TNR How TO

Here is how a person goes about beginning TNR work in hir local area.

The first step is to identify a feral/stray cat or group of cats that
needs help. If you are vocal about your cat rescue work, or dare to go out in
public wearing a cat rescue T-shirt, this is the easy part- everyone you
meet seems to know of "a bunch of stray cats who hang out in
such-and-such
location."

Find out where the site is, how many cats are thought to be there, and who
(if anyone) is feeding them. Contacting and speaking with all of the
"feeders" that you can find is the best way to evaluate the situation....
many of them know all of the cats, where and when they tend to appear, and
sometimes the cats are friendly with the feeders. You will need to
thoroughly explain what you are doing and reassure the feeders that you do
not intend to harm the cats.... some people will become very alarmed or
hostile if they find you trapping cats, and fear that your motives are not
charitable. Once you have the feeders on your side, they will usually be
happy to help- sometimes you can even loan them some traps and have them
do all the trapping for you!

You will also need to get permission from the owner, businessperson, or
caretaker of the property- be it private land, a commercial or public
area. This involves another thorough TNR 101 lesson or three, and occasionally
you will run into people who will deny you permission because the only
acceptable solution to them is to exterminate the cats. Your only option
at that point is to try to obtain permission from neighboring landowners to set up on the other side of a property line. I do find the majority of people
to be very cooperative. Just in case, however, do be very careful to be
discreet about the identities of the feeders, some of whom don't have
permission to feed in that area and may get in trouble for it- especially
at work sites. Also be discreet about the numbers, locations, etc of the cats
unless you are certain you are speaking with someone who is 100% aligned
with your goals. Otherwise you may find that you have unintentionally
funnelled that information (even second- or third-hand) to an
unsympathetic party who will use it to try to exterminate the cats.

Make sure you get names, phone numbers (and for public/commercial sites,
job titles) of your contacts in case anyone else comes along to question your
right to be there. In commercial and public areas, you can expect to
explain yourself repeatedly to various security staff, until they all come to know
you and start calling "Meyowww... meyowww..." when they see you. <grin>
Security staff, incidentally, will almost always be able to tell you where
the cats are and all sorts of other useful information. Having them around
also makes it a lot safer for you, especially if you are working at night.

The next step is to line up speutering arrangements, and to figure out how
you're going to fund the project. Money is always a challenge. In some
areas, one may be lucky enough to find a nonprofit group that provides
some access to free speuters. Existing groups may also be able to point you
toward shelters or vets who offer lower-cost services for strays/ferals.
Occasionally, if you're *really* lucky, the property owner(s) or the
people who are feeding the cats are able/willing to contribute to the costs.
Always ask, after you give them their TNR 101 lesson... the rather appalling fact
is that almost everyone tends to believe- until informed otherwise- that
you are receiving some kind of public funding for this- they even think
you are getting paid (Don't we wish)!!!! After exhausing these options,
rescuers are left with paying the remainer of the costs out of pocket. The
vet bills for the speutering are the main limiting factors on how much a
rescuer is able to do in hir area.

You will need supplies. Existing animal rescue organizations, shelters,
animal control, etc may have humane traps to rent for a small fee. You can
also buy cat-sized humane traps off the web or from hardware stores,
farm/garden stores, etc. There are many styles and sizes. I do find that I
seem to get more captures in my larger traps; however, having larger traps
means that you can fit fewer of them into your vehicle, so it is a
trade-off. My vastly favored trap, after working with many types, is the
Tru-Catch double-door model 30 (or 36, in a bigger size).
<http://www.animal-traps.com/>
Label your traps with your name and phone number (if they are borrowed or
rented, use masking tape labels).

The bottoms of the traps need to be lined with a towel, thin cardboard, or
newspaper. The cats do not like to step on the bare wire. You will need a
supply of large towels, sheets or other material with which to cover the
traps (I like to use flannel sheets). You will need some bait (cheap,
stinky canned cat food works well, as does canned tuna- especially in oil). Bring
a fork, a can opener, a plastic can lid, a plastic bag for your trash, some
paper towels, roll of masking tape, and a pen. If you are working at
night, bring at least two powerful flashlights. Pepper spray or other means of
defense is a good idea, especially if you are working at night. Bring a
book or handheld video game to keep you occupied while you wait. Also have a
cell phone in case of emergency. You may want a layer of plastic or a thick
folded blanket to cover the carpet/seats of your vehicle before you place
a trapful of cat there- the stinky bait will go everywhere, and the cat may
urinate.

