TNR Handbook - Neighborhood Cats

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• The trapping 1. Withhold food The Neighborhood Cats TNR Handbook Most feral cats are wary of entering an unknown, confined space. Hunger is the key for getting them to overcome this wariness and enter a box trap. It is the single most important factor in trapping. You could prepare everything else perfectly, but if the cats are not hungrier than usual, most of them will not go in no matter how tempting the bait. Food should be withheld the entire day before the trapping begins. For example, if the trapping begins on a Friday, then the cats should be fed at their regular time on Wednesday and then not at all on Thursday. The only exceptions are young kittens, nursing mothers, and cats who are clearly ill. If you can feed them separately and not let the other cats get any of the food, then they can eat the day before the trapping, but not the day of. If you can’t feed them separately, then withhold the food. Withholding food is often harder on the caretaker who knows her hungry wards are wondering what happened than it is on the cats. They won’t like skipping their daily meal, but adult cats can go weeks without food. You have to remind yourself that a day’s discomfort is a small price for the cats’ life-long benefit. If you’re trapping for more than one day, fresh water should be left out at all times. While the trapping proceeds, continue to withhold all food. The importance of withholding food points to the need for locating and coordinating with other feeders. On occasion, you may run up against someone who will not cooperate, not matter how articulately you explain that what you’re doing is for the good of the cats. If this happens, you need to try to work around that person as best you can. Find out when they put food out, then show up soon afterwards and remove it. Or start trapping well before they usually come to feed. 2. Allow enough time for the trapping (two days minimum) Typically, if preparations have been carefully made, the first day of trapping will net most of the cats and, in smaller colonies, even all of them. In larger colonies, some cats won’t show up the first day and others won’t enter the traps for whatever reason. The second day usually results in most of these remaining cats getting caught, but sometimes there are one or two stubborn ones who still won’t go in. It can take a third day of being deprived of food to get them. This is why we suggest allowing three days for trapping large colonies of ten or more cats. Three days is also good, but not as critical, for smaller colonies if you want to give yourself the best chance of catching everyone. You should never allot less than two days. It might rain; someone might unknowingly leave out a bowl of food the night before; construction might be going on next door on the planned day; some of the cats may not show up or go in the traps, or any number of unexpected developments could occur which would interfere. After all the planning and preparations, it’s not worth risking this for the sake of saving one day. 45
The Neighborhood Cats TNR Handbook If it’s absolutely unavoidable and one day of trapping is all you can manage, then be extra careful to make sure the cats are very hungry and start out early, leaving yourself as much time as possible. 3. Check the traps and practice using them Check the traps before the trapping begins and become familiar with how they operate. The best time to check is when you pick them up from wherever you’re borrowing or purchasing them, but if this wasn’t done, do it before you go out into the field. If you don’t know how to use the traps, read the manufacturer’s instructions or consult an experienced trapper. Test each trap by setting the trigger, then pressing down on the trip plate through the side of the trap with your finger or a pen. The front door should easily close once the plate is down. If you discover a trap is malfunctioning at the last minute and can’t fix it, all is not lost. Mark it as broken and bring it with you anyway. If you end up needing an extra trap, you can transfer a cat from a working trap into the broken one, thereby freeing up the functioning trap. Trap-to-trap transfers are explained later in this chapter. 4. Transport and then prepare the traps After you’ve arrived at the colony’s site with your equipment and supplies, unload all the traps and line them up in a row, rear doors all facing the same way. These final preparations should be done a comfortable distance away from where the cats are located in order not to alarm them. Out of the cats’ sight is preferable. Remove the rear doors, placing each on top of its trap, and then tape the cardboard extenders onto the trip plates, making sure the cardboard and not simply the tape reaches the middle of the plate (see photo on p. 40). Next, open the bait and place generous portions on the plates. Use mostly your favorite bait but also add at least a bit of a second kind. Then place the bait behind the trip plate – right next to the rear door is good. Shut the rear doors, double-checking that they’re locked properly. If you’re using newspaper for the trap floor, go to the front of the traps, open the front door and line the floor, using clothespins if there’s any wind. Finally, take a sheet and tuck it between the handles on top of the trap. That way, when a cat is caught and you need to cover him quickly, you won’t have to go looking around for a sheet. One exception to using a fair amount of bait is if you know a cat is going to be operated on within hours of the trapping. In that case, only use a small amount of very smelly bait. Ideally, when a cat goes for surgery, her stomach is empty to avoid possible complications from the anesthesia such as choking and gagging. If the cat did eat within hours of surgery, be sure to inform the veterinarian. 5. Place the traps and add final touches Once all the traps are ready, bring them all out into the territory at the same time. The fewer intrusions you and others make into the territory, the fewer chances a cat will be frightened off and not return. Position the traps to cover as much of the feeding area as possible, as well as other nearby locations where the cats are known to frequent. How 46
Page 1 and 2: The Neighborhood Cats TNR Handbook
Page 3 and 4: Contents The Neighborhood Cats TNR
Page 7 and 8: Foreword The Neighborhood Cats TNR
Page 35 and 36: 6. Winter Shelter The Neighborhood
Page 45 and 46: 8. Trapping The Neighborhood Cats T
Page 47 and 48: This is easily gotten around by tap
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Page 63 and 64: • Hard-to-catch cats The Neighbor
Page 69 and 70: • Directions for use by Laura Bur
Page 73 and 74: 10. Caring for Cats in Traps The Ne
Page 91 and 92: 13. Return to the Colony The Neighb
Page 93 and 94: 14. Relocation & Sanctuaries • Re
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The Neighborhood Cats TNR Handbook
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16. Feral Cat Resources Neighborhoo
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TNR Handbook - Neighborhood Cats

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