Oakland TNR Coalition

Oakland TNR Coalition Visit our website for more information!

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.

Meet Beef & Birdie! These sweet siblings were rescued with their momma from the streets of the Hill District and are rea...
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.

A huge THANK YOU to the amazing team at Petco and their generous customers! Last Saturday, after a chat with our volunte...
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. 🫶🏻

On Wednesday night, we were contacted by a fellow rescuer about a tiny kitten trapped inside the engine of a car in Nort...
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!

is heating up! ☀️🍊Our first wave of orange boys has officially landed on the adoption floor at Petco! Say hello to Ora...
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.

Meet Cobweb and Cinderblock. These sweet, fluffy brothers were rescued with their momma from a basement that they had fo...
06/29/2025

Meet Cobweb and Cinderblock. These sweet, fluffy brothers were rescued with their momma from a basement that they had found shelter in. They were a litty shy at first, but have blossomed into such fun, loving little boys!

Cinderblock (grey) is a curious little boy who needs to know everything you’re up to! The more outgoing of the two, he adores being held like a baby and will actively bat at your arm just to keep the pets going. He’s a big fan of freeze-dried minnows and licking your nose.

Cobweb (black) is a sweet guy who always wants to be with his brother! He may take a minute to warm up to people, but once he does, he will fall in love with all your butt scratches. Full of energy, he is a big fan of tunnels and chasing stick toys around. He has a loud voice and isn’t afraid to use it! He is a big people watcher, so make sure to give him a window of his own!

These bonded brothers are huge foodies and will climb you like a tree for food! Once they get settled in, they will spend hours cuddling and grooming each other on top of you! Be prepared to constantly have two furballs purring on top of you!

Cobweb and Cinderblock are around 4 months old, neutered, vaccinated, flea-treated, dewormed, microchipped, and tested FIV/FeLV negative.

It’s another $5 and we’ve had 27 intakes in 2 weeks!Yup, you heard that right. It’s been nonstop chaos over here! Our ne...
06/27/2025

It’s another $5 and we’ve had 27 intakes in 2 weeks!

Yup, you heard that right. It’s been nonstop chaos over here!

Our new intakes include Baby from the Hill & her babies Birdie and Beef. Stanton Heights Calico Momma & her crew Poppy, Pepper, Peanut & Kenny (Momma went foster-to-adopt with her caretaker & doggy BFF 🥹). Momma Lola from the Hill & her babies four older kittens.

We were also able to full-circle help the small West Oakland colony, bringing in the five tiny sick Avatar beans last week and a surprise older litter last night, Zuko, Suki, Momo, and Appa. Both mommas, Dream and Bright, and a 3rd female are now spayed and seem workable. We plan to give them a week or two to show us their true colors before deciding on TNR or foster. We also TNR’d one big boy Shiny and the final cat Flame, (an orange boy, of course) got neutered today!

Yessir, that is 27 intakes in just two weeks! Thankfully, aside from the West O adults, every single one of the others all have foster homes!

Outside of that madness, we also squeezed in two dentals for feral Marie and foster Monkey Bread, vet exams for Vinny, Calzone, and recently adopted Santolina (we’re working to resolve her ongoing tummy issues), and managed to get 16 cats spayed or neutered, with another 16 surgeries already on the books before July 7th.

It may be kitten season but we’re kicking ass, taking names, and rescuing cats. We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who’s stepped up to foster these past couple weeks. Our foster network has officially grown to 27 active homes, with hopefully more pending. Without them, we would’ve had to say “no” over and over again. Because as much as money is everything, so is space.

If you’re in the mood to work with some semi-ferals, hit us up because we’d love to give Moonie, Dream and Bright a shot! Or want to join the kitten fun (and save some lives)? Consider becoming a foster! Can’t foster? Donate if you’re able! Can’t donate? Even sharing helps more than you know.

