About TNR
Trap-neuter-return is the best thing you can do for strays and ferals. Bringing them to a shelter may eventually get them killed, whereas, after living on the streets for years, that is their natural home and habitat.
TNR is cost-effective because as cats stop breeding, each colony will live out its years before dying off without successors- and with the natural death of each loner and/or colony, comes the natural end of having to pay for their care. Meanwhile, cats brought to shelters must be cared for by shelter personnel, who may also eventually have to pay for euthanasia. In addition, spending on each cat does nothing about the cats in the wild.
Cat overpopulation on the streets is a valid complaint, but TNR prevents further breeding of cats, and is designed to humanely stop overpopulation.
The cats' lives are also shown to be improved, and they will be vaccinated against diseases. Meanwhile, community-disturbing behavior during mating such as yowling and fighting will be stopped.
TNR is proven to be the only method that helps street cats. Catch-and-kill wastes money without effectively reducing cat populations, adoption may not work for less docile cats or there may not be enough homes, relocation disturbs the territorial cats without reducing the population, and there aren't enough cat sanctuaries to reduce the cat populations or provide homes for all of them.
TNR is done by individuals in the neighborhood, but discounts for spaying and neutering if you are doing so as part of TNR may be available at your local veterinarian's. Local rescue groups may also be able to help with resources like financial aid, cages, and bait.
TNR is cost-effective because as cats stop breeding, each colony will live out its years before dying off without successors- and with the natural death of each loner and/or colony, comes the natural end of having to pay for their care. Meanwhile, cats brought to shelters must be cared for by shelter personnel, who may also eventually have to pay for euthanasia. In addition, spending on each cat does nothing about the cats in the wild.
Cat overpopulation on the streets is a valid complaint, but TNR prevents further breeding of cats, and is designed to humanely stop overpopulation.
The cats' lives are also shown to be improved, and they will be vaccinated against diseases. Meanwhile, community-disturbing behavior during mating such as yowling and fighting will be stopped.
TNR is proven to be the only method that helps street cats. Catch-and-kill wastes money without effectively reducing cat populations, adoption may not work for less docile cats or there may not be enough homes, relocation disturbs the territorial cats without reducing the population, and there aren't enough cat sanctuaries to reduce the cat populations or provide homes for all of them.
TNR is done by individuals in the neighborhood, but discounts for spaying and neutering if you are doing so as part of TNR may be available at your local veterinarian's. Local rescue groups may also be able to help with resources like financial aid, cages, and bait.
How to Conduct TNR
First, find resources. Make sure that you're financially able to attempt to trap every cat. See if any nearby veterinarians offer low- or no- cost spaying and neutering for TNR, and if there are nearby rescue groups who can help you. Buy humane traps (triggered by bar or pressure plate), and educate yourself on how they work. Buy tempting food (if you normally set out dry food as recommended, try setting out stronger-scented, wet cat food). Make sure you have a place to put the cats after trapping- whether you're bringing them straight to the vet, or, if you're trapping late at night, where to leave them before bringing them to the vet the next day. An isolated corner in your home, lined with something soft and disposable, would work well. If you're bringing the cats immediately to the vet, line wherever you'll put the cages.
When prepping the cages before trapping, line the inside floor of the cages so the metal bars don't hurt the cat/s' paws. Newspaper will work because the cages will be carried to somewhere soft. Make sure that the liner doesn't disturb or somehow block the trigger plate or bar. Once you are sure the cages are baited and functional, find cloth covers for each one. You will pull these up over the cage as soon as you can after the cat is trapped. It helps the cats feel safe and they stop thrashing around or fighting.
The day you begin the trapping is mainly up to you. You could starve the cats (if you're feeding them) for a day and do the trapping the next day, to ensure the cats will be trapped, or you could do the trapping at the time of a customary feeding, replacing the normal food with bait. Trapping is suggested to occur during regular feeding time, when the cats are most active.
Notify the veterinarian you'll bring the cats to because handling ferals is very different from handling docile pet cats. Also notify any resuce groups who might be helping out, and get your friends together if they want to join in. Gather all your resources and organize them.
Set up the prepped cages near cover, because, as always, the cats may be wary of open spaces. Set the cloth covers halfway over the cages. Make sure to space out the cages so that no cat trapped would be within seeing or hearing distance of the other- if a cat sees another, they may panic, which is exactly what we don't want. You could also trap the cats one at a time, cage by cage, until no more traps are sprung. After setup, retreat within hearing or seeing distance from the cages, whichever is farther, and prepare for a tense vigil. Make sure you've recorded each cage and its exact placement.
Strain your eyes and ears until you hear or see one of the cages being activated. The rattle as the dropping back of the cage hits the floor should be very distinct. Sprint forward immediately to the correct cage and pull up the cloth cover over the cage. This needs to be done quickly because the cat is feeling very panicky and scared at this point, and may thrash or fight inside the cage, which may hurt the cat. Pulling up the cloth cover gives the cat a reassuring darkness, and the cat will calm down inside the cage. Pick up the cage and move it, either to a car or the isolated corner in your home. It's best to have other people monitoring the other cages while you are doing this, but if you're operating alone, I suggest you trap cage-by-cage or make sure to have your temporary corner for the cats very close by (say, a car trunk). Make records of each cat and which cage it was caught in. Search for eartipping, which shows that the cat has already been treated (about 1/4 of the ear should be removed). If experienced, you might also look for other identifying markers such as collar remnants, microchips, etc. but that could be done at the vet's. Make a record of which cat you've caught (based on your previous records of all the cats in the colony). Once you're done trapping as many cats as you can, make sure to retrieve ALL of the cages. Even though they are humane, some other animal might get trapped in a cage, panic, and cause itself serious harm.
