Any Alternative To Keeping Feral In Trap Before Vet

lesliel76

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I've done TNR work before and trapping feral cats but I hate the trapping process. Curious if anyone has suggestions on what I can do to make it more comfortable for the kitty.

I have a new kitty I am getting fixed on Tuesday next week and I am just dreading it. She will need to be trapped Monday morning and then sit in the cage till the next day. That part just feels so horrible to me but not sure what else to do.

The appointment is early at 7 am and with her feeding schedule this is the only way I can ensure I will get her.

I just hate that she needs to spend so much time in that trap before the vet. Is there better alternatives? I thought about getting a dog kennel. Releasing her in there but then how would I get her to the vet unless I brought the whole thing. Plus I image she will be easier to work with in the trap at the vet to sedate.

I wish there was a better way and maybe there are some suggestions who knows.

Just FYI she doesn't consistently come for dinner only breakfast which is why I need to do earlier in the day. She sometimes dissapears at night and won't come back till the next day. Plus the vet said no food the night before.
 

Norachan

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Urgh, I know how you feel! I've been doing TNR for years now and I hate trapping. If it makes you feel any better cats actually feel safer and more relaxed in an enclosed space if they're in an unfamiliar place. I've brought in semi-feral rescues before and they usually spend the first couple of days hiding in a carrier, even though they have a whole room to explore.

You can make her more comfortable by putting a sheet of cardboard in the bottom of the trap so she doesn't have to stand on the wire trap floor. Stand the trap up on a couple of blocks and put some pee sheets underneath in case she pees. Keep the trap covered so she feels safe and make sure the room you keep her in is quite and a comfortable temperature. She can have water up until the night before. Those drip bottles you can get for rabbits and guinea pigs are useful.

There are larger holding traps that you can get that attach to the smaller ones you use for trapping, but if you're planning to trap her tomorrow you probably don't have time to get one of those. She'll be fine. It won't be too long for her and once she spayed her whole life is going to be so much easier.
 

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Hi there,
Yes, your vet is right, no food for at least 10 to 12 hours before the surgery. This is what my vets always told me.

I guess this feral cat isn't manageable, so once you let her out in a crate, you couldn't get her again in a carrier, right?

Isn't your vet willing to keep her at their clinic overnight in one of their cages? Some vets can do that, though they might charge you for this extra service.

I know it's hard to accept that a cat spend a whole day in the trap cage, and I would really upset too. I can tell you that on one occasion it happened to me too. The vet where I took the cat in didn't have a cage for her, and I didn't book the surgery in advance, it was an unplanned trapping. The poor cat had to spend a whole day in there, and the vet had some hard time to give her some food and water in the first half of this stay. Needless to say that the poor cat did her businesses in the trap, and you can imagine the condition of cat and trap cage at the end of the day...
That's why I will never allow such a thing again.

Ask the vets if they can accept the cat one day earlier and accommodate her in one of their cages.
 
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lesliel76

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Hi there,
Yes, your vet is right, no food for at least 10 to 12 hours before the surgery. This is what my vets always told me.

I guess this feral cat isn't manageable, so once you let her out in a crate, you couldn't get her again in a carrier, right?

Isn't your vet willing to keep her at their clinic overnight in one of their cages? Some vets can do that, though they might charge you for this extra service.

I know it's hard to accept that a cat spend a whole day in the trap cage, and I would really upset too. I can tell you that on one occasion it happened to me too. The vet where I took the cat in didn't have a cage for her, and I didn't book the surgery in advance, it was an unplanned trapping. The poor cat had to spend a whole day in there, and the vet had some hard time to give her some food and water in the first half of this stay. Needless to say that the poor cat did her businesses in the trap, and you can imagine the condition of cat and trap cage at the end of the day...
That's why I will never allow such a thing again.

Ask the vets if they can accept the cat one day earlier and accommodate her in one of their cages.
Ohh I never thought of that to ask the vet. Going to talk to them Monday once I have her. That would be awesome. You never know.

You can't handle her no. I can get close to her when I feed her but not too close she takes off. Like a few feet away. That took some time to get to that point too. But she did make herself known by showing up at my back door looking in which is how this all started.

I am guessing it might not be a possibility bc I really had to search to even find a vet to see her. I used to do all of my TNR work in New York which had more outlets for it. I live in the country now on Wisconsin and I was shocked to find out how little TNR resources there were. I called 30 places before someone would even see a feral and there are no discounts. Most vets told me no ferals. But I'm going to ask them on Monday for sure. I would be so happy if they did this. Would take some stress off of me with the situation.
 
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lesliel76

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Urgh, I know how you feel! I've been doing TNR for years now and I hate trapping. If it makes you feel any better cats actually feel safer and more relaxed in an enclosed space if they're in an unfamiliar place. I've brought in semi-feral rescues before and they usually spend the first couple of days hiding in a carrier, even though they have a whole room to explore.

