Caring for Ferals.

When is a cat too sick to take to the TNR clinic?

 This post is just an opinion of what has worked for me, please always consult a vet when you have a sick animal. This is not meant to be professional medical advice 

When doing TNR you are bound to run across the occasional sick feral. Summer is the prime time for URIs. (upper respiratory infection) , ringworm, flea allergies, and cats having infections caused from bite wounds. Spring and summer is prime mating time and with it comes a lot of fighting and biting which can cause the spread of disease if the cats have not been currently TNRed. It is your responsibility as the caretaker, to see to it that your colony remains healthy. If you are the one trapping for the caretaker, then you should assume the responsibility to make sure the cats are healthy before being return. 

If you are performing TNR you are going to need the help of your vet. In Baltimore, the MDSPCA can only offer a Penicillin G shot (last two days) to treat all illnesses. This is not going to be effective in some cases and it is up to you to seek additional medical help.  If you are using the CCMD clinic, they can sometimes, have a convenia shot (2 week antibiotic) available, if you let them know ahead of time you will be bringing in a sick cat. If so, it is important that you know the exact weight of the cat to be sure the medication is effective. Convenia is an expensive drug at $300 a bottle and only last a few days under refrigeration. But it works at healing most infections. Please check with both of these TNR clinics in advance before bringing in a sick animal. Sometimes they will wish for you to treat the animal at home before bringing them in to be spayed/neutered.  

Never bring in an animal who is suffering from hair loss due to possible ringworm. CCMD uses space at the Baltimore city animal shelter, A ringworm outbreak in the shelter could result in the needless euthanizing of several otherwise healthy cats and dogs. Any cat having hair loss should be taken to a vet to determine if it is ringworm prior to exposing them to other animals.  


Cats with colds, runny eyes, mild sneezing can be spayed/neutered. If you see yellow/green mucus and discharge from the nose, and the cat is obviously having difficulty breathing, you should take the cat instead to your vet to be treated. Most often they will offer convenia injection, or give you another form of antibiotic. Please let the staff know at the TNR clinic that the cat is sick. A sneeze is airborne and can travel for four feet, infecting all other cats. A cat with even a mild cold the staff will want to keep covered and separated from the other animals. 


Sign of limping or broken bones can not be treated at TNR clinics. These are high volume spay/neuter clinics only. Again take the cat to a feral friendly vet office who can sedate and treat the injured animal. Ferals should be taken to the vet in a trap, please remember to bring the divider. 


Remember, your TNR clinic staff are angels, but they can not perform miracles. Somethings you are just going to learn how to care for the cat  yourself, In the next few days I will continue with the blog post, offering ways to treat common illnesses in cats. Whether prior or post care from the TNR clinic.

Understanding the TNR law.

As I have spent the last few months getting calls and emails from people asking for TNR help, I have realized too many people are still not aware of the law, and what their responsibilities are as a caretaker of feral cats. Some people lie to me, saying they never feed any feral cats, for fear I am just a nosy neighbor wanting to turn them over to animal control, other partially aware of TNR feel they can feed feral cats as they please and have no other responsibilities to the cats or the neighbors. Being ignorant of the law not only is going to get them huge fines from the city, but is will also get the colony trapped/killed by neighbors and/or animal control.

For those of you who are practicing TNR, have your cats altered, giving them a clean safe shelter, and taking care of any medical needs, from one animal lover to another, thank you. But you are the exception, not the rule. This is where we need to change for TNR to work. Many caretakers who call on me for help, think I must have some magical powers, that I can trance cats into walking into a trap, or have some inside connection to these mysterious TNR clinics. I am just a housewife and mom who took the intuitive years ago to trap and fix the colony of feral cats that were overpopulating my neighborhood. I had a great vet, that I still use that was willing to help me. When TNR became legal, I attended my first TNR workshop at the SPCA. If I can do this, anyone can.

I want to touch base with some of you who are still in the dark about what our responsibilities are as feral cat caretakers. There are nine outlined responsibilities we must follow, not adhering to one or more, could cause the city to fine you, (which could be up to $1,000 per cat) have the city trap/kill your colony, or both. These measures not only protect you, your neighbors, but they ensure the safety and health of the colony. Just feeding cats, and not altering them is just inhumane to the cats, or not providing them a decent shelter. I might catch backlash for this, but I would rather see a colony euthanized, and die a painless death, that to be in the care of a neglectful caretaker.