Bring the cats to the veterinarian. Take the time to re-line the inside of the cages while they are being treated. In the days after spaying and/or neutering, let the cats heal and rest within the cages in the isolated corner you set up for them. They may act differently from what you're used to if you've had contact with them. This is normal. Use a cage divider to keep the cat safely on one side of the cage every time you reline the cages and set food and water inside. As always, never reach too close to the cat or try to pet it or pick it up. Keep the cloth covers over the cages. Once the cats seem fully rested and healed and their eyes are bright and alert, you may bring each cage back to the exact spot where it was when it caught the cat. Pull back the cloth and open the cage.
If you fall in love with a cat or one appears particularly docile, ALWAYS make sure that YOU are willing to take full responsibility of its life indoors before you try to adopt it. If you can't, it's always best to return the cat to its home. It's suggested that you do not take cats to a shelter where it may be killed.
Resume your feeding schedule. The cats may be wary of you, as the experience they've been through can be traumatizing. Remember to retreat a distance away to allow the cats to feel as safe as possible while feeding. Time heals all wounds, so rest assured, you will soon earn back the trust of your adored community cats.
When prepping the cages before trapping, line the inside floor of the cages so the metal bars don't hurt the cat/s' paws. Newspaper will work because the cages will be carried to somewhere soft. Make sure that the liner doesn't disturb or somehow block the trigger plate or bar. Once you are sure the cages are baited and functional, find cloth covers for each one. You will pull these up over the cage as soon as you can after the cat is trapped. It helps the cats feel safe and they stop thrashing around or fighting.
The day you begin the trapping is mainly up to you. You could starve the cats (if you're feeding them) for a day and do the trapping the next day, to ensure the cats will be trapped, or you could do the trapping at the time of a customary feeding, replacing the normal food with bait. Trapping is suggested to occur during regular feeding time, when the cats are most active.
Notify the veterinarian you'll bring the cats to because handling ferals is very different from handling docile pet cats. Also notify any resuce groups who might be helping out, and get your friends together if they want to join in. Gather all your resources and organize them.
Set up the prepped cages near cover, because, as always, the cats may be wary of open spaces. Set the cloth covers halfway over the cages. Make sure to space out the cages so that no cat trapped would be within seeing or hearing distance of the other- if a cat sees another, they may panic, which is exactly what we don't want. You could also trap the cats one at a time, cage by cage, until no more traps are sprung. After setup, retreat within hearing or seeing distance from the cages, whichever is farther, and prepare for a tense vigil. Make sure you've recorded each cage and its exact placement.
Strain your eyes and ears until you hear or see one of the cages being activated. The rattle as the dropping back of the cage hits the floor should be very distinct. Sprint forward immediately to the correct cage and pull up the cloth cover over the cage. This needs to be done quickly because the cat is feeling very panicky and scared at this point, and may thrash or fight inside the cage, which may hurt the cat. Pulling up the cloth cover gives the cat a reassuring darkness, and the cat will calm down inside the cage. Pick up the cage and move it, either to a car or the isolated corner in your home. It's best to have other people monitoring the other cages while you are doing this, but if you're operating alone, I suggest you trap cage-by-cage or make sure to have your temporary corner for the cats very close by (say, a car trunk). Make records of each cat and which cage it was caught in. Search for eartipping, which shows that the cat has already been treated (about 1/4 of the ear should be removed). If experienced, you might also look for other identifying markers such as collar remnants, microchips, etc. but that could be done at the vet's. Make a record of which cat you've caught (based on your previous records of all the cats in the colony). Once you're done trapping as many cats as you can, make sure to retrieve ALL of the cages. Even though they are humane, some other animal might get trapped in a cage, panic, and cause itself serious harm.
Bring the cats to the veterinarian. Take the time to re-line the inside of the cages while they are being treated. In the days after spaying and/or neutering, let the cats heal and rest within the cages in the isolated corner you set up for them. They may act differently from what you're used to if you've had contact with them. This is normal. Use a cage divider to keep the cat safely on one side of the cage every time you reline the cages and set food and water inside. As always, never reach too close to the cat or try to pet it or pick it up. Keep the cloth covers over the cages. Once the cats seem fully rested and healed and their eyes are bright and alert, you may bring each cage back to the exact spot where it was when it caught the cat. Pull back the cloth and open the cage.
If you fall in love with a cat or one appears particularly docile, ALWAYS make sure that YOU are willing to take full responsibility of its life indoors before you try to adopt it. If you can't, it's always best to return the cat to its home. It's suggested that you do not take cats to a shelter where it may be killed.
Resume your feeding schedule. The cats may be wary of you, as the experience they've been through can be traumatizing. Remember to retreat a distance away to allow the cats to feel as safe as possible while feeding. Time heals all wounds, so rest assured, you will soon earn back the trust of your adored community cats.