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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. Neighborhood Cats 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 prints become visible. Youcan literally see the paths they travel and place yourtraps accordingly.photo: Bryan Kortis78
Transfers from trapsDuring the trapping, you maywant to transfer a cat from one trapinto another or into a transfer cage orferal cat den. If two cats are caughtin the same trap, you should separatethem immediately with a trap dividerthen transfer the cat closest to the reardoor. Or you may have a broken trapwhich a trapped cat can be transferredinto, freeing up a good one.The first step is to line up the reardoor of the trap holding the cat withthe rear door of the trap you’retransferring into (or the front door ifyou’re transferring into a transfer cage or feral cat den). The two doors should be pushedright up against each other. To be extra safe, attach the first trap to the second trap, cageor den with bungee cords so one can’t shift and create an opening the cat can escapethrough. Another way to help prevent a sudden gap from forming is to back the receivingcontainer up against an immovable object like a wall. Using two people is also a goodidea, one to hold down the trap with the cat, the other to hold down what the cat’s goinginto.Completely cover the receiving trap, cage or den with a sheet and remove the sheetcovering the cat’s trap. Then lift up the two doors, being careful not to create a gap ifthere is a difference in height between the trap holding the cat and the receivingcontainer. Feral cats tend to move naturally from bright, exposed spaces into dark,covered ones and most will move without further prompting. If he doesn’t, insert a trapdivider from above and give a gentle push in the right direction. Be patient and don’t doanything that could cause the trap or receiving container to shift. After the cat has movedinto his new lodging, lower its door and check that it’s secure before pulling the first trapaway. Special cases1. Friendly feralsNever try to pick up a feral cat and place her inside a trap or carrier no matter howfriendly she normally acts towards you. She may routinely rub up against your leg or letyou pet her or even pick her up. Ferals get to know and trust their caretaker and somewill show these signs of affection. This does not mean you can handle one like a tame,fully socialized cat. Most ferals will be become terrified at being grabbed and forcedtowards an enclosed space. Faster than you can react, a feral in your hands can twist79
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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
Page 33 and 34: • Free-standing fencesPurrfect Fe
Page 35 and 36: • Type of feeding stationThe perf
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 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
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has been created and one set of cat
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and water bowls - see the Feral Cat
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enforcement agency will tell you if
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long will show signs of being socia
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feral at all yet and may tame immed
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When they’re verycomfortable with
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socialize enough, which is very lik
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When the cat no longer uses the cag
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alternatives, like scratching posts
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• Where to lookIn order to attrac
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In case you’re unable to return t
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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
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