Questions About The Safety Of Tnr?

[jen]

Yes if any of them have ears tipped that would be a sure sign. All TNR cats should have ears tipped.

 

[Willowy]

Yeah, but if somebody in the neighborhood did it privately they might not have known to tip the ears. Hmm. Does it seem like they go anywhere else for food?

 

[misskalamata]

Do you think someone has already spayed them? It's almost impossible for an unspayed cat to not get pregent in over a year, let alone several females. Cats usually have 2-3 litters a year. Which is why, yes, it's always worth it to spay them!

I hate to even ask this... but is it possible for her to have been pregnant with kittens that died in the womb and stayed inside her? I assume that's not possible, that she would be seriously ill if that happened. In November, we thought she was pregnant, but no kittens appeared, and she still looks big, so we've just been assuming that she is just fat from multiple people feeding her, or just fluffed up for the winter.

Or could she have had kittens and hidden them very well? There is no sign at all. The kittens a year and a half ago, people saw them.

She doesn't seem eartipped, but I can only get so close.

Ideally, you would have a recovery cage (a medium-to-large dog crate). Cardboard should be put down (you can "pre-season" a few flat pieces by putting them down in the cats' home area, to get the scents of home) on the floor of the crate. A cardboard box as a cave, and a litter box of some sort with leaves and dirt also from the cats territory placed behind it and kitties will be more comfortable and less scared. I still cover it all with a blanket or towels. Food & water dishes can be attached to the door but typically, the cats are released prior to that.

It sounds like, after the spay, they will give the cat back to me in the same trap with some food inside, and I will keep her in there until the following morning. There was no discussion of moving her into a larger enclosure, and I'm not sure I could handle doing so anyway. I guess that's not too comfortable for the cat, but it's only for the night. They said they express her bladder beforehand to minimize messes in the trap.

If I had more time I could search around for different TNR organizations, but for several reasons we would like the spaying to be done very soon.

 

[fionasmom]

It is standard procedure around here to return the feral to the trap and let it be brought home that way. I have never had a problem with that and transferring the cat to a cage and then trying to get it back to a carrier could be difficult.

I doubt that she retained kittens, but have seen just about every other scenario over the years. No kittens appear, one kitten appears, etc. I have also trapped my share of "ferals" who were already fixed because someone did not do ear tipping, or did it so slightly or incorrectly that it was not clearly visible.

 

[misskalamata]

I'm so grateful for everyone's input.

One more question that I hope someone can answer in the next 6 hours:
I have two traps. When one cat gets caught, what should I do? Wait and hope that the second cat gets caught, too? Cover the trap with the cat, but don't move it yet? Or should I immediately take it to my car? Which would alarm the second cat more ... seeing her mama sitting there trapped, or me walking into the cats' area and carrying the trap away?

How far apart should I place the two traps? We feed the cats in a rather narrow area along the side of a trailer. If I place the second trap away from the cat area, I think I might get the raccoon instead. (Too bad the vet wouldn't neuter the raccoon ... I would be okay with that! No baby 'coons to steal the kitty food...)

Alley Cat Allies says to secure the doors of the traps with carabiners or twist ties, but it sounds a little dangerous to stick my hands in the trap to do that.

 

[Willowy]

I have two traps. When one cat gets caught, what should I do? Wait and hope that the second cat gets caught, too? Cover the trap with the cat, but don't move it yet?

Generally the sound of the trap closing will make the other cats run. So immediately go collect the trapped cat and then give them time to calm down. Of course, take it on a case-by-case basis---if for some reason one doesn't run and is sniffing around the other trap, don't interrupt them.

Alley Cat Allies says to secure the doors of the traps with carabiners or twist ties, but it sounds a little dangerous to stick my hands in the trap to do that.

They're usually too scared to attack so that shouldn't be a problem. Of course, take each cat as an individual, and be careful. Leather gloves would be a good investment.

Be super sure the traps are set properly! I lost one cat due to not setting the spring right and he never went in the trap again.

 

[lutece]

I hate to even ask this... but is it possible for her to have been pregnant with kittens that died in the womb and stayed inside her?

When kittens die in utero, if it's not too far along in the pregnancy the fetuses will just be reabsorbed by the body. If it's far along in the pregnancy, they will be expelled by the body. In the very, very rare case that a kitten dies and is not expelled, it's possible for a kitten to be "mummified" and stay inside the mother cat for an extended period... but this really is a very rare and unusual occurrence, so I wouldn't worry about it. It is more likely that this cat just has a round belly for other reasons.

 

[misskalamata]

Well, today's trapping failed. I'll try again Thursday. She was too smart to go in the trap.

 

[fionasmom]

That happens, so don't be discouraged. As for ties on the trap, I have never used any on a secure Havahart type trap. But wear gloves and wear them when you release the cat as well.

 

[misskalamata]

I think my "good idea" to get the cats comfortable with the traps backfired. I got one of the traps on Friday, zip-tied it open so it could not shut, placed it in the cats' shelter area, and instructed the other cat feeders to put the food inside the open trap. I figured this would get the cats comfortable with going inside.

But it is the raccoon who seems to have been getting most of the cat food (You can tell, because the water dish is a muddy mess after it's been there). So, instead of the cat associating the trap with "This is where I eat", I guess the cat associates the trap with "This is where the raccoon eats". So she doesn't want to go in.

Any suggestions on how to keep the raccoon out of the cat food? (It's a cute raccoon; if it wasn't hogging all the food, I wouldn't begrudge it a little snack. It doesn't seem to fight with the cats, although they defer to it).

Later in the day, long after I'd given up the trapping attempt, I returned to put a bit more food out. The braver kitty was lying in the grass. I slowly approached and inched closer until I was sitting 4 feet away from her. She let me sit there taking photos for maybe 10 minutes. Might she sometime let me get near enough to grab her? The second kitty wouldn't let me get that close.

 

[fionasmom]

She might but use caution and I don't know if you are there yet. One of my ferals from last year now lets me pat her and play with her but is still cautious and will swat. She was TNRed as a kitten and I have tried to gauge from her whether or not I could throw a towel over her and am not sure that it would work. Is the raccoon nocturnal? Can you alter your time of day? I trapped the cats last year by not giving them breakfast and then putting KFC in the trap but I do see your point.

 

[white shadow]

.
M misskalamata - don't attempt to grab this (or any) cat, unless you are clad in a head-to-toe suit of armor! I learned this lesson.....the hard way.

You would also risk the destruction of any trust that she may have in you.
.

 

[kittychick]

Did you ever manage to catch any of "your brood"? Was re-reading this thread & wondering if you'd had any TNR success?