Community Cats
Santa Barbara Humane offers a free spay or neuter program called Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) for stray or unowned community cats.
The best way you can help community cats is through Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR). TNR ensures no new kittens are born, stabilizes cat populations, and improves cats’ lives. It also stops the behaviors and stresses associated with mating, such as yowling, spraying, and fighting.
How it Works
- Pick up a humane trap at either Santa Barbara Humane campus. Provide a $85 deposit which is refunded when the trap is returned; there is no daily rental fee.
- Call 805-879-9705 to discuss appointment options.
- Set the trap the night before or the morning of the appointment. WE CAN ONLY ACCEPT ONE CAT PER TRAP.
- Bring the trapped cat to the Santa Barbara or Santa Maria Veterinary Clinic the morning of surgery.
- Pick up the cat that afternoon, and release him or her back home that same day.
- Return the trap for a full refund of your deposit.
If you have questions, or need cat food to support community cats in your neighborhood, email [email protected] or call 805-971-1430
Acceptable Traps
Cats must be UNOWNED and arrive in a humane trap. The trap must have a bottom liner and be completely covered.
ONE CAT PER TRAP ONLY, PLEASE. We cannot accept multiple cats in one trap.
When to bring your trapped cat in for surgery
(Maximum of two cats per household)
Santa Barbara Campus
Community cat spay/neuter days vary at the Santa Barbara Campus. Please contact us to discuss a day and time for surgery.
Email: [email protected]
Call: 805-964-4777 ext. 205
Clinic Address
5399 Overpass Road
Santa Barbara, CA 93111
Santa Maria Campus
Drop-off Time: 7:15 AM
No Appointment Necessary
Clinic Address
1687 West Stowell Road
Santa Maria, CA 93458
| Trap-Neuter-Return | Drop-off Information | Date |
|---|---|---|
| UNLIMITED Community Cats Spay/Neuter Surgery Day | Drop-off time: 7:15 AM • Each household can bring an unlimited number of unowned community cats in traps.Every cat MUST have their OWN trap - we CANNOT take multiple cats in 1 trap. | 1789049700 Thu, Sep 10, 2026 |
| UNLIMITED Community Cats Spay/Neuter Surgery Day | Drop-off time: 7:15 AM • Each household can bring an unlimited number of unowned community cats in traps.Every cat MUST have their OWN trap - we CANNOT take multiple cats in 1 trap. | 1790259300 Thu, Sep 24, 2026 |
If these days don’t work for you, contact us at 805-964-4777 ext. 205 to discuss alternative options.
Frequently Asked Questions
Set the trap the night before or morning of the appointment. Line the trap with newspaper and partially cover it with a sheet or towel to give the cat a sense of security. Make sure water is available, but stop feeding 24 hours in advance so the cat is motivated to enter the trap. Use a high-value food, such as tuna, to lure the cat into the trap.
Email [email protected] or call 805-971-1430 so we can work with you on a TNR plan.
Wild-born kittens should remain with their mother, and kittens eight weeks of age and older can be safely spayed or neutered and released back to the property. If you can provide foster care for kittens when they are 5-6 weeks of age, remove them from the mother at that time, and we will provide you with food, supplies, advice, and veterinary care until the kittens are old enough and social enough for our adoption program. Santa Barbara Humane does not accept underage or undersocialized kittens. Email [email protected] or call 805-971-1430.
When the cat is under anesthesia, his or her left ear is surgically and painlessly ‘tipped.’ This immediate visual identification prevents an unnecessary second trapping and surgery. If you trap a cat that has been eartipped, simply release it at the trap site.
Outdoor cats that are thriving in their environment don’t belong in shelters. While your first instinct when you see a cat may be to call animal control or bring the cat to Santa Barbara Humane, studies have shown that even friendly, owned cats are better off being left alone than experiencing the stress of a shelter environment. Community cats are generally not socialized to people, so the most humane thing you can do is ‘TNR,’ and then provide the cat with access to food, water, and shelter where it lives—outdoors.