Frequently Asked Questions
What is a cat colony?
Cat colonies are groups of cats ranging from a couple cats to dozens that are ideally managed by people in the community. Managing a cat colony typically involves a person or several people monitoring and taking care of the cats, including providing food, water, and medical care as needed. This caretaking includes performing TNR on the colony to ensure that the colony is fully sterilized (i.e. not continuing to reproduce and contribute to the overpopulation crisis). Many colony caretakers become very familiar with their cats, even naming them and interacting with them.
The Maricopa County Animal Care and Control (MCACC) states that "members of the community may act as Colony Managers ensuring that a ... cat colony is a Managed Colony (cats in these communities are usually fed, watered, vaccinated, spayed or neutered, and monitored for overall health)." (read more here).
What is the process of TNR? How does it work?
TNR – or "trap-neuter-return" – involves the spaying (for female cats) and neutering (for male cats) of outdoor cats to help fight the cat overpopulation crisis. In other words, TNR works by fixing outdoor cats and preventing them from continuing to have litters and litters of kittens, effectively reducing the population of outdoor cats over time. Successful TNR necessitates a consistent colony caretaker, for the life of the cats, once they are fixed. Remember, these outdoor cat colonies, despite seeming human-adverse, are domestic cats. They are reliant on people for survival, meaning they require food and water daily. This is crucial for successful TNR, as these cats are already on a "feeding schedule" and, therefore, are often easier to trap.
The process of TNR-ing a cat usually takes about 72 hours. Here is a basic step-by-step of a typical TNR schedule:
Day 0:
The day before setting out the humane cat traps, the colony caretakers will withhold food from the colony or the particular cat being targeted for trapping. This is to ensure the cat(s) will be hungry enough to venture into a trap. If the cat is not hungry or motivated enough, the cat will simply avoid the trap altogether!
Day 1:
After ~24 hours of no food, the traps are set out. The most commonly used brand of trap for TNR work is called TruCatch (sold here). We use "bait" to lure them in; usually rotisserie chicken, tuna, or canned cat food. The bait is set as a trail of small pieces leading towards the back of the trap where there is a larger cup of food. This is to ensure the cat walks far back enough to trigger the pressure plate within the trap. The traps are also lined with newspaper, covered with a thin blanket, and in the summer, a perimeter of bug spray is used on the ground surrounding the trap to keep unwanted insects from going into the trap.
Once the trap is set, the trappers sit back and wait, listening or watching for when the cat is inside. Traps should NEVER be left unmonitored!
When the cat is caught, the trapper will bring the trap to a safe, temperature-controlled space. This can be a spare room, bathroom, or even a garage in temperate months of the year.
Usually, trapping is performed in the evening, so the cat will spend the night in the trap before going to the spay and neuter clinic in the morning. Food is typically withheld starting at 10:00 PM the night before the surgery.
Day 2:
In the morning, the cat is brought in the trap to the clinic for sterilization surgery. Typically, the drop off time is in the early morning and the pick-up time is in the late afternoon.
When undergoing sterilization surgery, cats are "ear-tipped" on their left ear. This involves cutting a small piece off the tip of the cat's left ear. This is a universal sign that a cat has been sterilized.
Once the surgery is successfully performed, the cat is brought back to the temperature-controlled space, where the cat spends a second night. The trapper/caretaker is responsible for monitoring the cat (through the trap) to ensure the cat is recovering from the anesthesia well. Once the cat is more oriented and alert (typically in the late evening), the cat is then provided food and water. The trapper/caretaker may also need to change out the newspaper lining, which can be done safely with a trap "divider" (sold here)
Day 3:
After night two in the trap, the trapper/caretaker checks on the cat to ensure that they appear normal and appear to be recovering from the anesthesia. If all is well, the trapper/caretaker then returns the cat to the colony by opening the trap once the cat is oriented and ready to go. This is typically in the afternoon the following day.
With planning and patience, TNR can often be performed with ease.
I want to do TNR in my area! I am in Phoenix, AZ – are there resources?
Yes! Interested in performing TNR yourself? Don't know where to start? We recommend contacting the Animal Defense League of Arizona or "ADLA" through the Spay Neuter Hotline. Find out more information here. They can help set up appointments and lend out traps.
Why not just relocate the cats instead of fixing them?
These outdoor cats cannot simply be relocated or moved; in fact, it may even result in civil and/or criminal prosecution. In Arizona, laws are in place to protect animals from being subjected to cruelty, neglect or abandonment. See: A.R.S. § 13-2910, the Animal Cruelty Statute – "Intentionally, knowingly or recklessly subjects any animal under the person's custody or control to cruel neglect or abandonment." Read A.R.S. § 13-2910 here.
Can't the outdoor cats just go to a traditional shelter and find forever homes?
This question is two-fold. First, it is imperative to address the overcrowding of shelters. Approximately 70% of cats that enter shelters are euthanized (read more here). This is an alarming statistic.
In addition to the high euthanasia rates for surrendered cats, it is important to note that many outdoor cats are simply not able to live out a "normal" life indoors. Many of these cats have been subjected to mistreatment by humans, and having spent the majority of their life outdoors– these cats cannot transition to living inside with humans.
This is yet another reason why TNR is the only humane, legal, and effective method to reduce the population of outdoor cats. These cats are human-dependent; by nature they are domestic. TNR is the only way to solve the issue.
Are outdoor cats just "wild animals?"
Outdoor cats are NOT wild animals. The best way to think of them is to consider them to be homeless domestic cats that have been forced to try and survive "in the wild." In many cases, these outdoor cats have resulted from human negligence; people who abandoned their unfixed cats outside or allowed their unfixed cat to free-roam outside, leading to generations of cats that are forced to live outside.
Won't the cats just go away if you stop feeding them?
Outdoor cats will not go away if food is removed; they will often stay in the same area because cats grow attached to their territories and neighborhoods. They will continue to try and survive in the same location, continuing to reproduce. In Maricopa County alone, there are an estimated 250,000 outdoor cats – they will simply continue returning (read more here). This is especially true if there are unfixed female cats in the area, as they will continue to attract unfixed males. Further, abandoned pregnant cats and abandoned kittens will remain, and may starve to death until someone either finds them or begins feeding. If no one comes, they may die.
Isn't it easier to relocate or kill the cats?
Killing and/or relocating outdoor cats can result in criminal and/or civil legal ramifications (read A.R.S. § 13-2910 here). In addition to legal issues, this is also an ineffective method of controlling the population of outdoor cats. The "vacuum effect" refers to how more cats will continue to move in; meaning that if cats are removed or killed from a location, more will continue to come back.
Further, this is a widely unpopular method among the public and can result in social/PR issues. Removal methods are inhumane, ineffective, and costly.
Don't shelters or Animal Care and Control handle this?
No. The Arizona Humane Society (AHS) and other organizations do not trap or pick up cats. There are also fees associated with surrendering cats to shelters, namely a $90 surrender fee for each cat (see Arizona Humane Society's surrender policy here). Again, remember that approximately 70% of surrendered cats are euthanized, and this is even higher for outdoor cats.
Similarly, Animal Control does not pick up cats either. MCACC states that "in Maricopa County, cats are not subject to the same licensing and leash laws as dogs so Maricopa County Animal Care and Control (MCACC) cannot pick up stray or feral cats for the shelter or take action against those feeding cats in their neighborhoods." Instead, Maricopa County Animal Care and Control (MCACC) supports TNR. Read more about Maricopa County's stance on TNR and "Community Cats" here.