I did a round of TNR when I moved into my house, because it was trying to develop a cat colony and: no. The humane society lent me three traps with a statement that I'd get maybe one cat, and I brought them back with three cats in them.
Unsolicited TNR advice below. :)
Use wet food. If you've been setting out any food for them, use the stuff they really like. If you haven't been setting out food for them, set out wet food and let them get to like it before using it as bait.
Catch the cat you can catch. If you get a female, great! TNR that kitty. If you get a male, also great! TNR that kitty too.
If you get a Bond kitty who can steal the bait without tripping the trap, try making an unexpected noise while they're backing out. Guaranteed they'll jump, and that'll probably be enough to trip the mechanism.
If your cats are feral and you don't trust them to be picked up with good manners, ask the vet not to give them the wake-up shot and put them in a carrier, but stick 'em straight back in the trap. Those have a release mechanism you can work from the opposite side of the box. When the kitty is awake and wants nothing more than to be out of the little box, open the door and let 'em run.
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I did a round of TNR when I moved into my house, because it was trying to develop a cat colony and: no. The humane society lent me three traps with a statement that I'd get maybe one cat, and I brought them back with three cats in them.
Unsolicited TNR advice below. :)
Use wet food. If you've been setting out any food for them, use the stuff they really like. If you haven't been setting out food for them, set out wet food and let them get to like it before using it as bait.
Catch the cat you can catch. If you get a female, great! TNR that kitty. If you get a male, also great! TNR that kitty too.
If you get a Bond kitty who can steal the bait without tripping the trap, try making an unexpected noise while they're backing out. Guaranteed they'll jump, and that'll probably be enough to trip the mechanism.
If your cats are feral and you don't trust them to be picked up with good manners, ask the vet not to give them the wake-up shot and put them in a carrier, but stick 'em straight back in the trap. Those have a release mechanism you can work from the opposite side of the box. When the kitty is awake and wants nothing more than to be out of the little box, open the door and let 'em run.