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All free-roaming cats must arrive in a secure, live-release trap. If the cat is tame enough to be put in a carrier, make a surgery appointment through the traditional route by calling Pets In Stitches. If you need to rent traps contact Pets In Stitches.

Pets In Stitches will do our best to admit free-roaming cats until noon into our surgery schedule Monday through Thursday. Bring the trapped cat in as early as possible, to allow us to work it into our busy schedule. Only two free-roaming cats per person per day unless you call for approval first. Trapping should coincide with our clinic’s ability to spay and neuter so the cats don’t remain in their traps for long. It is possible for a cat to die from hypothermia or heat stroke when confined in a trap.

All free-roaming cats will be ear tipped. The only exceptions are kittens that will be socialized.

All free-roaming cats over the age of twelve (12) weeks will receive a rabies vaccine at the caregiver’s cost. Pets In Stitches offers other services that positively contribute to cat colony management and the individual cat’s health as can be found in Services & Fees.

Caregivers must follow Pets In Stitches Postoperative Care Instructions – Free-Roaming Cats.

What is a free-roaming cat? And what do we do with them?

A free-roaming cat is one that lives outside and is not socialized to humans. Free-roaming cats can live long, healthy lives, content in their outdoor home.

Free-roaming cats typically live in cat colonies where they have access to food and shelter. An unmanaged colony can become a problem, with rampant breeding, and the onset of problem mating behaviors (fighting, yowling, etc.). Catching and euthanizing the cats does not work - when cats are removed from an area, survivors breed to capacity or new cats move in (this is known as the “vacuum effect,” and is well-documented).

Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return (TNVR) program is a comprehensive management plan where healthy free-roaming cats are sterilized, vaccinated and returned to their habitat and provided with long-term care by their caregivers. Free-roaming cats can live healthy, natural lives on their own, content in their outdoor home with a one-time intervention from humans through Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return.

TNVR stabilizes the colony size by eliminating new litters. With management, the total number of colony cats can decrease with time. It also reduces the nuisance behavior associated with unsterilized cats. TNVR’s most measurable effect is that fewer cats and kittens flow through animal shelters, resulting in lower euthanasia rates and increased adoptions of shelter cats.

TNVR is widely regarded as the most successful and humane method to reduce the free-roaming cat overpopulation. This method has been endorsed by national animal welfare groups, as well as many animal control departments, as the best option for free-roaming cats and the communities they inhabit.

Preparing to Trap

Gather appropriate-sized blankets, sheets or large towels to cover the traps while trapping and during transport.

Feed only half the usual amount of food the day before trapping so the cats become hungry. Alert other people who also feed the cats. No food also means no dry kibble. Never withhold water.

Prepare an area to hold the cats after trapping. A garage, bathroom or other sheltered, appropriate, temperature, protected area is vital.

If you are trapping cats daily and cannot catch all of the cats in one day, continue withholding food during the trapping period. Hungrier cats are more likely to enter traps.

If you trap one or two days before surgery, provide clean bedding, food and water every day. If you have nowhere to comfortably house the cats, trap only the day before the clinic.

Each cat must have its own trap.

Setting the Trap

Use caution and common sense – trapped animals cannot be left in the sun, placed in the path of sprinklers, or accessible to wild animals (e.g., coyotes or dogs).

Place the traps on a level surface in the area where the cats usually feed or have been seen. Cats are less likely to enter a trap if it wobbles. Do not put the trap on top of a wall. If the cat gets in and shifts weight, it can fall over, open up, or hurt the cat.

Fold two sections of newspaper to fit the width of the trap to line the bottom. Cats do not like walking on a wire surface, and the paper helps keep their feet from going through the wires when you pick up the trap. Too much newspaper can interfere with the trap mechanism or prevent the door from closing properly. Let the newspaper hang out a bit from the back to make it easier to slip out the soiled paper and replace with clean.

Use cheaper, smelly canned food such as Friskies or Whiska’s to bait the trap. Smoosh a small amount into the newspaper far back in the trap. Placing food in a lid could create a problem if the lid gets caught in the door or the trip. Hanging the food on string is also a bad idea. Just place the food directly on the newspaper. Make sure there is no access to the food from outside the trap. Make the food difficult to reach so that the cat must enter the trap completely. You can use tiny bite-sized food to lead them into the trap (or kibble, if that is what they are usually fed).

Never leave traps unattended in an unprotected area, but don’t hang around within sight of the cats. A trapped animal is vulnerable and could get injured inside a trap. Ideally, have the trap positioned so you can see it outside of your window.

As soon as a cat is trapped, remain quiet, place a blanket, sheet, or large towel over the occupied trap, and remove it from the area. Always use the handle and wear heavy gloves. If you are trapping multiple cats, consider putting another trap in the same spot.

When the captured animal is in a quiet area, check to make sure you have the correct cat, not a wild animal, pet or previously neutered cat (look for a tipped ear.)

After Trapping

Cover the trap with a large towel, blanket or sheet to keep the cat draft-free, warm and calm during transport. This helps preserve body temperature and helps minimize stress and self-inflicted trauma. Cats that can see out may become frantic and injure themselves. Trapped cats should remain covered at all times. A light cover for summer and heavy cover for winter are necessary. Fold the fabric to expose the trap opening while still covering the top, sides and back.

If you are trapping at multiple sites, make sure each trap is identified by site location, along with a description of the cat. This will facilitate return of the cat.

If the trapped cats have to be held rather than brought straight to Pets In Stitches, place them in your prepared protected area and keep the trap covered, but make sure the cats get air, especially in the summer. Cats should not eat after midnight the evening prior to surgery. Small kittens should have canned food until 8 A.M. Water can be available up to the time of surgery and is necessary if the cat is held in the trap for more than 8 hours after capture.

Nursing Mothers & Kittens

A lactating female will continue to make milk after being spayed and can return to nurse her kittens, if necessary. If the kittens are not also trapped or if there is a possibility any kittens remain loose, she must be released to care for them when she is completely awake from anesthesia, usually within in 24 hours. If the kittens are not also trapped, do not attempt to trap lactating females before the day of surgery as this will prolong the separation from the kittens.

Day of Surgery

You will sign a Free-Roaming Cat Health Authorization stating that these are homeless, unowned free-roaming cats. The form will also authorize the veterinarian, at their discretion, to euthanize a very sick cat.

Provide medical information on cats, such as problems, pregnancy, lactating mothers, etc.

Make sure your traps are securely latched and that there are no food/water bowls in the traps to avoid injury of cats. No more than one cat per trap.

After Surgery

Cats are released between 5:00 and 6:00 P.M. on the same day of surgery.

At pick-up you will receive Postoperative Care Instructions – Free-Roaming Cats and applicable medications and any questions can be answered at this time. You will be told of any conditions or medical issues the veterinarian may have found during examination which may require follow up at a full service veterinary clinic.

More Information

Sources of information for free roaming cat colony caretakers:

• Feral Cat Spay Neuter Project
• Neighborhood Cats
• Alley Cat Allies