By Chrisanna Hibbitts, Rescue-Me TNR Coordinator
What’s the first thing you should do when seeing an outdoor cat? Trap it and get it fixed!
Does This Sound Familiar?
A stray cat wanders into the backyard, looking lost and hungry. The homeowner feels sorry for it and sets out some food and water. A few days later, a second cat appears. The homeowner provides more food and water. The first cat gets pregnant and gives birth to four kittens. Three months later, she gives birth to another five kittens. More cats come to the area. In less than a year, the first cat has multiplied into a colony of twelve.
Feeding = Breeding
By providing a regular food source, the homeowner is creating an environment guaranteed to produce more cats, adding to the problem of overpopulation. Unaltered females go into heat and attract unaltered males through strong-smelling pheromones in their urine known as “spraying” or “marking” and loud vocalizations called “yowling.” Competing males will also use marking and vocalizations to establish dominance over the territory, and bites and scratches sustained during fights are the most common methods of spreading illness and disease; this can lead to severe infections, injury, and even death. After multiple litters, older females can suffer life-threatening pregnancy complications such as birth canal obstructions, stillbirths, sepsis, and mammary tumors. The larger the colony of unaltered cats, the more prevalent and disturbing these scenarios. A large colony of unfixed cats can also attract other wildlife seeking sources of food and prey, such as opossums, raccoons, bobcats, and coyotes.
The First Step to Controlling an Outdoor Cat Population is Understand Their Behavior
1. Cats are territorial. Outdoor territories are based on 2 things:
a. Access to food and water
b. Location of breeding females
2. Cats’ breeding season lasts approximately 6-8 months per year (February-October):
a. Females begin their estrus cycle as young as 4-6 months of age
b. Female heat cycles occur every 2-3 weeks, even after giving birth
c. Females can have up to 3-4 litters per breeding season, averaging 4-5 kittens per litter
a. Discarded food and trash
b. Residents acting as outdoor colony caretakers or “feeders”
c. Insects, rodents, small animals, and birds
4. Cats are nocturnal. They are most active from dusk until dawn:
a. Approximately 7:00pm—6:00am
The Second Step to Controlling an Outdoor Cat Population is Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR)
Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) is a process to humanely trap, sterilize, vaccinate, and return outdoor community cats, achieved through a series of organized steps.
1. TNR A-Z:
a. Prepare necessary supplies (traps, newspaper or pee pads, sheets or towels, small bowls or paper plates, bait food such as canned tuna, sardines, or fried chicken)
b. Confirm surgery dates and available TNR appointments with local spay/neuter clinics
c. When trapping, remain in area where traps can be monitored (inside home, car, etc.)
d. When cats are trapped, cover trap immediately with sheet or towel and move to designated holding area
e. Keep cats in traps in temperature-controlled space (bathroom, laundry room, garage)
f. 3-4 hours after returning home from surgery, cats may be given 1/4 - 1/2 wet food serving
g. Day after surgery, cats may be given normal wet food serving in morning and evening
h. Check traps at least 2x daily to change out soiled newspaper or pee pads
i. Return cats to trap location after recuperating time (1-3 days based on gender)
2. Get the word out:
a. Schedule a meeting with the HOA, apartment complex, post signs, or knock on doors
b. Explain the TNR process and how this will service the community
c. Find other “feeders” in the area and ask them to stop during the TNR project
d. Recruit more volunteers!
