Feral Cats

[jenn8]

Hi, my name is Jenn. I am new to the forum. I am currently the proud mom of two beautiful greyhounds, but most of my previous pets have been cats. I have always had a special fondness for them.

My last kitty was deaf and I had her for almost 16 years! She was a beautiful, pure white cat with powder blue eyes. I got her from the pound when she was just a kitten.

Anyway, my dear, sweet, cat loving mom has been feeding the strays in her neighborhood and she has small family of them now, who regularly come for food and shelter underneath her house.

I want to try and help her trap, spay/neuter and then return them to the area where she feeds them, so they don't keep having babies.

I have contacted some feral cat organizations and bought a video that I am going to watch with my mom.

If there are any tips that you can offer to help us pull this off smoothly, I would greatly appreciate it. I am sure we can learn the basics from the video, but things like this don't always end up as easy as you think and I have a hunch that this is going to be the case here.

Thanks everyone,

Jenn

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

Hi Jenn, and welcome to Pet Talk! There are a few people here who will be able to help you much more than I can. One in particular, K & L, has extensive experience in trap, neuter and return. Her and her husband take care of a park full of TNR cats in Arizona. I've PM'd her with the link to this thread, so hopefully she will pop in soon.

Others have done extensive rescue, Queenscoopalot, Kimlovescats, Leslie, Moosmom, JenLuckenbach are just a few that come to mind off the top of my head.

I've never done anything like you are going to attempt, but from what I understand it's a tough job, but it's so rewarding when you start to see the fruits of your labors - which is when you have a spring come and go with no new kittens. You will have many emotional ups and downs, but if you stick around here, there is a great support network that will boost you when you're down, and celebrate with you when you're up.

Good luck, and please let us know how it all goes.

[jenn8]

Thanks!

By the way, I love those blinking eyes.

Jenn

[K & L]

Hi Jenn and WELCOME
We've been TNRing for around 6 years now and it really works well! Here's some pointers I can give you:

Do not feed cats for 24 to 48 hours before you trap them. They will go into the traps much easier when hungry!

Set the traps around the area the cats are use to being fed. Always use humane traps!

Put newspaper, folded in half length wise, in the bottom of the trap andput a small amount of smelly food on a lid or other small item in the back of the trap against the door that will remain closed. Sprinkle a very small amount of food along the newspaper with some juice. Never put food outside the trap itself.

Once cat is in trap immediatley cover the trap with a towel or sheet then take the cat away from the area. It could take the other cats a while to come back to the area so be patient.

Put the trapped cat somewhere where it will not be to adversely affected by weather and where it will be safe from people or other animals. Leave cover on trap the entire time the cat is in the trap. If the cat pulls the cover into the trap, just get another one and cover again.

Hold the cat overnight before releasing to ensure all anesthesia has worn off. Make sure they're in an area where they are safe from predators and protected from the elements. After surgery cats cannot regulate their body temperatures the way they normally can, so their holding area cannot be too cold in winter or too warm in summer. If there is continuing bleeding or other problems do not release cat. When you do release take the cat to its usual secure location preferably where there are bushes or other things in which it can hide. If the area is near an area where there is traffic wait for a time when there is the least amount of traffic since a cat may make a panic run directly into oncoming traffic.

Good luck and let us know how it goes. There's also alley cat allies website that offers wonderful information!

[jenn8]

Yes, the Alley Cat Allies was one of the groups I contacted and got a lot of helpful information from.

My mom lives in a mobil home that has a closed in space underneath it. That is where the cats are fed and sometimes hang out. It has kind of a door that my mom keeps partially open so they can go in and out. I am hoping this will help us trap them if we can possibly push the trap up against the opening of the space when the cats are in there. Does that sound like the best way to go? And of course, I am assuming we just do one at at time?

Jenn

[K & L]

NO, don't do one at a time. If possible, have enough traps to try and trap all at the same time. If you have 4 cats, setup 4 traps. Once one goes in cover and remove immediately! You might check with feed stores, rental places, Humane Society, etc. and see if they rent traps out.

Here's a link to the group we work with, which might give you more information:

www.azcats.org

(we're listed on the home page for getting an award from the City for TNRing, and for Cat Fancy Magazine doing an article on us).

[Scooby4]

It is a GREAT thing your doing!!! Our neighborhood had a feral cat problem. We contacted a ferrel cat society locally. They have traps to set up. I agree with everything the other poster said about the feeding and where to set up.
It does take patience. We ended up capturing a majority of the kittens within a few days. However, the mama cat and 1 kitten refused to be captured. The mama cat got pregant in the process. That led to a few more kittens to capture eventually.
Please have the cat fixed ASAP! We were EXTREMELY lucky we found homes for ALL the kittens. Especially since I lived in a Homeowner's association!!!
Lock the kittens in a bathroom for a few days to accostom them to the inside world. They need exposure to humans as much as possible. Expect to be scratched! IT will take a few weeks but continous human contact will help.
Good luck! We were successful and so will you!!!!

[moosmom]

Sorry I didn't see this till now, but what K&L said is exactly right. You're going to need 4 traps. If you trap only one, the others won't go near it if you set it up again. They're very smart when it comes to that.

Try asking some of the shelters in your area if you can rent the traps. That's what I did when I trapped Sydney (now in a wonderful, loving home in upper MI). Most of them will request a deposit, but you get it back when you return the trap. And when you DO trap, use the smelliest sardines you can find (not in tomato sauce like I did once, DUH!!) They love that stuff.

[GraciesMommy]

Welcome to PT..I am a doggy person here..but I think that is very cool that you want to do that in your community..good luck!

[doccramer]

Hi, just wanted to add some info that will be helpful to you..

There is a big difference between a feral cat and a stray one..A stray cat is likely to approach you, although usually not too close for you to touch him/her.. A stray cat is usually vocal and may be seen at all hours of the day..

A feral cat is silent, will not approach humans unknown to him/her and generally will only be seen from dusk to dawn.. Unless extrodinarily hungry and foraging for food a feral cat has adapted to conditions and is likely to apear well-groomed.. If you put food down for a feral cat he/she will wait until you move away before approaching..

Why am I telling you this?? Because a feral needs to be neutered/spayed ASAP...a stray cat may just be lost and needs help to find a way home..

Getting ahead of the overpouulation problem with ferals is not possible...Feral cats breed much faster than we can ever tame them... they will most likely die in shelters, where they have been brought, in far greater numbers than can ever be adopted.

[catmandu]

There are a lot,of ferals,in my neighborhood,and I put out an old Carrier,with blankets,and dry food,as it does get cold,up here,in the Great White North.

[doccramer]

Thanks for the tip .... I have several ferals/strays that I have been taking care of but I live in Buffalo, NY and today the temperature is below 0 and it's very snowy..

I tried t put the top of a kittie litter box with their food inside but they dragged the bowl outside and now it's frozen with about an inch of snow on top..

Maybe I'll try your idea of putting the whole carrier out and trying then to put the food bowls inside...

I don't want them in my garage because I don't want to walk into it in a month or so and find a litter of kitties..

[kittykay]

I don't want them in my garage because I don't want to walk into it in a month or so and find a litter of kitties..

Sorry, but I can't think of anything more charming than finding a litter of kittens in my garage! Let them in out of the cold, for heaven's sake! If you ARE thinking of trapping them, it will be easier to corral them in there than outside, too.