About
What We Do
Established in 2021, For the Love of Cats was founded for the purpose of humanely reducing the outdoor, free-roaming cat population through the implementation of "TNR" -- Trap-Neuter-Return. TNR involves trapping cats using humane traps, transporting cats to spay and neuter clinics, and then returning them back to their colonies, sterilized. Through cultivating community outreach, promoting public education, and "boots on the ground" cat rescue work, we have been able to TNR dozens of cats in Arizona and find homes for many cats who would have otherwise been subjected to life on the street.
For the Love of Cats (FTLC) is a small-scale, grassroots organization that works to combat the homeless cat crisis in Phoenix, Arizona. Through a network of volunteers and donors, we are able to trap, neuter, return, and maintain ("TNR" + M) colonies in the Greater Phoenix area. We added "maintain" to the TNR acronym because many of these cats that we alter are human-dependent and cannot be left to fend for themselves after being spayed/neutered; they must continue to be fed, watered, and monitored for the duration of their lives. Moreover, FTLC is also able to coordinate fostering and adoption placement for friendly, abandoned cats through our wonderful volunteers and rescue partners.
Gwen
Gwen, found at a colony in Central Phoenix. She is was adopted by a loving family through one of our rescue partners!
Jack Sparrow
Jack Sparrow, found at the same colony as Gwen. His eye was very damaged and injured when we first took him in. Ultimately, the eye had to be removed. He is now at Fearless Kitty Rescue, where he is awaiting his forever home.
Our Mission
Our mission is to alleviate the homeless cat crisis through the implementation of Trap-Neuter-Return ("TNR"), where we are able to help sterilize outdoor cat populations to prevent unwanted kittens and growing outdoor cat populations. Wide-scale sterilization of free-roaming cat populations helps to reduce the number of outdoor cats over time by greatly-reducing the reproduction of outdoor cats.
Through sterilization, cats that are deemed “unadoptable" are able to live the remainder of their lives outdoors without continuing to repopulate. Further, since these cats are unadoptable, allowing them to live outdoors is the only option; taking cats that are not socialized with people to a traditional shelter often results in euthanasia. Many of our colony cats cannot thrive in an indoor-setting. Therefore, the ideal solution is to allow colony cats to continue living outdoors after being spayed and neutered. Our colony caregivers provide these cats with food and water, every day, for life. We also monitor the colonies to ensure the health and wellness of the cats over time.
Our Values
Compassion. Collaboration. Community. Education. Outreach.
Our Vision
To have a community where outdoor cats enjoy the same protections as indoor cats under local and state laws. We envision a future where these colonies of cats will be few and far between, and the cat homelessness crisis is actively being controlled and managed. Remaining colony cats can be protected and live out their days being fed, cared for, and loved. The Greater Phoenix community will be informed and educated as to the rights that exist for such cats and be on-board with policy implementations that humanely and ethically manage outdoor cat populations.