transfer cage, so the far end needs to be uncovered and looking like an exit. If you’retransferring into a box trap, double-check that its front door is shut.3. Attach the spring clips. Find the extra spring clips next to the frame of the droptrap's sliding door, one on either side, and attach them to the box trap or transfer cage(Figure 10-9). This will help keep both traps in place and prevent gaps from formingduring the transfer. Be careful not to pull the clips too far and tight or the door of the boxtrap or transfer cage will press too hard against the drop trap’s sliding door, making itdifficult to open and close. Once you’ve secured the clips, test opening and closing thedrop trap’s sliding door. If there’s too much resistance, loosen the spring clips and don’tpull them out as far before re-attaching.Figure 10-8 Figure 10-9 Figure 10-104. Position yourself. Place one foot on top of the box trap to further keep it in place.Make sure both the drop trap and box trap or transfer cage are fully covered so the catwon’t be able to see you when he approaches the doorway.5. Open the doors. Release the roll hooks at the top of the drop trap’s sliding door.Then, at the same time, lift up both the sliding door of the drop trap and the rear door ofthe box trap or front door of the transfer cage. Don’t completely remove the doors fromtheir frames, but hold them up (Figure 10-10). Wait quietly for the cat to make the nextmove. Within a minute or two, most cats will see light coming from the far end of thebox trap or transfer cage and head in that direction. Through the sliver of space createdbetween the sheet and blanket when you lift the doors, you should be able to see the catpass out of the drop trap. If not, pull back the sheet an inch or two from the doors sothere’s a little opening you can watch through. Once the cat fully enters the box trap orcage, close its door. If you've caught more than one cat, also shut the door of the droptrap. Completely cover the box trap and carry it away.6. Repeat transfer for any remaining cats. If there are any cats remaining in thedrop trap, completely cover the drop trap, bring over another box trap and repeat thetransfer procedure.102
7. Problem cats. Most cats will run into the box trap or transfer cage as soon as youopen both doors. Sometimes though, you’ll run into a problem kitty who won’t cooperateand stays in the drop trap. The first thing to try, especially if you’re alone, is to slowlypull the blanket on top of the drop trap towards you, exposing more and more of thespace beneath. Frightened ferals prefer to be covered and in the dark. As you pull theblanket off, the only place which will fit that description is inside the still covered boxtrap or transfer cage and that’s where the cat is likely to go.If you have someone helping you, have him to walk to the opposite side of the droptrap from you. He should then lift the blanket from that side, kneel down to the cat’s eyelevel and stare right at him, being careful to remain far enough back to avoid gettingscratched. The cat will usually respond by running in the other direction, towards thedoorway. If the cat still won’t go, your partner can try gently poking a long, thin rod orstick towards the cat to encourage him to run away, hopefully into the box trap or transfercage.If all else fails, be patient and wait quietly. Eventually, the cat will start exploringand looking for a way out.8. Two cats enter the box trap. If you caught more than one cat with the droptrap and two go into the box trap or transfer cage at the same time, shut the doors andimmediately separate them with a trap divider. Then transfer one into another box trap orcage (see “Transfers from traps” in Chapter 9).If you forgot to bring a trap divider, cover the box trap or transfer cage completelyand see if the cats remain calm. If they do, wait until you have a divider or havetransported them to a secure indoor space before doing a transfer. If they are not calmand you fear an injury, you may have to attempt a transfer out at the trapping site withouta divider. One possibility, as an absolute last resort, is to transfer one or more of themback under the drop trap and then try again to get one at a time out. They might not be soquick to come out of the drop trap, though, the second time around.9. Escapes. If a cat escapes by getting out from under the drop trap before it hitsthe ground or during the transfer – don’t give up! He may return later and go under thedrop trap again. It may help if there are other cats in the colony who the escaped cat canobserve going under and eating without incident. Don’t drop the trap again until yourescapee has been caught. Disassembling the trapDisconnect the top by pulling the spring clips loose. Important! – re-attach thespring clips onto the top of the main frame. Don’t let the clips hang loose or they’llbecome tangled with other parts of the trap and may break. Also attach the two clips bythe sliding door onto the main frame. (If you need extra or replacement spring clips, youcan order them from Tomahawk Live Trap – www.livetrap.com.)Untie the cord from the prop stick and wind it up. Next, raise the weight flap and reattachit to the main frame with the roll hooks. Insert the sliding door if it’s beenremoved. Then fold the main frame flat. The main frame will then fit inside the top,which folds in half like a suitcase.103
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TNR HandbookThe Guide to Trap-Neute
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Table of ContentsForeword by Susan
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Chapter Ten: The Neighborhood Cats
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ForewordOne of the first ferals I e
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Introduction“If we keep ‘em in
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2. What is Trap-Neuter-Return?Trap-
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c) Fewer nuisance complaints. As me
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and as their hunger grows, they wil
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3. The TNR Process - An OverviewEve
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After you’ve determined how many
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for this purpose. Once you can talk
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like the board of a homeowners asso
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information provided because of the
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act to discourage cats from enterin
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epel. It operates on four “C” b
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• Free-standing fencesPurrfect Fe
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• Type of feeding stationThe perf
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Amazon (www.amazon.com) for “Le B
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will be drawn to this easily reache
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a search for “heated water bowl
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interior warm enough to prevent or
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food works best for your budget, th
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steroids, tranquilizers, anesthetic
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weather, loud construction work nea
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• Feralvilla Outdoor Cat ShelterD
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• Styrofoam boxesRestaurants and
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Another option is the Snuggle Safe
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- Page 62 and 63: three more traps than the number of
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- Page 66 and 67: 11 inches in height. In our opinion
- Page 68 and 69: trap are attached. The transfer doo
- Page 70 and 71: Feral cat densNeighborhood Cats Fer
- Page 72 and 73: drop trap (code: KITDT) - see Figur
- Page 74 and 75: That said, not every community offe
- Page 76 and 77: practice. In our experience, there
- Page 78 and 79: saving one day. Also remember, you
- Page 80 and 81: intrusions you and others make into
- Page 82 and 83: doing so. Don’t check too frequen
- Page 84 and 85: Winter trappingSome trappers in nor
- Page 86 and 87: around and inflict a severe bite or
- Page 88 and 89: The bottle-and-string method is use
- Page 90 and 91: you let her go right away, there is
- Page 92 and 93: If you might have to care for unwea
- Page 94 and 95: Unless a caretaker objects on relig
- Page 96 and 97: Caddie” by Tomahawk (see Figure 9
- Page 98 and 99: effective, some experienced trapper
- Page 100 and 101: feet long, and lean it up against a
- Page 102 and 103: sodium hypochlorite on the label of
- Page 104 and 105: PreparationsAs with any trapping, i
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- Page 120 and 121: • Special instructionsAny special
- Page 122 and 123: The FVRCP vaccine, also known as th
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- Page 128 and 129: “snap” test, it produces a resu
- Page 130 and 131: In our experience, the primary caus
- Page 132 and 133: Before releasing a spayed female, r
- Page 134 and 135: has been created and one set of cat
- Page 136 and 137: and water bowls - see the Feral Cat
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- Page 140 and 141: long will show signs of being socia
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- Page 144 and 145: When they’re verycomfortable with
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- Page 156 and 157: 18. Feral Cat ResourcesBooks Implem
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Petco Foundation (4Rs Project Suppo
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ToolkitsAction Kit: Advocating for
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Appendix BHOW TO BUILDTHE NEIGHBORH
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5. Place piece E two inches back fr
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Trap LogProject/Colony: ___________
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In memory ofBobby Kergis1952 - 2011