UPDATE!!!! (want your morning laugh???)

[jenluckenbach]

I do not know what the feelings are within the TNR programs, is it better to release the cats right away or is it acceptable to release at a later time?

The answer to this would affect my answer to releasing grey in 24 hours. If the grey girl could still adjust to being released AFTER (let's just say) a week, then I would hold on to her to see if there are any signs of starting to calm down......BUT.......if getting them back to her own habitat quickly is important (for reasons I am not sure of because the subject never came up with me) THEN I'd release her quickly.

Please tell me that made sense to someone other than me.

[catmandu]

I know that it is not my responsibility , but I always keep the Strays and give thgem a home , where i know that they will be safe and warm. then again that is why there are 14 Cats living here. I could never release them , as I live in a semi industrial area where thier chances arent so good!

[Uabassoon]

I think if the cat is feral it's better to release it soon. Once the cat is a few months old it won't tame down. And if the cat is feral it will just get stressed out by being held captive. I think TNR are great, because feral cats are not pets. If caught as kittens that's different, Tibby was a feral but she was socialized at a young age. I've known a few people that have kept older ferals as pets and they hide for their entire lives. Now I know that for some cats it's normal to hide, but the people I know with ferals have claimed that they have never even seen it since they brought it home. The feral will only eat when they are not home, then the rest of the time it hides in fear. That's not a good life for a cat, while I don't agree that cats should be outdoors it's a little different with ferals.

I always keep the Strays and give thgem a home

The thing to keep in mind is that a stray is different from a feral. Strays are friendly, sometimes a little nervous or scared at first, but friendly. Ferals have never been handled by humans, they are not cats that have been abandoned by an owner.

[Ally Cat's Mommy]

I am involved with the TNR program at our shelter.

Can someone clarify the following for me:

When is a cat considered "feral" and when is it a stray?

Is a stray a pet that has been lost or abandoned?

The bunch of cats I am currently feeding outside my house were born outside, and have always lived outside, relying on dustbins (and my front porch!!!) for their food. Are they "stray" because they are offspring of lost or abandoned domestic cats, or are they feral because they have always lived in the "wild"

[NoahsMommy]

I found this writen by K & L:

A feral cat is silent, will not approach humans, and generally will be seen only from dusk to dawn, unless extraordinarily hungry and foraging for food. A feral cat has adapted to conditions and is likely to appear well groomed. If you put food down for a feral cat, he will wait until you move away from the area before approaching the food.

A stray cat is likely to approach you, although usually not close enough for you to touch him. If you put food down, a stray cat will likely start to eat it right away. A stray cat is often vocal, sometimes talking insistently, and may look disheveled, as if unused to dealing with conditions on the street. A stray cat may be seen at all hours of the day.

[K & L]

Originally posted by jenluckenbach
I do not know what the feelings are within the TNR programs, is it better to release the cats right away or is it acceptable to release at a later time?

The answer to this would affect my answer to releasing grey in 24 hours. If the grey girl could still adjust to being released AFTER (let's just say) a week, then I would hold on to her to see if there are any signs of starting to calm down......BUT.......if getting them back to her own habitat quickly is important (for reasons I am not sure of because the subject never came up with me) THEN I'd release her quickly.

Please tell me that made sense to someone other than me.

Our TNR programs release back where trapped only if the cat is feral and only if someone is going to feed and provide water in the area. If you try and tame, then you need to have a home ready for placement. If the cat doesn't tame and you've kept it in your area, then it may remain there after release. Always make sure you provide food & water wherever you release.

Here's our 10 commandments of trapping:

The Ten Commandments of Trapping Feral Cats

1. Always have a plan in place before trapping. Do you have surgery appointments set for the following day? Who is funding the surgery? If a rescue organization is funding, has the veterinary clinic received proper authorization from the rescue organization? What will you do with any kittens trapped that are too small for surgery?
2. Never release a cat until you know with absolute certainty that the cat is spayed or neutered. If you are uncertain that the cat is spayed or neutered, take the cat to the vet even if it is not a cat you were trying to catch. If you catch a kitten too small for surgery, find a place to foster the kitten until it can have its surgery.
3. Use only traps or feral carriers for catching, containing, and transporting feral cats. Never put a feral cat in a tame cat carrier (plastic, cardboard, etc.) Never deliver a feral cat to a veterinary clinic unless it is in a trap or feral carrier (no plastic carriers or wire cages). Veterinary clinics may reject feral cats in tame containers.
4. Traps containing cats must be covered at all times. Trapped cats are scared to death. Being covered offers them a bit of security. If a cat pulls the trap cover into the trap, put another cover over the trap.
5. Make sure traps are out of dangerous elements like sun and rain so kitties won’t roast or freeze.
6. Always check to make sure the back door of the trap is securely latched.
7. Never leave a trap unsupervised in an unsecured area. Traps can be stolen and trapped cats can be released or worse. Any unsupervised trapping must be done in a secured area like a fenced back yard.
8. If you leave a trap unsupervised (in a secured area only!) cover it in case it catches a kitty. Tuck the trap cover edges under the trap so the cover won’t blow away.
9. Use wet stinky bait such as tuna or mackerel. Bonita fish flakes (available at Oriental food stores) sprinkled on top of the bait are very enticing to kitties.
10. During bug season, sprinkle a cat-safe bug deterrent on the ground under and around the bait area of the trap so kitty won’t be consumed by ants. The most effective safe powder is Ortho Bug Be Gone Multi-Purpose Garden Dust. Sevin Dust 5% can also be used. Diatomaceous earth (food-grade, please – available from some natural food stores and environmentally conscious pet-care supply companies) can also be used, but there are conflicting reports about its effectiveness.

