TNR - Trap Neuter Spay & Release

TNR (Trap Neuter / Spay Release)

Some clinics we are able to secure special appointments for colony / community cats.

We are currently short handed and do not have volunteers to cover all areas of the county.

These appointments are fees can vary based on available clinics.

These clinics have strict only trap policy.

If find yourself needing help with TNR. We can come out and give you a quick lesson. Our schedules are so full that by us showing you the basics, you can become a trapper which frees us up to help the next person or group.

Trap Returns. As of November 1, 2025 we will be charging a $35.00 rental fee for each trap. FEE will be refunded upon returning trap im working condition.

Need a trap? We can rent traps, but prefer if you purchase them at Tractor Supply. They have a combo set 2 traps for only $39.99. And once your done with trap, if you would like to donate them, we would love to add to our equipment inventory.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/countyline-quick-set-catch-release-live-animal-traps-2-pack

Please email us for help with TNR at savethestraysofschuylkill@gmail.com

Community Cats

Community Cats & TNR

What is a community cat?

Community cat populations typically consist of a mixture of feral, semi-socialized, and lost or abandoned cats. The traditional idea of community cats was that they were feral and had little to no human interaction, with little chance of being socialized enough to live indoors as a domestic pet. As more research has been done in recent years, we have discovered that this is simply not the case. A community cat can be someone’s lost cat that has joined a nearby colony, someone’s indoor/outdoor cat that frequents the area, kittens raised by colony caretakers who have grown into friendly outdoor cats, and true feral cats. All these cats call the outdoors home and have different backgrounds compared to a traditional true feral cat.

Why TNR?

Proven to be one of the only ways to help reduce and keep the community cat population healthy, TNVR (Trap Neuter Vaccinate and Return) are fully supported by Save the Strays Schuylkill and all major national animal welfare organizations.

TNR is the only effective method to decrease the number of cats humanely and dramatically. Trapping and removing the cats doesn’t work because cats in nearby territories will move into the area and breed up to capacity. This is well-documented over decades of studies and is called the “vacuum effect.”

Despite how hard local animal welfare organizations have collectively tried in the past, old methods simply have not worked, as evidenced by the number of cats we see today in our county. We cannot euthanize or adopt our way out of the current cat crisis in Schuylkill County and must collectively turn to methods proven to work for long-term solutions to get to a more manageable population.