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We received more than 300 entries. The votes are in. And the winner is... Sent in by Randi Lara-Padilla with the most votes Congratulations! Here are some honorable mentions: Sent in by Rebecca Lui Sent in by Denise Robertson Sent in by Rebecca Lui Sent in by Theresa Burke Thank you to everyone who submitted a photo, voted, and joined in on the fun. With more than 300 entries, there were plenty of great cats to choose from, and you picked the winner. Thanks for sharing your c

THOUSANDS OF CATS. ONE INCREDIBLE COMMUNITY. When you see a cat with a freshly tipped ear walking through your neighborhood, you might think about the cat. But have you ever stopped to think about all the people who helped that cat get there? There is a whole team behind every cat Fresno TNR helps. Someone trapped the cat. Someone transported it. Someone coordinated the appointment. A veterinary team provided the surgery and care. Volunteers made sure the cat was where it nee

October is here, which means pumpkins are showing up on front porches, Halloween decorations are everywhere, and, of course, black cats suddenly become the stars of the season. But have you ever wondered why black cats became associated with Halloween in the first place? And more importantly, does being a black cat actually make it harder for them to find a home? Unfortunately, research suggests that it can. THE BLACK CAT BIAS According to Robert Carini, an associate professo

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Two pregnant mothers. Eight juveniles. One food guy who started doing math. My name is Mac-n-Cheese, commonly referred to as Mac. I’m a girl, despite the name. That's me in the collage, last row, in the middle. Apparently, I'm the ringleader of an organization locals have come to call The Fresno Ten. Ringleader? Whatever. I prefer management. There were ten of us when this whole mess started: the elders, Chicken and Mama, plus the latest eight of their offspring, Cali, Mustac

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The answers were incredible! Linda Rodriquez wrote: Mike AKA Michael Myers. She will literally chase and attack you for no reason. We’re scared to death of her. She’s the block psychopath!! ♥️♥️♥️ (She is fixed! We think someone dumped her because she’s scary!) Mike AKA Michael Myers Mr. Boombastic Lindsay Rodriguez wrote: I have another one!!!!! This is Mr. Boombastic. Like the song!!! 🎵 He thinks he’s so hot!!! Lmao 😂😅♥️ Lacie Goodlett wrote: Idk about best name but here

Nobody wakes up one morning and says, “You know what my life is missing? A small colony of cats in my backyard.” It usually starts with one. You notice a cat hanging around. Maybe you see it under the car a few times. Maybe it watches you from across the yard. You tell yourself it probably belongs to somebody. Then one evening, it’s still there. So you put out a little food. Just this once. That is generally how it begins. The next day the cat is back, because cats are very g

The following is a work of fiction inspired by very real community cats. My name is Frankie. Big Frankie, if we’re being respectful. For nearly six years, I was the undisputed ruler of a three-block territory in Fresno that stretched from the apartment dumpster on the west side all the way to the house with the dead grass and cockroach problem on the east. It was a good territory. Plenty of shade. Several dependable food sources. A woman named Darlene who put out Friskies eve

Twenty-six thousand cats. In 2026. That is a milestone worth celebrating. This year, Fresno TNR officially crossed the 26,000 mark for cats spayed and neutered, giving us one of those rare moments where the number and the year line up perfectly: 26K in ’26. It sounds catchy, but behind those four words are thousands of individual cats, thousands of hours of work, and thousands of people who chose to help. Every one of those 26,000 cats has a story. Some were community cats li

When most 14-year-olds hear the words "Saturday morning," they're probably thinking about sleeping in. Alyssa Doty is usually thinking about cats, owls, rodeo, and what needs to get done. Alyssa is one of Fresno T.N.R.'s youngest volunteers. She's been volunteering with Fresno T.N.R. since she was 12, but volunteering is certainly nothing new for her. In fact, by the time she started helping Fresno T.N.R., Alyssa had already been volunteering for about 10 years. It started wh

When I interviewed Cindy Curry, one thing became clear very quickly: Cindy is someone who sees a need and chooses to help. Cindy is a single mother to one son, works full time, and spends much of her free time volunteering with Fresno TNR. She also enjoys reading, crocheting, spending time with her son, and caring for her many animals. At home, Cindy has four cats, three dogs, and a parrot. As though that were not enough, she also fosters cats with serious medical needs. She

On July 3, 2026, Fresno TNR hosted its first free vaccine clinic, made possible through the generous support of Petco Love. We partnered with Westside Rescue to provide vaccines for both cats and dogs and reach even more families in our community. During the clinic, we vaccinated 125 cats and approximately 75 dogs. Petco Love provided enough vaccines for 250 cats and 250 dogs, so the impact of the event continued even after the clinic ended. The remaining cat vaccines were di

Sometimes the stories that stick with you are the ones that seem almost too unbelievable to be true. About six weeks ago, my coworker Shannon Ragsdale, a dedicated volunteer with Fresno TNR and other rescue organizations throughout the Fresno area, and I were alerted to a cat living in the basement of our downtown parking garage. Because we both work with community cats, our first thought was that it might be one we had previously trapped, neutered, and returned. But when we

How Fresno TNR helped turn a quarter-million-dollar city commitment into an $825,000 investment in spay and neuter services When Fresno TNR’s Kris Thompson went to Fresno City Hall, she carried the weight of every call for help that could not be answered fast enough. The pregnant cats found behind businesses. The kittens born beneath houses. The exhausted fosters feeding colonies from their own pockets. The volunteers setting traps late at night, transporting cats before sunr

Shannon Ragsdale did not set out to become one of Fresno TNR’s most dedicated trappers. Like many people who find their way into rescue, it started with a few kittens who needed help. Shannon works as an appraiser for the Fresno County Assessor-Recorder’s Office. She spends three days a week in the office and two days in the field, and she genuinely enjoys what she does. She is one of the top producers on her team and in her office, and she recently received some of the highe

Every once in a while, I see someone comment on one of our posts and say something like, “I wish I could help, but I just can’t adopt another cat.” I understand that completely. Most of us who love cats already have a few at home, and we know our limits. Not everyone is able to add another permanent family member. But fostering is different. Fostering is not adoption. It is not saying yes forever. It is saying yes for right now. In rescue and TNR work, we meet cats and kitten

One of the questions we hear a lot at Fresno TNR is this: “A cat has been hanging around my house for weeks. It doesn't have a collar. I don't know if it belongs to someone. Can I get it spayed or neutered?” In most cases, yes. But like most things involving cats, the full answer has a little more to it. The Reality of Community Cats Cats don’t move through neighborhoods the same way dogs do. Many owned cats are allowed outside and may wander from yard to yard during the day.

Every spring and summer, Fresno T.N.R. receives messages that begin the same way: “I found a tiny kitten by itself. What do I do?” The answer surprises a lot of people. In many cases, the best first step is to wait or do nothing at all. This may feel wrong at first. When you see a tiny kitten alone, your instinct is to scoop it up and bring it inside. However, a kitten who appears to be alone is not always abandoned. Mom may be out looking for food, moving her kittens to a s

“Pride Without Borders” was the theme, and we truly felt it. This year, Fresno TNR joined the Fresno Rainbow Pride Parade and Festival for the very first time. We had our van in the parade, greeted guests throughout the day, and had an absolute blast. We are already looking forward to next year. From the moment we arrived and waited for our turn in the parade, people began coming up to us with questions about what we do and how we can help. Before the parade, during the parad