A Kathmandu resident alerted police around dawn after he spotted the big cat in the compound of his house.
'Baby dragons' in Slovenia poised for rare hatching
Police called in zoo and wildlife officials who tracked the animal as it clambered over rooftops and padded through backyards, while local residents watched from their balconies.
"They were able to tranquilise it and it has been transported to the zoo now. No one was injured," Hem Bahadur Thapa of the city police told AFP.
Nepal's common leopards are usually found in the southern plains and in forested hill regions, but they have recently strayed into human settlements due to a loss of habitat.
New video shows gorilla protecting boy before being killed by zoo authorities
In two separate incidents in January, officials were called in to catch leopards which had wandered into densely-populated Kathmandu neighbourhoods.
In 2012, a leopard is suspected to have killed more than a dozen people in the country's remote western region before hunters shot it dead.
Nepal is also home to snow leopards, which are found in the mountains and are listed as "endangered" by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