Every fixed cat is one less litter on the block.
The Hungry Cat Network is a directory and advocacy guide for spay/neuter access in Los Angeles — free and low-cost clinics, trap-neuter-return programs, and the everyday facts that make fixing cats the kindest option for cats and neighborhoods alike.
Spay/neuter is the single most effective tool for community cats.
It reduces shelter intake, cuts the behaviors that make free-roaming cats hard neighbors, and lets cats live out calmer, healthier lives right where they already are.
Fixed cats travel less, fight less over mates, and stop marking territory with spraying.
Mating calls and late-night confrontations drop sharply once a colony is sterilized.
Fewer kittens born outdoors means fewer animals entering already-stretched LA shelters.
Sterilized cats face lower risk of certain cancers and injuries tied to roaming and fighting.
Los Angeles Municipal Code requires that dogs and cats within the city be spayed or neutered, with certificate and voucher programs available to offset the cost for qualifying residents. See "The Law & Your Wallet" below. 👇
A straight-clipped ear means "already fixed."
During TNR surgery, vets remove a small, straight-line section from the tip of one ear — usually the left — while the cat is still under anesthesia. It's easy to notice from a distance and it's how caretakers, shelters, and Animal Control tell at a glance that a community cat has already been sterilized and doesn't need to be trapped again.
- Straight cutA clean, flat notch — not a scratch or fight wound — confirms surgical ear-tipping.
- Left earThe standard side in most U.S. TNR programs, including here in LA.
- Under anesthesiaDone during the same surgery as sterilization — no separate procedure or pain.
- See a tipped cat?Leave it be — it's already been through the program and is on its way back to its colony.
How Trap-Neuter-Return actually works.
TNR is the standard, humane practice for managing outdoor cat colonies across LA County — endorsed by the city's own Citywide Cat Program.
Trap
Cats are caught in humane box traps, usually withheld food for 24 hours beforehand to encourage them in.
Neuter
A licensed vet spays or neuters the cat, along with a rabies vaccine and basic health check, while under anesthesia.
Tip & Recover
The left ear is tipped for identification, and the cat rests in a recovery cage, typically overnight.
Return
The cat is released back to the exact spot it was trapped — its home turf — ideally with an ongoing caretaker.
Found kittens outdoors? Here's what to do.
A simple visual walkthrough — the fuller explanation is in the FAQ below.
Contact your local rescue, TNR group, or animal shelter — they're best equipped to assess the kittens and arrange care, and can guide you through next steps if you're not able to transport them yourself.
Estimate their age by how they look, then follow the steps below.
🖐️ These are drawn roughly to scale — at 1–2 weeks, a kitten is small enough to fit in one hand.
Leave them alone for now. Once they're 8+ weeks old, schedule spay/neuter for the whole family.
They may need your help, and you'd make a great rescuer. If you can't foster them yourself, contact a rescue or TNR group below for guidance.
Great — kittens this age usually don't need much from people or mom. As long as they're not in immediate danger, contact a local provider below to schedule spay/neuter.
💡 Taking newborn kittens to a shelter should be a last resort — many shelters can't provide the round-the-clock care young kittens need. The best way to help most kittens is to leave them with their mother, then reach out for spay/neuter once they're older than 8 weeks.
Caring for very young kittens.
If you're bottle-feeding or fostering a litter, even for just a few days, here's what actually matters most.
Keeping them warm
Newborn kittens can't regulate their own body temperature and can die from getting too cold, even before hunger becomes a problem. Use a snug box lined with a towel, with a low-setting heating pad or a wrapped warm water bottle underneath — never place a kitten directly on a heat source or use a soaked towel. One side of the box should stay slightly cooler so they can move away from the heat if needed.
Formula & feeding schedule
Only use a kitten milk replacer (KMR) — never cow's milk, which can cause serious digestive problems. Newborns to 2 weeks old typically need bottle-feeding every 2–3 hours, including overnight; by 2–4 weeks that stretches to every 3–4 hours. Feed kittens belly-down, similar to how they'd nurse, never on their back, to avoid formula going into their lungs.
Helping them go to the bathroom
Kittens under about 3–4 weeks old can't use the bathroom on their own — mom would normally lick them to stimulate this. After each feeding, gently rub their lower belly and under the tail with a warm, damp cloth or cotton ball until they go. This step is essential; skipping it can quickly become dangerous for a very young kitten.
