TNR is an acronym that stands for for “trap, neuter, return.” TNR is the best way to stabilize a colony of cats because it stops the breeding cycle, minimizes suffering and problematic behaviors, and improves cat health. It makes the people living around them much happier, too! For a fuller explanation of TNR, go here.

Traps are used for the safety both the cats and the people, and it’s just a temporary situation in the life of the cat. In addition, most clinics (including the clinic we use most frequently) require that feral, stray, and community cats be in traps.

A feral cat is a cat that has not been socialized to people and generally, does not want to live close to people. There are rare exceptions, but it is cruel to force a feral cat to live indoors. Feral/community cats can live long, healthy lives outside once TNR’d with a dedicated feeder and shelter.

Fill out our trapping request form and hopefully we can help.

If we are not helping you trap, you can schedule appointments at a regular vet clinic (make sure to ask if they alter feral cats; not all do) or at a high-volume, high-quality spay/neuter clinic like Feral Cat Coalition (503.797.2606). They can lend traps if you plan to do your own trapping. Please understand there may be a long wait time as the shortage of veterinarians, vet techs and vet assistants has greatly affected the Pacific Northwest.

Feral cats are unsocialized and do not make good pets. Although there are different levels of “feralness,” and some of this will completely depend on the type of environment they live in, feral cats are cats you cannot touch. They may run when you try to approach, they are quiet, and you cannot get close to them. Their body language may be more “on alert” if you are around. Tame cats will have a completely different demeanor. Community cats are somewhere in between, are usually friendlier with their feeder/caregiver but are wary of most people. It is best to TNR them back to their colonies and provide food support.

Almost 100 percent of the above-described behaviors are exhibited by intact cats. When cats are spayed and neutered, these behaviors lessen considerably. We tackle colonies with a multi-pronged approach to lessen behavioral problems immediately while we work towards the end result of 95%-100% sterilization. Please fill out a trapping request form for assistance.

An eartip is an internationally recognized symbol of a cat who has been spayed or neutered and vaccinated. Eartips are readily visible from a distance to make it easy for caretakers, trappers, and others to immediately identify a cat as spayed or neutered. It is performed under anesthesia so it doesn’t hurt the cats. Most clinics that provide TNR services require cats that go through their programs to be eartipped

There are significant benefits to neutering males besides the fact they can father many, many kittens in a short period of time. Nobody likes the problematic behaviors that come with intact males such as howling, fighting, spraying, and wandering. Once these tomcats are neutered, these behaviors lessen significantly, if not fully disappear, leading to calmer, healthier cats and happier communities.

We chose to spay pregnant cats 99 percent of the time. Currently, our country is in crisis. Due to lack of spay and neuter services, rescues and shelters across the country are seeing unprecedented numbers of animals being surrendered, abandoned, and born. Therefore, we are doing our part to help reduce the number of kittens that need help. But we are fierce advocates for the cats and kittens that are already here and need our help.

Some private vet clinics may be willing to help; call and ask.

At the time of this writing (Sept. 28, 2022), the following clinics spay and neuter feral cats. In general, please keep in mind wait times for spay/neuter services, especially at free clinics, tend to be quite long (three to six months is typical); clinics may also close their waiting lists from time to time. If you know of a cat who needs services, please make an appointment ASAP.

• Feral Cat Coalition (503.797.2606) offers free spay/neuter services for feral/community cats. Donations are encouraged.

• Oregon Humane Society, Salem campus (formerly Willamette Humane Society)

• Homeward Bound Pets Humane Society in McMinnville

• ASAP Metro Spay & Save Program

• Oregon Humane Society Spay & Save

• Southwest Washington Humane Society in Vancouver, WA

• Salem Friends of Felines, 503-362-5611, Keizer, Oregon.

At the time of this writing (Sept. 28, 2022), the following clinics offer spay and neuter services for pet cats

In general, please keep in mind wait times for spay/neuter services, especially at free clinics, tend to be quite long (three to six months is typical); clinics may also close their waiting lists from time to time. If you have a cat who needs services, please make an appointment ASAP.

• Spay & Save (800.345.SPAY) is a local program established to spay and neuter the pet cats of low-income residents. If you qualify, the procedure costs $20–$80 depending on your income level. At the time of this writing (Sept. 28, 2022), Spay & Save has a seven-month-long waitlist.