I strongly encourage everyone (especially female trappers at night) to
work in pairs for safety reasons.

Let the feeder(s) or caretaker(s) know when you will be trapping, and ask
them to not feed the cats for a day before you plan to be there. If the
cats are hungry, they will be more likely to be tempted by your bait.

Be discreet while you are working at a site, and try to not attract a lot
of attention. Neighbors and others who are in the area legitimately should be
told what you are doing, but try to avoid the attention of passersby. If
people do approach you, explain and be friendly... you find a lot of
nee allies this way.... but you do want to be cautious of the aformentioned
unsympathetic sorts who may try to make trouble for you and the cats.

Line the bottom of your traps, then put a generous amount of bait behind
the trip plate. Place a small amount of food just inside the door of the trap,
and tiny bits leading back to the bonanza, to tempt the cats in. Some
rescuers feel that you will have better luck if you cover the top and
sides of your trap with a towel or other cover; others think that an uncovered
trap works better.

Try to place the traps so that they are not obvious to passersby. It is
almost never a good idea to leave traps unattended. A cat in a trap is
panicked, and utterly helpless in the instance that a rainstorm, a dog, a
malicious human, or other unpleasantness may come along to find hir before
you do (I have an acquaintance who once left a trap unattended in which a
cat was captured, and then found by some lovely specimen of humanity who doused the trapped cat with gasoline and set hir on fire). On private
property or in a secure area, it may be okay to leave a well-hidden trap
unattended for a short while, but be very cautious about this. Check the
traps often, if you are not with them at all times. The best option is to
place your traps and then sit in your locked vehicle, within sight of them
but not close enough to startle the cats. That enables you to claim cats
immediately upon capture.

The cat will usually be "popcorning" around inside the trap. Sometimes
they will bloody their noses. Novice rescuers, and feeders who have not trapped
before, will often become extremely distressed and want to release the
cat. Don't do it- the cat will be much less likely to go into the trap again!

Immediately cover the trap with a towel or other dark cloth. This almost
always calms the cat and s/he will stop careening about. After a moment to
let the cat settle, peek under the cover with a flashlight and check for
an eartip (more about that later), or a collar, or major injuries. use the
masking tape and pen to label the trap with a description of the cat (ie,
"black shorthair") and exactly where you caught it, so that you can be
sure to return the cat to the exact same spot. Then place the covered trap in
your vehicle or some other secure place.

As soon as possible, transport the cats in their covered traps to the vet
or shelter for their surgery. If you must hold them for a day or so
beforehand, keep the covered traps in a quiet, warm place. If it is safe to do so, you
can very, very carefully lift one door of the trap just enough to slip a
small tip-resistant bowl of water in. Fill it only a couple of inches,
because they will usually tip it anyway. The cats should not eat for
twelve hours before surgery (don't worry about the little bit of bait in the
trap). Be very cautious if you try this, as some cats may rush violently at the
opening and either escape or claw your eyes out (or both). I always do it
in an enclosed bathroom, so that there is no escape if the cat does get
loose. You do not want a terrified, furious feral cat loose in your
bathroom or anywhere else, though, trust me. Do not attempt to transfer the cat to
a carrier until you are very experienced- and even then, only in great need.

Vets will usually abort the litter of any cat who is pregnant when
trapped. If the pregnancy is too advanced to be safely and humanely aborted,
fostering must be found for the mother cat until her babies are born,
tamed, and ready to go to a good no-kill shelter for adoption. (Hopefully, by
that time, Momcat is becoming tame as well!)

Feral kittens who are old enough to be taken from their mothers, yet still
young enough to be tamed, must be fostered until they show no feral
behaviors, then adopted out through a good no-kill shelter or other
program.