Our nine responsibilities: 
 

1. Feral Cat Caregivers will cooperate with any TNR program, making reasonable, good faith efforts to have all cats in the colony altered, eartipped for identification, vaccinated against rabies, and returned to their home site following full recovery from surgery.
:This is up to us to see that it is done, not the TNR clinic, not some rescue group, not the lady next door that promised to help, but up to us to seek out the TNR clinic and make the appointments and pay any fees needed.

2.Feral Cat Caregivers will cooperate with any TNR program and make reasonable good faith efforts to have any new cat(s) that comes to the colony altered, eartipped, and vaccinated against rabies and distemper as soon as possible.
:This means as soon as you see a new cat, you need to be on the phone with the TNR clinic making an appointment. It doesn't matter if you think it is your neighbor's cat out for a night time run, if they are outside, they are fair game to be eartipped. If it is an unaltered new male, chances are he will be fighting with your colony. Fighting that could cause bites/wounds that could become infected, could chase your colony into an unsafe area that they would usually avoid. Altering any new cats will keep your cats safe, and might allow this new cat to be accepted into the colony.

3.Feral Cat Caregivers shall provide food and water to the colony cats on a regular basis, year round, using best practices to minimize, as reasonably as possible any nuisance and/or sanitary conditions.

:This means you do not leave a never ending bowl of dry outside if you have other wild animals and rodents that might feed off of it. Feed your cats, same time each day, after you set out the food and water, check back in fifteen minutes, remove any uneaten food, refill the water. If they ate everything, try feeding a little more, and again check back. Soon you will realize how much food you colony needs. This can change during hot/cold days. Always leave out clean water. Never use plastic bowls. Either use stainless that are washed in soapy bleach water, or disposable. In winter, try an use insulated bowls, and add sugar to the water. (it keeps it from freezing so quick)

4.Feral Cat Caregivers will provide adequate shelter (in number and quality) for colony cats using best practices to minimize nuisance.

:Cats love naps, and they can not be napping on your neighbors property. Shelters need to be large enough to allow all the cats to sleep comfortably. They must be protected against cold of winter and the heat of summer. There are plenty of ideas for feral cat shelters online. Using straw is better than towels. They won't hold in the moisture. Outdoor heating pads, and even outdoor a/c units can be purchased. Granted not all of us maintain a colony where we have electric, but you have to do the best you can and make an effort. You must also keep it clean.

5.Feral Cat Caregivers will make reasonable, good faith efforts to provide needed veterinary care to colony cats that are visibly ill or injured.
:Granted we can not all afford vet bills that could total into the thousands, but if the cat has a cold, most vets can give an anti biotic shot to the cat if in a trap using an isolator/divider. Most vets will often sedate a feral cat and can give them an all over exam if needed. Ringworm is a common problem among ferals. This disease can also be transfered to humans, so you must be able to recognize it, and have a vet who is willing to help treat it for you. Keep in mind, your safety and the neighbors safety comes first. Always check with a professional when trying to treat any feral cat. You can not leave any sick or injured animal outside to suffer.

6. Feral Cat Caregivers shall keep and maintain records for each colony cat, including each cat's rabies vaccination record/certificate.

:CCMD gives pics of the cats which I love, it helps to know what records go for what cat. The spca only gives the certificate. I always take a pic of the cat on my phone before releasing, print it out and attach it to the corresponding certificate. Animal control has the right to see these certificates at any time, be sure to keep in a safe place. If you leave for a trip, let the alternate caretaker know where these certificates are kept.

7.Feral Cat Caregivers shall make reasonable, good faith efforts, using best practices, to exclude cats from yards, gardens or similar property upon request of the property owner.
:Talk to your neighbors. Let them know you are the person caring for the colony, and if they should have any problems with the cats, to let you know. Hiding will not help the colony. Most people I have found don't mind the cats being around, but you need to address the concerns of those that do. Most problems are from cats using gardens as litterbox, so best to create a clean area in your yard for them to use. Sand works best, and you can purchase litter attractant at most pet stores to encourage cats to use it. You can also find many helpful tips on alleycat.org on how to help keep cats away. You have to find a way to keep the neighbors happy. If they want new plants for the garden, might want to buy them to keep peace.

