{"id":119481,"date":"2026-01-16T10:56:52","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T18:56:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/?p=119481"},"modified":"2026-01-16T17:04:50","modified_gmt":"2026-01-17T01:04:50","slug":"community-cats-program-updates-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/blog\/community-cats-program-updates-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Strengthening Our Community Cats Program Together"},"content":{"rendered":"

At the San Francisco SPCA, our\u00a0<\/span>Community Cats Program<\/span><\/a>\u00a0exists because of people who care deeply\u00a0about cats in our local communities. Dedicated trappers, caregivers, advocates, and neighbors have helped ensure that community cats receive humane, lifesaving care.\u00a0We want to begin by saying thank you. Your time, energy, and commitment have made a real difference for thousands of cats and the communities they live in.<\/span><\/p>\n

Recently, we made a few updates to how our Community Cats Program operates. Our goal with this update is to provide clarity, transparency, and reassurance about what is changing, what is not, and why these refinements are important for the program\u2019s long-term health.<\/p>\n

Supporting\u00a0more cats in San Francisco<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

As our Community Cats Program has evolved over the years,\u00a0we’ve\u00a0been able to increase our capacity to support more local cats. In 2022,\u00a0the SF SPCA provided spay and neuter care for\u00a0roughly 500\u00a0community cats. In 2025, that number grew to more than 2,700 cats.<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

These numbers mean an increase in lives improved, litters prevented, and suffering reduced.\u00a0This is why we do what we do. We care so deeply for these cats, and with these changes, we expect to help even more this year.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What has not changed<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

First and foremost, Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) is continuing.\u00a0We will also continue to offer trap rentals.<\/span><\/p>\n

Through the Community Cats Program, cats trapped in San Francisco County continue to receive fully subsidized sterilization, microchipping, ear tipping, vaccinations, and flea control.\u00a0We\u00a0will continue to provide basic medical care for cats who come through the program, as well as humane euthanasia when appropriate.\u00a0Cats from outside San Francisco County are still eligible for care at a significantly subsidized rate.<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve\u00a0also added\u00a0<\/span>regularly recurring high-volume Feral Fix days<\/span><\/b>\u00a0as part of our ongoing Community Cats work.\u00a0These days allow our teams to help a large number of cats efficiently and reduce wait times across the program.\u00a0We will also host\u00a0special events, like our\u00a0<\/span>recent\u00a0<\/span><\/b>Champions for Pet Health<\/span><\/b><\/a>\u00a0event<\/span><\/b>, which build on this same model and help us reach even more cats.<\/span><\/p>\n

The\u00a0goal\u00a0of the program is unchanged: preventing future litters and supporting healthier outcomes for cats, caregivers, and neighborhoods across San Francisco.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Key\u00a0learnings\u00a0and\u00a0changes<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

As the program has grown, we\u2019ve continuously made operational improvements to better support our local cat populations. One of the biggest lessons was this: when we opened appointments by request instead of holding recurring slots, we were able to serve more people and more cats.<\/p>\n

That shift allowed us to completely clear a two-page waitlist of caregivers who had been waiting for help. Instead of appointments being tied up long-term, more people were able to get cats scheduled and cared for when they needed it.<\/p>\n

These changes helped us discover a system that lets us say \u201cyes\u201d more often. The same is true of our move toward high-volume Feral Fix days and clearer scheduling structures. These refinements help our medical teams plan effectively, reduce delays, and ultimately reach more cats without burning out the people doing the work. When you\u2019re helping thousands of cats a year, small operational improvements make a huge impact.<\/p>\n

Clarifying volunteer identity and representation<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Trappers are powerful advocates. You share knowledge, connect neighbors with resources, and speak up for cats who don\u2019t have a voice. That matters enormously, and it always will.<\/p>\n

We recognize that there are many perspectives on what responsible, humane community cat management looks like, and we respect that people come to this work with different approaches and philosophies. Our role is not to dictate a single \u201cright\u201d way to care for community cats. In fact, part of providing equitable TNR support across San Francisco means acknowledging those differences and creating space for a wide range of caregivers to access services.<\/p>\n

At the same time,\u00a0when someone is representing the SF SPCA,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0important that\u00a0what\u2019s\u00a0being said and done reflects our organization\u2019s specific policies.\u00a0For that reason, representing oneself as an SF SPCA volunteer\u00a0is limited to formal, on-site volunteer roles during active shifts. Outside of those roles, individuals are acting independently, even when bringing cats to the SF SPCA for care.<\/span><\/p>\n

This\u00a0clarity\u00a0helps the public understand who is speaking on behalf of the organization, helps volunteers avoid being placed in difficult or risky situations, and ensures that information shared with the community is\u00a0accurate\u00a0and consistent.\u00a0<\/span>It does not change who can access our Community Cat services or diminish the vital role independent caregivers continue to play in helping cats across San Francisco.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s\u00a0next<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

We are committed to listening, learning, and communicating clearly as we move forward together. We are currently compiling FAQs based on questions raised during our recent Community Cats webinar and additional feedback we\u2019ve received. Once finalized, we will share the FAQs on our blog.<\/p>\n

