How to Trap, Neuter and Return (TNR) a cat

Although each experienced trapper has personal preferences and variations, the following instructions should help an inexperienced trapper. The basic process can be organized into four stages: Planning, Preparing to trap, Trapping, and Releasing. A step-by-step checklist is provided below for each of these stages.

What you will need

• Smelly wet food such as tuna, mackerel, freshly roasted chicken, and a spoon.
• ZipLoc® bag or sealable lid for the bait food to avoid spilling what is left in your car.
• Thoroughly cleaned and disinfected traps with sliding back door (see our FAQ for where to get traps). Try not to use any trap that does not have a sliding back door.
• Cardboard, newspaper, several plastic garbage bags
• One large, dark bath towel per trap.
• Non-toxic ant-repellant: Diatomaceous Earth, which is manufactured by the Woodstream Corporation under the Concern brand. It should be available from larger garden suppliers.
• A reliable flashlight.
• Dark clothing.
• A car with hatchback/back seat lined with plastic plus newspaper or old towel.
• Optional large cat carriers for recovery.
• Optional: A jacket will keep you warm and protect your arms.
• Optional: Leather gloves (e.g. gardening or welding; see the FAQ).
• Optional: Binoculars

Planning

• Visit the site, explain TNR to the current feeders and obtain their cooperation.
• Suggest neighbors keep pets indoors.
• If nobody is feeding the colony, make arrangements for permanent feeders. Establish regular feeding before you begin trapping.
• Obtain spay/neuter vouchers at least a week ahead of trapping.
• Determine which clinic/vet you will take cats to, make an appointment if possible and have a backup plan. Please see our resources page for low-cost spay/neuter clinics and our FAQ page for clinics that accept vouchers.
• Determine what you will do with kittens young enough to socialize or with abandoned tame cats. These will need fostering after spay/neuter. We can advise and mentor you through the fostering and adoption process.
• Decide how much you can afford to spend on medical care over and above low cost spay/neuter vouchers. Testing, vaccinating, defleaing, deworming, ear mites, etc. are potential extra expenses. Seek donations if necessary.
• Decide what you will do if a cat tests positive for Feline Leukemia or FIV. We advise euthanasia for the former. The latter requires a discussion with the vet and depends on the cat.

Preparing to Trap

• A few days beforehand, begin feeding cats at a regular time, preferably dusk. You can add wet food to make sure cats show up.
• 24 hours before trapping, remove all food. Just leave water.
• Obtain as many traps as you can for the initial trapping of a colony, ideally one per cat. (Once the cats learn about trapping, they will be harder to catch.)
• Wash your traps.
• Make sure the trap mechanism is working smoothly by arming the trap and pushing on the trip plate with the tip of a pen/pencil; it should not require much effort to trip. On a Tru-Catch trap, you may need to lubricate the metal arms where the trip mechanism and trap door rest against each other to hold the door open.
• Prepare the traps at home. Start by lining the floor with cardboard to fit between the trap door and the trip plate.
• Take two sheets of newspaper, fold them in half lengthwise and cover the entire trap floor from end to end. If it is likely to be windy, use tape or clothes pins to fasten newspaper to the cardboard so it doesn't flap and scare off the cat.
• Pre-cut one piece of cardboard per trap approx. 2 inches by 3 inches on which to place the bait.
• Cat-proof the back seat or hatch of your car (never place cats in the trunk!), wear dark, warm clothing, take your flashlight, bait, a spoon and ant repellant.