Every single bit of support makes a massive impact on a 100%-volunteer run rescue like ours. Thank yinz for helping us keep going!

Click the link to help: https://linktr.ee/OaklandTNRCoalition

Well, we knew yinz would love Cosette, but we definitely didn’t expect *that* kind of response. Between Instagram and Fa...
06/25/2025

Well, we knew yinz would love Cosette, but we definitely didn’t expect *that* kind of response. Between Instagram and Facebook, nearly 6,000 of you saw her post and she was shared over 110 times!

We’re so glad she’s getting the attention she deserves but honestly, it breaks our hearts a little to see our other amazing adult cats continue to be overlooked. Cats like Pickles, Chickpea, Katie, and Orangina have been patiently waiting for their moment to shine.

If orange is your thing, we’re in full swing for and will have plenty of sweet orange floofs hitting the adoption floor in the coming weeks.

But consider giving one of our adult cats a chance! They’ve been passed over time and time again and are just as loving, playful, and deserving as any baby kitten.

Or, if you have your heart set on adopting a kitten (or two!) this summer, go ahead and fill out an application now, just put “kittens” for the “animals interested in” section. That way, you can get pre-approved and be first in line when our next wave of kittens becomes available*!

Adoption application —> bit.ly/otnrcadoption

*Filling out an application does not guarantee approval. Virtual home tour, landlord approval, and vet reference required. All current pets in the home must be spayed/neutered, UTD on vaccines, and seen for annual exams. Current cats must have proof of FIV/FeLV testing. Due to the volume of applications we receive, we may not be able to individually contact every applicant. Kittens must be adopted in pairs or as singles to homes with other young cats.

🚨HELP!!!! We’re in dire need of kitten food! 🚨We’re now caring for 46 kittens under 6 months old, and they are absolutel...
06/23/2025

🚨HELP!!!! We’re in dire need of kitten food! 🚨

We’re now caring for 46 kittens under 6 months old, and they are absolutely tearing through food faster than we can keep up.

And guess what? We just found out about another litter of 4 at the same site where we pulled the 5 kittens last week (but both mommas were spayed this weekend!). A foster is lined up for them (yinz are really stepping up for us lately), and we’ll be bringing them in later this week… bringing our total to 50 (yes, FIFTY!) kittens in our care. 😭

With vet bills piling up, every donated can or bag of food helps us stretch our funds further and focus on vet bills and medical care. Can you send some food our way help keep these tiny bellies full?

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

Meet Cosette. Rescued from the streets of Hazelwood at just six months old, she arrived matted and fragile, and during h...
06/23/2025

Meet Cosette. Rescued from the streets of Hazelwood at just six months old, she arrived matted and fragile, and during her spay, they discovered she had a possible self-aborted fetus in her uterus, a heartbreaking reminder of how much she'd already endured.

But Cosette is a survivor, and that past is behind her. She's blossomed into the sweetest little cuddle bug. Though shy at first, she's come out of her shell in the most beautiful way. She lives for attention, purrs like a motor when she's happy, and is truly the Queen of Biscuits, absolutely kneading away with joy whenever she's relaxed. Her signature move? Wrapping both her tiny arms around yours and drifting off to sleep in a cozy hug.

With her soft fur, sweet spirit, and growing confidence, Cosette is ready to leave her rough start behind and find a loving home where she can be spoiled like she deserves. She's not just pretty, she's totally precious.

Cosette is around 6 months old, spayed, vaccinated, flea treated, dewormed, microchipped, and tested FIV/FeLV negative.

It’s $5 Friday!! And just in time for five sick kittens to land in our care with no foster and no time to wait.😅Late las...
06/20/2025

It’s $5 Friday!! And just in time for five sick kittens to land in our care with no foster and no time to wait.😅

Late last night we took in 5 tiny, sick kittens from a long-ignored situation near the border of the Hill, Uptown, and West Oakland. Two years ago, we offered to help rescue the original parents, but the man who claimed them declined our help. We provided resources and never heard more….

