SCRATCH, Inc.

If you are asking for TNR assistance from us (or any other volunteer group for that matter), please follow our volunteers' instructions. We only get one day a week to trap due to limited surgery slots, and we have a mile long waitlist. We have to make the most out of every opportunity. There are simply too many kittens being born outside to not. And we have done this hundreds of times, so we know what we are doing.

When we ask you not to feed on the trapping day and we show up and there is food, it's a hell to the no. Cats will NOT go in a trap if they aren't hungry. Plain and simple. They aren't going to be mad at you. They aren't going to starve. This is the biggest form of sabotage we deal with during TNR. Skipping one meal is often the difference between a cat fixed the next day or not.

If we ask you to stay in the house and to be quiet when we arrive to trap, we mean it. These cats do not know us and aren't used to our presence or our voices. If we ask you to come to the trap to pretend to feed, we don't mean to dump food all over the trap. Also, we do not want you to scruff the cat or try to shove it in a trap. Let the trap do the work so no one is scratched or bitten, and so it's less stressful for the cat.

We are helping multiple people each week and juggling multiple TNR projects. When instructions aren't followed, it doesn't just affect one trapping effort. It impacts our volunteers, the people waiting behind you for assistance, and ultimately the cats we are trying to help.

Get your tissues ready. 🥹

Our former grocery store colony girls, Polly and Holly, were adopted together today! 🖤🤍

We rescued these girls (and their other sister Molly) after the fourth sister, Dolly, was hit and killed by a car nearly three months ago.

After a short time in foster care, Polly and Molly went to Naughty Cat Cafe to be adopted. Meanwhile, the shyer Holly stayed at one of our foster homes to continue her journey. Molly was adopted from Naughty Cat Cafe approximately one month ago.

One of our volunteers recently shared Holly's story on the NextDoor app. That's when Melanie reached out, as she was looking for a new kitty sibling for her orange tabby, who had recently became a solo cat and was lonely. Holly's rescuer asked if they would also be interested in adopting her sister, Polly.

So Melanie and her family went to Naughty Cat Cafe to adopt Polly this afternoon and then went to our foster's home to pick up Holly! We are absolutely thrilled that these girls are together again and starting their new chapter with a loving family of their own. ❤️❤️

Every year, kitten season feels like it gets worse and worse. We dread to see how many times a day we, along with the other handful of volunteer groups, are tagged on Facebook and mentioned on the Nextdoor App for help.

We only have a handful of foster homes because our primary focus is TNR. Those foster homes are always full, mostly now with shy cats or cats with health issues from last year that are still waiting to be adopted.

We are tired of seeing so many kittens being given away online without being spayed or neutered first. Most local shelters will provide supplies and veterinary care if you're willing to foster the litter. There are also local resources available to help get the mom and dad cats fixed for free or at very low-cost.

Please do your research to learn about our local resources before just giving away kittens without any veterinary care. And please support your local shelters and volunteer organizations. We are tired of picking up the pieces.

Another Trapping Tuesday with some storms, but we still managed to trap five cats. 🌧️🪤

We had three females spayed (including one pregnant spay) and two males neutered, vaccinated, flea treated, and ear tipped yesterday at McKamey Animal Center. We have now spayed/neutered 1️⃣8️⃣4️⃣ community cats so far this year! 🙌🏼

Please remember that we are working off a TNR waitlist and we can help in the following areas in Chattanooga city limits: Hixson, Red Bank, Lakesite, East Brainerd, Brainerd, Hwy 58/Jersey Pike, and East Ridge.

Please make sure you are following our friends at Chattanooga Feral Cat Alliance!

In the eight years we’ve been doing trap-neuter-return at CHAFCA, we’ve heard our fair share of misconceptions about the process. So today we’re kicking off a series called Myth vs. Truth: TNR Edition, where we’ll tackle some of the most common claims we’ve encountered over the years—and share the facts behind them.

First up: the myth that you need to be able to touch a cat in order to trap them. We’re not sure where this idea came from, but we’ve had several caretakers tell us they’re worried trapping will be difficult because they can’t pick up or pet their colony cats.

But the truth is that TNR uses humane traps specifically designed for feral cats who by definition aren’t socialized to humans, so handling the cats isn’t necessary at all. In fact, trapping is safer and more successful when people avoid approaching the cats and instead allow them to investigate and enter the traps on their own.

As long as the colony is on a consistent feeding schedule, food has been withheld on trapping day, and the site is calm and quiet, the process usually goes smoothly.

What myth about TNR have you heard lately? Share your favorite in the comments, and stay tuned for more of ours!

Always. Get. The. Last. Cat. 😵‍💫

Last fall we helped a caretaker TNR six of his colony kitties. He's a fantastic caretaker who feeds the cats twice a day, and he even turned a shed into the cats' safe space, complete with a cat door, feeding area, and shelters.

We weren't able to trap the last cat that week, and the caretaker ended up having some health issues. So he assured us that he would get the last cat neutered on his own once he was feeling better.

Fast forward to last week when we received a text that the last cat of the colony had some minor wounds from fighting. Life got busy, and the caretaker didn't get the last cat neutered as planned after all.

He changed all of that this week by borrowing a trap and trapping him on Tuesday. The seventh and final cat was neutered, vaccinated, ear tipped, and flea treated on Wednesday. Now this colony is 100% sterilized for real! 👏🏼

We are pumped to share that we trapped 10 community cats this Trapping Tuesday! 🙌🏼

Of those 10 cats, half were spayed (including two pregnant spays) and the other half were neutered yesterday at McKamey Animal Center. Everyone also received FVRCP and rabies vaccines, along with flea treatment. ❤️‍🩹

We have also reached the point in the year where the first round of spring kittens are big enough to be fixed. Four of the cats who were fixed yesterday were kittens. 🙀 While it's tough knowing they're still living outdoors, they'll never have to deal with the constant mating and fighting that their parents did. And that's a win in our book.

Our Doodle Bug has officially completed 84 days of his FIP treatment! 🎓

He also had lab work done a few days ago, and the vet told us last night that everything is looking exactly how it should! ❤️‍🩹

We are so happy that this rough patch is behind him and that he will be available for adoption soon!

Our gorgeous Holly is still available for adoption. She has the most adorable face, a stunning tuxedo coat, and is a sweet gentle girl. 🖤🤍

Holly was born outside a grocery store, TNR'd by two of our volunteers in 2025, and then we recently rescued her to the indoor life. She is steadily coming out of her shell in her foster home.

She loves being brushed, enjoys the company of other friendly cats, likes a good afternoon nap, looking out the window at the birds and squirrels, and an evening toy session. Holly leans into pets and is sweet, but she will need to go to a quiet home that is patient and allows her the time to get settled.

Holly is estimated to be under two years old. She is spayed, vaccinated, combo tested (negative), and microchipped. She would love to have other cat friends in her forever home, but she would prefer a home with no small children or dogs. Her adoption fee is $100. You can apply to adopt our precious girl here: https://www.scratchinc.org/adoption.

Another Catapalooza is scheduled for Thursday, June 11, at My Kids Have Paws in Dalton, GA. 🐈🐈‍⬛ See their post for all of the details.