TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return)
TNR is a community cat management practice where community cats are humanely trapped, spayed or neutered, vaccinated against rabies, and ear-tipped (to identify a cat has been neutered and vaccinated).
WHAT ARE COMMUNITY CATS?
Community cats are unowned or semi-owned cats living outdoors. Some cats are friendly, while others are feral. Feral cats are the same species as pet cats, but they are frightened of people and avoid human contact. Feral cats cannot be adopted into homes as pets.
IS TNR EFFECTIVE?
TNR is the only effective method of community cat management. No other method has permanently reduced the community cat population. Lethal control has failed because it only temporarily reduces the number of cats in a specific area. Animal control officers must continually trap and kill the new cats year after year, creating a cruel cycle where cats are trapped and killed with no decrease in the population.
“The cost for picking up and simply euthanizing and disposing of animals is horrendous, in both the philosophical and the economic sense.”
-Mark Kumpf, Former President of the National Animal Control Association
WHAT IS TNR?
Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) is an animal control management practice where community cats are humanely trapped, sterilized by a veterinarian, vaccinated against rabies, eartipped, and returned to the trapping location. An eartip refers to the small portion of the top of a cat’s ear that is removed during surgery (while the cat is under anesthesia) to indicate that the cat has been through the TNR process. Decades ago, TNR was performed mainly by caring individuals. Today, TNR is performed by individuals, shelter employees, veterinarians, and animal control officers alike.
Why should I support TNR?
TNR is the only effective method of reducing the community cat population. Trapping-and-killing, the old-fashioned approach to community cats, had been used by animal control agencies for decades without any success. Not a single community in the United States (or elsewhere) has reduced the community cat population through trapping-and-killing. It’s obvious now that lethal control doesn’t work.
Why doesn’t trap-and-kill work?
Lethal control has failed because it only temporarily reduces the number of cats in a specific area. Every habitat has a maximum population size that it can sustain. If part of the population is removed (through trapping-and-killing, or otherwise), the remaining animals breed until the population reaches its previous size. This occurrence is known as the “vacuum effect.” In other words, removing cats is only a temporary solution. Animal control officers have to return every year to trap-and-kill new cats. It’s a never ending loop that wastes limited animal control resources. The former president of the National Animal Control Association, Mark Kumpf explains, “The cost for picking up and simply euthanizing and disposing of animals is horrendous, in both the philosophical and the economic sense.”
Furthermore, the way that local governments approach trapping-and-killing is particularly ineffective. Typically, animal control officers do not systematically trap cats. Officers usually trap cats after a community member calls and reports an issue. One or two cats are trapped on a particular street while the rest of the colony remains. Not only does this approach not reduce the population, it usually doesn’t even resolve the caller’s issue.
Are there any scientific studies supporting TNR?
Yes, many peer-reviewed scientific studies have demonstrated that TNR not only reduces community cat populations but also saves local governments’ money and improves community relations.
The 2016 study, “Association between a shelter-neuter-return program and cat health at a large municipal animal shelter” analyzed eight years of data from San Jose Animal Care and Control in California. It determined that the implementation of a Shelter-Neuter-Return program reduced both cat intake and cat euthanasia. Furthermore, financial resources previously spent on cat euthanasia were reallocated to provide medical care to cats with URI.[1]
An eleven year study of community cats at the University of Central Florida campus determined that the campus cat population decreased by 85% after a TNR program was instituted.[2] For years, the campus had unsuccessfully attempted to reduce the population through lethal control.
A 2002 study at Texas A&M University found a 36% reduction in the community cat population coupled with a decrease in nuisance complaints only two years after TNR was introduced.[3]
On the other hand, attempts at lethal control of community cats can worsen the problem. A 2014 study on the effects of trapping-and-killing on two cat colonies in Tasmania found significant increases in the cat population. Researchers found a 75% increase in population at one site while the second site’s population increased by 211%. Researchers theorized that the increase in population was due to new cats moving into the areas and an increased survival rate for the kittens born to remaining cats.[4]
The above studies clearly demonstrate that TNR is effective. But one of the best arguments for TNR is simple commonsense. Cities and counties have tried for decades to eradicate the community cat population through trapping-and-killing. Millions and millions of taxpayer dollars have been spent in this futile effort. Yet not a single community has been successful. If a city had succeeded, people who don’t support TNR would be shouting from the rooftops.
How can I reduce nuisances caused by community cats?
The first step to co-existing with community cats is to make sure the cats are sterilized. Spraying, roaming, and yowling are common behaviors exhibited by unsterilized cats. After the cat has been sterilized, these behaviors will lessen or disappear. Simple changes to your own behavior can also make your property less attractive to cats. For example, securing your garbage can lid with bungee cords protects against cats and other wildlife like raccoons.
There are also ways to proactively discourage cats from your property. Deterrents range from free, homemade solutions like spreading citrus peels to commercial products that use water or ultrasonic noise. For example, the CatStop Ultrasonic Cat Deterrent emits a harmless ultrasonic sound that only cats can hear. It deters cats from sensitive areas on your property such as your garden or child’s playhouse.
Your local TNR group or the internet is the best place to find specific advice about deterring cats.