I mention TNR quite a lot in my articles. That’s because it’s such a simple way to help save the cats. But now I’m gonna dive deeper into this topic.
As you may know, TNR stands for trap-neuter-release. It’s when you trap a cat, you bring it to the vet, the vet makes sure the cat can’t mate, the vet gives the cat it’s vaccines, the vet cuts off the tip of their ear, and the cat gets released back to where it was found. Simple! But what about the specifics, such as when’s the best time to do TNR, or what materials you need. I’ll be covering all of this here.
To begin with, you have to investigate. How many cats are there? A whole colony? Only three or four? This is important because you’ll need to know how many humane cat traps you’ll need. Also, are you sure they’re feral? As around the neighborhood if you’re not certain. If the cats are feral, take a closer look at them and see if the tips of their ears are missing. If this is the case, that mean that they’ve already been through the TNR process and should be released if you catch them.
Once you’re sure you want to do TNR, you’ll have to make some preparations. First, set up an appointment with the clinics you’ll be going to go to have the cats neutered or spayed. Some clinics do the surgery for free if they are aware you’re doing TNR. Keep in mind that once you trap your cats, if the clinic you’re going to isn’t open yet, the cats will need to stay overnight at your house, either put in the bathroom or other extra room you have. Do you have the required space for that? Remember, the more space or rooms you’ll need! If the feral cats stay at your house, don’t enter that room unless you want to check in them and don’t let them out of the cage.
The materials you’ll need in order to trap a feral cat are pretty easy to obtain, you can most likely find them in a pet shop or your local market. To begin with, you will need bait. There are two main types of cat food that have their own pros and cons.
First, there is dry food. Dry food usually come in large quantities, which may be helpful if you want to spay a whole colony of cats. Dry food can also last longer than wet food. But it’s smell isn’t as strong and some cats may find it unappetizing.
The other main food is wet food. Wet food has a very strong smell and you can buy a specific amount of cans or just the whole box. But wet food doesn’t last as long and can sometimes be expensive. You can choose whatever you think is best when trying to trap a feral cat.
The next two things you need are a humane cat trap and a blanket. A humane cat trap is a type of cage that has a door that closes as soon as the pressure plate is stepped on. It’s great for doing TNR. The blanket is used to be draped over the cage so it will calm the cat. The number of humane cat traps, food for cats, and blankets will depend on the number of cats you want to trap.
The last thing you’ll need is tarp. You use the tarp to line the room and cage if the feral cats stay at your house.
TNR is a simple operation yet it includes so many small details. Due to this, I will separate this topic into different parts, so you don’t have to end up reading a whole book. Stay tuned for Part 2!
The Feline Queen