appreciate it if they are brought to the shelter BEFORE 4:00 pm. Please call us at 831-769-8850 to set up a time for drop off. Bringing the kittens to the shelter earlier in the day helps to ensure that the shelter’s staff has enough time to process the stray kittens AND to contact appropriate foster care providers or rescue who can provide short-term support for the kittens in their homes. We do not have staff 24/7 and underage kittens cannot be left alone in the shelter overnight. This does mean they may be euthanized if they are not able to eat on their own.
Be a Community Foster Parent! We'll provide supplies if you provide the care and help us find them a permanent home. Click the button to view information about our foster program.
SPCA for Monterey County: www.spcamc.org
SNIP Bus: www.snipbus.org
Community Cat Allies: www.communitycatallies.org
Spay California Now: www.spaycalifornianow.org
If you own a cat that you wish to surrender, please contact the SPCA for Monterey County at (831) 373-2631 or (831) 422-4721. An appointment is required, and there may be a fee for surrendering your cat. For more info, go to www.spcamc.org.
SPCA Barn Cat Program – www.spcamc.org
Alley Cat Allies – www.alleycat.org
Cat Deterrents: www.neighborhoodcats.org/how-to-tnr/colony-care/keeping-cats-out-of-gardens-and-yards-2
Kitten care resources: www.kittenlady.org/kitten-care
UW Shelter Medicine Program: www.uwsheltermedicine.com/library/guidebooks/guide-to-raising-underage-kittens/caring-for-kittens-from-birth-to-eight-weeks