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Neighborhood Cats has worked withTomahawk Live Trap to design a den with addedsafety features. Most importantly, the side doorcan be locked closed (or open) with an attachedspring clip (Figure 8-7). Without the side doorlock, there is a risk a feral cat could work the den’sside door open and escape during transport.Because, to our knowledge, no other model on themarket offers a side door lock, this is the only feralcat den we recommend.Figure 8-7Other added features which we helped design area more comfortable handle, a steel cable attaching the front door clip to the handle androunded corners on the front sliding door to help prevent chipping if the door isaccidentally dropped.In addition to the choice between a grey or white den, Tomahawk also offers a tintedor clear front guillotine door. For feral cats, the clear door is usually the better choice,giving you more opportunity to observe the cat when he’s inside.Because the Neighborhood Cats Feral Cat Den is 17 inches high, higher than mosttraps, be careful when transferring a cat out of a trap not to pull the den’s door up anyhigher than the trap itself. Otherwise you create a gap which a cat could try to squeezethrough. Transfer cagesA transfer cage is designed specifically for moving a cat out of a trap. It has aguillotine-style front door which lines up with the rear door of a trap. Transfer cages canbe used to free up traps or to transport cats. They’re not large enough to confine the catsfor more than a short period and, because they lack a side door like a feral cat den,they’re not suitable for use in cages for long-term confinement. Because of their limitedusefulness, it’s not an item we keep on hand at Neighborhood Cats. However, there aremany TNR groups which do use them frequently.Generally, the best practice is to buy transfer cages made by the same manufactureras your trap so the dimensions of the front door of the transfer cage exactly match thoseof the rear door of the trap. If you buy from different manufacturers, make sure theheight and width of the transfer cage is close enough to the dimensions of your trap toprevent gaps which a cat can escape through during a transfer.TNR Cat Transfer Cage by TomahawkModel 306NC (20”L x 11”W x 12”H)Tomahawk Live Trap, www.livetrap.com; 1-800-272-8727This model matches the Neighborhood Cats Traps, Models 606NC and 608NC, andthe Neighborhood Cats Drop Trap (Model DT-1). It can be purchased as a kit with the65