TNR

WHAT IS A TRAP-NEUTER-VACCINATE-RETURN?
Trap-neuter-vaccinate-return (TNR) is a humane, nonlethal alternative to the old trap-and-kill method of managing feral cat populations. With catch and kill policies, cats are removed from an area in the hopes that the population will never bounce back. But removing cats only creates a vacuum in the environment, where new cats move in to take advantage of available resources. The new cats quickly breed and the cat population rebounds, or even grows. Catch and kill policies are not only cruel and ineffective, they are the antithesis of the compassionate values of the public, which overwhelmingly supports humane, effective policies and programs for cats. Scientific studies show that TNR effectively addresses the community cat population by ending the breeding cycle, meaning no new kittens are born to a community cat colony. As sound public policy, TNR addresses community concerns, reduces shelter intake and killing, and reduces nuisance calls to animal services, all of which save cats’ lives and taxpayer dollars.When cats are free from the burdens of mating and reproducing, their relationships improve with the people who live near them (think: no more kittens outdoors or yowling, roaming, fighting, or spraying). Additionally, many diseases associated with reproduction, like certain cancers, are prevented. All community cats, whether they are considered stray, feral or just free-roaming, are caught in humane cat traps, medically evaluated, spayed or neutered by a licensed veterinarian, given rabies vaccine and eartipped (universal sign that a cat has been spayed or neutered through a TNR program), then returned to their original outdoor homes to which they are bonded so they can live out their lives where they thrive.Cats that have been through a TNR program will wear a badge of honor, an eartip, which is approximately 1/4” cut from the top of his left ear. Returning cats to the location where they were trapped is very important because the cats will be familiar with food and water sources, and available shelter from weather and predators. They are also back among the community of cats they consider family/companions. Again, this is their outdoor home.Most importantly, however, TNR allows cats to have longer, healthier lives without producing litter after litter of kittens.

PREPARING TO TRAP CATS

If possible, establish a routine and get the cats used to being fed at the same place and time every day. To ensure that the cats will be hungry, don’t feed them the day or night before you are going to trap. Be sure to notify others who feed the cats not to leave food out. Hungry cats will be less apprehensive about entering the trap.
You want the cat to be in the trap a minimum amount of time before surgery, so trapping the night before is usually the best approach. Cats should not eat after midnight the night before surgery.
Prepare the area where you will be holding the cats before and after surgery. A garage or other sheltered, temperature-controlled, protected area is best. Lay down newspapers or absorbent material to catch stool, urine, and food residue.
Prepare the vehicle you will use to transport them as well. Putting down plastic is a good extra precaution, but you will need to use newspapers or some other absorbent material on top of the plastic. (Urine will roll right off the plastic, and that isn’t what you want.)
Plan your day of trapping carefully. Remember that you might have only one chance to successfully trap a cat. If you trap cats and then release them, it is unlikely that you will be able to catch them again. They learn very quickly!

If there are young kittens involved, they won't be weaned from their mother until they are 4 to 6 weeks old, and they won't be ready for surgery until they are 12 to 14 weeks old. So if you are trapping a lactating female, try to locate the kittens and see whether they are old enough to be weaned. Preference is to keep the mama with the kittens while she is nursing, if at all possible. If you wish to foster, socialize the kittens to people, and find homes for them, they should be taken from the mother at 6 weeks old or earlier. If you wait until the kittens are older than 6 weeks, you may find that the job of socializing them gets harder the older they are. Because kittens are at high risk in most shelters, if you are not able to foster them we recommend leaving healthy kittens with their mom until they are old enough for TNR.

SETTING THE TNR CAT TRAPS

Plan to set traps just before or at the cats’ normal feeding time. Dusk is usually the best time to set traps. Don’t trap in the rain or the heat of day without adequate protection for the cats in the traps. Cats are vulnerable in the traps and could get drenched during storms or suffer from heatstroke in the sun.
Fold sheets of newspaper or absorbent material to line the bottom of the trap and cover the trip plate. Cats don’t like walking on wire surfaces, and the lining material helps to keep their feet from going through the wire bottom when you pick up the trap. Make sure the lining material does not extend beyond the trip plate. Too much lining material can interfere with the trap mechanism or prevent the door from closing properly.
Place traps in the area where the cats usually feed or have been seen. Cats are much less likely to enter the trap if it wobbles, so make sure you place the trap on a level surface. If you’re trapping in a public area, try to put the traps in spots where they won't be noticed by passersby (who might not understand that you aren't trying to harm the cats). Bushes are often places where cats hide and provide good camouflage for the trap.
To bait the trap, spoon a small amount of tuna, mackerel, hot fried or roasted chicken or other smelly treat onto a paper plate. Don't put any food bowls or cans with sharp edges inside the trap. Place the paper plate at the back of the trap beyond the trip plate. Drizzle some “juice” from the bait food along the bottom of the trap to encourage the cat to walk in.
If the cat is eating the food without setting off the trip plate or stealing food from the trap, you can place the paper plate on the ground and press the trap down onto the food so that it squishes up through the wire bottom. The idea is to make the food a little hard to get.
After baiting the trap, open the trap door by pushing the top of the door in and pulling the bottom of the door upward. There is a small hook attached to the right side of the trap top. It hooks onto a tiny metal cylinder on the right side of the door. The hook holds the door in an open position, which also raises the trip plate. When the cat steps on the plate, it will cause the hook to release the door and close the trap.
After setting the trap, cover it with a large towel or piece of sheet. Cover the top, sides, and back of the trap; fold the material at the front end of the trap to expose the opening. The cover will help to camouflage the trap and serve to calm cats after they're caught