Tracking weight & weaning
Weighing kittens daily at the same time is one of the best ways to catch problems early — steady gain of roughly half an ounce to an ounce per day is a good sign, while a loss or plateau is worth watching closely. Around 3–4 weeks, start introducing a wet food and formula gruel alongside bottle feeds; most kittens are fully weaned off the bottle by around 8 weeks old.
When to get help immediately
Reach out to a rescue, TNR group, or emergency vet right away if a kitten stops eating, feels cold or limp, has ongoing diarrhea, is struggling to breathe, cries constantly and can't be soothed, or loses weight instead of gaining it. Very young kittens can decline quickly, so it's always better to ask for help too early than too late.
Los Angeles spay/neuter & TNR directory.
A starting list of clinics and organizations serving LA County. Programs, hours, and eligibility change often — always call or check the website before you go.
ASPCA Community Veterinary Clinic (South Bay)
A brand-new ASPCA clinic in Carson serving the South Bay. Free physical exams, spay/neuter surgery, and vaccinations for eligible pet owners who show proof of public assistance (Medicaid, CalFresh/Food Stamps, SSI, TANF, WIC, and similar); microchips are $10. By appointment only — check eligibility online first. Eligible zip codes: 90059, 90061, 90220, 90221, 90222, 90247, 90248, 90262, 90746, 90747.
SPAY4LA Mobile Clinic
LA Animal Services' free mobile clinic for qualifying City of LA residents, plus low-cost vaccines and microchips. By appointment only.
ASPCA South LA Spay/Neuter Clinic
Free spay/neuter surgery for cats and dogs in eligible South LA zip codes, plus a voucher path for other LA City residents. Eligible zip codes: 90001, 90002, 90003, 90011, 90037, 90043, 90044, 90047, 90058, 90062.
CAMP LA (Community Animal Medicine Project)
Walk-in-friendly low-cost veterinary clinic with a modest per-visit service fee; sliding scale help for qualifying pet owners.
FixNation
LA's original full-time spay/neuter facility. Free surgery, vaccines, and basic care for homeless/feral cats; low-cost options for owned, tame cats.
East Valley Spay/Neuter Center
Operated by Western University of Health Sciences College of Veterinary Medicine.
West LA Spay/Neuter Clinic
Operated by Shelter Vet (a division of Value Vet, Inc.).
West Valley Spay/Neuter Clinic
Operated by Heaven on Earth Society for Animals; also runs discounted monthly community spay/neuter days.
Family Veterinary Inc.
Rotating low-cost spay/neuter clinic events across the Valley — Sherman Oaks, Encino, Burbank, North Hollywood, and more.
Stray Paws Animal Haven
Regular spay/neuter clinic days for pet cats and dogs under 60 lbs, plus a $35 wellness clinic and walk-in vaccine clinics. Accepts the LA City Voucher and Pet Assistance Foundation Pledge.
Pets for Life LA (Humane World for Animals)
Door-to-door community program offering free spay/neuter, basic veterinary care, pet supplies, and transportation to vet visits for underserved East LA neighborhoods. Se habla español. Eligible zip codes: 90022, 90023, 90031, 90032, 90033, 90063.
Stray Cat Alliance
Since 1997, has provided free resources, education, and public assistance to LA County residents seeking spay/neuter help for cats — a good first call if you're not sure which clinic or voucher program fits your situation.
The Little Lion Foundation
Runs its own Community Cat Clinic, offering free spay/neuter, vaccines, and microchips for community cats through the Long Beach Community Cat Program (with trap loans included), plus a Community Wellness Program providing free vaccines, flea treatment, deworming, and spay/neuter resources for owned pets of families in need.
Stray Cat Alliance
Runs targeted TNR across South LA neighborhoods, an online hotline for caretakers, kitten foster programs, and a shelter-diversion "Return to Home" program.
FixNation
Trap loans, free trap-training, and sponsored sterilization for community cats brought in by caretakers across LA.
Free Fix LA (Best Friends Animal Society)
Best Friends' Valley-focused TNR program; volunteer trapping nights and partner clinics for surgery.
