No matter how much we love cats, we cannot open our homes to every stray we encounter. But there is something we can do to make their lives easier – sterilize stray cats!

Spaying and neutering the cats in your community is a small effort for a BIG reward.

You improve the health and happiness of those stray kitties AND make a much broader impact on the community and environment.

So, if you love cats and wish you could do more to help the strays, read on to discover how TNR helps in more ways than you realize!

What Does TNR Involve For Cats?

TNR stands for ‘trap, neuter, return.’ First, you catch the cat using a carrier or trap cage, depending on its friendliness.

Then, you take them to the vet for sterilization. Once they have recovered (usually 1 – 3 days later), you return the cat to where you trapped them.

How Do You Know If A Cat Is Sterilized?

Before you trap a cat and take it to the vet, you’ll want to ensure it is not already sterilized. Unfortunately, this is not always easy to tell.

Spotting a neutered male is relatively easy as their scrotum will be flaccid and empty. Intact male cats typically have big, full balls you can spot from a distance!

Determining if a female cat has been spayed is more complicated. If she was recently spayed, you might notice a shaved belly or scar. But if her spay was not recent, it’s harder to tell.

As many female stray cats have back-to-back pregnancies, they are pretty much either pregnant or nursing! So, if there is no sign of recent spaying, look for signs of pregnancy or nursing:

• Pregnant cats will have large, hard bellies with pink, erect nipples.
• Nursing cats will have swollen and moist nipples with hair loss around them.

Some animal rescue organizations and large-scale spay-and-release programs tattoo the ears of the animals they sterilize. So look for a few dots or a line in the cat’s ears.

In some countries, like the USA, a small portion of the ear is clipped in a practice known as ear notching (see photo above).

7 Ways You Help When You Sterilize Stray Cats

Spaying and neutering the cats in your community benefits everyone, from the strays to your pets to the environment. Here are seven reasons why sterilizing stray cats is essential.

1. TNR Slows The Reproduction Rate

Unsterilized stray cats reproduce rapidly. According to the National Feline Research Council, two unsterilized cats and their offspring can produce up to a whopping 420,000 cats in seven years. 

So, if you have a couple of unsterilized cats in your community, just take a moment to imagine what your life will be like in seven years if you don’t sterilize them.

Yes, your street will literally be invaded by cats! And while we all love cats, 420,000 is a bit much!!

2. TNR Reduces Mortality Rates

Here’s another shocking statistic…

75% of kittens born on the street die before they reach six months old.

Therefore, lack of sterilization means high mortality rates among community cats.

I’ve witnessed this firsthand. One female cat in my community was having back-to-back pregnancies.

Before we managed to trap and sterilize her, she gave birth to (at least) 3 litters. Out of those three litters, only two kittens survived.

Why do so many kittens die on the streets?

There are several reasons.

One is that raising kittens on the street is incredibly stressful for mama cats as their circumstances can change at any moment.

They may initially find a safe place, but then that area could become unsafe (e.g., a stray dog starts hanging around, or a person kicks them out).

When this happens, the mama cat has to frantically move her babies. However, finding another safe place is difficult as cats are very territorial.

Plus, as she can only carry one kitten at a time, it is easy to lose one while moving them.

Some kittens may be left behind or attacked by a predator while the mama cat is out trying to find a new location.

Another reason for these high mortality rates is that many kittens are born with diseases that they are not strong enough to overcome them.

Considering this, TNR is the most effective way to reduce suffering among stray cats.

When kittens are constantly born and getting sick, we cannot save them all. The demand for medical care and fostering becomes too high and there are not enough resources.

But by sterilizing community cats, we reduce suffering, which, in turn, frees up resources. This way, fewer sick and injured kitties are left on the street without help.

3. TNR Reduces Cat Diseases

Cat diseases are rife among stray cats. These diseases spread in two key ways: through reproduction and fighting.

If a female cat has a disease like feline leukemia or FIV, there is a high chance her kittens will be born with the disease, too.

As kittens have weak immune systems, many sick kittens die within the first few months of life. However, some will survive for several years, spreading the disease further by mating and fighting.

When you sterilize stray cats, you reduce both of these things, which lowers the spread of disease. This improves the health of the stray cat colony AND your pet cat’s health.

If your cats go outside, there is a significant chance they will fight with stray cats. If those strays carry a disease, your cat is at risk of contracting it.