If they have the resources, some TNR personnel provide rabies and/or
distemper vaccinations for the cats. Treatment for fleas is also a good
idea if possible, as most ferals and strays are infested with parasites.
Sometimes you will trap a cat who is seriously injured or ill, and it will
need treatment. You may get the occasional cat who is so severely injured
or ill that the only humane thing to do is euthanize it.

Feline leukemia (FeLV) and (FIV) tests for
the TNR cats is a matter of hot debate among animal rescuers. Some test every
cat they catch, and euthanize the cats that test positive, feeling that it
is more humane for the individual cat as well as a matter of safety for
every other cat in the area- who may become infected as a result of
contact with the positive cat.

Some rescuers feel that it is most effective to do *only* speuters, and no
other treatment at all, euthanizing any cats who are not healthy enough to
be re-released as is... since the more services you provide for each cat
means the fewer cats you can process.

While a cat is under anaesthsia, the vet will do an "eartip"- this
involves snipping the tip off one of the cat's ears (usually the right ear for
females and the left for males) as a means of identification. That way you
(and any other rescuer, and any shelter or animal-control staff that may
encounter the cat) will be able to tell which cats have aready been
speutered and which haven't. Some people are dismayed when they first
learn about eartipping, as they are concerned that it is inhumane. It is a minor
procedure that almost always heals with no complications. There is really
no other method of identification that is reliable and non-detrimental to the
cat. I have known colonies where every single cat was black and looked
exactly the same. Even if the caretaker knows every cat by name... what if s/he
moves away someday, or the cat decides to move across the neighborhood and
join a different colony? If not for the eartips, a trapper would be
bringing the same cats in to be TNR'ed multiple times.... a time and money waster
for the trapper and for the vet, and traumatic for the cat- particularly for
the female cats, who would have to be cut open on the surgery table again
before it could be determined that they had already been spayed!

After their vet visit, hold the cats in the covered traps (or in covered
cat carriers that you have provided to the vet to transfer the cat into after
surgery) in aforementioned quiet and warm place for recovery. Again, you
may be able to very very carefully slip in some water and a little food. Check
the cat every six to eight hours or so, but otherwise try to not disturb
hir. Watch for excessive bleeding, and ask the vet when you should expect
the cat to be alert.

The length of time to hold the cats before re-release is another hotbed of
controversy among rescuers who do TNR. Some profess that you need to hold
the cat for at least a week. The more common feeling is that you should
hold the cat for a few days. I usually release cats in the middle of the night,
the same day after the surgery, if they are alert and there is no excessive
bleeding. Many rescuers feel that this is too soon. Personally, I feel
that the stress and terror of confinement, as well as the cats' tendency to
refrain from eating, drinking, or voiding while they are being held, not
to mention the escalating filthiness of the traps/carriers and the problems
inherent in transferring cats to clean ones, is detrimental enough to them
that I want to free them as soon as I can. I assume the cat will go to ground in hir familiar hiding places and lay up until s/he feels better. If the cat had any problems with the surgery,
seems groggy at all, was heavily pregnant, was ill or injured, or if it is
blizzarding and twenty below zero outside, that is a different matter....
in those cases, I would hold the cats longer. If the vet tells you that the
cat is lactating, you will need to release her as soon as she is alert, in the
hopes that she can get back to her kittens in time.

Each rescuer will need to make this judgement for hirself, and definitely
ask for advice from the vet who does the surgery, as well as any local
rescue personnel you are work"

Do make every effort to release your cats late at night, or at least after
dark. They will come shooting out of the traps running as if all the
hounds of hell are on their tails, and will likely be a bit disoriented for a few
minutes. It is much safer of there are no people and few cars around.
Release them in exactly the same spot that you trapped them, and make sure
there is plenty of food available. Ask the caretaker to keep an eye on the
cat for the next few days, or come back to check for yourself.

One last note, regarding burnout: it is very easy for animal rescue
personnel to bite off more than they can chew. There are so many desperate
cases needing help. One must carefully analyze how much time and money one
can reasonably dedicate- and how many cats one can adopt or foster- and
then stick to it firmly. The first thing you learn in animal rescue is that
they just keep coming and coming. The second thing you learn is that you just
can't keep them all. If you can help just one cat, you have done
something miraculous for one precious soul who had nothing and no one.