Trapping

• Your object is to bait and place your traps as quickly and quietly as possible and then remove yourself from the scene.
• On your small piece of cardboard place a healthy dollop of bait. If ants are present, sprinkle diatomaceous earth underneath the trap where the bait will be. (Cats will not go into a trap where ants are present.) Place bait behind (never on) the trip plate inside trap.
• Latch the sliding back door of trap. Test to make sure it is securely latched. (Never latch to the "tongue" alone as this will leave enough space for a cat to escape.)
• Place the trap near the feeding station, preferably against a wall or fence or under a bush so that it looks like part of the normal scenery. Try to separate traps as far as possible from each other.
• Make sure the trap sits squarely on the ground and does not rock or wobble.
• Set the trap. Inspect to make sure floor of trap looks as flat as possible and isn't flapping about.
• Cover the bait end of the trap (about half of trap) with a large, dark towel. If it is raining, you can insert the bait end of the trap into a black garbage bag instead. Make sure this does not flap about in the wind by tucking it under the trap.
• Remove yourself quietly and quickly. Ideally, sit in your car as far away as possible while still being able to observe the area to make certain nobody harms the cats. If you are trapping in a safe backyard or other protected area, you may go away, but always check back at least once an hour. Every half hour is better. Resist the impulse to check more often. Do not talk; do not play the radio; do not make unnecessary movements. Remember, cats hear, see, and smell better than we do.
• As each trap springs, quickly and quietly cover it entirely with your towel. This will calm the cat and stop it from bashing itself against the wire. Pick up the trap using the handle on top and put it into your car immediately. Do not put your hand anywhere except on the handle—you may get slashed. Do not put cats in a car trunk—they could suffocate.
• Using flashlight, check each cat carefully to see if it has an ear that is missing a tip or has a definite V-shaped notch half-way down. If you have any doubts, do not release that cat. If you are certain the ear has been surgically marked to show the cat has already been altered, release the cat where you trapped it.
• If you catch any wildlife, release them immediately and carefully. First cover the trap with a large towel (it makes less noise than a plastic bag). Stand at the trap door end of the trap. Lean over and unlatch the sliding back door and raise and remove it. Still standing at the trap door end, wait for the animal to leave. If it doesn't, slowly remove the cover towards yourself and wait again. Do not do anything to scare the animal. You could get sprayed. Talking gently may help.

  If you have trapped a skunk and it starts stomping its front feet, it is getting ready to spray. Stop what you are doing and talk gently until it calms down. Once you have opened the back door of the trap remove it, if possible, or prop it open with a stick. Then retire to a safe distance until the skunk is ready to leave. Some prefer to complete their meal before departing the area.

• When you are done trapping, replace the normal dry food, unless you plan to trap again the next night.
• Keep trapped cats in covered traps in a safe, quiet place overnight. It is ok to leave them in your car with a window cracked unless the weather is freezing. Do not feed cats in traps prior to surgery.
• Next morning, take cats to clinic. Return in the afternoon to pick up cats.

Releasing

• Be absolutely certain to ask the clinic if any of the cats are nursing mothers! If they are not certain, insist that they check the records or call the vet to be certain. If the answer is "yes" you need to go and find the kittens immediately. Return to the trapping site and search. Listen for mewing. Look underneath anything that could hide a litter of kittens. If you have not found the kittens by the time it is dark, you must release the mother cat. Just make sure she is fully awake from the anesthetic. If need be, keep her a few more hours until she is alert, then release her where you trapped her.
• If you are lucky enough to find the kittens and can catch them, do not release the mother. Call us at (650) 960-1093 for use of a dog crate where mom and kittens can be kept together until the kittens are weaned.
• Some trappers like to have the clinic place cat after surgery in a plastic cat carrier lined with a towel for recovery. We do not recommend a carrier unless the cat is a male or a lactating female and will be released later that same night.
• If the cat is a non-nursing female, and especially if she was pregnant, you should plan to hold her in a trap for at least 48 hours after surgery. Keep her in a quiet, safe, enclosed place, covered with a towel (not plastic). After a few hours, if she has not already got a towel in the trap, carefully raise the trap end an inch or so and insert a folded newspaper or two, to give her a clean dry area. Then carefully raise the sliding door end and slide in a low bowl of wet food with additional water added. Relatch the door and leave her alone until morning. In the morning, refresh her newspaper and food. Be careful—you do not want her to escape. Nor do you want to be bitten or scratched. Call for advice. If she seems especially agitated, you may want to shorten the time you hold her. This is a case by case judgment. It is always better to release trapped cats after dark when the surroundings are quiet.

If you are unsuccessful at trapping or have questions, please contact us for advice. If you have a cat in a trap and need urgent assistance, call (650) 960-1093.

Trapping requires patience and can be stressful. It is good to have someone to talk to. What you are doing is important and you do not want to "burn out." Do your best to trap all the cats in your colony, if at all possible. The last few are often difficult. Contact us for tips. Your reward will be healthier, happier cats.

Good luck!