PAWS - People for the Awareness and Welfare of Strays - focusing on TNR

03/17/2026

We ended up with a cancellation - we have ONE space available but we have to know TODAY - paperwork gets finalized tomorrow.

Does anyone have a friendly female they need fixed for $25? Please read all the details below. I'm happy to answer any questions.

:)

UPDATE - Spots are full already - I'm working on confirming everyone that has emailed. I'll keep the post updated with any changes. Otherwise - be on the lookout for more spots late spring/early summer. Thanks everyone!

Low Cost Spays - $25

The ISU low-cost spay program is back and we have 10 spots available for FRIENDLY female cats only — sorry, no boys allowed this time.

Cats need to be safely handleable, and each cat must come in their own CLEAN carrier. This is a 5-day program at ISU. Cats can be owned or community cats.

We ask for a $25 per cat donation to help cover transportation costs. Cats will go down for intake and evaluations on Monday and return home Friday afternoon.

Cats will receive full exams and will be spayed, including blood work, urinalysis, vaccines, Leukemia and FIV testing, parasite and flea treatment, ear tipping, and microchipping. (ear tipping is a small surgical removal of the the of the left ear and is used for identification - microchips and lifetime registrations are provided by PAWS TNR)

A PAWS TNR volunteer will transport the cats to ISU on the 23rd and pick them up and bring them back to Manly the afternoon of the 27th. Times TBD (we can email you more detailed info).

If you're interested in this program, please email us for more details and to get on the list - space is VERY limited! [email protected]

You can also text us at 641-583-6565

PAWS TNR is a registered Non Profit 501(c)(3) #99-0783113

02/11/2026

Low cost spays for 10 lucky girls coming our way. We’ll be posting details soon!!

12/20/2025

This is a courtesy post - A lady in Northwood is currently feeding this mom and son duo. She would like them to be adopted into inside homes. If you’re interested - there is a phone number on the flyer. Or I’m happy to get more information. 

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19swE65N1U/?mibextid=WC7FNe

Someone contacted me about a momma and kitten. As far as I know they are community cats but the kitten and maybe mom would do well indoors. Both are litter trained. If anyone is interested they are available and would be spay/neutered and vaccinated before adoption. Let me know and please share far and wide

11/10/2025

Here are some of our statistics for your reading pleasure.

When you see cats out roaming around, first thoughts that come to mind are..."there's another cat"...or "OMG - why are there so many cats"...or "why doesn't someone do something about all these cats".

Here's what we're doing.

Since we started...

We've provided medical care for 19 already fixed community cats. This included wound care, medicine and vaccines.

We have spayed/neutered and vaccinated 148 cats.

77 Males
71 Females

Females will have an average of 4 kittens per litter with 2-3 litters per year. So that's approximately 710 prevented births.

More impressively - males, depending on territory size, can impregnate 10-20 females a year (on average). Let's do the math for 15 females, at 2.5 litters a year.

77 males x 15 females each = 1,155 pregnancies per year x 10 kittens each year is 11,550 prevented births.

Only about 30% of those will live to breeding age. So, not only are we preventing more unwanted kittens, we are also preventing the suffering the kittens will endure from illness, starvation and environmental hazards, (ie: secondary poisoning from rodenticides, hit by car, human abuse and freezing)

Did you know Tom cats will wander 5 miles to find a female in heat?

Keeping in mind that cats can reach sexual maturity as early as 4 months of age.

Because these are relative numbers, meaning, not all those cats would get pregnant, some cats only have 1 or 2 litters a year, not all those toms would have available females, etc. But even if we cut the prevented births in half, it's still pretty impressive.

At the risk of making this post even longer...here are some additional stats:

Unfortunately - there have been 6 cats euthanized. Two for catastrophic injury (hit by car and engine start up injury) and Four for unrecoverable illness (sezuires, liver failure and 2 cardiac issues)

Let's end on a positive!! Besides all those prevented pregnancies...

We rehomed (through a rescue partner) 13 friendly adults that had been living in outside colonies and 14 friendly kittens. We also reunited 4 with their owners, thanks to their microchips

10/30/2025

Visit our website to discover how you can make a difference in the lives of stray cats. Your support is crucial in helping us provide care and improve their well-being.

10/22/2025

We all need to be involved ❤️

🛑 𝗟𝗘𝗧’𝗦 𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗣 𝗡𝗢𝗥𝗠𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗭𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗡𝗘𝗚𝗟𝗜𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗘 🛑

𝘽𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙛𝙞𝙭𝙞𝙣𝙜 — 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙄𝙎𝙉’𝙏 𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨‼️

It shouldn’t be normal to drive into a mobile home park or apartment complex and see cats scatter like roaches — sick, starving, scared —
while the people who live there just go about their day like nothing’s wrong.

