TNR Handbook - Neighborhood Cats
TNR Handbook - Neighborhood Cats TNR Handbook - Neighborhood Cats
The Neighborhood Cats TNR Handbook Amount of food and attracting new cats One of the advantages often claimed for TNR is that a neutered colony of cats will defend their territory against intrusions by new, unneutered cats and thereby prevent the reproductive cycle from starting up again at that location. The truth is a bit more complicated. One key factor in determining how well a colony defends against newcomers is the size of the food source. If there is always more food available than the colony cats need, then they have little motivation to exclude strangers. On the other hand, if food is in short supply, the cats have powerful reasons for defending their territory. The key is to find the right balance and feed your cats what they need, but without being excessive and attracting the rest of the ferals in the neighborhood. Clean up! One easy way to avoid friction with neighbors is to keep the area where you feed clean. Pick up and remove empty cans, plates, plastic spoons, etc., even if someone else left the debris there. Not only is a mess unsightly for residents, it could result in a health code violation for the property owner for creating an unsanitary condition. If you can, help keep the general area clean and not only the feeding area. This will reinforce the impression that your presence at the site is a benefit to the community. • Feeding tricks Ants Ants can be kept out of food by building a small moat. Take a pan, tray or Tupperware container – anything flat, wide and with raised edges – and fill it with a quarter inch or so of water. Then place the food in a bowl and place the bowl in the middle of the pan. The water will keep ants from reaching the food while the cats can easily lean over and eat. Slugs The best way to keep slugs out of the food is to feed them separately. Sprinkle bits of dry food on the ground several inches away from the cats’ bowls and dishes. The slugs will eat this more easily reached dinner before they’ll go through the trouble of climbing up into the bowls. Flies Flies are mostly a problem when wet food is left out in hot weather. They’ll land on dry food, too, but not nearly as much. During the hot season, leave out wet food only at night to avoid them. Rain If you can’t place a covered feeding station on your site, you can still put food out and protect it from the rain. Take a round Tupperware container a few inches in height and with a diameter of approximately nine to twelve inches and fill it with dry food. Then take the lid, turn it upside down and use it to cover the container and food. Put a few 19
The Neighborhood Cats TNR Handbook pieces of dry food on top of the turned-over lid. The lid, even upside down, will keep the rain out of the food. When the cats come by after the rain stops, they’ll smell the food in the container and push the lid off to get at it. Fences If you feed through a fence, keep the food and water out of arm’s reach of anyone walking by. To do this, fill the food and water containers and place them by hand on the other side of the fence. Then use an “arm extender” to push the food and water as far back as possible. It’s even better if you can push the dishes behind a bush or pile of rocks and hide them at least partially from view. Arm extenders are what stores use to reach items on high shelves, are inexpensive (approximately $8) and can be found at most hardware stores. Pigeons Pigeons nest and sleep after the sun goes down. Avoid having them eat the cats’ food by feeding after dark. Raccoons Raccoons sleep during the day and are primarily nocturnal creatures. To avoid attracting them, cat food should be placed out during daylight and removed by dark. • Preventing water from freezing A common problem during the winter in cold weather climates is how to prevent the cats’ water from freezing. While cats usually drink very little water, they do need some. This is especially true when they’re being fed mostly dry food, as is often the case in wintertime when wet food freezing is also a problem. There are a number of ways to either keep the water unfrozen or at least slow down the freezing process. Which method you choose will greatly depend on your colony’s circumstances. If you’re feeding them in your own backyard, then an electrically heated water bowl is an option. But if you travel to a vacant lot and feed behind a pile of old tires, a small Styrofoam box or just a deep, wide dish may be your best choice. One common myth is that it’s better to put out hot water than cold because the hot water supposedly will take longer to freeze. The reverse is true. Warm water evaporates quickly in cold temperatures, leaving less water in the bowl. This lesser quantity will freeze faster than if colder water had initially been used. In other words, don’t heat up the water. Here are some ideas to keep the tap flowing: 1. Electrically heated water bowl This is the ideal solution when circumstances allow. A cord supplies electricity to the bowl, which remains heated at all times. The water will evaporate relatively quickly, so the bowl needs to be large and re-filled everyday with a gallon of water. Wet food can be placed in one of these bowls as well, but will quickly dry up. One product you can try: 20