You can make her more comfortable by putting a sheet of cardboard in the bottom of the trap so she doesn't have to stand on the wire trap floor. Stand the trap up on a couple of blocks and put some pee sheets underneath in case she pees. Keep the trap covered so she feels safe and make sure the room you keep her in is quite and a comfortable temperature. She can have water up until the night before. Those drip bottles you can get for rabbits and guinea pigs are useful.

There are larger holding traps that you can get that attach to the smaller ones you use for trapping, but if you're planning to trap her tomorrow you probably don't have time to get one of those. She'll be fine. It won't be too long for her and once she spayed her whole life is going to be so much easier.
That is all good advice and I did already buy potty pads and stuff. I even got one of the Pheromone diffusers to help. It honestly helps to hear that I'm not the only one who struggles with it. I've been gaining her trust, and I hope it doesn't hurt that.

I told myself well if she wants to continue to have food and shelter this is the rule bc you can't take care of a whole crew right now if she gets pregnant. Plus she has worms pretty bad. I treated 3 times now just by meds in her food, but not sure I got it. So a trip to the vet will just be good for that fleas, earmites. Stuff like that. Hoping she didn't pick up too many things.

I wish I had one of those cages but yeah probably too late unless they sell them at like a farm store but I doubt it. I've never seen them.

After the surgery I thought I would let her recover in an extra room I have and if she seems like she like being inside she can stay in. If not I'm not going to force her. I think I should be able to tell at her level of distress state.
 

Antonio65

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I have trapped dozens of cats, and the level of stress and anxiety is unbelievable every time.
There had been a period of time in 2018 when I was trapping daily, and after two weeks I had to take a break, I couldn't stand it anymore.

From my experience, cats are forgiver and rather forgetful. You might fear they will lose the trust in you, it can be a possibility, but none of the tens of cats I TNRed lost their trust, and they are still coming and eat daily.
 

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I have trapped dozens of cats, and the level of stress and anxiety is unbelievable every time.
:yeah:
From my experience, cats are forgiver and rather forgetful.
:yeah: too.

When I was TNRing my first colony, around 30 cats in all, I'd get so stressed I'd actually throw up. I think it's just as bad for the humans as it is the cats. We always imagine how we would feel in their place, but cats don't have the same concept of time as we do and actually feel safe contained and covered. They don't get claustrophobic the way we would. Plus, you'll be the one collecting her from the vets and releasing her from the trap. That's going to be what she'll remember.

I like you idea of keeping her in a room and seeing how she adjusts. If she's a stray, rather than a true feral, she might appreciate a safe home to stay in.

Good luck, hope everything goes well.


:goodluck:
 
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lesliel76

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I have trapped dozens of cats, and the level of stress and anxiety is unbelievable every time.
There had been a period of time in 2018 when I was trapping daily, and after two weeks I had to take a break, I couldn't stand it anymore.

From my experience, cats are forgiver and rather forgetful. You might fear they will lose the trust in you, it can be a possibility, but none of the tens of cats I TNRed lost their trust, and they are still coming and eat daily.
I love reading this because yeah we made good progress as far as trust in a short time and I'm worried she will hate my guts after this. The stress of doing it this always gets me. Your a Saint for doing so many. Buy yeah also its good to take breaks.

I hope she will forgive me and we can still be friends after. I really wish there was kitty birth control pills or something you could put in their food. Why hasn't this been invented yet lol.
 
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lesliel76

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:yeah:


:yeah: too.

When I was TNRing my first colony, around 30 cats in all, I'd get so stressed I'd actually throw up. I think it's just as bad for the humans as it is the cats. We always imagine how we would feel in their place, but cats don't have the same concept of time as we do and actually feel safe contained and covered. They don't get claustrophobic the way we would. Plus, you'll be the one collecting her from the vets and releasing her from the trap. That's going to be what she'll remember.

I like you idea of keeping her in a room and seeing how she adjusts. If she's a stray, rather than a true feral, she might appreciate a safe home to stay in.

Good luck, hope everything goes well.


:goodluck:
Thank you! Yeah I've been up most of the night just from anxiety. My stomach is not great. I'm doing things like this time tomorrow you will be dropping her off at the vet and the hard part over.

Your so right I'm sure it won't be as horror movie as I'm making it in my head. It's like a kidnapping lifetime movie in my brain. But yes I'll be releasing her back and that will be a beautiful day that I will share with you.

I hope she does want to stay in but if she doesn't I'll just open the door for her. They way she seems to love the outdoors I don't know if this is an I home cat but hey let's try bc she did make herself known and seems to like her warm shelter and daily meals. She's also curious about my other cats and rolls around in front of the patio door for them. So it could work. I think I'll know pretty fast.

Thank you and will keep you posted.
 

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I hope she will forgive me and we can still be friends after.
Actually, some cats get even more afectionate or attached to the human who has trapped them. Sometimes the cat might go through a period of lessened trust, but in time the bond will be back to where it was.

