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Removal of the tip of one of the ears is the accepted global standard for identifying a neutered free-roaming community cat. This ensures that all cats in a colony are humanely managed and prevents shelter euthanasia of cats who are part of managed colonies. It’s important to tip ears rather than notching them, since notching may occur as the result of fighting—especially in tomcats—and may be mistaken for a sign of previous TNR. Another study had volunteers monitor TNR cat colonies at the University of Central Florida (Levy et al. 2003). Here, 68 cats from 11 colonies in 1996 were reduced to 23 cats in 2002.

If the cats in question are friendly, and can be easily handled by humans, you can bring them to the shelter where they may be put up for adoption. If you cannot take care of the cat untill you find its family or a new home, take it to a no-kill shelter. If you are dealing with a feral cat that is sick or injured, find a group that specializes in feral cats, so it can humanely trap the animal and get it to a vet. On the other hand, feral cats were born in the wild and avoid people.

Those old, ingrained habits of not trusting people are hard to get through. The first thing you must do, before you even have the cat in your home, is change your way of thinking. This isn’t a lap cat by any stretch of the imagination, and may never become one (or she may become the biggest snuggle-bug you’ve ever known!). You must go by her time frame, and this changes for every cat. You may socialize and love these ferals, but you must learn to reset your internal kitty clock. Stop thinking of this kitty as a lap kitty or purr bug who wants to lap milk from your hand.

That’s not enough to really get through to this cat that you are worthy of her trust. This is the part that takes all that patience and hard work mentioned before. This part of the process can take weeks or even months to work through.

Nd if you are not into the building, check pet stores for options. And, truth be told, my technicians are actually hoping they don’t show up because this cat is a happy camper in the staff room. And because this is what we call a “wound of unknown origin,” he is also under a rabies quarantine — a serious measure. Here in Massachusetts, he must be kept indoors under supervision for 6 months.

In addition, most of the cat colonies included in the study were very small , with the largest colony being 89 cats. The small colony sizes in the study limit how applicable this study is to other larger TNR colonies in the United States. Because of the disparity between the number of cats reported and the population trend , we do not consider the methods used in this study to be reliable. Furthermore, adoptions accounted for 26% of the original cat population, an outcome that was needed to somewhat offset immigration and births. Infectious diseases can only spread from cats to humans via direct contact with either the cat or its feces, and feral cats typically avoid humans.

For some reason, my email inbox gets more play on the issue of moving outdoor and feral cats than just about anything else . Removing cats does not halt the spread of flea-borne typhus, because cats don’t spread the diseasethe fleas themselves do. Cats are merely a host for fleas and if the cats are eliminated, the fleas simply find another host like squirrels and raccoons. They live on cats, dogs, opossums, rats, and mice,” Ackerman says.

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A stray cat may be socialized enough to allow people to touch her, but she will become less socializedor even feralif she spends too much time without positive interaction with humans. Reply Many years ago I fed three feral cats on my back patio every night. Some nights a possum or raccoon would come and eat with them. I could only watch through the window because they would run off if I came outside. I did make a house for them on the patio to sleep in during the cold weather.

With a heavy flea infestation, you risk your cat becoming anemic, so ask your vet to run a chem. If you bring in a very small kitten with a flea problem, comb out the fleas with a flea comb and discuss any medications with your vet. Never use flea treatments formulated for dogs, as these are extremely toxic to cats.

Remember to ALWAYS keep the cat’s trap covered with an old sheet to help keep the cat calmer and less stressed while the cat is in the trap. With ferals, the best thing to do is not expect anything from them. Accept them for who they are, and they certainly will do the same for you. When you touch her for the first time she may be very receptive, like “What took you so long? I’ve been waiting for AGES!” But if you feel her tense up, stop and let her be. Pay close attention to her for signals that she’s uncomfortable.

What is socialization?

You can also place classified ads in newspapers and online classified sites. Consider the potential benefits of providing cats with cost-effective parasite control. Recommended combinations for such injections include α2-adrenoceptor agonists, opioids, and dissociative drugs. Numerous anesthetic combinations are possible, but injectable anesthetic protocols with a wide safety margin are preferred. The most important thing to remember is to make sure you’re not exposing your moved kitties to greater dangers in your new home than they’d suffer through your absence. I know that’s not easy to determine; none of us has a crystal ball.