[wolflady]

What a cute girl she is!! Awwww....poor thing. She does look scared. You are such a sweetheart to be looking after these cats and doing all you can for their welfare. This little girl just stumbled into this situation on accident, and she is very lucky. Hopefully Gracie will come around too!

I have worked with the TNR program, and K&L is absolutely right. I was helping out a local no-kill cat rescue called Town Cats, here in my local area. They are highly involved in the maintenance of the feral populations. We have feeding stations at each colony location. I was in charge of 2 such colonies. I would put food and fresh water at the station every morning, and if I saw a new cat, I documented it and then we'd set up a trap. If the cat was young enough to be tamed, Town Cats would keep the cat. However, most of them are not tameable, so they would be fixed then released. Sometimes the best thing you can do is just fix them and release them back to their familiar territory, or outside your home as long as there is food and water available.

As far as releasing after surgery, our vet said to wait at least 24 - 48 hours, so running the risk of infection wouldn't be as great for the ferals.

Kelly, you are such a sweetheart! Good luck with both girls! Maybe if you go out each day and spend some time with this little grey girl, you may be able to gain her trust. We'll talk about this more later!
Love you!

Karen

[Russian Blue]

Kelly, it's wonderful what you are doing and that cage that you built is great!

I'm sure Gracie will eventually make it into the cage. As someone else mentioned, you may catch all the stray and ferals in the process. How much money do you have??? It may end up being an expensive process!

One cat always leads to another.........

I'm currently doing background research for a stray pet advocacy website. We are trying to create a website that is a one stop shop for worldwide resources on TNR, feral information, shelters, legislative issues etc.

So if you need any more resources PM me!

[moosmom]

Uabassoon,

Ferals have never been handled by humans, they are not cats that have been abandoned by an owner

Not so! Feral cats can be totally wild (born to feral mothers), or they can be cats that have been dumped by their owners, forced to fend for themselves.

[NoahsMommy]

I set two traps last night with herring. When I went to check them out at 6:30 this morning, one trap was closed, but no kitty, food un-touched. The other trap was un-touched.

We drove back over there at about 2:00 to check and both traps had not been touched.

As far as little white/gray kitty goes. I wonder what she is. When I called the vet at the shelter I was very rudely talked to....the woman was a real witch. I wont go into that THAT story. I had called to speak with the vet to determine if little kitty is a stray or feral.

I'm having second thoughts about her being totally feral. She is scared in her trap, and runs to the other side when I feed her. But, when I talk to her, she gets calm and just lays down.

David and I decided to let her use Gracie's apartment until we can catch her. We want to see if she's able to calm down and be adoptable.

While I was out there in the enclosure feeding her in her trap, she started meowing at Noel, it was really cute.

[NoahsMommy]

The vet DID NOT tip her ear.....interesting, huh?

The woman I've been working with said the vet would do it, like he does to all ferals.

Isn't that strange??

[Kater]

I'm so confused about why the traps are getting tripped without catching anything!
I've never heard of that!!

[Cinder & Smoke]

Originally posted by NoahsMommy
The vet DID NOT tip her ear...
interesting, huh?

Quite possibly YOU impressed the Vet that Lil Grey was destined for a *home*
rather than be released in the wild as a feral.

The Vet might feel that permanently marking Lil Grey as a feral, with the tipped ear, might not be the "right" thing to do. If she does become someone's (read *your*) PET, she shouldn't be marked as a feral. If she ever gets lost in the future, folks seeing the feral/tipped ear might not attempt to catch and return her to her home/condo.

Hope Gracie doesn't mind sharing the new condo!

[NoahsMommy]

Uh oh....my hubby wants to name her.....



Any suggestions? He likes cutesy names....he wants to name her "Boots".

[NoahsMommy]

Originally posted by Kater
I'm so confused about why the traps are getting tripped without catching anything!
I've never heard of that!!

I haven't either. When it happened the first time, I was really worried she'd never go in. I called Carol (the woman suppling me the cages) and she said not to worry, anything could have closed it.

Wierd, huh?