TNR (Trap Neuter and Return) of feral cats

 


So you found a stray or feral cat
What should you do now?

Because most of the time we are full beyond capacity with 500+ cats and kittens looking for homes, we would like to give you guidance on how to help the stray and feral population of Tucson.  Help us end their suffering!

A stray that’s “wild” (feral) or so badly abused, injured, or frightened that it can’t be approached will run away from everyone-even people trying to save it’s life. Don’t underestimate the speed and strength of even a much weakened animal. Feral, frightened or elusive strays can be trapped with specially-built humane traps. DO NOT use home-made devices. You can contact the Humane Society, feed stores to rent or borrow (with a deposit) their trap. Most humane organizations will have humane traps, but much of the time they are in use, so you will need to shop around to find one. You may also order one on line or sometimes Home Depot has them for sale. If you purchase one, when your are finished with it you may like to donate it to an organization where it will be put to good use, or you can always find more cats to Trap, Neuter and Return. (There are cats in need all over, so it’s easy to keep those traps busy!)
Do not feed the cat before you set the trap, try to go 24 hours without food~ it’s much easier to trap a hungry cat then to get a cat with a full tummy to enter the trap. You want to put a smelly food (such as Friskies’s fish flavor or tuna). Make sure you monitor the trap because a cat can’t be left out in the weather (especially in the summer of the desert) without water.
The cat will be scared once it is in the trap and will thrash around trying to get out and may even scrape it’s face or paws up to the point of bleeding…do not be alarmed and do not let the cat out (they are harder or impossible to catch once they know what the trap is going to do to them.) Just cover the trap with a sheet and they will calm down.

I’ve got my stray~Now what?
If you have pets, don’t expose your own pets to the stray until you know it is healthy. If the stray has been outside for a while they may have fleas, earmites and worms that can be passed to your pets. If you plan to keep this cat have it looked at by your veterinarian. If you plan to return it to the place you trapped him it is best to keep him separated in a bathroom spare bedroom or laundry room or an enclosed porch or garage (if it’s not too hot or cold). It is best to have an appointment set up with the veterinarian hospital knowing you are trapping a stray or feral cat so you can leave it in the humane trap so you don’t get bit. They can be left in the trap for 24 hours without food or water so long as they are in a weather controlled atmosphere so they don’t get too hot or cold. So if you have the appointment set and you catch the cat in the evening, you can then take it to the appointment in the morning, pick him up in the afternoon and release the next morning.

What if the cat is pregnant?
There are about 10 puppies and kittens born for every available home. Even if you find homes for your stray’s offspring, that simply means an equal number of kittens somewhere else won’t get those homes. Spaying and neutering is the only solution to the tragedy of pet overpopulation. Pregnant cats can be spay-aborted up to a very advanced stage in a very humane manner (the kittens never wake up) The risks of this operations is a bit greater and the stray mom may need to be kept an extra couple of days, but the risk is not as great as delivering a litter of kittens that may or may not find good homes.

What if I find a mother and her litter?
The first rule is “Nature knows best.” It is best not to handle the litter or “help” the mom care for them when they are very young. Let mom do the work. Just give her a safe place and “nesting box” that is cozy, soft and warm, as well as big enough for her to lie down and nurse. Be sure to keep the temperature on the warm side (85-90 degrees for the first week or two and slowly bringing the temperature down to room temperature by the fourth or fifth week.) Give the nursing mother all of the quality kitten food she cares to eat and plenty of fresh water. Weaning begins at about five to seven weeks of age. Start offering canned kitten food to the kittens, Mom will teach them to eat it. If the mom is not friendly to humans the kittens will need to be taken out and handled from the beginning or they too will become wild like their mom. Just be very careful to protect your hands with gloves and/or towels as you take the babies out of the area mom is in, just in case she tries to attack your hand. Cat bites are very serious for both you and the cat because cat’s carry a potent bacteria in their mouths and with a deep puncture from the canine teeth you can end up in the hospital with a severe infection or even blood poisoning and the cat will possible be euthanized because the Doctor you see is obligated by the law to report animal bites, so it is much better to prevent a bit then to deal with the aftermath of a bite. If mom is feral then it is best to take the kittens away from her as soon as they are completely eating on their own and then mom can be altered and returned to where she was trapped once her milk has dried up.