Fast forward to yesterday, there are now 6 kittens. Unfortunately, one was already given away before we could get there. Concerned more may be given away, we quickly went and grabbed them. The remaining 5 are severely underweight (barely 1lb at 7-8 weeks old) and showing signs of URIs. They’re now at the vet, but they have no foster lined up.

They’re currently in an intake kennel with a volunteer who works two jobs, and we urgently need a foster who can step up now!

Foster Application —> bit.ly/otnrc_foster

To make things worse, there are at least 2 unfixed females (including momma), 2 males and possibly more still out there. The man is finally overwhelmed and ready to accept our help. The damage is sadly already done, but we’re going to help clean up the mess.

These 5 (Now named Aang, Sokka, Katara, Toph, and Azula) are waiting to be seen at Rivers Vet. Donations can be called in directly at (412)-998-9030 for Oakland TNR Coalition or sent via our usual channels below!

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

We’re now pushing 90 cats in the rescue, and all our fosters are full. With $3k in vet bills being paid already this week, and another $4k on deck for 23 kittens’ spay/neuter plus a dental for Monkey Bread, we are truly drowning.

If you can foster even for a few weeks, PLEASE reach out! If you have the means to donate, even $5, PLEASE do. Imagine if each person who saw this post donated just $1 to $5, every dollar makes a difference!

We can’t keep doing this without you!

***These kittens are NOT available for adoption. They are sick and far too young.***

🚨 SOS: WE’RE DROWNING IN KITTENS AND NEED YOUR HELP! 🚨Kitten s**t has officially hit the fan and we are bursting at the ...
06/17/2025

🚨 SOS: WE’RE DROWNING IN KITTENS AND NEED YOUR HELP! 🚨

Kitten s**t has officially hit the fan and we are bursting at the seams. This week alone we’ve taken a mom and her 2 kittens from the Hill District. And are working on a second Hill District family (mom, dad & 5 kittens) and a mom and her 4 babies from Stanton Heights.

For once, we actually have fosters lined up for everyone (party!), but now we’re facing the next hurdle… VETTING! 😅😅

Over the next two weeks or so, **28 kittens** will be heading in for full vetting, including spay/neuter, vaccines, triple testing, and microchips. This will cost us around $4,000. That’s JUST the kittens. It doesn’t include their moms and dads, the ferals we’re also vetting, or our two cats needing dentals (including Marie, today!).

We are officially deep in the thick of it. These intakes bring us to 82 cats and kittens in our rescue right now, about 20-25 more than our usual. And without your help, we won’t be able to keep up.

We’re doing the work but now we need you. Please donate if you can. Comment, like, and share this post. Every single bit of your support helps us keep going and saving lives one cat at a time!

Monetary Donations:
Venmo —> venmo.com/u/OaklandTNR
PayPal —> paypal.me/oaklandtnrcoalition
Givebutter —> bit.ly/otnrc_donate

It’s been a while since we’ve had to ask for help for our Petco kitties, but the need is back!The last time we put out t...
06/15/2025

It’s been a while since we’ve had to ask for help for our Petco kitties, but the need is back!

The last time we put out the call, yinz completely blew us away. Our Adoption Coordinator’s porch was buried under deliveries from three Amazon trucks (shoutout to the delivery drivers!).

Right now, our biggest need is wet food, and not just any kind. Our current stash is heavy on Friskies shreds, which are just too chunky for some of our littlest mouths. As we prep for what’s shaping up to be a full-blown , we’re asking for your help to stock up on pâté-style wet food, especially land-based proteins (like chicken and turkey over seafood).

We’ve updated our Amazon wish list to reflect our current needs! Every can makes a difference for our kitties!

Amazon wishlist —> amzn.to/4kO2miS

Thank yinz for always showing up. We couldn’t do this without you!

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+14122297103

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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!