TNR Handbook - Neighborhood Cats

The Neighborhood Cats TNR Handbook
The occasional cat will be strong enough to bend the outer tong of the divider and
squeeze through or push the divider up and crawl out underneath. None of this
can happen if you simply use two dividers back to back. This is an essential
safety measure.
If you do find yourself stuck one day with
only one divider, then insert it horizontally
through both sides of the trap instead of
vertically from above (Figure 2). Make sure
the divider has gone all the way through the
opposite side. This method is also secure,
though more time-consuming than putting
two dividers in from above, especially if
you’re working with multiple traps lined up
close to one another.
Figure 2
3) While the cat is isolated on the rear end of the trap, open the front door and line
the bottom with thick newspaper. If this isn’t your first time in the trap, remove
any dirty newspaper first. The newspaper makes the trap more comfortable for
the cat and serves as their litter. Don’t try putting in a small litter tray or you’ll
end up with a real mess. The newspaper works fine and some of the cats will
even shred it. If you’d like, place the small towel at the front door end. The cats
do enjoy sitting on the towel, though it tends to quickly get trashed.
4) Close the front door, making sure it’s locked, and remove the dividers. Then fold
the sheet back over the front half of the trap.
5) Go to the rear end of the trap, pull back the sheet and move the cat to the front
end. Insert two dividers from above, back to back, then open the rear door.
Replace any dirty newspaper before placing fresh newspaper on the floor.
6) In the trap near the rear door, place food on a plate and water in a low, flat-bottom
container. Don’t use cat food cans for the water – they can cause cuts. Bird food
cups which hook to the side of the trap are good for water, while small plastic
snack containers also do the job.
7) Shut the rear door, making sure it’s locked. Remove the dividers and fold the
sheet back over the rear of the trap.
When dealing with large numbers of cats, it can be helpful to work in an assemblyline
manner. First put enough newspaper on top of each trap. Then go down the rows
and do all the front ends first. Next, prepare all the food plates and water dishes and put
them on top of the traps. Last, do all the rear ends of the traps, placing the food and
water in as the final step for each one.
The reason you start at the front end and finish by putting the food in last at the rear
is so that you don’t end up backing the cat up into the food and water during the feeding
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