No initial application is needed to bring a tame cat to our clinic, but advance reservations are required.

You can call our front desk at 818.524.2287 x 4 to speak to our receptionist and get booked for a spay/neuter reservation. The best time to call is between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. daily.

Tame cats will need to come to our clinic in hard plastic carriers; no pet bags, cardboard boxes or cardboard carriers are allowed. We require only one cat per carrier.

It is not required to show proof of income level in order to be eligible to bring a cat to our clinic.

For tame cats not being eartipped, our services are $55 for a female/spay or $40 for a male/neuter. See our price list under “Forms and Resources” in the lower right hand box for additional services offered.

If you are low-income or for any homeless or stray cats you are trying to help, we will provide free spay/neuter services, vaccines and flea treatment provided that the cat is eartipped (see our section “What We Do” > “Our Services” for more information).

Please also read our article “Appointment Day” so you know what to expect on the day of your appointment.

If you submitted a feral cat application and you do have traps, we will call you to go over our clinic guidelines and protocol with you and immediately get you booked for reservations.

If you submitted a feral cat application and you do not have traps, we will call you to schedule time for you to come in to pick up humane traps from us and get trained on how to use them. When you come in for training, we will go through our clinic guidelines with you and get you booked for initial reservations.

FixNation does loan out humane traps, carriers and equipment free of charge to the public. Traps and equipment may be borrowed for up to 30 days, provided you are actively trapping and booking reservations with FixNation. All equipment must be returned promptly or upon request.

We do have three trap depots where you can pick up traps from:

• FixNation clinic – just west of the Burbank airport
• Pasadena
• Palmdale

Please make sure to specify what trap depot is closest to you so we can accommodate you best.

You must have a reservation in advance before you can bring a cat into the clinic. Please be specific when booking reservations – be sure to book tame cat reservations if you have a tame or friendly stray cat, or feral reservations if you have a feral cat.

How To Trap a Feral Cat: Video Series

The videos are presented by Liz Cava, our FixNation master trapper. She covers the main points you will need to know about proper TNR and safely trapping feral cats.

If you do borrow traps from FixNation, when you come in to pick up the traps we’ll give you a 15-minute training session on how to trap. The training session will explain the various parts of the humane trap, how the traps work and how to properly trap and release feral cats. We’ll also review what you’ll need to do when you’re holding the cats overnight, post-surgery care, how to transport them, as well as our clinic check-in procedures.

We’ll give you all of the information you need to know to make the whole TNR process as simple as possible.

Humane Trapping Instructions

Key Highlights

Whether you’re a master trapper or just a beginner, here are the key highlights you’ll need to remember:

- Never leave a trap out unattended for any length of time, whatsoever.

- Do not trap cats after midnight the night before your appointment, due to the risk of the cat vomiting while undergoing anesthesia.

- Make sure the back of the trap is locked and kept locked.

- Line the bottom of the trap with newspaper.

- Bait the trap by putting the bait food on a square of aluminum foil, putting the foil on the ground and setting the trap down on top of it. This way when you pick the trap up, there is no food or dishes inside.

- Make sure the trap is partially covered while trapping and then fully covered as soon as a cat is trapped. Keep covered at ALL times.

- As soon as a cat is trapped, pull the trap from your trapping area immediately so the other cats don’t see their friend trapped and get savvy.

- Make sure you hold the cat the night before surgery in a safe, dry, indoor, secure location that is temperature controlled.

- If you catch a cat early in the afternoon, you can make food available to them up until midnight (using the aluminum foil trick). Kittens can have food available up until 6:00 a.m. the morning of surgery.

- Try to avoid trapping nursing mothers until her kittens are at least 5 weeks of age. If you do happen to trap a nursing mother, do not release her. Still bring her in to the clinic. We will prioritize her for the day.

- Do not transport any cats in the back of an open-bed pick up truck or an open Jeep to and from the clinic.

- Avoid using plastic during transport or as trap covers because it’s dangerous. The cats need to get plenty of ventilation while you’re holding them the night before/after surgery and during transport.

- Do not try and transfer a feral cat to any other container for any reason once they’re trapped.

- If you catch two cats in one trap, do not release one. Try to bring an extra empty trap in to the clinic with you. If you don’t have one, we’ll loan you one. Again, do not try and transfer one of the cats.

- Remember, feral cats need to be in traps. Tame cats can come in hard plastic carriers or traps. No cardboard boxes, cardboard carriers or pet bags of any kind.

- We do not allow Harbor Freight traps (collapsible traps) here at the clinic as we’ve witnessed these traps frequently failing and cats escaping from them.

- If you’re using the brown Tru-Catch traps, please make sure you use a plastic zip tie or other sturdy clasp on BOTH ends so the doors cannot accidentally come open.

Good luck trapping!

Pick-up time is before 5:00 p.m. every weekday except Thursdays. We have extended hours on Thursdays until 7:00 p.m.

If you did not catch any cats for your appointment, please give our office a call that night or first thing in the morning to let us know you won’t make it. You can leave us a message at 818-524-2287 x 4.

Cats must not have eaten after midnight the night before surgery. The only exception to this is kittens who are four months or under, who should have food available to them up until 6:00 a.m., otherwise their blood sugar levels drop too low.

Keep the cats fully covered during transport and while you’re bringing them into the clinic. If your towel or cover isn’t big enough to fully cover the trap all the way to the ground, then please use two covers.

We cannot accept kittens less than two pounds in weight or cats who are visibly sick. Severely injured cats may also be turned away and referred to a full-service vet.

When you arrive at the clinic, leave your cats in the car and come inside to complete the medical check-in paperwork for the day.

Your signature on this check-in form is evidence that you have agreed to all FixNation terms listed, so please read the medical form thoroughly in the morning. You will be given a copy for your records.

Please make sure you are available by phone and check your messages frequently the day of your appointment, in case there is an emergency and we need to reach you.

Our staff will call you as soon as your cats are ready to go home.

FixNation does not board cats overnight, nor is there any staff on hand to monitor cats overnight. If you are running late, or have an unforeseen and genuine problem and can’t pick up your cats before we normally close, call the clinic immediately and speak to our receptionist.

When you arrive to pick up your cats, the discharge coordinator will inform you of each cat’s sex, estimated age, medical services performed and any special instructions or medications. We will also go over post-care procedures and release instructions with you when you pick your cats up.

Payment for tame cat services, additional services such as testing or microchipping, or medication will need to be made at pick-up. We accept cash or checks only (no credit cards).