For Neighbors & Residents

If you’ve received a card or letter from someone identifying as a Guardian with Guardians of the Cats, you may have questions about what they’re doing and why they are caring for outdoor cats in your area.

*Are you part of an HOA, property management company, or business?
Click here for information specifically for HOAs & Property Managers or Business & Commercial Properties.

This page is here to explain:

Who we are
Why a Guardian is present on your property or in your neighborhood
How responsible care and humane management reduce problems over time
What our Guardians commit to in how they act and interact with you

Our goal is simple: fewer problems, fewer cats over time, and more compassion for the lives already here.

Who We Are

Guardians of the Cats is a non-denominational 501(c)(3) faith-based ministry dedicated to the spiritual care and protection of homeless and free-roaming cats.

For us, caring for vulnerable animals is spiritual practice—a way of expressing living faith through compassion, responsibility, and stewardship.

Guardians are commissioned through our ministry. That means:

They have taken on a spiritual responsibility to care for specific cats in a specific area.
Their work is recognized as faith-based practice within an established nonprofit ministry.
They agree to standards of conduct that respect both the cats and the community.

Why You’re Seeing a Guardian in Your Area

If a Guardian is caring for cats near you, it is because:

The cats already live there – they were not brought in or “dumped” by the Guardian.
The Guardian has taken responsibility for that existing group of cats.
The goal is to stabilize and humanely manage the cats so they do not multiply or cause unnecessary problems.

Simply put:

The Guardian did not create the situation.
They stepped in to manage it responsibly.

What Our Guardians Actually Do

As part of their spiritual practice, a Commissioned Guardian may:

Feed at set times so cats are not ripping into trash, wandering in panic, or yowling for food
Maintain clean feeding areas, picking up dishes and avoiding clutter
Support Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) so cats are spayed/neutered and vaccinated
Monitor health and behavior, watching for illness or injury
Protect vulnerable cats from harm, while respecting neighbors and property
Act quietly and peacefully, without creating disruption or conflict

This is not random feeding. It is structured, responsible care.

How Responsible Guardianship Helps You

Many people worry that feeding cats “attracts more.” In reality, it’s unfixed, unmanaged cats, not responsible feeding, that causes the problems.

When a Guardian actively manages a group of cats, it can:

Reduce noise – spayed/neutered cats fight and yowl less
Reduce spraying and mating behaviors
Reduce new litters of kittens
Reduce trash-digging and wandering by providing predictable food
Reduce chaotic trapping and removal attempts that often fail and cause conflict

Animal welfare organizations across the country recognize TNR and managed colonies as the most effective way to stabilize outdoor cat populations over time.

Humane management doesn’t “invite cats to move in” — it keeps the existing cats healthy, calm, and unable to continually reproduce.

Our Stewardship Standards & Conduct

Every Commissioned Guardian with Guardians of the Cats commits to:

Keeping feeding locations clean and tidy
Feeding at predictable times, not leaving large amounts of food out overnight
Respecting property boundaries and posted rules whenever possible
Engaging with neighbors and property owners calmly and respectfully
Avoiding arguments, confrontation, and escalation
Working toward TNR and medical care when resources allow

If you feel a Guardian is not living up to these standards, we welcome hearing from you directly (contact information is at the bottom of this page).

Common Questions & Concerns

“Are you attracting more cats by feeding them?”

No. The cats our Guardians care for are already living in the area. Food alone does not cause an explosion in population—unfixed cats do. By spaying/neutering and stabilizing the existing group, Guardians help ensure:

The number of cats goes down over time, rather than up
New, unfixed cats are less likely to move in
You are not constantly dealing with new litters and chaos

“Why can’t you just take them away?”

In most cases, there is nowhere for them to go:

Shelters are often full and may euthanize outdoor cats.
New cats simply move into any empty territory (“vacuum effect”).

Removing cats without long-term management usually results in:

New cats arriving
The same issues beginning again

Managing and fixing the cats that are already there is the most stable solution.

“What if I don’t want any cats here at all?”

We understand that not everyone is comfortable with animals nearby. Our Guardians cannot make the cats simply disappear, but they can:

Keep things as clean, calm, and controlled as possible
Work to reduce the population over time through TNR
Listen to specific concerns about location, timing, or cleanliness and adjust where reasonably possible

Our ministry also asks that neighbors and property owners refrain from harming or threatening animals. Deliberately poisoning, injuring, or abandoning cats is considered animal cruelty or animal abandonment under laws in many areas. When there are serious concerns, we encourage people to contact local animal control or authorities rather than taking matters into their own hands.

If You Have Concerns

We encourage calm, direct communication.

If you have a concern about cats in your area or the way a Guardian is operating, you can:

Speak to the Guardian in a calm, respectful manner and let them know what you’re seeing. They may be able to adjust feeding times, locations, or routines.
Contact Guardians of the Cats directly so we can help mediate or offer guidance.

Our intention is not to create conflict. Our intention is to honor vulnerable life while remaining considerate of the humans who share these spaces.

About Our Spiritual & Legal Protections

Caring for homeless and free-roaming cats is, for our Guardians, a sincerely held spiritual practice. It is how they live out their faith in daily life, similar to how others may serve in street ministries, food outreach, or other acts of compassion.

Because of this:

Guardians of the Cats is organized as a 501(c)(3) faith-based ministry.
Our Guardians’ work is treated as faith-based practice, not a casual hobby.
We respectfully ask that their ability to carry out this spiritual work, responsibly and peacefully, be honored.

We do not use this as a weapon or threat. We share it so that others can understand the depth of commitment behind this work and why it is not something a Guardian can simply “stop doing” on demand.

Verify or Contact Us

If you would like to verify that someone is a Commissioned Guardian with our ministry, or if you have concerns you’d like to share:

Guardians of the Cats
A 501(c)(3) Faith-Based Ministry
Website: www.guardiansofthecats.org

Email: contact@guardiansofthecats.org

Phone: 602-753-7739

“To serve the forgotten is to serve Spirit. To protect the vulnerable is to live faith. To care for cats is to become love made visible.”