Trap-Neuter-Return programs protect public health and prevent the spread of disease

Relocation should be your LAST RESORT option, something to be considered only after you have exhausted all other possibilities. It is a complicated, risky, and time-consuming plan that rips frightened cats from their homes – with no guarantee that they will stay in the new location. Cats should be alert and should be eating, drinking, urinating, and defecating normally before being released. They should not be lethargic, panting, shivering, or vomiting. Sometimes, environmental factors can cause stress while the cat’s in the trap, causing the cat to not eat. Make sure to keep stress levels low by keeping the trap covered, minimizing the number of other animals in the room that could cause the cat stress, and providing a comfortable, quiet recovery area.

Atlantic City has been collaborating with Alley Cat Allies since 2001 to manage feral cat colonies under the city’s famous boardwalk. The TNR program that Atlantic City developed with Alley Cat Allies has never posed any health problems to the community, says Cash. Since I have lived in this home, we have adopted two stray cats that came to my house.

When cats are malnourished they have a greater risk of developing parasitic infestations and since cats move closer to humans when hungry, this leaves those infections closer to your home and your pets. So the moral of the story is that feeding bans do more harm than good when it comes to trying to control feral cat populations. These cats are free to live out their lives as they did before; but now, no new kittens are born and nuisance behaviors such as spraying and yowling are reduced. When homes cannot be found for the friendly, stray cats, they may be returned to their outdoor homes. There, they can continue to be cared for, along with the feral cats, by their colony caregivers who provide them with food, shelter, and love. Please see What’s Next for more information on providing care and outdoor shelters for feral cats.

“Cat Scratch Fever” isn’t just a song by Ted Nugent, it is a serious medical condition. Wear long sleeves, extra layers of clothing, long pants, shoes, heavy leather gloves , and bring a flat piece of cardboard to use as a shield. If she launches at you, raise the cardboard so she bounces off something fairly soft instead of your arm or face, possibly inflicting injuries onto both of you. Mind you, most of the time ferals won’t react this way but you don’t know her history.

Steps to Perform TNR

“Catch and kill policies are fear-based and rely on old wives’ tales and flawed research to justify prejudice against cats,” says Ackerman. Removing feral cats is not a sustainable solution, because that only opens up new territory for other feral cats to use.Learn more about this vacuum effect. According to Ackerman, there’s absolutely no evidence that catch and kill policies reduce the incidence of human disease. Please make sure that the cats you want to TNR are not house pets. Feral cats are wild animals like a raccoon or opossum – and they cannot be picked up or handled without being in danger of being bitten.

But I understand how bad it is for them, especially the females when they keep getting pregnant. This is important because a TNR program is only successful if the whole colony gets sterilized. Feral cats are captured in the same traps used for small animals such as raccoons.

Let her show you who she is, accept her quirks and limits, and you will have a friend for life. Wear long sleeves, long pants, gloves, shoes, and bring along a piece of cardboard for a shield in case she attacks out of fear. Spay all female cats, including those who are pregnant or nursing. With the trap turned on end, staff can insert the “trap divider” through the bars to confine the cat while administering an intramuscular injection between the wire bars. Nonetheless, here are a few helpful suggestions to those of you considering a move and electing to move your outdoor adoptees along with you. People perhaps view me as someone who would actually know more about moving and relocating felines than the average Joe.

It has been proven that Trap-Neuter-Return can stabilize the feral cat population. During an 11-year study at the University of Florida, a TNR program was implemented and the number of cats on campus declined by 66%. It was also found that no new kittens were born in the first 4 years that the program was put into place. These cats, depending on how long they’ve been on their own, may be able to re-learn how to interact with people and be adoptable.

And, if you’re unable to get the cat into a trap on Friday, this still gives you all of Saturday and Saturday night. Make sure to have a heavy water dish such as a ceramic bowl so it’s less likely to be knocked over. Those who have to survive on their own merits eat every meal as though it could be their last. For some ferals, free feeding is the best option so they know that food is always available. Others can’t handle this and will eat everything in sight, becoming obese.

The danger we see in TNR programs is that TNR may be seen as a viable solution to reducing feral cat populations, and that therefore less money and effort will go towards prevention of free-ranging cats. The practice of TNR and the establishment of TNR colonies is neither humane nor proven to be effective at reducing feral cat populations. We understand there is no easy solution to the feral cat population problem, but we hope more funding is directed towards prevention.