How RMACA Can Help
If you are faced with a feral cat situation, RMACA’s Spay/Neuter Coordinator can send you a TNR information packet that will provide resources you need to help feral cats at no cost to you (though we do appreciate donations!). Our TNR packet includes: a list of places (including RMACA) in the metro area to rent or borrow humane traps; instructions on how to trap feral cats correctly and humanely; information about RMACA’s spay/neuter clinics for feral and stray cats. Please 303.202.3516 or e-mail your name and address to kathleen@rmaca.org for a TNR packet.
If you are feeding a colony of 12 or more cats, please visit our "Divine Feline--Mobile Spay/Neuter Services" page. In order to successfully TNR a feral colony, the cats should already be on a daily feeding schedule, have some sort of reasonable shelter, and the owner of the premises must give RMACA permission to park the mobile unit and to trap on their property. The mobile also needs an accessible electrical outlet.
- DO learn as much as you can about TNR and feral cat trapping BEFORE you start.
- DO scout out the colony you are planning to TNR BEFORE you start trapping (to determine how many cats there are and whether there are kittens, etc.).
- DO try to recruit help from cat-friendly family, friends, and neighbors to lessen your work load.
- DO make sure that you keep all traps with cats inside covered at all times.
- DO make sure you have a veterinarian lined up BEFORE you start trapping.
- DO have a quiet, weather-proof place (spare room, insulated garage, basement, etc.) where you can keep cats overnight (in their traps) before and after they go to the vet clinic.
- DO hold all cats (in a weather-protected place, inside a trap or carrier) an absolute minimum of 12 hours after surgery (24 hours is strongly recommended).
- DO keep feral cats and your own cats well separated, especially before the feral cats are tested.
- DO make sure you are in a closed room if you try to transfer a cat or feed a trapped cat after surgery.
- DO follow basic safety precautions while trapping cats.
- DO seek the advice of a medical professional immediately if you are bitten by a cat.
- DO contact RMACA if you have ANY trapping questions.
- DON'T ever leave a set trap unattended (a trapped cat is extremely vulnerable to predators, people, and weather).
- DON'T ever let a cat out of a trap without it being fixed first! (Many cats will not go in a trap a second time and you will be stuck with an untrappable breeding cat.)
- DON'T try to transfer a cat from a trap to another holding device or feed a trapped cat outside (many people have accidentally lost a cat this way before the cat was fixed).
- DON'T trap if the vet clinic is going to be closed the following day.
- DON'T hold a cat longer than 48 hours in a trap or carrier for recovery (unless specified by a veterinarian or another qualified professional).
- DON'T stick your finger through the trap to pet the cat (a cat can bite through the tip of a wooden spoon).
- DON'T ever release a cat into an unfamiliar location without following our relocation guidelines.
For more information about TNR, visit www.alleycat.org and www.feralcat.com