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- Sep 21, 2008
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Several presumably feral cats live behind my workplace and are fed by multiple people from my work and other neighboring businesses. We can get 5-10 feet away from the cats, no closer. We suspect that all the cats are female, since one is calico and nobody has had kittens this past year that we're aware of ("Mama" had kittens last winter). It would be nice to get them spayed, though, lest any tomcats move into the neighborhood.
I arranged a date to try to trap the cats. I am to bring them into the TNR place in the morning, pick them up in the afternoon, and then leave them in the traps overnight and release them the following morning. They have a sort-of shelter from the elements outside, a big plywood board leaning against a structure.
My coworker is very opposed to the idea of my leaving the cats outside in the traps overnight after the spaying. She fears that the cats will panic in the traps and have a heart attack, or that a skunk will spray them, or a raccoon claw at them and they won't be able to get away. She feels that this is too risky and traumatic on the cats and it would be better to just leave the cats unspayed.
She asked if I had a garage to keep the cats in after the spaying, but I do not. I can't imagine toting scared feral cats home to my apartment for the night, either. I would think that the strange smells of the indoors would be even scarier for the cats than just leaving them in their usual outdoor shelter under the plywood. The forecast low temp for the night of the spay is 46, high temp 60.
My coworker is making me second-guess my TNR plan, now. Honestly, I really don't want to do this myself. I would happily have paid some expert to do it, but it appears there is nobody who will. Nobody else is volunteering to trap the cats. (If any of you live in Geauga County, Ohio, and want to help me out, please message me!!!) I don't want to put the cats at risk or traumatize them, but I think it would be wise to get them fixed.
Advice is much appreciated!
I arranged a date to try to trap the cats. I am to bring them into the TNR place in the morning, pick them up in the afternoon, and then leave them in the traps overnight and release them the following morning. They have a sort-of shelter from the elements outside, a big plywood board leaning against a structure.
My coworker is very opposed to the idea of my leaving the cats outside in the traps overnight after the spaying. She fears that the cats will panic in the traps and have a heart attack, or that a skunk will spray them, or a raccoon claw at them and they won't be able to get away. She feels that this is too risky and traumatic on the cats and it would be better to just leave the cats unspayed.
She asked if I had a garage to keep the cats in after the spaying, but I do not. I can't imagine toting scared feral cats home to my apartment for the night, either. I would think that the strange smells of the indoors would be even scarier for the cats than just leaving them in their usual outdoor shelter under the plywood. The forecast low temp for the night of the spay is 46, high temp 60.
My coworker is making me second-guess my TNR plan, now. Honestly, I really don't want to do this myself. I would happily have paid some expert to do it, but it appears there is nobody who will. Nobody else is volunteering to trap the cats. (If any of you live in Geauga County, Ohio, and want to help me out, please message me!!!) I don't want to put the cats at risk or traumatize them, but I think it would be wise to get them fixed.
Advice is much appreciated!