Community cat days set for July

Community Cat Days will take place on the following dates:

• Thursday, July 9 (pickup Friday, July 10)
• Thursday, July 16 (pickup Friday, July 17)
• Thursday, July 30 (pickup Friday, July 31)

All events will be held at Santa Rosa County Animal Services, 4451 Pine Forest Road in Milton. Cats must be dropped off at 8 a.m. on the scheduled Thursday and picked up between 9 – 10 a.m. the following day. Space is limited to 50 cats per event, first come, first served.

The program is open to Santa Rosa County residents, who must provide proof of residency. Participants may bring up to three community cats per event. Eligible cats must be at least three months old, unowned, outdoor, and free-roaming.

In addition to spay or neuter surgery, each cat will receive a rabies vaccination and an ear tip, a universal sign that a community cat has been sterilized.

Residents are responsible for safely trapping and transporting cats to and from the shelter. Cats must be secured in a humane trap, one cat per trap, with enough room to stand comfortably. The shelter can no longer accept cats in the Havahart Easy Set Cages – the handle to carry it and the handle to open it are both on top. When the trap is covered with a blanket, it is easy to grab the wrong handle, which could allow the cat to get loose.

Cover the trap with a towel, blanket or sheet to reduce stress and do not trap more than 24 hours before drop off. Cats brought in carriers or traps designed for other animals will not be accepted. Traps are available to rent from the shelter for a refundable $65 deposit, cash or check only.

Since the start of 2026, more than 1,000 community cats have been spayed or neutered through the program, contributing to over 2,000 cats altered since January 2024. This milestone highlights the county’s continued commitment to reducing the outdoor cat population through humane, effective strategies.

Santa Rosa County uses Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), a widely recognized approach that involves humanely trapping cats, sterilizing and vaccinating them, and returning them to their original outdoor habitats. TNR helps prevent future litters, reduces nuisance behaviors such as fighting and spraying, improves overall cat health, and decreases the number of animals entering shelters.

“Programs like Community Cat Days are making a measurable difference in our community,” said Randy Lambert, chief of Santa Rosa County Animal Services. “We’ve seen firsthand how Trap-Neuter-Return reduces overpopulation, improves the health of outdoor cats, and lessens the strain on our shelter. Continued community participation is essential to sustain this progress and meet the ongoing need.”

“Community cats” are outdoor, unowned cats that may be friendly or feral. Some are cared for by residents, while others survive independently. Though they live outdoors, they are protected under state animal anti-cruelty laws and are commonly found in both urban and rural areas.

Residents who care for community cats are encouraged to participate in future TNR events to help manage populations in a compassionate and sustainable way.

For more information and pet resources, visit www.santarosa.fl.gov/animals.