Oakland TNR Coalition

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Oakland TNR Coalition

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Oakland TNR Coalition is a volunteer-run, foster-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit cat rescue founded in 2019 with a focus on TNVR in Oakland, Pittsburgh and surrounding city neighborhoods.

07/26/2025

🚨 ALERT, ALERT: MORE incoming kittens! 🚨
 There’s more adoptable babies coming in hot, and we promise you’re gonna want to meet them!

We’ve got two new adoptable litters joining the party, our second West Oakland Avatar Crew and the Stanton Heights babies! Say hello to Zuko, Appa, Mono, Suki, Kenny, Peanut, Poppy, and Pepper! 
PHEW. That’s a whole lot of kitten chaos (the best kind). These little beans are all sweet, cuddly, playful, and full of personality. Zuko & Appa are a bonded pair. The rest can be adopted in pairs or as singles to homes with another young cat!

Ready to add some serious cuteness to your life? 
Apply now: bit.ly/otnrcadoption

PLEASE. Adopt a kitten. Or two. Or eight. We won’t stop you (okay, well maybe we will after like 3 or 4).

07/26/2025

Georgie Update!

Thankfully Georgie made it through emergency surgery! He is back home with his foster recovering like a champ and definitely feeling those pain meds (just look at those eyes!). He’s already chowing down like nothing happened.

Swipe to see what the vet pulled out of him! We have no clue what it is or why his tiny little cat brain said “I should eat that.” 😩But we’re beyond relieved he’s okay and on the road to recovery and eventually, off to his forever home (that will be extra cat-proofed!).

Huge thanks to everyone who donated towards his emergency care! Thankfully the total came out to just $1,920! Yes, we’re saying “just” becayse we were bracing for much worse with the original estimate we received.

Your donations have already covered about 30%, and we’re so grateful. If you’re able, please chip in a little more to help us close the gap!

Givebutter: bit.ly/otnrc_donate
PayPal: paypal.me/oaklandtnrcoalition
*Venmo: venmo.com/u/OaklandTNR

*Heads up: some folks are still having issues with Venmo (tech support is on it). If it doesn’t work for you, PayPal is a great backup!

Thank you for helping us save this ridiculous, wonderful little goblin!

07/25/2025

‼️$5 FRIDAY FOR EMERGENCY SURGERY!‼️
Sweet Georgie needs our help, and fast.

George and his brother Ira were set to go to their forever home this week… but suddenly something wasn’t right. George was throwing up, didn’t want to eat, and wasn’t his usual self. After a vet visit and bloodwork, we feared potential lily poisoning from a plant in the home. He received supportive care, but despite everything, George just wasn’t bouncing back.

Yesterday, his liver and kidney values had gotten worse. Today, we got the devastating news, George has a foreign body obstruction and is headed to for emergency surgery. The estimate? $2,750–$4,600. We’re already staring down $5,000 in vet bills this month. This is simply money we don’t have.

Now more than ever, we need your donations. We are desperate for help. If just 100 of you donate $5 today, it could make all the difference for Georgie.

Donations can be made directly to Rivers Veterinary Urgent Care for George under Oakland TNR at (412) 998-9030.

Or donate below:
Givebutter: bit.ly/otnrc_donate
PayPal: paypal.me/oaklandtnrcoalition
Venmo: venmo.com/u/OaklandTNR

Please share, donate, and send good thoughts to George as he goes into surgery. We’re fighting for his life, and we can’t do it without you.

07/19/2025

🚨 HELP! We’re out of wet food again! 🚨

We know it feels like we just asked, but the donations yinz sent from our last ask were devoured in record time and we’re back in the red.

We’re still currently caring for about 80 cats, including *41* kittens under 6 months old. And they’re all going through food fast in foster homes and at Petco.

Right now, our #1 need is wet food for kittens, adults, and our Petco kitties. Following close behind? Adult dry food for fosters. But honestly… we truly need everything.

