Trap Neuter Release

Dreamland for Cats operates a professional Trap Neuter Release (TNR) scheme.

Trap-Neuter-Release, also known as Trap-Neuter-Return, is a humane and effective way of controlling the cat population and has been proved successful around the world.

TNR does exactly what the name implies. When our volunteers bring in strays, the cats are given a health check and vaccinated, then spayed or neutered by the vet. When fully recovered, our volunteers return them to the location where they were picked up.

In the case of young kittens or friendly cats that would live happily with people, we also seek to get them adopted into Forever Homes.

Have your seen cats’ ears like this?

Three of these cats have been ‘ear-tipped’ – a simple surgical procedure that shows that a free-living cat has been sterilised as part of a TNR programme.

These cats should not be re-trapped unless sick. Instead, they should be left in their neighbourhood to provide effective population control. Just by being there, they prevent other cats from moving into their area. And because they have been sterilised, they can’t produce litters of kittens.

Why is TNR needed?

Without TNR, Lanzarote’s cat population would spiral out of control.

A kitten can have a litter at 5 months and can have two or three litters every year.

If left unchecked, one cat, having an average of 3 kittens per litter, would create over 11 million kittens within 9 years!

These figures are theoretical. But whether they are accurate or not, they bring home the fact that, in the real world, cat overpopulation is a huge issue. Ideally, the operations should take place when the kitten is around 16 weeks old, as the surgery is simpler, safer, faster and less stressful.

We work closely with local vets, but, as with everything, this service costs money.

This is important work, and if you want to support Dreamland for Cats’s TNR effort, you can ‘Be Part of It’ or make a donation.