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5. Food & WaterFood forms the basic connection betweenhumans and feral cats. The cats reside at aspecific location because there’s a food source,almost always supplied by people in one manneror another. What kind of food is provided andhow can go a long way in determining thehealth of the colony and the quality of relationswith neighbors. That said, every colony isdifferent and caretakers must adapt to theconditions at their site as well as balance theirown time and budgetary constraints. As is sooften the case with feral cats, you do the bestyou can. Feeding stations• Placementphoto: Meredith WeissWhere to place the feeding station is the first thing to consider when setting one up.Ideally, the spot will be easily accessed by the caretaker, but out of sight and notaccessible to the public. The privacy protects the cats and allows them to feel secureabout using the feeding station. This is why, if you live in a house and the colony is oftenon your property, it would be much better to feed in the backyard where few peoplewould see or have access than in the front driveway.It is not always possible to feed out of sight and at a location other people can’t reach,but aim for getting as close to this as you can. If your colony is in a lot that people walkby, feed as far away from the sidewalk as possible and hide the food and water behind awall or pile of rocks. If the cats live behind a factory, pick a spot that’s little traveled andshield it from view behind some old boards.Many times, the visibility of a feeding station is directly related to how often cats areabandoned at a site. The more people see cats are being cared for at a certain location,the more likely someone will choose to abandon an animal there. It’s another reason forbeing discrete.If the location is secure, you can store food on site. For dry food,use a weatherproof storage container like a Vittles Vault, available atPetSmart and Petco stores and many online retailers. Store thecontainer inside a Rubbermaid bin near the feeding station.28
• Type of feeding stationThe perfect feeding station shields the food and water from the elements and hasroom for a cat or two to be inside while eating. The type of station you set up willdepend on where it’s located and what the property owner will permit. If you feed in aspot open to the public, you might not be able to put out equipment that could be easilydamaged or removed. Or if the property owner won’t allow you to use a structure of anykind, your options are also limited. On the other hand, if you’re feeding in a privatelocation that you own and have complete say over what goes where, you can be aselaborate as you’d like. The goal is to get as close to the ideal as circumstances allow.Rubbermaid binYou can turn a Rubbermaid storagebin into a station by cutting out anopening in one of the longer sides ofthe bin with a box cutter, leaving a lipof about three inches off the ground tokeep out any ground water from rain(Figure 5-1). A large opening like thisis needed to prevent a dominant catfrom going in and keeping everyoneelse out.Rubbermaid brand bins arerecommended because, in ourFigure 5-1experience, they are better made for therigors of the outdoors, like freezing temperatures, and will last longer before cracking andneeding to be replaced. If you use a box cutter to make an opening, start by tracing thedoorway lightly with the edge of the blade, then keep re-tracing the same lines, cutting ina little deeper each time. Don’t try to slice all the way through at once.Instead of one large opening in the front,you can cut two smaller openings, one on eachof the bin’s narrower sides (Figure 5-2).Again, leave a lip of a few inches on thebottom. Having two doorways and not justone will help prevent one cat from taking overthe whole cafeteria.The bins in the photos are 55 gallons inFigure 5-2size. If more suitable to the location, asmaller bin, such as a 30 gallon, can be used.If even a 30 gallon bin is too large andnoticeable for your site, then try to use one thatwill at least protect the food and water from the elements and allow the cats to stick theirheads in to eat and drink. Feeding stations made from storage bins are easy to cleanbecause they’re plastic, have a removable top and are quick to assemble.29
Page 1 and 2: TNR HandbookThe Guide to Trap-Neute
Page 3 and 4: Table of ContentsForeword by Susan
Page 5 and 6: Chapter Ten: The Neighborhood Cats
Page 7 and 8: ForewordOne of the first ferals I e
Page 9: Introduction“If we keep ‘em in
Page 12 and 13: 2. What is Trap-Neuter-Return?Trap-
Page 14 and 15: c) Fewer nuisance complaints. As me
Page 17 and 18: and as their hunger grows, they wil
Page 19 and 20: 3. The TNR Process - An OverviewEve
Page 21 and 22: After you’ve determined how many
Page 23 and 24: for this purpose. Once you can talk
Page 25 and 26: like the board of a homeowners asso
Page 27 and 28: information provided because of the
Page 29 and 30: act to discourage cats from enterin
Page 31 and 32: epel. It operates on four “C” b
Page 33: • Free-standing fencesPurrfect Fe
Page 37 and 38: Amazon (www.amazon.com) for “Le B
Page 39 and 40: will be drawn to this easily reache
Page 41 and 42: a search for “heated water bowl
Page 43 and 44: interior warm enough to prevent or
Page 45 and 46: food works best for your budget, th
Page 47 and 48: steroids, tranquilizers, anesthetic
Page 49: weather, loud construction work nea
Page 52 and 53: • Feralvilla Outdoor Cat ShelterD
Page 54 and 55: • Styrofoam boxesRestaurants and
Page 56 and 57: Another option is the Snuggle Safe
Page 58 and 59: apart. Knowing the correct number,
Page 60 and 61: 4. Schedule the spay/neuterAfter yo
Page 62 and 63: three more traps than the number of
Page 64 and 65: Tomahawk Live Trap- Neighborhood Ca
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
Page 106 and 107:
4. Anchor the trap. Place a heavy o
Page 108 and 109:
transfer cage, so the far end needs
Page 110 and 111:
11. Caring for Cats in TrapsWhile t
Page 112 and 113:
Feeding and cleaningThe traps shoul
Page 114 and 115:
7. Secure the rear doorAfter you’
Page 116 and 117:
Figure 12-1 shows the Setup fullyas
Page 118 and 119:
unlikely the cat would be able to o
Page 120 and 121:
• Special instructionsAny special
Page 122 and 123:
The FVRCP vaccine, also known as th
Page 124 and 125:
difficult without the ability to te
Page 126 and 127:
windpipe and cut off her breathing.
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
Page 138 and 139:
enforcement agency will tell you if
Page 140 and 141:
long will show signs of being socia
Page 142 and 143:
feral at all yet and may tame immed
Page 144 and 145:
When they’re verycomfortable with
Page 146 and 147:
socialize enough, which is very lik
Page 148 and 149:
When the cat no longer uses the cag
Page 150 and 151:
alternatives, like scratching posts
Page 152 and 153:
• Where to lookIn order to attrac
Page 154 and 155:
In case you’re unable to return t
Page 156 and 157:
18. Feral Cat ResourcesBooks Implem
Page 158 and 159:
Petco Foundation (4Rs Project Suppo
Page 160 and 161:
ToolkitsAction Kit: Advocating for
Page 162 and 163:
Appendix BHOW TO BUILDTHE NEIGHBORH
Page 164 and 165:
5. Place piece E two inches back fr
Page 166 and 167:
Trap LogProject/Colony: ___________
Page 168:
In memory ofBobby Kergis1952 - 2011
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