On top of food, we’ve racked up over $4,000 in vet bills this month alone just for 32 spay/neuters (that’s not including sick visits or wellness checks). Every bit of help with supplies frees up funds for life-saving care!

Want to help? Send supplies from our wishlists or donate directly below!

Foster Wishlist:
Amazon —> amzn.to/4c7DMG1
Chewy 👉 bit.ly/otnrc_chewylist

Petco Wishlist:
Amazon —> bit.ly/otnrc_petco

Donate to Help With Vet Bills —>
Givebutter 👉 bit.ly/otnrc_donate
PayPal 👉 paypal.me/oaklandtnrcoalition

Thank you for always showing up for us. Every share, can, and dollar makes the world of a difference for all these homeless kitties!

*Our Venmo is still down while their IT team works on a fix… They have no time estimate for a resolve. Sigh. Thank you for your patience and continued support!*

07/18/2025

Reintroducing… Jazz & Josie!

Two years ago, these beautiful young ladies came to us as feral 3-month-old kittens from Shadyside. With no safe place to return, they were given the chance to learn that life with humans can be pretty great. Since then, they’ve been shuffled from one foster home to another, slowly learning to trust humans. Now, thanks to the incredible patience and skill of our resident feral-cat whisperer, , they’ve made amazing progress and are well on their way to becoming true house cats. And honestly, it’s about damn time they found their forever home!

Jazz (dilute tortie) is the braver of the two and has learned that she loves affection! She’s still trying to figure out how it works and rolls around like a worm when she’s getting pets. While she’s not quite ready to cuddle, she loves to hang out close to her foster. Josie (calico) is more cautious, but has decided that cheek scritches are pretty nice - she allows more pets every day! They may be shy, but these sisters love to play! They chase each other and play with every toy they can find. Josie has a deep love for cotton swabs and will do anything to get her paws on one (or ten).

These sweet sisters love each other so much and always greet each other with headbutts - even if they’ve only been apart for a few minutes. When they’re not playing, they can be found cuddling or taking part in their favorite activity - bird watching.

While they make more progress every single day, Jazz and Josie still have moments of shyness and are looking for a patient, loving home where they can continue building trust and blossoming into the amazing cats they’re meant to be.

Jazz & Josie are about two years old, spayed, vaccinated, flea treated, dewormed, microchipped, and tested FIV/FeLV negative.

07/17/2025

Chevy update! 🚙

It’s been two weeks since little Chevy was pulled from under the engine of a car in Oakland. He had a few days of improvement, but last Sunday, he took a turn for the worst. When we got him to the vet the next day, he tested positive for panleukopenia (aka feline parvovirus).

Although he was vaccinated on intake (which can cause a false positive), his symptoms matched the diagnosis. His white blood cell count was still within normal range, so he received anti-nausea and B12 injections and came home with anti-diarrhea meds, stronger antibiotics, an appetite stimulant, sub-q fluid therapy, and probiotics.

For the last week and a half, his condition was critical. For over a week, Chevy refused food, so his foster had to syringe-feed him every 12 hours, mixing baby food, Pedialyte, and Nutri-Cal just to keep him going. He barely moved from his litter box, was leaking liquid diarrhea, and seemed to be fading.

This is the less glamorous side of kitten season. It’s not all cute faces and cuddles. It’s physically and emotionally draining and definitely not for the faint of heart.

It’s not just the hands-on care, the force-feedings, the meds every 12 hours, poking a tiny kitten with a needle again and again for fluids under the skin. It’s the constant fear, the anxiety, the 24/7 camera checks to make sure he’s still breathing. It’s doing everything right and still being terrified that you’re going to lose them anyway.

Not every kitten gets a happy ending. But today, we are so, so grateful that Chevy’s story won’t end here. Because Chevy had other plans. He held on.

