download/print - Neighborhood Cats
download/print - Neighborhood Cats
download/print - Neighborhood Cats
- No tags were found...
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
Winter trappingSome trappers in northern climates don’tlike to trap during the winter because thefemales have their stomachs shaved for thespay/neuter surgery and lose some protectionagainst the cold. They also believe, in general,that frigid temperatures and conditions are toohard on the cats for them to be TNR’ed in thoseconditions. <strong>Neighborhood</strong> <strong>Cats</strong> is based in NewYork City with its northeastern climate and weactually prefer trapping in the wintertime. Thecats’ coats thicken up in the autumn and they’reprepared to handle the cold. There are far fewerphoto: Bryan Kortispregnancies, almost no kittens or nursingmothers to deal with, and fixing the cats overthe winter gets you a big step ahead of the spring kitten season. However, we will onlytrap during the cold season if we know the cats have warm, dry shelter. As long as theyhave a good place to bed down in, our experience is they do perfectly fine after beingfixed and released. If we’re not sure they have adequate housing, we’ll place shelters outinto the cats’ territory before any trapping begins. Only if we can’t place shelters out andare unsure whether the cats have a good place to stay warm, will we hold back fromtrapping.Other winter preparations include making sure there is plenty of fresh straw stuffedinto the shelters and, if possible, placing the shelters close to the feeding station so thecats won’t have to travel far in the cold. It also helps to ask your veterinarian tominimize the amount of fur shaved off a female’sbelly.During the trapping, ensure both trapped cats andyourself have quick access to a warm space at alltimes, even if it’s your car. You may need to use dryfood in addition to, or instead of, your favorite baitbecause any kind of moist food will quickly freeze inlow temperatures. Likewise, you may need toreplenish your bait more frequently than in warmerconditions. After the surgeries, if there may be asudden snowstorm or unexpected snap of bitter cold,be prepared to delay the release of the cats backoutside for a couple of days.One other advantage if you’re trapping in thesnow is the cats’ paw <strong>print</strong>s become visible. Youcan literally see the paths they travel and place yourtraps accordingly.photo: Bryan Kortis78