TNR — New Jersey’s Humane Solution
- TNR and Communities — making the case for TNR with compelling arguments for municipal officials
- TNR and Residential Complexes — learn why TNR is the solution to free-roaming cat population at apartments, condominiums and even business parks
- Who Supports TNR — a list of groups and agencies endorsing TNR
- NJ Department of Health — describes TNR as an integral component of feral cat management
- National Animal Control Officers Association — once opposed TNR, but now supports it
- Humane Society of the US — endorses TNR as the only effective and humane method of reducing feral cat numbers
Educate Yourself And Others
- How Do I Get Started? — a short outline for navigating this page
- Who is a Feral Cat? — not tame, but not quite wild, who exactly is a feral cat?
- What is TNR? — Trap-Neuter-Return in a nutshell
- TNR Brochure — general information on TNR, good educational tool to hand out to others
- Trap-Neuter-Return, not Trap-Neuter-Adopt — why TNA does not advance TNR
- Feral Cat/TNR Terms — learn the lingo of Trap-Neuter-Return
- Feeding a Stray? — perfect for the person feeding cats, but not spaying or neutering
- Finding a Trapper — answers to commonly asked questions about where help will come from for these cats
- Educational Materials — books, DVDs and videos about feral cats and TNR, a wealth of information
- Making Changes in Your Town — a step-by-step guide to building a case for TNR in your town
- Why Catch and Kill Doesn’t Work — learn the reasons this simply isn’t the solution
- Protecting Birds and Other Wildlife — destructive human activities are the real threat to American wildlife
TNR Instructions, Tips, Etc…
- Best Practices — synopsis of proper colony management
- Managing a Feral Cat Colony — in depth outline on the steps to take to properly manage a colony
- Humane Trapping Instructions — lists all that is needed to properly trap
- Eartipping — the universal sign that a cat has been TNRed
- FeLV/FIV Testing — why it is not recommended
- More on FeLV/FIV Testing
- Hard to Trap Cats — tips for getting those elusive felines
- Mass Trapping — sounds daunting, but you CAN do it
TNR Instructional Videos
- Using a Drop Trap — great for difficult cats, or catching multiple cats at once
- Drop Trap to Box Trap — how to transfer a cat from a drop trap to a regular trap
- Manual Trapping
- Socializing Feral Kittens — Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3
- Mass Trapping — 10 cats or 100, sometimes mass trapping is the way to go
- Caring for Cats in Traps — feeding cats and keeping the area clean during recovery
Equipment
- Box Traps – the long, regular rectangular traps. The best kind (the only kind you should really use, have a rear guillotine door).
- Dividers – also called isolators, they look like pitchforks and are very helpful when caring for cats in traps during recovery
- Drop Traps – large approximately 3′ x 3′ traps, propped up with a stick attached to a rope. See video above.
- Cages – good if you have a mother about to give birth, or one already nursing
New Jersey Resources
- Low Cost Spay/Neuter Options in New Jersey
- Need to Borrow a Trap? — email us for a list of trap depots
- Rescue Groups for Kittens and Friendly Adults — form a relationship with local adoption groups. Contact organizations in advance of trapping to have something in place once the kittens and cats are caught.
- Adoption Packet — when placing kittens or adults yourself: Questions to Ask before Adopting, Adoption Application and Adoption Contract.
Fundraising Ideas
Caring For Your Feral Cat Colony
- Feeding Stations — sample stations to keep your colony area clean and neat
- Preventing Water from Freezing — great tips to help your ferals in winter
- Feral Cat Shelter — basic, but effective, do-it-yourself inexpensive shelter
- Feral Cat Shelters — more elaborate shelters
Feral Cat Relocation
NOTE: Feral cats should ONLY be relocated in extreme situations (construction or demolition near their colony, cats are in danger of being abused or killed, etc.). If the cats simply cannot remain where they are, steps must be taken to ensure a successful relocation.
Feral cats should never be released in a new area without following relocation procedures — they are very territorial and will try and find their way home, often meeting an unfortunate end. Please refer to the links below to learn more. APLNJ has a packet for finding Outdoor Homes that is full of information about finding a safe new home for your colony. This packet does not list available homes. It tells you how to go about finding a new home for the cats and making sure that the new caregiver has the cats’ best interests in mind.
- Feral Cat Relocation — how to relocate safely and wisely
- Finding Outdoor Homes — includes adoption application and contract