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Humane Trapping Instructions

Feeding a stray? Neuter or spay – and maintain! No More Homeless Pets in Utah is here to help you with your feral cat concerns. Below are detailed instructions on how to trap and sterilize any outdoor, feral or stray cats you’re feeding. Email Amanda Bell at Amanda@UtahPets.org or call 801-364-0370 X 18 with questions. What is Trap, Neuter, Return (TNR)? TNR is a humane and non-lethal approach to feral cat population control. It is a comprehensive management plan where healthy feral (wild) cats are sterilized and vaccinated, then returned to their habitat and provided with long-term care. Before you set your traps: First, talk to your veterinarian! Make sure she/he can take your cats on the day you plan to trap. It is important not to catch the cats only to release them. The cats may become weary of the trap, making it different to trap them again. Second, fast the cats for 24-48 hours. You’ll need the cats to be very hungry or they won’t go in the traps! If you’re feeding a colony, once you’ve trapped the cat you want then you can feed the rest of the cats that night, fast them again and start the process over again. Just do this (fast, trap, feed) again and again until you’ve caught them all! Third, if you have time you can get your cats used to the sight and smell of the trap. Simply tie the trap open on one or both sides – do not set the trap to go off – tie it open with a twist tie, rope or zip tie. Now feed the cats in and around the trap. By the time you are ready to Trap, Neuter, Return they won’t even be scared to go into the trap! How to Trap, Neuter, Return (TNR): (1) This is a typical brown trap. Even if your trap is slightly different from this, the directions will still be the same. Make sure your trap is hosed down to remove large debris. Then spray the entire trap with a dilute bleach solution (1:32) to kill any bacteria and viruses on the trap. Do this every time you store the trap and reuse it or if you’re trapping in a different location. Cleaning between cats at the same location isn’t necessary but can help remove foreign smells and make it easier to catch the cats.

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(2) Using a stack of clean newspaper fold it so that the paper will lay flat inside the trap from front to back. Use several layers of paper to protect the cat’s toes. (NOTE: If you catch a cat you’ve already trapped simply release him. But you must remove the torn paper and start over at this step, relining the trap and following the rest of the instructions.)

(3) This trap has an easy-open back door. Open this door and slide the paper in so that the flat, smooth side is facing up. This will hide the trap mechanism from the cat and protect its toes from getting caught in the wire.

(4) Open your can of tuna in oil (or the smelly bait of your choice), pouring the excess oil onto the paper in the trap. The bleach solution you cleaned the trap with earlier should’ve removed most foreign smells. Now you want to use an enticing smell to catch the cat! Most fish have quite an odor, as does smoked chicken. Using these meats that have been soaked in oil will increase your chances of success. Try any bait you think your cat will like! If you set more than one trap, try different baits. Different cats will prefer different smells.

(5) Now place a large spoonful of the bait at the very back, center of the trap (see left picture.) You’ll also need to use two small drops of your bait at the front of the trap (see right picture.)

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(6) Now your trap is ready to be covered. Open the front door (see left picture). Now use a CLEAN, BLEACHED, SCENT-LESS cover that will be able to cover both sides, front and back completely (see right picture.) The cat shouldn’t be able to see outside at all once it’s trapped. This will prevent injuries to the cat’s feet and face. NOTE: If a cat is scared to go into your traps it may be from a weird smell – on the trap or the cover. That’s why consistent cleaning with unscented soaps and bleach is so important!

(7) Make sure you leave a little extra fabric over the door so that as soon as the trap is set it will fall cover the door completely. Remember, make sure your cat can’t see out at all. Once you’ve caught the cat, check for an ear-tip. Release and repeat these steps if the cat has already been spayed/neutered and vaccinated. If this cat hasn’t been sterilized yet simply place the covered trap in a secure (preferably temperature-controlled) environment. Just make sure the cat is safe from overheating or freezing, predators, ants and people. Deliver the cat to your vet for sterilization and vaccination!

(8) Repeat these steps until you’ve caught every last one. Leaving even an unaltered male isn’t advisable. All it will take is for one unaltered female to show up and become pregnant… then you’ll be back to step 1, only with even more cats and kittens! So, don’t stop until you’ve sterilized them all. And as soon as you see a new one – follow these steps again as soon as possible to prevent pregnancies and more unwanted kittens.

The most humane way to stop the breeding is to Trap, Neuter, Return (TNR) and maintain!