So, by sterilizing the unowned cats in your community, you are protecting your pet’s health.

4. TNR Reduces Kitten Dumping & Poisoning

The street kittens who are fortunate enough to survive face another grave danger – being “relocated” to another area.

Unfortunately, many people (people who don’t like cats) may handle overflowing cat populations in the wrong way.

If there are too many cats around for their liking, or they are causing a nuisance, some people will remove them from their homes and dump them in unfamiliar territory.

Alternatively, they might put poison in their food.

Both these things result in the same outcome – a lot of suffering for the kittens and, ultimately, death.

Kittens, especially young ones, cannot fend for themselves when dumped in an unfamiliar place.

So what often happens is they get attacked and killed by a predator, or they starve from hunger.

Now, of course, if a person is willing to poison or dump a kitten, they clearly have no respect for animals.

But while we cannot force people to care about animals, we can protect the cats in our community to some degree by sterilizing them and preventing an increase in the cat population.

5. TNR Protects The Environment

Because sterilizing stray cats prevents feline overpopulation, it reduces the damage to local wildlife.

Large and rapidly increasing cat colonies can wreak havoc on the ecosystem. Not only do more cats equal more hunting, but they also mean more waste.

Animal waste can contain harmful bacteria or parasites that contaminate water sources and harm local wildlife.

Moreover, unneutered male cats (tom cats) are notorious for territorial ‘spraying.’ Tom cats spray their urine all over the environment, including on walls and vehicles, to mark the territory with their scent.

While some cats continue to spray after being neutered, neutering can stop or significantly reduce this bad habit for many.

6. TNR Reduces Territorial Aggression & Fighting

Male cats are known for their territorial nature, but the likelihood of fighting and aggression decreases after neutering.

For example, studies have found that neutering reduces roaming by 90% – fights are commonly caused by one cat entering another’s territory.

Along with territorial aggression, intact male cats can fight each other due to sexual competition. Neutering significantly reduces a cat’s sexual desire but does not always eliminate it.

Again, if you have pet cats that go outside, this will directly benefit your kitty’s wellbeing. Strays are far less likely to wander into your garden and fight with your cat.

7. TNR Gives Stray Cats Happier And Easier Lives

After you sterilize stray cats in your community, you might notice a vast difference in their behavior and mood.

The males get into fewer fights, and the females no longer get agitated and unsettled from going into heat.

We recently sterilized two pregnant sisters. They were both young cats, and this was their first pregnancy. I could see their hormones were all over the place as they were acting anxious and stressed.

After we spayed and returned the cats to their “home,” we noticed such a difference. They were incredibly calm and content, spending their days napping in the flower pots without a care in the world.

Imagine if we didn’t spay them?

Imagine how stressed they would be caring for the kittens they didn’t want and trying to keep them safe from predators.

When you spay a female stray cat, they never have to deal with the stress of pregnancy, giving birth, and raising offspring again.

Sure, life is still hard for stray cats. But by sterilizing them, we make things a lot easier than before!

How To TNR Cats

While this article focuses on the benefits of sterilizing stray cats, I have a dedicated guide to TNR with step-by-step instructions.

Here, I explain how to use a cat trap cage and share my tips for ensuring successful trapping.

FAQs About Sterilizing Stray Cats

But isn’t TNR for feral cats horribly cruel?

Not at all. TNR is the best and, in many cases, the only way to help stray cats. Many stray cats are feral or scared of humans, so finding them a home is not always possible.

Moreover, when we TNR, we ALWAYS return the cats to their “street home,” where they continue living their lives – but with far less stress than before!

What happens after you sterilize stray cats?

After you sterilize stray cats, they can no longer reproduce. Their sexual desire significantly reduces, but some cats may still mate. So don’t worry if you see sterilized cats mating; this doesn’t mean the procedure didn’t work.

Do cats change after sterilization?

After you sterilize stray cats, they usually appear significantly calmer and quieter. Male cats are typically less aggressive and less likely to roam from their territory. Female cats are less anxious and frantic as they no longer experience the fluctuating hormones that come with heat and pregnancy.

Do sterilized cats live longer?

Yes, and research supports this claim. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), neutering a male cat increases their life expectancy by 62%! Meanwhile, spaying a female cat increases her lifespan by 39%.