Trap/Neuter/Return

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P.A.W.S. assists in controlling the feral/homeless (free-roaming) cat population in the city of Seymour and surrounding areas. Stray, feral or free-roaming cats form what are known as colonies; cats who adapt and learn to live with one another. TNR is a program where volunteers work with locals to trap, spay/neuter, vaccinate, ear-tip cats and then return them to their colony.  The ear-tip lets animal control officers and the general population know that the cat has been fixed and vaccinated.

TNR prevents unwanted kittens and reduces the fighting and spraying found with unneutered male cats.

Our normal procedure is to humanely trap the cat(s) the morning of surgery and bring them to the clinic for the procedure.  They are then kept for 24-48 hours in a safe, quiet, temperature controlled environment until they can be returned to their home (the exact location where they were trapped).

P.A.W.S. funds all vaccinations and testing of TNR’d felines.  Currently, we are fortunate to benefit from funding allowing free spaying and neutering of free roaming cats in our area at our local PETS Low Cost Spay and Neuter clinic.

After the cats have recovered they are returned to their colony and then maintained as part of our colony program.

Benefits of Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR):

• Permanently reduces the number of cats
• Reduces nuisance behaviors
• Reduces rather than encourages predation and does not significantly impact bird species
• Feral cats are useful in controlling rat populations
• Feral cats are rarely aggressive, they tend to shy away from humans
• TNR does not pose a risk for rabies
• TNR saves lives

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