3. Establish a feeding schedule:
a. Set out food for 30 min-1 hour, 1-2x daily, then remove (do not allow free-feeding)
b. Repeat for 5-7 days
*Cats are more likely to be trapped in an area where they’re comfortable eating
4. Set traps (method 1):
a. Place food in an open area for cats to eat
b. After cats become accustomed to the schedule, withhold food 1-2 days
c. Set traps with aromatic bait food and place traps around feeding area
5. Set traps (method 2):
a. Place food inside propped-open traps during the feeding schedule
b. A drop-trap or standard box traps can be used
c. After cats grow comfortable eating inside open traps, bait and set to catch with aromatic food
*Bait food suggestions: canned cat food or treats, tuna in oil, sardines, fried chicken
Important Reminders:
*NEVER leave a trap unattended. Cats or other wildlife can be injured or killed trying to escape
*The holding area should be quiet, temperature-controlled, and separate from other pets
*Cats must remain in traps at all times until returned
*Traps must be kept covered at all times until returned
*DO NOT return sick/injured cats before being medically evaluated, sterilized, and recuperated
*DO NOT return pregnant cats; they should be spayed and recuperated before return
*Cats must be returned to the SAME area/location where they were trapped
De-Bunking Common TNR Myths
Myth #1 – TNR doesn’t work/doesn’t help
FALSE: The proof is in the behavior! While cats will always be territorial, sterilized cats are less aggressive, more amenable to human caretakers, often become bonded, and as an established colony, decrease the likelihood of more roaming cats coming into the area. Established colony cats also provide an important source of pest control for the area.
Myth #2 – TNR involves relocating/dumping cats
FALSE: Returning an outdoor cat into unfamiliar territory would be cruel and inhumane. A cat’s first instinct when being let out of a trap is to run and hide. Without knowing the area, the cat could run into traffic, be attacked by other stray animals, or fall victim to predatory wildlife. A TNR’d cat is always returned back to its original home.
Myth #3 – TNR involves euthanizing cats
FALSE: The sole purpose of TNR is to return active, healthy cats back to their outdoor home where they can live their best lives without competing for resources, struggling to survive, or spreading disease. Only as a last resort would a cat be euthanized if it was too sick or injured to be safely and humanely returned.
Myth #4 – Setting traps harms cats
FALSE: While cats may sometimes sustain minor bumps or scrapes trying to escape a trap, the process of trapping involves specific steps to prevent extreme harm. Traps are closely monitored and NEVER left behind, set out overnight, or placed in an area where they cannot be easily retrieved. The trap is then covered with a sheet or blanket and placed in a temperature-controlled space, so the cat remains calm prior to surgery and while recuperating after surgery.
Myth #5 – Spay/neuter surgeries and vaccinations are too expensive
FALSE: Local city shelters, nonprofit organizations, and low-cost spay/neuter clinics are all examples of available resources to aid in the TNR effort at an affordable cost; offering assistance such as free TNR services for local residents, coupons and vouchers for nonprofit organizations, special surgery dates and times for TNR cats, and the ability to borrow traps for TNR projects. Volunteers simply have to research their local area and find participating programs.
Myth #6 – Vets won’t treat a sick or injured outdoor cat
FALSE: Many nonprofit organizations participating in TNR efforts have relationships with local shelters and vet clinics willing to medically evaluate and treat sick or injured cats trapped during a TNR project. Volunteers need only be willing to keep the cat for additional recuperation time before return.
Myth #7 – Recovery/recuperation time after surgery is too short
FALSE: While owned pets are recommended limited activity and an e-collar for up to 2 weeks after surgery to fully recover, an outdoor cat is not suited for 2 weeks of indoor recuperation time or wearing an e-collar. They can be safely returned 2-3 days after surgery, depending on gender (1-2 days for males, 2-3 days for females).
Be Part of the Solution
TNR is an important tool for humanely controlling the overpopulation of outdoor community cats. By educating and empowering our friends, family, and neighbors; finding community resources through online workshops and local nonprofit organizations; advocating for city and county programs to support local residents willing to get involved, we can become part of the solution instead of the problem. By participating in Trap-Neuter-Return efforts, outdoor community cats are less aggressive and less likely to spread illness and disease, less kittens struggle to survive outdoors, and less stray and surrendered cats are euthanized at overcrowded shelters. So, what will we do the next time we see an outdoor community cat? Trap it and get it fixed! :)
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