7 replies to this topic

[NougatTheHamster]

Hello! I have a few questions about fixing cats;

Spoiler

How do i catch kittens? (there’s a feral mother with 2 kittens that we feed, but the mother eats first and then the kittens eat the leftovers. That will mean that the trap will go off when the mother starts eating and the kittens will run away... Can I do anything to trap them together? Will the kittens be okay by themselves for a day or two when their mother is recovering [in the case we do not catch them]?)

 

Will the cats urinate or defecate inside the trap during the recovery period? 

 

How long should I keep them to recover after the surgery? Is 12 or 24 hours enough? Does the recovery period depend on gender?

 

Is there anything I should keep an eye out for at the vets?

 

Are there any specific vaccinations we should ask the vet to administer?

 

Is there anything I can do to make the process less stressful for them?

 

Should I put a whole day's worth of food in the trap (since they are staying in there for quite a bit

of time (a few hours before the appointment, through the surgery, then recovery period) or is a few tablespoons enough (the recommended amount to put in the trap)?

 

Is there anything else I should know (this is my first time)?

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is a stray that we feed as well;

 

Will spaying her affect our relationship negatively? 

 

If so, what can I do to repair our relationship?

 

Is there anything else I should know (this is my first time)?

 

 

Any other tips or experiences would also be helpful!!

 

O-o I wrote so much :’) sorry about that

 

Thanks in advance!! :heart:

 

[IsAnyoneThere]

Hello! I have a few questions about fixing cats;

Spoiler

How do i catch kittens? (there’s a feral mother with 2 kittens that we feed, but the mother eats first and then the kittens eat the leftovers. That will mean that the trap will go off when the mother starts eating and the kittens will run away... Can I do anything to trap them together? Will the kittens be okay by themselves for a day or two when their mother is recovering [in the case we do not catch them]?)

 

Will the cats urinate or defecate inside the trap during the recovery period? 

 

How long should I keep them to recover after the surgery? Is 12 or 24 hours enough? Does the recovery period depend on gender?

 

Is there anything I should keep an eye out for at the vets?

 

Are there any specific vaccinations we should ask the vet to administer?

 

Is there anything I can do to make the process less stressful for them?

 

Should I put a whole day's worth of food in the trap (since they are staying in there for quite a bit

of time (a few hours before the appointment, through the surgery, then recovery period) or is a few tablespoons enough (the recommended amount to put in the trap)?

 

Is there anything else I should know (this is my first time)?

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is a stray that we feed as well;

 

Will spaying her affect our relationship negatively? 

 

If so, what can I do to repair our relationship?

 

Is there anything else I should know (this is my first time)?

 

 

Any other tips or experiences would also be helpful!!

 

O-o I wrote so much :’) sorry about that

 

Thanks in advance!! :heart:

 

 

I don't know anything about the trapping part, but I can help with your other questions. 

 

For male cats, they just walk it off. Like, they're fine within minutes (oddly haha, considering how protective human males are of their "parts"!). All of my males have been fine within an hour or so. 

 

Females: the surgery is a bit more invasive. It will be worse for the mother, but for the kittens it should be more like keyhole surgery. They will need to be sedated though, so recovery is longer. Also they will have stitches so might need to be monitored to make sure they don't pick at them. I'm not sure how feral these cats are, so I don't know how easy this would be. 24 hours monitoring them would probably be fine to be honest. Do you know the age of the kittens? This will be important for both the spaying and for the vaccinations.

 

The vet should know what vaccinations to give them. In the UK the standard vaccinations are for cat flu, parvo and feline leukemia. These will need yearly boosters too, so I don't know if this is something you want to commit to. Well done on you for the spaying/neutering though. That is doing an amazing job

Edited by IsAnyoneThere, 18 July 2021 - 04:03 PM.

[NougatTheHamster]

I don't know anything about the trapping part, but I can help with your other questions. 

 

For male cats, they just walk it off. Like, they're fine within minutes (oddly haha, considering how protective human males are of their "parts"!). All of my males have been fine within an hour or so. 

 

Females: the surgery is a bit more invasive. It will be worse for the mother, but for the kittens it should be more like keyhole surgery. They will need to be sedated though, so recovery is longer. Also they will have stitches so might need to be monitored to make sure they don't pick at them. I'm not sure how feral these cats are, so I don't know how easy this would be. 24 hours monitoring them would probably be fine to be honest. Do you know the age of the kittens? This will be important for both the spaying and for the vaccinations.

 

The vet should know what vaccinations to give them. In the UK the standard vaccinations are for cat flu, parvo and feline leukemia. These will need yearly boosters too, so I don't know if this is something you want to commit to. Well done on you for the spaying/neutering though. That is doing an amazing job

I don't know how old they are, but they are at least 1 month old (first saw them on June 10th; but at that time they could walk so probably older than that) 

 

Another question! (sorry for the amount of questions lol) If we do catch both the kittens and the mother; should I wait until they are all recovered to release them together, or release them each as soon as they're alert?

 

Thanks for the help!! 

[IsAnyoneThere]

I don't know how old they are, but they are at least 1 month old (first saw them on June 10th; but at that time they could walk so probably older than that) 

 

Another question! (sorry for the amount of questions lol) If we do catch both the kittens and the mother; should I wait until they are all recovered to release them together, or release them each as soon as they're alert?

 

Thanks for the help!! 

 

Cats should be neutered and also vaxxed at around 3-4 months old, so  they may be too young right now. Most vets here (UK) will wait for 12 weeks  to do both vaccinations and spaying/neutering.