• PAW Team (503-206-6033) offers free and low-cost services for individuals experiencing houselessness or living below the federal poverty line.

• Vista Pet Hospital (503.297.2218) in Beaverton is not a free clinic but is an affordable option for services. A spay procedure costs $165 and a neuter procedure costs $115.

• Cat Adoption Team (503.925.8903) in Sherwood, Oregon offers low-cost spay/neuter services for cat owners who are in financial need. These services are for pet cats.

As long as you know she is not owned, please fill out a trapping request form. We will need to assess her health and socialization. In general, we do not foster pregnant cats but choose to spay to minimize the number of kittens being born.

PDXCT does NOT trap cats for removal. Each situation will be uniquely assessed to determine which, if any, cats or kittens can be moved to foster and eventually offered for adoption through one of our partner rescues or shelters. The removal of feral/outdoor cats only leads to the vacuum effect, which is no good for anyone. Our overall goal is TNR and the positive outcomes TNR provides.

They may eventually go away, but many will likely starve in the process, making them susceptible to other illness and health issues. They may also become desperate and begin raiding garbage cans and dumpsters, or entering nearby residences through windows/cat doors. Nobody wants that. Please contact us for assistance and guidance.

Here’s a comprehensive resource detailing what to do if you find kittens outside. If you’re unsure how to proceed after reading this, you can fill out the trapping request form for help.

Here’s a great guide with photos to help you age a kitten!

Yes, please fill out our trapping request form.

We can assess the situation, and plan trapping with you. If kittens are young enough we can potentially help with getting them to safety. If we are not helping you trap, you can schedule appointments at a vet clinic (make sure to ask if they alter feral cats; not all do) or at a high-volume, high-quality spay/neuter clinic like Feral Cat Coalition (503.797.2606) who can also lend you traps if you choose to do your own trapping. Please understand there may be a long wait time as the shortage of veterinarians, vet techs and vet assistants has greatly affected the Pacific Northwest.

Yes, please fill out our trapping request form. Make sure to include a description of what is going on with the cats/kittens. The number of cats and kittens is important, along with location and who, if anyone, is responsible for the cats.

In addition to submitting the form, if these cats are part of a larger colony, it is important to get all the cats fixed, and not just rescue kittens. You can schedule appointments at a vet clinic (make sure to ask if they alter feral cats; not all do) or at a high-volume, high-quality spay/neuter clinic like Feral Cat Coalition (503.797.2606). Please understand there may be a long wait time as the shortage of veterinarians, vet techs and vet assistants has greatly affected the Pacific Northwest.

If PDXCT finds tame cats or kittens that can be socialized, we do our best to transfer them to our local rescue partners so they can be adopted. Until the kittens can be transferred, we utilize foster volunteers to care for them. If you’ve found tame cats or kittens who can be socialized, reach out to us through our trapping request form.

Please reach out here. PDXCT will do our best to transfer them to a local rescue partner so they can get adopted. Sometimes this can take time to put into place.

In the meantime, you can greatly help by feeding the cat(s) on a schedule; providing clean, safe shelter; and starting the process of getting them used to people. Spend positive time with them. Let them associate food, catnip, toys, and possibly petting with kind humans. Once they are safely confined, we can work together to find the best possible solution to the situation.

We are a TNR group and are not able to take in stray cats.

If you are in Multnomah County, please visit the Multnomah County Animal Services page.

If you are in Washington County, please visit the Washington County Animal Services page for details.

If you are in Clackamas County, there are no services for cats. But if the cat is friendly, contact Cat Adoption Team and Multnomah County Animal Services to ask about intake availability.

First, let's determine if they truly need help. See this link about body condition of cats. If they look healthy — healthy weight, good coat condition — they very likely have a feeder. Try knocking on doors in the neighborhood or local businesses to see if you can find out who is feeding them. Also, you can leave a friendly note for any potential feeder. If they are severely underweight, please contact us.

First, try to calmly and kindly talk to them about it to see if they are open to allowing you and others to help through TNR. No matter how they answer, reach out by filling out a trapping request. Together, we can help with the situation.

There are feeding guidelines we can follow to ensure that only the cats are fed. A good guideline is 1/2–3/4 cup of dry food per cat per day. Wet food is always welcome, but do not overfeed. Find other feeding tips here.

