What Is Trap-Neuter-Return?
Raise a Paw
This Saturday is National Feral Cat Day. In honor, we post an updated version of last year’s primer on trap-neuter-return. For more information on the 10th anniversary of National Feral Cat Day please check out Alley Cat Allies.
A few years ago I was introduced to something called trap-neuter-return. TNR, as it’s called amongst those in the know, is the practice of trapping feral, or wild, cats, getting them spayed/neutered, and then returning them to where they were trapped. Here’s the scoop on TNR and how spaying and neutering, not just your pets, but the stray cats in your neighborhood, is beneficial for all.
Feral cats are felines that have been left to fend for themselves. They may have once been friendly or, more likely, after generations of surviving in the “wild,” have completely reverted back to their wild instincts. Without owners to care for them, many ferals have never been spayed or neutered, and therefor spend their lives reproducing to frighting numbers.
To combat being overrun by wild cats, both the Human Society of the United States (HSUS) along with the ASPCA support the practice of TNR, as it’s the most effective and humane way to deal with a growing colony of feral cats.
The actual practice involves humane steel raccoon traps, designed so that when a cat walks into them from one end to get to the yummy food you’ve placed at the other (closed) end, they’ll step on a trip plate and shut the trap. Once trapped, volunteers bring the cat to an organization, such as the Humane Society, SPCA, or city shelter, that offers low cost or free feral cat altering. In New York, aside from the amazing feral cat mobile clinic offered by the ASPCA, there’s a great low cost spay/neuter program called Muffins, which offers inexpensive spay/neuter vouchers you can use at select vets. Before you bring a feral cat to the vet though, please check with them to ensure they can handle these kinds of animals.
Post surgery, the cats are housed indoors, within their traps for between 24 and 48 hours depending on if they are male or female (neutering is minimally invasive of a surgery, requiring little recuperation time). Daily they are fed and the soiled newspaper, lining their cage is replaced. Once healed, the cats are returned to where they were trapped.
So, why put them back? While many may think taking the cat to a shelter is a better option, it’s not. All feral cats brought to city shelters are euthanized as they are considered unadoptable due to their fear of humans. Back at their colonies, these altered cats keep city rodent populations at bay, while the population of the colony itself is controlled by the fact that the cats can no longer reproduce. Plus they remain territorial, keeping newcomers from coming in. It’s really a win-win situation for anyone who lives near a controlled cat colony.
Below is a video by the HSUS that explains just how TNR works and why it’s so important to get these forgotten felines spayed and neutered.
If you’d like to know more about TNR you can check out my blog, where I chronicle one TNR project. And below, some more resources for those who want to learn more about TNR and feral cats.
Image: Sonia Zjawinski
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Raise a Paw”
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Check out the new Feral Freedom program at San Jose Animal Care & Services, in partnership with Towncats rescue – putting the “C” for chipping into TNR (TNCR!). If a chipped feral ends up at a shelter, the organization will be contacted so that the cat is not euthanized. Their goal was to TNCR 1,000 cats in this program from March through Sept. 31st of this year, and they are already ahead of target at 1,100 cats!
There is still a need for more volunteers for Feral Freedom. If interested, please contact Diana Grubbs at dgrubbs44@comcast.net or Denise Uriarte at a.uriarte@sbcglobal.net or Janice Frazier at Janice.Frazier@sbcglobal.net for more information on how you can help keep the program going smoothly; helping with it really is quite rewarding!
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