Edited by IsAnyoneThere, 19 July 2021 - 06:13 AM.

[4 Hamsters]

Hello! I have a few questions about fixing cats;

Spoiler

How do i catch kittens? (there’s a feral mother with 2 kittens that we feed, but the mother eats first and then the kittens eat the leftovers. That will mean that the trap will go off when the mother starts eating and the kittens will run away... Can I do anything to trap them together? Will the kittens be okay by themselves for a day or two when their mother is recovering [in the case we do not catch them]?)

 

Will the cats urinate or defecate inside the trap during the recovery period? 

 

How long should I keep them to recover after the surgery? Is 12 or 24 hours enough? Does the recovery period depend on gender?

 

Is there anything I should keep an eye out for at the vets?

 

Are there any specific vaccinations we should ask the vet to administer?

 

Is there anything I can do to make the process less stressful for them?

 

Should I put a whole day's worth of food in the trap (since they are staying in there for quite a bit

of time (a few hours before the appointment, through the surgery, then recovery period) or is a few tablespoons enough (the recommended amount to put in the trap)?

 

Is there anything else I should know (this is my first time)?

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is a stray that we feed as well;

 

Will spaying her affect our relationship negatively? 

 

If so, what can I do to repair our relationship?

 

Is there anything else I should know (this is my first time)?

 

 

Any other tips or experiences would also be helpful!!

 

O-o I wrote so much :’) sorry about that

 

Thanks in advance!! :heart:

 

Here's SOME answers for your questions (I am SO sorry for messing up the order of your questions, I was in a rush writing this)

Yes cats will defacate while in the trap, so it's best to use puppy pee pads, not blankets.

Putting a blanket over their trap can help them calm down. You can also put some calming music for cats in the background if you want to.

Just make sure the vet knows how to spay/neuter feral cats. 

Each cat takes a different time to recover. Most trappers keep their cats for 24 hours before releasing them. Make sure the cats are awake, alert, and healthy before you release them. Sometimes male cats take more time to recover, but it can depend on the individual. As long as a cat is alert and are healthy, you can release them.

There is also a trap called a drop trap where you can trap multiple cats at a time and them separate them into different carriers, this trap is often used for trapping a group of kittens. 

[NougatTheHamster]

Cats should be neutered and also vaxxed at around 3-4 months old, so  they may be too young right now. Most vets here (UK) will wait for 12 weeks  to do both vaccinations and spaying/neutering.

is there any risks if theyre spayed/neutered earlier than that? The minimum here is >=9 weeks..

and my dad kind of already submitted the applications...

 

Here's SOME answers for your questions (I am SO sorry for messing up the order of your questions, I was in a rush writing this)

Yes cats will defacate while in the trap, so it's best to use puppy pee pads, not blankets. how did i not think of that before?? smh

Putting a blanket over their trap can help them calm down. You can also put some calming music for cats in the background if you want to. ok!

Just make sure the vet knows how to spay/neuter feral cats. 

Each cat takes a different time to recover. Most trappers keep their cats for 24 hours before releasing them. Make sure the cats are awake, alert, and healthy before you release them. Sometimes male cats take more time to recover, but it can depend on the individual. As long as a cat is alert and are healthy, you can release them.

There is also a trap called a drop trap where you can trap multiple cats at a time and them separate them into different carriers, this trap is often used for trapping a group of kittens.  I will look into that, thanks!

Thanks for your all your help!

[4 Hamsters]

is there any risks if theyre spayed/neutered earlier than that? The minimum here is >=9 weeks..

and my dad kind of already submitted the applications...

 

Thanks for your all your help!

 

There's not a huge risk. A lot of shelters here in the US spay/neuter kittens are 2 months old (8 weeks). It's generally safe to spay/neuter a kitten or cat that is over 2 pounds. I think spaying/neutering a cat too early can result in SOME of the same problems as spaying/neutering a dog too early (which is why it's a good idea to spay/neuter a dog once they're older like 9 months old) such as hip dysplasia, but I personally never heard of a cat or kitten suffering from that because of a spay/neuter surgery.

If you have the resources and if your parents allow you to (if you live with them of course) than I would try to tame these kittens, get them spayed/neutered once they reach 10 or 12 weeks old, and then adopt them into homes? The reason why TNR is a thing is because most adult feral cats take a long time to tame and many shelters don't have the time to tame them. However, younger kittens can be successfully tamed and adopted into good homes so they don't have to spend their lives on the streets.

[NougatTheHamster]

There's not a huge risk. A lot of shelters here in the US spay/neuter kittens are 2 months old (8 weeks). It's generally safe to spay/neuter a kitten or cat that is over 2 pounds. I think spaying/neutering a cat too early can result in SOME of the same problems as spaying/neutering a dog too early (which is why it's a good idea to spay/neuter a dog once they're older like 9 months old) such as hip dysplasia, but I personally never heard of a cat or kitten suffering from that because of a spay/neuter surgery.

If you have the resources and if your parents allow you to (if you live with them of course) than I would try to tame these kittens, get them spayed/neutered once they reach 10 or 12 weeks old, and then adopt them into homes? The reason why TNR is a thing is because most adult feral cats take a long time to tame and many shelters don't have the time to tame them. However, younger kittens can be successfully tamed and adopted into good homes so they don't have to spend their lives on the streets.

I dont think we can socialize the kittens :( My mom doesn't like us getting too close to them, so we can only do that when she's not around or busy, which probably will not work. Thanks though!