Orange and white cat standing on table in barn

Saving homeless pets in Wyoming

Every day, homeless dogs and cats are being killed in animal shelters in Wyoming simply because they don’t have a place to call home. But you can help change that.

With your help, we can end the killing in animal shelters throughout Wyoming and make the state a safe place for all cats and dogs to call home. 

Community cat icon

Solutions for community cats

Community cats (aka stray or free-roaming cats) are cats who prefer to live outdoors rather than in homes. They are among the most at-risk animals when they end up in shelters.

These cats are often brought to shelters by well-intentioned people. However, because they did not grow up around people, they can’t be adopted into indoor homes.  

By spaying or neutering, vaccinating, and returning community cats to their outdoor homes — sometimes called trap-neuter-vaccinate-return, or TNVR — we prevent cats from being killed in shelters, reduce unwelcome behaviors, and promote cleaner, quieter, and healthier neighborhoods for humans and cats alike.

By supporting TNVR programs in Wyoming, we keep community cats out of shelters. This humane and effective method reduces their numbers while giving them a chance to live in the environment they prefer.

Your property or neighborhood: Help with community cats

FAQs about trap-neuter-vaccinate-return

Frequently asked questions about TNVR and their answers.
Person releasing a community cat from a humane trap as part of TNVR

How TNR Reduces Nuisance Complaints About Cats

Read official statements and excerpts from linked studies.
White feral cat and black spotted white feral cat sniff each other's noses

Community cats and wildlife: Fact and fiction

Explore common myths about community cats and wildlife.
Black and white community cat with an ear-tip

Interested in protecting cats in Wyoming communities?

What everybody should know about community cats

To engage with people in your neighborhood, know the facts.
Orange tabby cat with an ear-tip outside on grass

Trap-neuter-vaccinate-return (TNVR) for cats

TNVR is the most effective way to stop cats from reproducing and to help them stay safe.
Cat resting on a cement wall outdoors

What to do if you've found kittens

They’re cute, cuddly, and desperately in need of your help. Or are they?
Small kitten sitting outdoors in a bed of straw
cat icon for spay - neuter

Spaying and neutering: Key in saving Wyoming's cats

The list below includes a small selection of spay/neuter services offered in Wyoming.

Please note that it is not all-inclusive. Some clinics may also provide vaccines and limited wellness care for veterinary needs beyond sterilization. Check to make sure the facility is open, to get more information on the services offered, and to schedule an appointment. You can also go to a private veterinary clinic or animal hospital for veterinary needs, including spay/neuter services.
 

Three cat silhouttes

Save the life of an independent cat

Working cats (sometimes called ranch cats) are cats who prefer to live independently rather than inside a home, and they’re ideal for deterring small animals in stables, ranches, homesteads, feedstores, and warehouses. 

When community cats — cats who live outdoors and are often cared for by community members — are unable to be returned to their previous outdoor home and aren't good candidates for traditional adoption programs, they might become what we lovingly call "working cats."   

Working cats are healthy, independent cats who act as natural small animal deterrents for businesses and other properties. These cats are often killed in shelters simply because they’re unable to be adopted into homes, but working cat programs can save their lives. 

When you welcome working cats into your property or business, you’ll provide lifesaving second chances and free up space in shelters for other pets in need. By welcoming a working cat into your space, you’re giving them a home — and you’re gaining a natural, eco-friendly small wildlife repellent.

What is a working cat?

Barn cats, bodega cats, warehouse cats, brewery cats, and more.
Cat sitting in warehouse among boxes

Relocating feral cats: Safety considerations

Learn how farms, ranches, breweries and more all serve as ideal sites for community cats.
Cat sitting in a warehouse

Best Friends supports working cat programs in several animal shelters and rescue groups in communities across Wyoming: 

Help your local animal shelter or rescue group 

At Best Friends, our goal is to get more dogs and cats out of shelters and into homes and make every shelter in America no-kill. Each and every one of these shelters needs caring people like you to adopt, foster, donate, volunteer, and advocate to help save the lives of pets in your community. 

Find an animal shelter or rescue group near you today:
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A win for cats and humans alike

Adopting a working cat gives independent cats the space they need to roam. Customers and business owners get to enjoy the company of the cats every now and then, too. 

In addition to saving a life, you’ll be helping local shelters by making space for other animals who need homes of their own.  

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Looking to help?

Volunteer carrying two cats in carriers

Care for cats in your community

With your help, together we can humanely reduce the number of cats entering shelters and save more lives.
Help Save Cats
Community kitten eating out of a stainless steel bowl

Get your community involved

Fill out the following shopping list with items you need to care for community cats, and then distribute supplies to community members.
Download the list
Person bending down to pet a black and white community cat

Help cats in Wyoming communities

Community cats (you might think of them as stray or free-roaming cats) are felines who call the outdoors their home, and they’re among the most at-risk animals when they end up in shelters.
Helping cats in Wyoming
A black and white cat and black cat in a cage

Cats in Wyoming get a lifesaving lift

Looking for a little inspiration? See how a trap-neuter-vaccinate-return collaboration is helping outdoor cats and building on Wyoming’s no-kill momentum.
A powerful TNVR collaboration

Make your voice heard

Spread the word about the importance of stepping up to save the lives of cats and dogs. Let your family, friends, and neighbors know that together we can make a difference in the lives of pets.

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Show your support for pets in Wyoming

Do you believe that the killing in shelters needs to end in Wyoming's shelters?
I Agree
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About Best Friends Animal Society

Best Friends is working to end the killing of dogs and cats in U.S. shelters in part by getting more pets out of shelters and into loving homes.

We’ve come a long way since the first known city reached no-kill in 1994, and now we’re closer than ever to making the entire country no-kill. Today, roughly 2,500 shelters are no-kill throughout the U.S. — and 700 more are just 100 pets or fewer away from reaching that milestone.

Best Friends is committed to working with passionate people like you to save homeless pets through adoption, volunteering, fostering, and advocacy. In addition to our lifesaving centers around the U.S, we also founded and run the nation's largest no-kill sanctuary for companion animals.

Working together, we can save homeless pets in our communities and secure a better future for our best friends. Together, we will bring the whole country to no-kill.