The Rescue Train
Free monthly mobile spay/neuter clinic for feral and stray cats across greater LA — community cats only, no owned pets.
Kitty Bungalow – Charm School for Wayward Cats
LA's dedicated feral cat rescue and socialization facility, and a maintained directory of TNR groups by neighborhood.
Alley Cat Allies
National TNR resource with a "Feral Friends Network" that can connect LA caretakers to local trapping and vet help.
Stray Paws Animal Haven
Reduces the street cat population through TNR, medical rehab, transport, relocation, and networking — also runs free vaccine clinics and can connect caretakers with other regional TNR groups if you're outside their direct service area.
SELA TNR
Volunteer-run TNR group focused specifically on Lynwood, Bell, Bell Gardens, Cudahy, Downey, Huntington Park, Maywood, South Gate, Vernon, Walnut Park, and Watts.
South Gate Cats
TNR services across Lynwood, South Gate, Bell, Bell Gardens, Commerce, Compton, Cudahy, Downey, Huntington Park, Maywood, and Walnut Park.
LA Animal Services Pet Food Pantry
Free pet food for LA City residents facing financial hardship — a one-gallon bag per pet, up to three pets per household. Sundays by appointment, 1–4pm. Pets need to be spayed/neutered and licensed, though a free voucher is offered if they aren't yet.
PAWS/LA
Free pet food, veterinary care, dog walking, grooming, and foster care specifically for low-income seniors, veterans, and people living with a disabling illness or HIV/AIDS.
The Rescue Train Pet Pantry
Helps low-income families, seniors on fixed incomes, and people experiencing homelessness feed their pets. Distributed at the East Valley Animal Shelter and at community outreach events.
Lange Foundation Pet Food Pantries
Runs pet food pantries at three locations — Chesterfield Square (near South LA), East Valley in Van Nuys, and North Central. Register online, or just walk in.
Why adopt instead of buying?
LA's shelters take in far more cats than there are homes for, and many are euthanized simply for lack of space — adopting directly saves a life and opens a spot for another animal to be rescued. Shelter and rescue cats also come already vaccinated, usually spayed/neutered, and sometimes microchipped, which offsets a lot of the cost compared to buying elsewhere. Buying from a breeder or pet store, meanwhile, does nothing to reduce the number of homeless cats already here, and pet-store kittens can sometimes be traced back to poorly regulated breeding operations.
What responsible ownership looks like
Cats can live 15–20 years, so adopting is a long commitment, not a quick fix. Being a responsible owner means budgeting for food, litter, and vet visits, keeping vaccines and spay/neuter current, microchipping and using ID, giving them enrichment (scratching posts, play, safe space), and never abandoning them outdoors if things get hard — surrendering to a shelter or reaching out to a rescue is always kinder than letting a cat loose.
LA Animal Services Adoptions
All animals are spayed/neutered, vaccinated, and microchipped before adoption, and come with a free post-adoption vet exam. Seven shelter locations across the city.
LA County Animal Care & Control
Seven animal care centers across the county. "Ready to Go Home" animals are already spayed/neutered, microchipped, and can go home the same day.
Look for established, transparent rescues
Many of the smaller organizations in the TNR tab of this directory — like Kitten Rescue, Stray Cat Alliance, Kitty Bungalow, and The Little Lion Foundation — also place cats up for adoption alongside their community cat work, and rely much more on individual adopters finding them than larger national organizations do. A well-established rescue will be upfront about a cat's medical history, let you meet the cat first, and never pressure a same-day decision.
💡 This is a starting point, not an exhaustive list — coverage areas, income requirements, and appointment availability vary and change often. When in doubt, check each organization's site directly for the program that currently fits your zip code and budget.
It's the law — and there's help paying for it. ⚖️
LA Municipal Code requires cats and dogs within the city to be spayed or neutered. The city's Free or Discounted Spay/Neuter Certificate Program covers costs up to $30–$50 for qualifying residents, redeemable at participating clinics.
Common questions from first-time caretakers.
Help beyond your own cat.
Volunteer to trap
TNR groups are almost always short on trained trapping volunteers, especially during spring and summer "kitten season."
See TNR groupsFoster a litter
Unweaned kittens found without a mother need round-the-clock bottle-feeding — foster programs provide training and supplies.
Find a foster program