WAITING NEARBY FOR CATS TO BE TRAPPED

Never leave traps unattended in an unprotected area because animals are vulnerable after being trapped. Plus, a passerby might release the cat or steal the trap. But don’t hang around within sight of the cats, or you will scare them off. Wait quietly in a place where you can see the traps without disturbing the cats, and be patient. Even if you’re quite a distance away, you can often hear the traps trip.
As soon as the intended cat is trapped, completely cover the trap and remove the trap from the area immediately. Keeping the cat covered will help them to stay calm. The cat might thrash some, but resist the urge to release them — and remember that you are doing this for the cat's benefit.
You might consider putting another trap in the same spot if it seems to be a popular spot. But be sure to dispose of the food left on the ground when you pick up the trap. You don’t want to litter or give out any freebies to spoil appetites.
When you get the captured cat to a quiet area away from the other traps, lift the cover and check for signs that you have the correct animal and not a pet or a previously spayed/neutered community cat -look for an eartip.
If you note that you have captured a lactating female, check the area for kittens. And keep in mind that she must be released as soon as she is awake and alert after surgery, so she can care for and nurse her kittens. Cover the trap back up as soon as possible.
If you inadvertently catch a wild animal attracted to the food or a cat you didn’t intend to trap, simply release the animal quietly according to the release procedure below.

HOLDING BEFORE TAKING CATS TO THE VET
After you have finished trapping, you will have to hold the cats overnight in a safe, enclosed location until you can take them to the veterinary clinic. Place the cats in the prepared protected area. Keep the cats covered and calm, and don’t feed them. They will remain quiet as long as they are covered. Do not stick your fingers in the traps, try to open the trap, or allow children or pets near the traps. Scared and confined animals might scratch and bite.

SPAYING / NEUTERING
Let's start with the most important thing before you go out to trap - put a plan for vetting in place. Please be sure to contact the clinic you plan to use to find out their days of operation, drop off times and availability. Please do not trap cats first and then go into SOS mode asking for emergency appointments. While that does work out at times, often clinics are closed or overbooked and a cat is just sitting in a trap stressed out. A stressed cat and a stressed human are a bad combo.

Make arrangements in advance with a veterinarian for spaying or neutering and vaccinating the cats. Tell the vet and staff that they will be dealing with potentially feral cats, so they know what to expect. Confirm that dissolvable sutures will be used. When cats are recovering from anesthesia, they are unable to regulate their body temperature, so keep them in a temperature-controlled area and away from loud noises or other things that might be stressful for them, like a garage, screened porch, etc.

Most cats will not be hungry as they are still recovering from surgery and anesthesia, and, in most cases, you will only hold the cats overnight after surgery and return them to their outdoor home the following morning. Extended holding times beyond the overnight period is usually only needed for cats who had an unforeseen complication during the surgery, who had a harder time recovering from anesthesia, or who had an additional issue (e.g., eye removal or leg amputation) requiring extra monitoring.

RELEASING THE FIXED CATS

Return the neutered or spayed cat in the same place that you trapped him or her. Do not relocate the cat; it can be construed as abandonment and the cat might die. It’s common for cats to drive away new cats who appear in their area. Cats in a colony depend on one another, like family, so keep them together after TNR.
Make sure the spot you pick for release does not encourage the cat to run toward danger (such as a busy street) to get away from you. Keep the trap covered until you are ready to release the cat.
When you’re ready, simply hold the trap with the door facing away from you, remove the cover, and open the door. The cat will probably bolt immediately out of the trap. If that doesn’t happen, tilt the trap so the back is slightly up and tap on the back of the trap to encourage the cat to leave. Don’t ever put your hand in the trap.
Resume the feeding schedule as usual. You might not see the cat for a couple of days, as they might be a little stressed. However, they know where their food source is and will eat when you are not around.
After releasing the cats, hose off the traps and disinfect them with bleach. Never store traps in the “set” (door open) position because animals might wander into the traps (even unbaited ones) and starve to death.

That’s What Friends Are For, Inc can loan traps and teach you how to use them, and can help you with costs for spay/neuter through our voucher program. We do not have volunteers that can go out and do the trapping for you.

The information about TNR is from Best Friends Animal Society website and Alley Cat Allies website.