Trap Neuter Return and Managing Cat Colonies

Photo by Manuel Rheinschmidt. https://unsplash.com/photos/brown-tabby-cat-on-gray-concrete-floor-wPg_bT2gOck

You may be moved to leave some cat food out for the stray cat. Many people do this as a kindly gesture. But, just like feeding bread to wild birds, leaving cat food on the street may be doing more harm than good.  Here are some reasons why you should reconsider leaving cat food out on the street and what you can do for the cats instead to really make their life better. 

Trap, neuter, and return is the very best thing you can do for a stray cat. If you are going to do one thing for a feral cat, don’t just feed it - trap, neuter, and return it.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cat_food_burgler_(50844294083).jpg

Also, it can attract other animals - ants, mice, raccoons, skunks, etc. Maybe the cats will catch the mice, but maybe not. These other animals then start making their homes in places that are densely populated by humans and cause trouble.

It can spread disease

Feral cats are not vaccinated and they can catch fleas. They can spread disease to each other when they gather to eat the food and they can spread disease to humans.

Photo by Lily Banse https://unsplash.com/photos/brown-tabby-cat-sitting-near-chairs-bZT3YDRjacc

Trap, neuter, and return (TNR) is the very best thing you can do for a stray cat. If you are going to do one thing for a feral cat, don’t just feed it - trap, neuter, and return it.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.

Trap, neuter, and return (TNR) is the very best thing you can do for a stray cat. If you are going to do one thing for a feral cat, don’t just feed it - trap, neuter, and return it.

Stray cats multiply rapidly. A mom has kittens and those kittens have kittens. They have kittens with each other and with the mom and dad and become inbred and it just keeps going. Yes, they need food, but they need to not multiply and create more cats first.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_stray_cat,_captured_during_a_US_military_neuter_and_release_program,_crouches_in_a_cage_in_Southwest_Asia,_Sept._28,_2015.jpg

You can get a cheap havaheart trap. You can rent or borrow a trap from a local shelter or animal control. You can buy a more expensive trap that will last a long time. Leave the trap out with food in it and one of the cats will go in it.

Take the cat to get neutered. Many communities have low-cost spay/neuter clinics. Find one in your area, make an appointment, and take the cat there. When the cat is neutered, it’s ear will be clipped so that people can easily look at it an know that it is a neutered cat. After a day or two of recovery after the surgery, you can try to socialize the cat, rescue it, find a home for it, or keep it indoors for yourself. Or you can just return it back in the wild. That cat will not reproduce.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stray_cats_(5355934283).jpg

If you want to do more than TNR for the cats, you can be wise about it and really help them. Medical care, shelter, litter areas, and, of course, feeding schedules can make the life of these cats as good as it can be.

Get help from cat-loving neighbors with this project. You can bring the neighborhood together with the activity of caring for the cats. People will enjoy the cats and the cats will keep the area free from mice. It’s always best to get buy-in and support from the people in the surrounding areas. Also, make sure there is cat care coverage if one of the colony managers gets sick, goes away, or stops participating.

Keep records for all the cats in the colony. Give them names and record their behaviors. This will help you know better if one is sick and if a new cat enters the colony.