What if I find a litter without a mom?
Hand-rearing an orphaned litter of kittens is extremely time consuming and can be frustrating and heart breaking. You will need to get kitten milk replacing formula (such as KMR or Just Born) and a bottle for kittens and plan to feed them every two hours even at night for the first 10 days then you will be able to sleep 4 or 5 hours at night, but continue the feeding at 2 hour intervals in the day. Making sure the kitten is gaining weight every day by weighing with a small scale, such as a food scale. You will also need to stimulate (rub the gentiles with a soft tissue) the kitten so it goes to the bathroom each time you feed him. This is truly a labor of love and if you decide to do this seek detailed instructions from someone with experience (you can call or email Casa de los Gatos for advice) if you are lucky enough to find someone to take on this job for you ( like a cat shelter) Please be sure to at least cover the costs to raise the kittens which at minimum would be a couple of hundred dollars per kitten, remember there is formula, vaccines, alters, testing and then cat food and litter as they grow until a home can be found . Since cat shelters tend to have hundreds of cats looking for homes it could take many months before the kitten finds his home and shelters never have enough money to cover all the costs, so please be generous!

How do I find a home for my rescued stray?
Place ads in the newspaper, post pictures at local veterinary hospitals, pet stores, word of mouth and even Craig list. If you are able to place them with a no-kill cat shelter you once again truly lucked out! Most times they will be filled to capacity and unable to take in your kitty. If they can help you by taking the cats off your hands please be generous by making a substantial donation to cover cost because shelters never have enough money to cover all the cats they take in. If you are unable to place them with a shelter it may take some serious leg work and time to find them homes, but it can be done with work. Be sure to screen potential adopters very thoroughly and put a cost of at least $25 on the cat or kitten. If the potential adopter balks at this amount he or she may also hesitate at the cost of proper care should the cat need veterinarian care. If you say free kittens or cats ~ the cat could find its self in a situation of being sold for testing, used as bait in a dog fighting ring or kittens will become snake food (some people would rather feed a free kitten then have to buy a rat to feed their large snakes) You should have an agreement that you can come and visit the cat after 3-4 weeks and definitely call after a week or so to check in on how the kitties are doing in their new homes. Remember these cats or kittens are counting on you to help them find a good loving home.

It is wonderful that you are trying to help these cats find a safe place in the world. There are over 5,000 strays being born every hour and some 20 million strays are picked up by humane societies and animal shelters each year at a cost of over half a billion dollars! And in spite of all those efforts, the stray population continues to grow. By reaching out to a needy stray, you’re carrying the legacy of compassion and you have our congratulations, our respect…and our thanks!


If you need help with the cost of altering a stray

Go to http://spayandneutersolutions.org and submit an application under their 'Services' menu
OR
Call the Humane Society at 321-3704 to find out what their schedule is for free spay/neuter (feral cats only)
OR
Call SNIP at 808-2135
They provide certificate to pay for alters when they have the money and funds have not run out.


Places that perform low cost alters services

Animal Birth Control East
1114 S Craycroft
Tucson AZ 85705
745-4564

Animal Birth Control West
4 W Grant Rd
Tucson AZ85705
624-5005

Eastside Spay/Neuter clinic
7036 E Broadway Blvd. #100
Tucson AZ 85710
731-1714

Humane Society
3450 N Kelvin Blvd
Tucson AZ 85716
881-0321

All the places above that provide low cost alters will alter feral cats.


Trap/neuter/return, commonly referred to as "TNR," is the only method proven to be humane and effective at controlling feral cat population growth. Using this technique, all the feral cats in a colony are trapped, altered and then returned to their territory where caretakers provide them with regular food and shelter. Young kittens who can still be socialized, as well as friendly adults, are placed in foster care and eventually adopted out to good homes.
TNR has many advantages. It immediately stabilizes the size of the colony by eliminating new litters. The nuisance behavior often associated with feral cats is dramatically reduced, including the yowling and fighting that come with mating activity and the odor of unneutered males spraying to mark their territory. The returned colony also guards its territory, preventing unneutered cats from moving in and beginning the cycle of overpopulation and behaviour problems once again. Particularly in urban areas, the cats continue to provide natural rodent control.

Another significant advantage to TNR is that, when practiced on a large scale, it lessens the number of kittens and cats flowing into local shelters or suffering terrible deaths in the streets. This results in lower euthanasia rates and the increased adoption of cats already in the shelters.
TNR is not just the best alternative to controlling feral cat populations - it is the only one that works. Even if all the cats are removed, new unneutered cats tend to move in to take advantage of whatever food source there was, and the cycle starts again. This explains why more and more animal control agencies are willing to try TNR.

Finally, TNR is an idea whose time has come. It recognizes there is a new balance in our urban and rural landscape, one that includes feral cats. It seeks to manage this new population with enlightened techniques that allow the cats to live out their lives and fulfill their natures, while minimizing any possible negative impact. TNR is a movement that will continue to grow as more and more caring people see its potential and, in time, it will become the predominant method of feral cat population control. 

  Casa de los Gatos promotes and practices TNR, and encourages you to do the same.
If you still need advice on TNR - Please leave us a message at: (520) 881-0900