- Page 1 and 2: The Neighborhood Cats TNR Handbook
- Page 3 and 4: Contents The Neighborhood Cats TNR
- Page 5 and 6: The Neighborhood Cats TNR Handbook
- Page 7 and 8: Foreword The Neighborhood Cats TNR
- Page 9 and 10: The Neighborhood Cats TNR Handbook
- Page 11 and 12: The Neighborhood Cats TNR Handbook
- Page 13 and 14: The Neighborhood Cats TNR Handbook
- Page 15 and 16: The Neighborhood Cats TNR Handbook
- Page 17 and 18: The Neighborhood Cats TNR Handbook
- Page 19 and 20: The Neighborhood Cats TNR Handbook
- Page 21 and 22: The Neighborhood Cats TNR Handbook
- Page 23 and 24: The Neighborhood Cats TNR Handbook
- Page 25: The Neighborhood Cats TNR Handbook
- Page 29 and 30: The Neighborhood Cats TNR Handbook
- Page 31 and 32: The Neighborhood Cats TNR Handbook
- Page 33 and 34: The Neighborhood Cats TNR Handbook
- Page 35 and 36: 6. Winter Shelter The Neighborhood
- Page 37 and 38: The Neighborhood Cats TNR Handbook
- Page 39 and 40: The Neighborhood Cats TNR Handbook
- Page 41 and 42: The Neighborhood Cats TNR Handbook
- Page 43 and 44: The Neighborhood Cats TNR Handbook
- Page 45 and 46: 8. Trapping The Neighborhood Cats T
- Page 47 and 48: This is easily gotten around by tap
- Page 49 and 50: The Neighborhood Cats TNR Handbook
- Page 51 and 52: The Neighborhood Cats TNR Handbook
- Page 53 and 54: The Neighborhood Cats TNR Handbook
- Page 55 and 56: The Neighborhood Cats TNR Handbook
- Page 57 and 58: The Neighborhood Cats TNR Handbook
- Page 59 and 60: The Neighborhood Cats TNR Handbook
- Page 61 and 62: The Neighborhood Cats TNR Handbook
- Page 63 and 64: • Hard-to-catch cats The Neighbor
- Page 65 and 66: The Neighborhood Cats TNR Handbook
- Page 67 and 68: The Neighborhood Cats TNR Handbook
- Page 69 and 70: • Directions for use by Laura Bur
- Page 71 and 72: The Neighborhood Cats TNR Handbook
- Page 73 and 74: 10. Caring for Cats in Traps The Ne
- Page 75 and 76: The Neighborhood Cats TNR Handbook
The <strong>Neighborhood</strong> <strong>Cats</strong> <strong>TNR</strong> <strong>Handbook</strong><br />
Amount of food and attracting new cats<br />
One of the advantages often claimed for <strong>TNR</strong> is that a neutered colony of cats will<br />
defend their territory against intrusions by new, unneutered cats and thereby prevent the<br />
reproductive cycle from starting up again at that location. The truth is a bit more<br />
complicated. One key factor in determining how well a colony defends against<br />
newcomers is the size of the food source. If there is always more food available than<br />
the colony cats need, then they have little motivation to exclude strangers. On the other<br />
hand, if food is in short supply, the cats have powerful reasons for defending their<br />
territory. The key is to find the right balance and feed your cats what they need, but<br />
without being excessive and attracting the rest of the ferals in the neighborhood.<br />
Clean up!<br />
One easy way to avoid friction with neighbors is to keep the area where you feed<br />
clean. Pick up and remove empty cans, plates, plastic spoons, etc., even if someone else<br />
left the debris there. Not only is a mess unsightly for residents, it could result in a health<br />
code violation for the property owner for creating an unsanitary condition. If you can,<br />
help keep the general area clean and not only the feeding area. This will reinforce the<br />
impression that your presence at the site is a benefit to the community.<br />
• Feeding tricks<br />
Ants<br />
Ants can be kept out of food by building a small moat. Take a pan, tray or<br />
Tupperware container – anything flat, wide and with raised edges – and fill it with a<br />
quarter inch or so of water. Then place the food in a bowl and place the bowl in the<br />
middle of the pan. The water will keep ants from reaching the food while the cats can<br />
easily lean over and eat.<br />
Slugs<br />
The best way to keep slugs out of the food is to feed them separately. Sprinkle bits of<br />
dry food on the ground several inches away from the cats’ bowls and dishes. The slugs<br />
will eat this more easily reached dinner before they’ll go through the trouble of climbing<br />
up into the bowls.<br />
Flies<br />
Flies are mostly a problem when wet food is left out in hot weather. They’ll land on<br />
dry food, too, but not nearly as much. During the hot season, leave out wet food only at<br />
night to avoid them.<br />
Rain<br />
If you can’t place a covered feeding station on your site, you can still put food out and<br />
protect it from the rain. Take a round Tupperware container a few inches in height and<br />
with a diameter of approximately nine to twelve inches and fill it with dry food. Then<br />
take the lid, turn it upside down and use it to cover the container and food. Put a few<br />
19
Change language