Trap-Neuter-Return
So you have strays in your neighborhood, and they keep having kittens! What do you do?
Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) is the best and most effective solution! By stopping the cycle, you can prevent hundreds of unwanted kittens from being born on the street. For every cat you spay/neuter, you are preventing over 600 unwanted, homeless kitties during the course of that cat’s lifetime, from both momma’s litter, and her litter’s litters, and their litters, and so on!
Why can’t I just trap them and release them somewhere else?
In the first place, it’s cruel. In the second place, it’s ineffective. Nature abhors a vacuum, and where there are cats, there is a food source. If you spay and neuter the cats, you will prevent the population from exploding. If you relocate the cats, more will come in – and they will breed, just starting the cycle all over again!
Can’t someone else do this? Animal Control? A rescue?
Community cat overpopulation is a community problem, and everyone should be involved in the solution. Your animal control agencies are not staffed to do this, and most of your rescues are spread pretty thin with animals in care and don’t have the bandwidth to trap for you – though your local animal control or local rescues may be able to lend you traps and teach you how to use them! It’s best to just roll up your sleeves and get started, because you may have dozens of kittens before anyone else has time or availability to help you!
The Basics:
For starters, refer to commandment #1: NEVER trap a cat without a plan. Always have a clinic appointment date secured before you set a trap. There are many low-cost spay and neuter resources available, as well as voucher programs available to offset the costs. (refer to Jellicle Cats Rescue Foundation’s Resources page).
Trap the cat the night before their scheduled surgery. If it is safe to do so, try and remove food from the trap around midnight, because the cat is going to have surgery under anesthesia the next day. If it is not safe, then don’t fret.
The general rule of thumb with recovery and release is to release males the morning of the day following their surgery, and females the evening of the day following their surgery. Of course, follow your clinic’s instructions if they tell you differently.
We always, ALWAYS recommend microchipping TNR cats. You are not assuming ownership by having a TNRd kitty microchipped to you, and it provides them with a safety net, should they end up back at a shelter for any reason – you will be able to reclaim them and bring them back to their colony/home.
Make sure that you have a plastic tablecloth or shower curtain down on your interior surface of your car to prevent and damage to your rugs or upholstery. We recommend putting the plastic down with a blanket or towel on top of it before loading the trap into your car. Make sure that traps are securely closed – zip ties are great reinforcement! – whenever you are transporting, and especially before you leave the clinic. At the clinic, make sure to check that they have given you back the right cat before you leave the building – hey, stuff happens!
The Twelve Commandments of Trapping:
1. Never trap a cat without a plan!
Often, clinics are booking out weeks upon weeks in advance, and so you may not be able to get into a clinic right away. Make your appointment first, and then make your trapping schedule based upon your appointment date. You do not want to house a feral cat unless you absolutely have to, and it’s not fair to trap a cat without a plan and then beg for someone to help.
If a cat is sick, injured, or in imminent danger, you may violate this Commandment – but only if it’s an emergency!
2. Always ensure that your traps are in good working order!
Make sure that you test the trap before taking it out in the field, to ensure that the trap works, and that the trap doesn’t have any broken bars that may injure an occupant during or after the trapping process.
3. Never leave a trap unattended!
You may get an animal you were not aiming for! Also, a trapped animal unsupervised is in great danger, from predators and people who may mean the animal harm.
4. Always make sure that the trap is secure when there is a cat inside!
Securing the trap with zip ties is best practice, but at the very minimum, make sure your trap is securely latched so the cat doesn’t end up getting away before its spa day, or worse yet, loose in your car. This should apply when you are trapping, transporting – and also when you pick up from the clinic – make sure the trap is secure before you leave the building!
5. Always cover the trap when you have a trapped cat!
Covering the trap can reduce their stress and make them less likely to scrape themselves up trying to get out.
6. Always release wildlife right where you’ve caught it!
In the first place, it’s cruel to relocate wildlife. In the second place, relocating wildlife is expressly prohibited under California and Federal laws.
7. Take photos of your trapped cat!
This will ensure that you can verify that you have the right cat when you pick up from the spay and neuter clinic. Hey, they are only human, and mistakes can and do happen. This will also be useful for registering the kitty’s microchip.
8. Make sure that your cat is comfortable and safe from the elements during the
recovery process!
Don’t forget to provide food and water while your patient recovers! Make sure not to leave the trap in the sun during the day, or make sure that the cat is in a warm place during cold weather.
9. Always clean up your trapping debris!
Do not ever leave bait or food of any kind behind when you have finished trapping; if you leave the bait behind for other strays, move it to a discreet location – but it’s best to clean it up so that you don’t attract wildlife – or call attention to your trapping efforts. Be discreet!
10. Always transport a trapped cat safely!
Do not transport in the open bed of a pickup, or in the closed trunk of a car – this is both potentially dangerous and also can cause undue stress for the cat. Do not stack traps – in the first place, some traps can collapse under the weight, and also, if the kitty on top of the stack urinates, the kitties below suffer the consequences.
11. Always release the cat in the same area where you trapped it!
It’s so important to make sure that the kitty gets released in an area that is already familiar to them, so they will know where they are and can get back to their normal hiding spots and routine upon release.
12. Always disinfect your trap between uses!
After you release your cat, make sure to clean and disinfect your trap, and any other equipment you have used, with either a veterinary disinfectant (like Rescue cleaner), or bleach. This will help to prevent any sort of viruses from spreading to the next cat.
It takes a village to control pet overpopulation – and you are an important part of that village!
Thank you for being a Someone who is doing Something!