If you are having trouble feeding cats due to financial hardships, please reach out through this form and we may be able to help. If these cats are not yet spayed/neutered, please first fill out a trapping help request form.

Yes! We would love for you to join the PDX Cat Trapper team! We can help you learn the ropes of trapping cats for TNR and work alongside our team of trappers. If you’d like to join the team, please reach out here. If you want to trap solo, there is a lot of information on how to TNR online but we highly recommend this webinar.

Yes! We would love for you to join the PDX Trap Team! We can help you learn the ropes of the TNR process including colony assessment, trapping, recovery, community outreach, and caregiver support. If you’d like to join our group of passionate volunteers, please reach out here. If you’re interested in learning more about TNR, we recommend this TNR training workshop.

Even though we focus mainly on high intensity TNR, it is inevitable that kittens will be present some or most of the time. We practice full circle TNR, which means sterilizing the complete colony and moving the kittens along to one of our rescue partners.

Fostering is essential to any rescue. Our mission is to significantly reduce the births and, therefore, the suffering of outdoor cats and kittens through TNR and fostering. As a Frontline Foster volunteer for PDX Cat Trapper, you would be the stepping stones between a hard, outdoor life and a safe, loving, forever home. PDXCT does not do adoptions, so our fosters provide safe holding spaces until we can get these lucky felines moved along into another rescue who completes the adoption process.

Length of time in foster for PDXCT may vary depending on the particulars of each fostering assignment; this could range from a few days to a few weeks and is somewhat subject to change. We ask that you think about how you can participate in a way that will work with your schedule, family, space, and experience.

We ask that all volunteers:

• Commit to providing a safe temporary home for foster pets

• Live in the Portland Metro area

• Have their own transportation or access to transportation

• Have a separate space to keep foster cats/kittens away from any of your own resident pets; this is required for the first two weeks of every assignment and is advisable after those two weeks. This can be a separate room, a bathroom, or a large wire kennel.

PDXCT offers the following types of fostering assignments. Please indicate in your application which assignments you’re up for based on your schedule, home environment, experience, and lifestyle. Total time in foster varies based on age of kittens and specifics of each assignment and is somewhat subject to change.

• Social/shy kittens: These kittens may be friendly or shy/scared. These kittens will generally be weaned but may occasionally need feeding support or medication for minor illnesses.

• Feral kittens: “spicy” kittens who must be fostered in a wire kennel (which will be provided to you) and socialized until they learn humans are awesome. This assignment generally requires more of a time commitment than fostering social kittens as spicy kittens require significant time and attention in order to make good progress.

• Friendly moms with kittens: This assignment is usually a shorter time commitment. The foster provides a safe holding place until they are transferred to an adoption venue.

• Semi-feral moms with kittens: This time commitment will vary based on the age of the kittens at intake. Many find this to be a very easy fostering assignment because moms take care of their kittens, and you provide food, litter, a clean space, and time around people so kittens learn that people are good. You must be very careful with reading the moms’ cues and cautious to ensure moms don’t escape.

• Adult cats: These can be friendly former pets who have been abandoned or cats needing a safe space to recuperate after medical care.

• Late-night kitten intake: Each late-night kitten intake varies. These kittens may be covered in fleas, full of parasites, and/or ill from upper respiratory infections. They will need someone who can clean them up, administer any needed meds, feed them, and tuck them in for the night. This is a highly rewarding position which is ideal for night owls, people with flexible schedules, and those who love in-the-trenches type of work!

Foster volunteers need to have separate space (e.g., bathroom, guest room, or secure playpen/kennel) that can be used to keep your kitty guests for at least two weeks so they don’t interact with your resident pets.  Even after a two-week quarantine, it is advisable to keep a separate space to ensure their safety from escaping your home and reduce potential spread of any illness or parasites. Bathrooms or small extra rooms are ideal! Rooms that can be cleaned easily are best. Outdoor cats can have a multitude of illness and parasites, and most are unaltered and unvaccinated, so please remember this when you choose a foster space.

Basic fostering supplies include food, litter, toys, blankets, and beds. PDXCT can offer some supply support upon request. We will provide meds for sick cats and large kennels for feral moms/babies, but we currently don’t have the ability to supply all fosters with 100 percent of their needed supplies. Thanks for understanding.

The cost of any supplies you purchase may be tax-deductible; please consult a tax professional to determine deductibility.