Exactly one week after his diagnosis, he finally started eating on his own. It was more than just a nibble of dry food or a few licks of Churu. It was the breakthrough we’d been hoping for. Now, we’re confident in saying that Chevy beat the odds and is on the road to recovery!

He still has six more weeks in isolation to prevent spreading the virus, but this little fighter has made it through the worst. And he did it with grit, love, and a foster who never gave up on him.

Hopefully, the next time we post this boy, it will be to announce that he’s ready for adoption!

07/16/2025

ADOPTABLE KITTEN ALERT!🐈‍⬛🚨

Meet Echo, Luka, Loki, and Leo, four sweet, silly, and handsome boys rescued from Greenfield earlier this summer who are officially ready for adoption!

These boys are just 4 of 12 kittens currently available (with 6 more becoming adoption-ready by the end of the week!), so if you’ve been thinking about adding a furry friend to your family, now’s the time to get those apps in!

Echo is independent, cuddly, and curious with a mighty meow and magical tabby markings in the sun. Luka is gentle, wise, and soulful with healing energy and the loudest purrs. Loki is outgoing, adventurous, and endlessly snuggly with eyes that’ll melt you. And Leo is playful, bubbly, has crazy big white whiskers!) and loves love.

All four boys are 12 weeks old, fully vetted, and looking for forever homes with another young cat or adopted together.

Don’t wait, because these sweethearts won’t stay single for long!

Adoption Application —> bit.ly/otnrcadoption

07/15/2025

342 days. That’s how long Katie has been waiting under our rescue. One whole year since she was first rescued. And nearly one whole year without a family to call her own. 💔

This beautiful, shy girl with the softest fur and soulful green eyes was supposed to be adopted quickly. But somehow, Katie keeps getting overlooked time and time again.

Why? Maybe it’s because she’s not a kitten. Or maybe because she’s quiet and needs time. Because she won’t leap into your lap on day one. But if you just give her a little bit of patience, she will absolutely change your life.

Once you’ve earned her trust, you’ll be rewarded with her “whack-a-mole” shenanigans, sweet tiny meows, bedtime snuggles, and the kind of love that feels earned and unbreakable.

Katie is only about 6 years old, a youthful young lady. All she needs is a calm home and a kind soul who will give her a chance!

Please… we’re begging yinz. Don’t let her reach day 365 without a family. Share her far and wide. Help us find Katie the love she’s been waiting nearly a YEAR for!

Adoption Application —> bit.ly/otnrcadoption

p.s. the last slide could be your daily morning view!!

07/11/2025

Meet Beef & Birdie! These sweet siblings were rescued with their momma from the streets of the Hill District and are ready to find their forever home!

Beef (orange) is a guy whose life revolves around playing and eating. He loves turning anything into a game, and especially loves getting his sister involved in his fun. Beef is one hungry guy. He’s been known to beg for human food (evening sneaking some off plates when backs are turned). Beef also has a soft side to him. He loves getting snuggly with his sister or on a big comfy bed after a long day of play. But don’t try and move him once this boy is comfy, he’s known for letting out the most pitiful and long baby cry when he’s moved while sleeping.

Birdie (black) is an independent girl who knows what she wants, and she’s gonna get it. She also loves playing, similar to her brother. But you can also find her, after realizing she’s disappeared for a few minutes, playing all by herself content as can be. Birdie is much calmer than her brother, but also much more stubborn. Temp her with a churu though and her stubbornness melts away. Birdie also loves a comfy place to sleep hard on after a long day of playing. That’s when her cuddly side comes out. She loves affection on her way to a long nights sleep.

These two can be adopted as a pair, or to homes with other young cats they can play and cuddle with.

Birdie and Beef are about 3 months old, spayed/neutered, vaccinated, flea treated, dewormed, microchipped, and tested FIV/FeLV negative.

07/05/2025

A huge THANK YOU to the amazing team at Petco and their generous customers!

Last Saturday, after a chat with our volunteers about our need for kitten food, the incredible employees at Petco sprang into action. They organized a friendly in-store contest to see who could sell the most cans of kitten food just because they wanted to help!

