TNR resources
Everything you need to design, fund and run a quality TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) program.
At Meow Metrics we gather in one place the resources we consider most useful for those working in cat colony management: practical guides prepared by our team from real experience with municipalities, the legal framework in force in Spain and in other countries, and the most recent scientific research on TNR.
A single starting point to go deeper, make informed decisions and implement more effectively.
Explore the downloadable
resources
Resources
Guides and checklists prepared by our team
Based on direct experience with municipalities across Spain.
Checklist of recommendations for a quality TNR program
Format: downloadable PDF · Audience: municipal technical staff
An unofficial resource prepared by Meow Metrics from experience in municipal TNR projects, to help design a complete program beyond the minimum fields required by the grant call. Organized by eligible spending categories, it works as a reference list to plan, prioritize and leave nothing out.
Grant guide for cat colonies
Format: downloadable PDF · Audience: municipal technical staff
A practical support guide for applying to the national grant for local governments to improve and boost population control of cat colonies, with guidance on the aspects that usually raise the most questions when completing the application.
Spain’s Law 7/2023 compliance checklist
Format: downloadable PDF · Audience: municipal technical staff, associations
A self-assessment tool for the municipality to check, point by point, how well it meets the obligations that Ley 7/2023 de bienestar animal (Spain’s Animal Welfare Act) sets out for cat colony management.
Official legal documents and regulations (downloadable)
The Spanish legal framework governing the ethical management of cat colonies, all in one place.
Official legal documents and regulations
Law 7/2023 of March 28 on the protection of animal rights and welfare
Scope: national · Source: BOE, Spain’s Official State Gazette (BOE-A-2023-7936) · Format: downloadable PDF
The framework law that governs animal protection and welfare in Spain and consolidates the TNR method as the ethical, non-lethal model for managing cat colonies that municipalities are required to follow.
Technical Guideline for Feline Population Management (DGDA)
Scope: national · Source: Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and the 2030 Agenda · Format: downloadable PDF
The official technical development that specifies how the TNR method must be implemented in municipal practice: criteria for intervention intensity, identification, welfare and monitoring of colonies.
Research and academic literature
A selection of recent scientific studies on TNR for those who want to explore the evidence behind the method
Four Years of Promising Trap–Neuter–Return (TNR) in Córdoba, Spain: A Scalable Model for Urban Feline Management
Luzardo et al., 2025 · Animals journal (MDPI) · Open access
Analyzes four years of Córdoba’s TNR program across 225 colonies, with 95% sterilization reached and a sustained reduction in the urban cat population. It is presented as a replicable model for large-scale cat management in European urban settings.
Integrating Conservation and Community Engagement in Free-Roaming Cat Management: A Case Study from a Natura 2000 Protected Area
Luzardo et al., 2025 · Animals journal (MDPI) · Open access
Studies the application of the TNR method on La Graciosa, a Natura 2000 protected area in the Canary Islands, and shows how community participation makes it possible to reconcile cat welfare with the protection of local biodiversity.
Territorial Constraints on Trap–Neuter–Return in Insular Landscapes: Demographic and Ecological Implications of a Conservation-Oriented Policy
Manzanares-Fernández, Martínez-Campo, Travieso-Aja and Luzardo, 2025 · Animals journal (MDPI) · Open access
Models the 20-year impact of restricting TNR in protected island areas, and concludes that only high, sustained coverage across the whole territory, including protected areas, prevents a rebound in the cat population.
Territorially Stratified Modeling for Sustainable Management of Free-Roaming Cat Populations in Spain: A National Approach to Urban and Rural Environmental Planning
Luzardo, Manzanares-Fernández, Becerra-Carollo and Travieso-Aja, 2025 · Animals journal (MDPI) · Open access
Presents the scientific basis of the national Action Plan for cat colony management (PACF), developed under Spain’s Law 7/2023, with data from more than 1,100 Spanish municipalities and a 25-year population projection.
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