In our experience, the primary cause of illness in ferals, including FIV and FeLV, hasmore to do with proper colony management than the presence of any virus. Colonieswith lots of sick cats are invariably ones that receive poor or insufficient nutrition, haveinadequate shelter from cold, rain, wind, snow, etc., and are unneutered and reproducing.These conditions lead to weakened immune systems and susceptibility to disease. Thebest way to prevent the spread of disease is not by testing and removing individual cats,but by improving the quality of food, making sure the cats have warm, dry shelter andgetting them sterilized.6. The life of a FIV or FeLV positive cat has value, tooAt <strong>Neighborhood</strong> <strong>Cats</strong>, we euthanize cats only if they are actively ill, suffering andterminal. We believe all lives, including positive cats, have value. If a feral cat was totest FIV or FeLV positive, but showed no signs of illness, we would return him to hiscolony. As a result, there’s no point in our testing as a matter of routine. We only test ifthe cat will be placed for adoption or is sick and the results are needed for diagnosis andtreatment, including determining whether euthanasia is appropriate.There have been a few instances when we knowingly returned FIV or FeLV positivebut asymptomatic cats back to their colonies. These colonies were neutered and wellmanaged. We have yet to observe other cats falling ill as a consequence. <strong>Cats</strong> who areknown to be positive do need to be closely observed for signs of the terminal stage of theillness, such as weight loss, persistent upper respiratory infections, drooling or difficultyeating. <strong>Cats</strong> exhibiting any of these signs should be re-trapped and examined by aveterinarian.If your veterinarian insists on testing, anyway….Despite these reasons for not testing every cat, some veterinarians and clinics mayinsist upon testing as a condition for using their services or giving you a discount rate. Ifthat’s the case, then find out before you bring in any cats what their policy is for treatingcats who do test positive. Most of the time, they will not follow up with a more definitivelaboratory test and will euthanize the cat based on the ELISA results alone. If this is thepolicy, we recommend you do not work with that particular veterinarian or clinic if youhave any other spay/neuter alternatives. As the caretaker of the colony, the one whowatches over, worries about and feeds the cats on a daily basis, it is your right to decidetheir fate. The veterinarian or clinic is there to help you care for the cats, not make lifeor-deathdecisions for you. Feral cats are not second-class animals and should receive thesame consideration as a pet. No veterinary professional would presume to decide for theguardian of a pet cat that the animal should be euthanized, nor should they do so for oneof your feral wards.124
14. Recovery & ReturnPeople often say TNR standsfor “trap-neuter-release,” but thebetter and more accurate definitionis “trap-neuter-return.” The cats arenot simply being released randomly.They’re being returned back to theirown territory – their home. Thedifference is important because TNRis not about letting cats go to fendfor themselves or create newcolonies. It’s about improving thelives of cats who are already outthere and making them betterneighbors.photo: Bryan Kortis Length of recovery period<strong>Cats</strong> should be given time after their surgeries to recuperate before returning them totheir colony. Not only do the cats need time to recover, but also a period of observationis needed to ensure there are no post-surgical complications, such as excessive bleeding,lethargy or infection.Among experienced TNR programs, the normal hold time varies from a minimum of24 hours to a maximum of 72 hours. Anything less than 24 hours falls below anygenerally accepted standard of humane care.At <strong>Neighborhood</strong> <strong>Cats</strong>, we recommend 48 hours for males and 48 to 72 hours forfemales, provided they are doing well. For a routine spay, 72 hours is preferred, ifresources permit, because spay surgery is more invasive than a neuter and the additionaltime can ensure they’re making an optimal recovery. When a mid- to late-term abortionhas been performed as part of the spay surgery, we recommend holding the cat four tofive days. Follow these guidelines for recovery times unless a cat is visibly ill or is beingtreated for an injury. In those cases, seek appropriate veterinary care and continue tohold the cat until the condition is resolved.On occasion, a cat will not eat for the first 24 hours after surgery. If this occurs, offera few other tempting food choices such as Fancy Feast, cooked chicken or tuna. If the catis still not eating after another day or so, but otherwise appears fully alert andasymptomatic, he may not be eating simply because of the stress of confinement and itcould be better to let him go rather than continue to hold him. If the cat is symptomatic,consult a veterinarian prior to release.125
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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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apart. Knowing the correct number,
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4. Schedule the spay/neuterAfter yo
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three more traps than the number of
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Tomahawk Live Trap- Neighborhood Ca
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11 inches in height. In our opinion
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trap are attached. The transfer doo
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Feral cat densNeighborhood Cats Fer
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drop trap (code: KITDT) - see Figur
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That said, not every community offe
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practice. In our experience, there
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saving one day. Also remember, you
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- Page 168: In memory ofBobby Kergis1952 - 2011