What is TNRM?

Trap-Neuter-Return-Manage (TNRM) is a method being promoted as a humane alternative to euthanasia for managing and reducing community cat populations. TNRM relies on sterilisation of the cats so that they don't breed.

TNRM begins with the trapping of community cats using humane traps. The captured cats are taken to a veterinary clinic where they are sterilised. The sterilised cats are marked so that they can be easily identified, usually by cropping the pointed end of the ear so that it has a square appearance (known as ear tipping) or cutting a notch at the tip or on the side of the ear.

After the cat has recovered from surgery, it is subsequently released to the site of capture.The cats are then managed back in their original environment.

A caregiver then provides regular food and monitors the colony over time. With TNRM, the cats’ reproductive capacity is eliminated, leading to a gradual decline in their numbers, and nuisance behavior is substantially reduced.