There’s a new acronym in town, and some animal advocates are finding it a little confusing. What exactly is the difference between “TNR” and “SNR” when it comes to community cats?
“TNR” stands for trap-neuter-return, and refers to programs where animal advocates, either individuals or organizations, humanely trap free-roaming cats, have them altered, vaccinated, and ear-tipped, and return them to their habitats. The procedure is usually done at a high-volume spay/neuter clinic, or at a partnering shelter or animal control agency.
“SNR” stands for “shelter-neuter-return,” and describes a program where healthy free-roaming cats brought to the shelter by community members are referred to established TNR programs when available, or the cats are neutered, vaccinated, and ear-tipped and then returned to the area from which they were taken by the shelter itself.
Shelters operating such programs will not pick up healthy community cats in order to euthanize them.
Shelters can use both TNR and SNR at the same time; the programs are not mutually exclusive.
For more information on SNR programs, be sure to watch both parts of the recent Maddie’s InstituteSM series on this new paradigm in community cat management. Part 1 can be found here, with Part 2 at this link.