Our Trap – Neuter – Return (TNR) Program
What is TNR?
Trap
Your Community cats are trapped using humane live traps that are triggered when the cat enters it to eat the tasty bait.
Neuter
Your cats are transported to a low cost, non-profit spay/neuter clinic where they are fixed, vaccinated, ear-tipped, and microchipped.
Return
After a short recovery time, your cats are returned to their outdoor home to rejoin their colony where they are happiest, to live healthier lives together.
What is a Community Cat?
Community cats are unowned cats who live outdoors. Like pet cats, they belong to the domestic cat species (Felis catus); however, community cats, also called feral cats, are generally not socialized or friendly to people. They live full, healthy lives with their feline families (called colonies) in their outdoor homes.
Why should we TNR?
TNR stabilizes feral cat populations – no more kittens are born. TNR is the humane option for community cats and it improves cats’ lives by relieving them of the stresses of mating and pregnancy. Sterilization and vaccination provide a public health benefit to the community, too, a vast improvement over the failed trap-and-kill approach of the past.
What we do
- Trapping. We can teach you the basics of trapping, or we can trap at your location.
- Lending Traps. We lend out traps for a $70 refundable deposit.
- Appointments. We make appointments for the cats at the spay/neuter clinic where the cats get eartipped, vaccinated, microchipped, and spayed/neutered. The cats also get medication if required.
- In some cases, the vet may recommend humane euthanasia. This only occurs in case of severe injury or illness from which the cat will not recover.
- Training. We will teach you how to hold the trapped cat overnight the day(s) before their spay/neuter and how to transport the cats humanely and safely the morning of surgery.
- Return. We return the cats back to their colony. The Freedom Run is one of the best parts of TNR!
- Accept Donations. We do not require you to donate for these services, but will happily accept donations, which will allow us to help more cats! The approximate cost to TNR a cat is $85.
What we do not do
- Relocate. We will not relocate any community cats from their current colony. All cats will be returned to where they came from.
- Viral Testing. We do not test for FIV/FeLV.
- Euthanization. We will not consider euthanisia for community cats unless recommended by our veterinarian in cases of severe illness or injury from which the cat will not recover.
- Domesticate Them. We cannot promise to bring kittens or cats into our rescue foster/adoption program.
TNR Wish List
Sardines, Tuna, Canned Cat Food
Vinyl or Nitrile Gloves
Paper Feeding Trays
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