Cleveland Animal Protective League (APL) Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) Program
Since the Cleveland APL TNR program’s inception in 2008, nearly 50,000 free-roaming cats (~4,511/year) have been sterilized and released to live out their lives without producing more homeless litters of kittens.
The program focuses on helping community cats living in Cleveland and the Cuyahoga County suburbs. Trappers and caretakers trap and transport the cats to and from the Cleveland APL for surgery. Trappers are asked to contact the program coordinator prior to trapping and schedule an approximate appointment. Surgery is performed on weekdays and costs caretakers a co-pay of $10. The balance of the cost for Cleveland residents is subsidized by the City of Cleveland and for the rest of Cuyahoga County by grants from the Kenneth A. Scott Trust and Bernice Barbour Foundation. Cats receive an ear tip, FVRCP vaccination, and an age-appropriate rabies vaccination. Other limited services are offered for an additional fee (i.e. flea control, testing for FIV/FeLV, antibiotics, etc.). The APL also offers trap rental services and education about humane trapping and colony management. In 2018, 856 trappers and caretakers in the Greater Cleveland area brought in a total of 3,555 cats for sterilization through the Cleveland APL’s TNR program.
The number of stray kittens alone surrendered to the Cleveland APL on an annual basis has decreased from 2,136 in 2014 to 1,439 in 2018, a 33% decrease over five years. Not only is this program saving the lives of community cats and reducing the birth rate of kittens on the street, but with fewer stray cats being admitted overall, the Cleveland APL team is able to devote more time and resources to saving the lives of cats with special needs.
A note from the Cleveland APL:
Helping and saving community cats is a labor of love and team effort. The Cleveland APL is grateful to every caretaker who has used our program and is honored to be a part of the dedicated and hard-working animal welfare community in the Greater Cleveland area. When we work together, we save more lives!