Thanks to their kindness and the support of their wonderful customers, 84 cans of kitten food were sold and donated to help feed all the little mouths in our care!

Since the start of our partnership nearly 3 years ago, the team at the Waterfront Petco has shown up for us and our animals again and again. Their ongoing support, creativity, and genuine compassion mean the world to us. Whether it’s jumping in to help with a last-minute food drive (like they did this past weekend!), checking in on the cats on holidays, or just being constant advocates for our mission, we couldn’t ask for better partners.

To the Petco crew, our amazing volunteers, fosters, social media supporters, and everyone in between, yinz are truly the best.

We’re so grateful to be part of this community. THANK YOU for helping us care for the ones who need it most. 🫶🏻

07/04/2025

On Wednesday night, we were contacted by a fellow rescuer about a tiny kitten trapped inside the engine of a car in North Oakland. Thankfully, our amazing foster Sophia lives just a few blocks away and rushed over to help.

With a little patience she was able to safely lure the frightened kitten out from the engine of a Chevy Traverse. The poor little guy, who we’ve now named Chevy, is only 2 lbs and around 3 months old. He was severely dehydrated, malnourished, and clearly very sick.

We honestly weren’t sure he’d make it through the night… but this little fighter is showing signs of improvement each day. He’s now vaccinated, flea-treated, dewormed, and has started on antibiotics and meds to help with his tummy troubles.

We’re keeping our fingers crossed that Chevy continues to heal and grow stronger each day, but we can’t do it without your support. If you’d like to help Chevy and other kittens like him, please consider donating!

Givebutter: bit.ly/otnrc_donate
PayPal: paypal.me/oaklandtnrcoalition
*Our Venmo is currently down while their IT team works on a fix, thank you for your patience and continued support!*

And please send some love Chevy’s way!

07/01/2025

is heating up! ☀️🍊

Our first wave of orange boys has officially landed on the adoption floor at Petco! Say hello to Orange Crush, Capri Sun, Tropicana, and Sunny D!

These sweet, silly guys are full of personality and ready to turn your home into a nonstop cuddle and comedy show. Cancel your subscription because you won’t need TV when you’ve got orange kittens zooming, flopping, and biscuit-making all day long!

They’re not bonded, so they can be adopted solo (to homes with another young cat) or in any combo. They’ve also met dogs (big and small!) and kids, making them the ultimate move-in ready boys.

Ready to meet your new best friend? Apply now and bring home your very own orange boy today!*

Adoption Application —> bit.ly/otnrcadoption

*Filling out an application is not a guarantee for approval. Due to the volume of applications, we may not be able to contact every applicant. All current pets must be spayed/neutered, UTD on vaccines, and seen for annual vet visits.

Address

Pittsburgh, PA

Telephone

+14122297103

Website

https://www.oaklandtnrcoalition.org/

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How it started

Our journey began with Lydia Swanson, who spent her time volunteering at the Scratching Post - Lewisburg Cat Cafeand the Lycoming County SPCA. She first discovered a small colony of eight cats in Oakland less than a half mile from the core of the University of Pittsburgh's campus. With advice from her local organization, Cherished Cats Rescue Alliance, she began an interesting journey into TNR, taking care of that colony as well as a 45 cat colony.

Lydia then met fellow cat lover, Elizabeth Constantino, who had recently happened upon a litter of five in the backyard of her Oakland residence. Four were returned to mom, leaving her to bottle-raise the fifth, abandoned kitten. With newly opened eyes to the reality the ever-growing population of feral cats, the two founded Oakland TNR Coalition, focused on the scientifically proven humane method: Trap, Neuter, Release.

Today, our mission is to team up with the local residents of Oakland, Pittsburgh to work on population reduction, vetting, and homing of the feral/stray/homeless cats in the community. We hope that you will continue to follow our journey and support us!