How Trap-Neuter-Return works

WHEN cats breed uncontrolled, several things happen. First, there isn’t enough food for them all. This means that kittens often starve to death within a few days of birth. Second, those that do make it, have to fight for their territory. This usually means living with injuries that quickly become infected. Many strays die slow, lingering painful deaths from their wounds.

Neutering projects don’t catch every cat but they tend to catch enough to severely curtail the number of kittens born. This means surviving strays have a better quality of life with more food and better overall health.

Of course, catching feral cats is not easy. But it can be done.

“Cats eat at the same time every day,” explains Sherrina Krishnan-Leyow of Pet Adoption Network Malaysia. “You can set a watch by them. So I start by turning up at the same place every day at the same time. By the third day, the cats are waiting for me.”

Once the cats associate her with food, Sherrina sets the trap. “We have long narrow cages that have a nice smelly treat at the far end,” she explains. “When the cat enters the trap, it’s long enough to take in the whole kitty and the tail. But as soon as the cat picks up the food, the door slams shut.”

As the cats tend to be afraid, she throws a towel over the cage. This gives the cat a sense of privacy. Then she takes them to one of her vets, who is expert in getting the cat out of the trap, under anaesthesia. The cat is then spayed or neutered, given a few days to recover, and is then sent back to their original territory.