It shouldn’t be normal to sit in your home while dozens of cats live under it — breeding litter after litter, growing sicker and more feral with every generation.

🛑𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡.

🛑𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐬𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧.

🛑𝐈𝐠𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐲𝐜𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐲𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐈𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞.

This is not okay. This is not normal. And we need to stop pretending it is.

𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞.
It is the 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 solution to stop the breeding and the suffering.

Yes, I know — when you call animal control or the humane society,
you often hear, “Sorry, we can’t help.”
But that doesn’t mean help doesn’t exist.
It just means you might have to do some work to find it.

🚩What isn’t ok is believing that you “care” for the strays in your neighborhood but allow them to look like this.

🚩What isn’t okay is letting strangers sit in front of your house until 1 a.m. trapping cats — the same cats you have been watching breed for years — because you didn’t want to be inconvenienced.

We have to stop normalizing suffering. We have to start caring enough to act.

✨ Want to be part of the solution?
Learn how you can help — whether it’s trapping, fostering, or donating —
Visit www.feralatheart.org

We’ve got TNR resources, support, and real ways to make a difference.

𝙇𝙚𝙩’𝙨 𝙛𝙞𝙭 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙢, 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙩.

10/16/2025

10/15/2025

Here's why we ear tip

Sometimes people question why TNR (Trap, Neuter, Return) cats need an ear tip…
This photo summarizes why! 🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛
There are about a dozen medium to long hair all black feral cats in this colony and they all look SO similar! Without being able to look and see that their ear is tipped, which is a sure sign they are spayed/neutered, how would a trapper know who has been fixed already and who has not?!?
These cats are all completely feral and unapproachable. They wouldn’t let someone scoop them up and check their belly for a tattoo. They wouldn’t hold still in a trap long enough for anyone to check for a tattoo in their ear, especially these ones with their long whispy ear hairs. Most feral cats would thrash around and potentially injured themselves trying to get the heck out of the trap and away from humans while the human was trying to get a good look for a tattoo somewhere. We don’t want to cause unnecessary stress and send a cat to the clinic repeatedly for anesthesia and surgery, only to find out they have already been fixed.
An ear tip is how trappers can know at a quick glance, even through binoculars from far away, that a cat is spayed/neutered. It causes so much less stress to the cat not needing to be trapped again and again in an attempt to determine if they are already TNR’d.

10/14/2025

🐾 Barn Homes Aren’t Always Happy Endings for Cats 🐾

Lately, it feels like putting cats in barn homes has become the new “solution” when people decide it’s better than TNR. It can sound like a kind, responsible choice- but for the cat, it often isn’t.
In my 20+ years of doing rescue and TNR, I can count on one hand the situations where a cat truly could not, under any safe or ethical circumstance, return to its original home.

🔹 Is the cat’s original site always ideal? No.
But it’s their home. It’s where they know the hiding spots, the predators to avoid, the food and water sources, and the other cats in the area. Cats are territorial- familiarity is what keeps them safe.

📊 What we know about relocation:
• A large percentage of relocated cats don’t stay at their new site, even with proper acclimation.
• Many disappear within weeks despite being given food, shelter, and careful introductions.
• Even highly experienced rescuers who do everything “right” see heartbreaking results.
One of my mentors used to run barn relocation classes and oversaw many placements. She set them up with large safe spaces, proper slow-release periods, and great follow-up. And still, the number of cats who didn’t stick around was devastating. She eventually stopped, because even with the best methods, too many cats were lost.

✨ A Real-Life Example ✨
The cats in this photo were originally being considered for a “better” barn placement. But after talking with their feeder and explaining why TNR would be best for them, the plan changed. They were all trapped, neutered, and returned to the only home they’d ever known.
They know the area, they know how to stay safe, and best of all- they get to stay together, because they love one another. 💕

💡 Of course, there are times when relocation is the only safe and humane option- whether due to demolition, extreme danger, or truly unlivable conditions. And when that’s the case, it’s understandable. But too often, people are quick to make that decision for the cat.
👉 Relocation should be the last resort, not the default.
👉 A barn placement may look like a happy ending to us, but to the cat, it can mean losing everything familiar.
👉 More often than not, the best outcome is letting them stay where they already know how to survive.
So the next time you see a post about a cat “needing a barn home,” please remember: it may not be the happy ending it sounds like. For most cats, the real happy ending is going back home. 🐾

10/01/2025

Such a sad day