If there are questions you would like us to address, you are welcome to\u00a0submit\u00a0them using\u00a0<\/span><\/b>this form<\/span><\/b><\/a>.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Thank you again for your passion, your advocacy, and the many ways you support cats in San Francisco. We\u00a0remain\u00a0deeply committed to this work and to strengthening the partnerships that make it possible.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At the San Francisco SPCA, our\u00a0Community Cats Program\u00a0exists because of people who care deeply\u00a0about cats in our local communities. Dedicated trappers, caregivers, advocates, and neighbors have helped ensure that community […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":119482,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false,"footnotes":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[773],"class_list":["post-119481","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-community-cats"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nStrengthening Our Community Cats Program Together - San Francisco SPCA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We recently updated how the Community Cats Program operates. Learn more about what is changing, what is not, and why these are important for the program's long-term health.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/blog\/community-cats-program-updates-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Strengthening Our Community Cats Program Together - San Francisco SPCA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"We recently updated how the Community Cats Program operates. Learn more about what is changing, what is not, and why these are important for the program's long-term health.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/blog\/community-cats-program-updates-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"San Francisco SPCA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SFSPCA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-16T18:56:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-17T01:04:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/community-cats-program-updates-blog.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@sfspca\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@sfspca\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/blog\/community-cats-program-updates-2026\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/blog\/community-cats-program-updates-2026\/\"},\"headline\":\"Strengthening Our Community Cats Program Together\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-16T18:56:52+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-17T01:04:50+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/blog\/community-cats-program-updates-2026\/\"},\"wordCount\":868,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/blog\/community-cats-program-updates-2026\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/community-cats-program-updates-blog.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Community Cats\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Blog\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/blog\/community-cats-program-updates-2026\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/blog\/community-cats-program-updates-2026\/\",\"name\":\"Strengthening Our Community Cats Program Together - San Francisco SPCA\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/blog\/community-cats-program-updates-2026\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/blog\/community-cats-program-updates-2026\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/community-cats-program-updates-blog.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-16T18:56:52+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-17T01:04:50+00:00\",\"description\":\"We recently updated how the Community Cats Program operates. Learn more about what is changing, what is not, and why these are important for the program's long-term health.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/blog\/community-cats-program-updates-2026\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/blog\/community-cats-program-updates-2026\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/blog\/community-cats-program-updates-2026\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/community-cats-program-updates-blog.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/community-cats-program-updates-blog.jpg\",\"width\":600,\"height\":400},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/blog\/community-cats-program-updates-2026\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Strengthening Our Community Cats Program Together\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/\",\"name\":\"San Francisco SPCA\",\"description\":\"Caring for Animals Since 1868\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/#organization\",\"name\":\"San Francisco SPCA\",\"alternateName\":\"SF SPCA\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/SFSPCA-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/SFSPCA-logo.png\",\"width\":469,\"height\":108,\"caption\":\"San Francisco SPCA\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SFSPCA\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/sfspca\",\"http:\/\/instagram.com\/sanfranciscospca\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SanFranciscoSPCA\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/sfspca\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Strengthening Our Community Cats Program Together - San Francisco SPCA","description":"We recently updated how the Community Cats Program operates. Learn more about what is changing, what is not, and why these are important for the program's long-term health.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/blog\/community-cats-program-updates-2026\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Strengthening Our Community Cats Program Together - San Francisco SPCA","og_description":"We recently updated how the Community Cats Program operates. Learn more about what is changing, what is not, and why these are important for the program's long-term health.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/blog\/community-cats-program-updates-2026\/","og_site_name":"San Francisco SPCA","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SFSPCA","article_published_time":"2026-01-16T18:56:52+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-01-17T01:04:50+00:00","og_image":[{"width":600,"height":400,"url":"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/community-cats-program-updates-blog.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@sfspca","twitter_site":"@sfspca","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/blog\/community-cats-program-updates-2026\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/blog\/community-cats-program-updates-2026\/"},"headline":"Strengthening Our Community Cats Program Together","datePublished":"2026-01-16T18:56:52+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-17T01:04:50+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/blog\/community-cats-program-updates-2026\/"},"wordCount":868,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/blog\/community-cats-program-updates-2026\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/community-cats-program-updates-blog.jpg","keywords":["Community Cats"],"articleSection":["Blog"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/blog\/community-cats-program-updates-2026\/","url":"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/blog\/community-cats-program-updates-2026\/","name":"Strengthening Our Community Cats Program Together - San Francisco SPCA","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/blog\/community-cats-program-updates-2026\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/blog\/community-cats-program-updates-2026\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/community-cats-program-updates-blog.jpg","datePublished":"2026-01-16T18:56:52+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-17T01:04:50+00:00","description":"We recently updated how the Community Cats Program operates. Learn more about what is changing, what is not, and why these are important for the program's long-term health.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/blog\/community-cats-program-updates-2026\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/blog\/community-cats-program-updates-2026\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/blog\/community-cats-program-updates-2026\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/community-cats-program-updates-blog.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/community-cats-program-updates-blog.jpg","width":600,"height":400},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/blog\/community-cats-program-updates-2026\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Strengthening Our Community Cats Program Together"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/","name":"San Francisco SPCA","description":"Caring for Animals Since 1868","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/#organization","name":"San Francisco SPCA","alternateName":"SF SPCA","url":"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/SFSPCA-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/SFSPCA-logo.png","width":469,"height":108,"caption":"San Francisco SPCA"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SFSPCA","https:\/\/x.com\/sfspca","http:\/\/instagram.com\/sanfranciscospca","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SanFranciscoSPCA\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/sfspca"]}]}},"ticketed":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119481","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=119481"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119481\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":119514,"href":"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119481\/revisions\/119514"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/119482"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=119481"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=119481"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sfspca.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=119481"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}