8.Feral Cat Caregivers will generally make reasonable efforts, to address and resolve complaints regarding colony cats.

:This means you. Animal control does not want to have to spend the money and time to make a call to your house for a problem with the cats. It is your responsibility to resolve any problems. Just as you want your right to feed and care for the colony, some of your neighbors want the right to a cat free yard. Respect their wishes, and do what you can to fix it.

9. Feral Cat Caregivers will ensure that a substitute caregiver is in place during the feral cat caregivers temporary or permanent absence.

:Before you leave for any length of time, you must have someone else there to feed the cats that know the location, and time of feeding, and how much to feed. Do not send a rescue, TNR clinic an email after you have left to feed the colony. You must have this in place before you leave. Cats need to be fed daily. Some cats going without food for even one day can cause them to dehydrate, and get a life threatening kidney disease. They must eat every day. Even if you have to pay someone to feed them for you.

By staying within the TNR law, You will be protecting yourself, your colony and your neighbors. When TNR law is practiced, it can be a very enjoyable place to live for everyone involved. Most of your neighbors will be relieved to know the cats are being well cared for, and are not subject to any dangers, and are healthy not spreading any diseases. Because of our TNR law, Baltimore has one of the healthiest feral cat population. Keep up the great work.

TNR Law

Alley Cat Allies

Community Cats MD

Best Friends

Heat Stroke in Cats

With Baltimore weather topping 100 degrees this week and it is not even summer yet, it is very important as feral cat caretakers to be on the lookout for signs of heat stroke in our cats. 

What is heat stroke?

Heat stroke (also known as hyperthermia) is a life threatening medical condition in which the body's internal organs (liver, kidneys, lungs, heart & brain) begin to shut down as a result of elevated body temperature caused by high temperatures & humidity.

Humans are able to reduce their body temperature by releasing sweat at the surface of the skin. Cats protect themselves against high temperatures by panting & licking the fur. Cats can become overheated very easily, more so than humans as panting isn't a particularly efficient way to cool down the animal.

The cat's body temperature is approximately 100.5 to 102.5 degrees Fahrenheit. If the outside temperature is warmer than the cat's internal temperature heatstroke is a very real possibility.

What are the symptoms of heat stroke?

• Rapid panting
• Bright red tongue
• Dark red gums or pale gums
• Salivating (thick)
• Weakness
• Anxiety
• Dizziness
• Muscle tremors
• Lethargy
• Vomiting 
• Diarrhea
• Bleeding from the nose when the blood clotting system fails.
• Coma 

How to avoid heat stroke in cats:

• Make sure they have access to a shaded area where they can escape from the sun & heat
• Always ensure your cats have an adequate supply of fresh, cool, clean water.
• Run the hose across the yard to cool down the cement.
• Purchase a few shady (pet safe) plants for the cats to escape the sun.
• Add Pedialyte to the water.
• Provide more wet food than dry.

How to treat heat stroke in cats:

• When possible, cover the cat in a wet towel to bring down temperature.
• If you can, give fluid injections, or take to a feral friendly vet who can.
• Bring the cat indoors to AC. Be sure to have the cat in a carrier or trap, once feeling better they will want to run.
• Temperature must come back down slowly. Too fast can cause shock.
• If you don't see any improvement, take to your feral vet.

 

Long Term Care: Once cats have suffered heart stroke, they are more prone to have it happen again. Monitor the cat in the future, and is possible look for blood in the urine or stool, which could be signs of an underlying issue and should be seen by your vet. Do not assume that just because the cat is not drinking water, it is not suffering from heat stroke.  Heat stroke can cause kidney damage, only way to know for sure is have your vet do blood work. Cats with kidney damage can still live long lives, provided you give a diet such as Hills k/d that is made specifically for CRF cats. With CRF+ ferals, best to try and socialize to extend their life.