PDX Cat Trapper is a 501(c)(3) registered nonprofit organization dedicated to helping feral and community cats live better lives through TNR (trap, neuter, return) practices.

It is staffed completely by volunteers who work tirelessly around the Portland metropolitan area to help outdoor cats and their caregivers. 

What We Do

PDX Cat Trapper focuses on lessening the suffering and community impact of feral, stray and community cats through high-volume TNR with a focus on colony stabilization and management. We combine TNR efforts with community outreach and education. We also support colony caregivers, trappers, and local rescuers in Multnomah County and surrounding areas. We believe through services, engagement, and advocacy, we are building more equitable communities and improving livability for all.

Why We Do It

We love animals! We want to lessen the unnecessary suffering that feral and community cats face. We want to lessen the impact they have on surrounding communities. We want to stabilize the populations of outside cats over time reducing overpopulation in a humane way. We want to support those who are caring for the cats, through education, outreach and direct support. We want to make this world a better place for the cats and the people who care for them.

What is TNR?

TNR stands for trap, neuter (or spay), return. Cities and towns all around the world are filled with feral and community cats living outside. The Portland metro area is no exception. In TNR, the feral cat is humanely trapped; spayed or neutered; vaccinated; and returned to its home colony.

TNR is the best way to stabilize a colony of cats for many reasons:

• It stops the breeding cycle. An unaltered cat can add almost 1.4 million cats to the population over a 10-year period, according to Feral Cat Coalition. The survival rate of kittens born outside averages 25 percent at one year of age.

• It reduces problematic behaviors. 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. Spayed females are quieter and lack the incessant need to seek out a mate.

• It minimizes suffering. Unchecked breeding causes massive suffering such as starvation, malnutrition, illness, disease, injury, and violent death. Outdoor cats tend to live an average of three to five years. Seventy-five percent of kittens born outside do not make it past the first year. By stabilizing the population of feral/community cats, we are reducing the suffering of both the cats and the community.

• It improves cat health. Unaltered cats can develop severe diseases and infections. Through fighting, intact males inflict great injury upon other males, leading to serious abscesses and injuries that can lead to death. They can also easily spread FIV (feline immunodeficiency virus) through deep bite wounds. Unspayed females are at higher risk for mammary cancer, pyometra (uterine infection), and death due to complications during or after birthing.

• It reduces harm to wildlife. By lessening the number of outdoor cats, we lessen the impact they will have on birds and small mammals.

• It makes the people around them happier, too. By lessening all of the undesirable behaviors, fixed cats become true community cats loved by all their people.

Why can’t these cats be adopted? Feral cats should not be confused with tame pet cats. A feral cat is a cat that has not been socialized to people and generally does not want to live close to people. They may run when you try to approach, they are quiet, and you cannot get close to them. Community cats are somewhere in between — usually friendlier with their feeders/caregivers but wary of most people. There are rare exceptions, but generally, 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.