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Return to Field Program


Garden Grove Animal Care Services in partnership with Stray Cat Alliance, operates a Return to Field program to decrease the number of feral/community cats euthanized at the shelter. Under the program, free roaming and feral cats are spay/neutered, vaccinated, microchipped, provided with flea medication, given basic medical care, and returned to their respective communities. If a cat has already been through a Trap/Neuter/Return (TNR) program it will not be taken to the shelter unless it has a medical issue. If a cat is trapped with a medical issue, it will be transported to a veterinarian who will determine the best course of treatment. Animal Care Services Officers do not provide traps or capture feral cats.

In order to participate in the program, a Garden Grove resident will need to obtain a Cat Trap Permit by contacting our office at (714) 741-5565.

Program Details

The program will be available Tuesdays and Thursdays ONLY, excluding the last week of the month and major holidays. At this moment, the Program is scheduled to be suspended during the months of July, November, and December. Permitted trappers must contact GGACS before 9:00 a.m. on program days, leaving a detailed message with the address of the trap. If trappers have not contacted GGACS prior to 9:00 a.m. on program days, no transfer of animals will take place.

TNR programs have been shown to help manage feral cat populations better than trapping alone. By obtaining the free permit, it allows the City and Stray Cat Alliance to better monitor the statistics of where the cats are coming from.