I really wish there was kitty birth control pills or something you could put in their food. Why hasn't this been invented yet lol.
Well, such a pill does exist, but it is not as healthy and safe, so vets tend not to suggest it.
 

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I have trapped dozens of cats, and the level of stress and anxiety is unbelievable every time.

In my experience of trapping 20 or so cats, any cat that needs to be trapped (rather than simply grabbed by hand) is going to be very freaked out by a trap.

The absolute worst one was a cat who already knew what the regular traps were and avoided them. I had to use an RC car and a drop trap to catch her for TNVR. She was jumping around in the trap and frantically looking for an escape. I felt terrible about the whole experience but felt it was the most responsible action.
 

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Since she is very difficult to trap, I would expect you couldn't count on being able to catch her to pill her, or chance her eating the bit of food with the pill in it. There are many other cats and animals who might get the food/birth control pill and then you'd have kittens.

I did know one person who used that birth control pill for his dog. She was older and had various problems that meant surgery was dangerous. But she was a dog, willing to take pills, and lived in the house.

I should think that TNR would be less stressful for both cat and you than being certain you got that pill in her on time.
 

Antonio65

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In my experience of trapping 20 or so cats, any cat that needs to be trapped (rather than simply grabbed by hand) is going to be very freaked out by a trap.
Rather true. Most of my already trapped cats won't go near it anymore.
But, thank God, a couple of them didn't learn the lesson, and it turned out to be helpful when I had to re-trap one female who were seriously injured, but still able to walk and still attracted by food.

She was jumping around in the trap and frantically looking for an escape. I felt terrible about the whole experience but felt it was the most responsible action.
This happens even to cats who are first trapped, they jump around in the trap cage and bang their head against the wire and get injured.

This is one of the reasons why I get burned out by trapping. Seeing them fighting to get out, those scared eyes, the desperation, feeling their fear, it something that I couldn't take anymore, and after nearly 20 day of trapping, I had to take a week off.
 
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lesliel76

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So eveything went super good the day in the trap was horrible for the both of us but we survived. There was a big surprise bc I looked for this but Rosie is a boy!! Lol

She is now Romeo. He is still inside has his own space in my basement. Which is really a big room with patio doors. I tried to release him left the doors open for 2 hours and he didn't go. So we are giving indoor life a shot. He seems comfortable down there when I watch on camera but hides from me when I visit. He cries at night too which is why I tired to release.

My other cats did well with him with a gate set up and Romeo did good but I did a test without the gate and my cat Tony got into it with him so back to slow intro. It was short but hope we can recover from that. If not I will try again to release but in the meantime he is warm and fed. I started another post about Capstar for Tapeworm. My vet told me they used this to treat it and I don't find any supporting evidence for that online. If anyone has advice on that but to be sure I think I need something else.
 

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That's really good news! Go Romeo!

When I first moved house with my cats they did a lot of hiding under the sofa and wailing, but they eventually settled down. I think it's worth giving him a shot as an indoor cat.

If you haven't seen it yet, this thread should give you some encouragement.

Feral in my garage

It's really long, but if you look at the posts from this October onwards you'll see how much progress has been made.

Keep us posted!

:goodluck:
 
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lesliel76

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That's really good news! Go Romeo!

When I first moved house with my cats they did a lot of hiding under the sofa and wailing, but they eventually settled down. I think it's worth giving him a shot as an indoor cat.

If you haven't seen it yet, this thread should give you some encouragement.

Feral in my garage

It's really long, but if you look at the posts from this October onwards you'll see how much progress has been made.

Keep us posted!

:goodluck:
Ohhh Thank you for this I started reading and it's helping bc I feel a lot similar things this lady did as she went trough her experience. I feel guilty too having him down there but there are times he seems to enjoy himself. Like he rolls around but it must get lonely.

I decided I'm going to start the cat introductions with just one of my cats, Oliver. He is friendly and didn't attack Romeo at all. I kind of thought if they can be friends then maybe my more aggressive cat Tony can come later. I've only had Tony for less than 2 years and he came from the streets of Brooklyn NY. He accepted all my cats when he came inside but he is territorial like turns feral i)n 2 secs when he sees another cat nit a part of our crew. I always warn the vets if there are other cats in the back don't bring him there bc he will flip. I think it was his survival outside. Ferals in NY I find different than these country guys. But yeah he's going to be tough.

One day at a time. Either way if it doesn't work out inside he's going to be well taken care of. I will update!
 
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lesliel76

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Mr Romeo is back outside he started to poop and pee by the back door and that was enough for me. One of my indoor cats is very sick right now too and I have to focus on him. Romeo is doing excellent outside I think he was marking by the door to get out. He came back 2 hours after releasing and ate and used his shelter that night so there was no hard feelings.

Its been a few days and I'm preoccupied with my other cat now but making sure to check my camera on Romeo and he is out and about on his adventures and coming for food when he wants and his heated shelter to warm up. Thanks for the support and emotional comfort super appreciate. These forums are life savers seriously.
 
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