HOW TO TRAP-NEUTER-RETURN (TNR) (HUMANE TRAPPING INSTRUCTIONS)

FEEDING A STRAY? READ THIS! Below are detailed instructions for trapping & sterilizing any community, feral or stray cats that you’re feeding. Do not feed a colony without sterilizing first. Why? Feeding encourages breeding. Breeding creates suffering, not just for adult cats but for their homeless kittens as well. Where do all of this unwanted animals end up? Every year millions die — from cars, neglect or because surviving outdoors as a kitten is difficult. The only way to stop this suffering is to spay or neuter from the beginning.

WHAT IS TRAP, NEUTER, RETURN (TNR)? TNR is a humane and non-lethal approach to community cat population control — a comprehensive management plan where healthy feral (wild) or community cats are sterilized and vaccinated, then returned to their habitat and provided with long-term care.

BEFORE YOU SET YOUR TRAPS: #1: Talk to any rescue group you can find to get to know which veterinarians will spay/neuter feral or community cats. Make sure (s)he can take your cats on the day you plan to trap. Do NOT catch cats only to release them. Cats become weary of the trap, making it different or impossible to trap them again. You may only get one shot at this!

#2: Fast the cats for 24-48 hours. You’ll need the cats to be VERY hungry or they won’t go into the traps. Catching just a single cat: you’ll still have to fast the entire colony but once you’ve trapped the cat you want, feed the rest of the cats as normal. Catching an entire colony: Just follow these instructions again and again until you’ve caught them all. That’s right — every single cat.

#3: Make it easy on yourself: if you have time you should get your cats used to the sight and smell of the trap first and this will make your job much easier. Simply tie the trap open on one or both sides – IMP: do not set the trap to go off – tie it open with a twist tie, rope or zip tie. Now feed the cats in and around the trap for days or weeks. By the time you are ready for TNR they won’t even be scared to go into the trap. See how easy this can be?

READY TO GO? START HERE.

HOW TO SET YOUR TRAPS: (1) This is a typical brown live-trap. Even if your trap is slightly different from this, the directions will still be the same. Make sure your trap is hosed down to remove large debris. Then spray the entire trap with a dilute bleach solution (1:32) to kill any bacteria and viruses on the trap. Do this every time you store the trap and reuse it or if you’re trapping in a different location. Cleaning between cats at the same location isn’t necessary but could help remove foreign smells and make it easier to catch the cats.

**These instructions are free to copy and share! Created by Amanda Bell

Don’t skip this step!

Plan ahead: read me first!

HOW TO TRAP-NEUTER-RETURN (TNR) (HUMANE TRAPPING INSTRUCTIONS)

(2) Using a stack of clean newspaper, fold it so that the paper will lay flat inside the trap (no matter what size trap you are using) from front to back. Use several layers of paper to protect the cat’s toes. (NOTE: If you catch a cat that you’ve already sterilized, simply release it.. But don't forget to remove the torn paper and start over at this step, re-lining the trap with paper and following the rest of the instructions again.)

(3) This trap has an easy-open back door. Open this door and slide the paper in so that the flat, smooth side is facing up. This will hide the trap mechanism from the cat and protect its toes from getting caught in the wire. If your trap doesn’t have a back door, you will have to be gentle and slide in your paper and bait (see next steps) through the front door.

(4) Open your can of tuna in oil (or the smelly bait of your choice), pouring the excess oil onto the paper in the trap. The bleach solution you cleaned the trap with earlier should’ve removed most foreign smells. Now you want to use an enticing smell to catch the cat! Most fish have quite an odor, as does smoked chicken. Using these meats that have been soaked in oil will increase your chances of success. Try any bait you think your cat will like! If you set more than one trap, try different baits. Different cats will prefer different smells.

(5) Now place a large spoonful of the bait at the very back, center of the trap (see left picture.) You’ll also need to use two small drops of your bait at the front of the trap (see right picture.)

**These instructions are free to copy and share! Created by Amanda Bell

HOW TO TRAP-NEUTER-RETURN (TNR) (HUMANE TRAPPING INSTRUCTIONS)

(6) Now your trap is ready to be set & covered. Open the front door. Use a CLEAN, BLEACHED, SCENT-LESS cover that will be able to cover both sides, front and back completely once closed. To prevent injury, the cat shouldn’t be able to see outside at all once it’s trapped. NOTE: If a cat is scared to go into your traps it may be from a weird smell – on the trap or the cover. That’s why consistent cleaning with unscented soaps and bleach is so important.

(7) Make sure you leave a little extra fabric over the door so that as soon as the trap is set it will fall down over the door completely. Remember, make sure your cat can’t see out at all. Once you’ve caught the cat, check for an ear-tip. Release and repeat these steps if the cat is ear-tipped, which means it has already been spayed/neutered. If this cat hasn’t been sterilized yet simply place the covered trap in a secure (preferably temperature-controlled) environment. Be sure the cat is safe from overheating or freezing, predators, ants and people. Finally, deliver the cat to your vet for sterilization and vaccination. Do not keep these cats in cages overnight. Just wait until they are completely awake, then release them back into the colony — preferably when it’s quiet, dark and the weather is cool.

(8) Repeat these steps until you’ve caught every last one. Leaving even an unaltered male isn’t advisable. All it will take is for one unaltered female to show up and become pregnant… then you’ll be back to step 1, only with even more cats and kittens! So, don’t stop until you’ve sterilized them all. And as soon as you see a new one – follow these steps again as soon as possible to prevent pregnancies and more unwanted kittens.

Millions of kittens die in shelters and on the streets each year. The only way to stop this cruelty is to stop the

breeding. Practice Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR)!

**These instructions are free to copy and share! Created by Amanda Bell

Don’t Litter!

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