Is there a stray cat outside your house?  Is there a colony living in your apartment complex?  Do you see several cats hanging around the train station?  Do you know of a neighbor who is feeding stray cats but NOT spaying or neutering them?  Below are some tips on how we can help you.

First of all, this is NOT our specialty.  There ARE however, groups who specialize in TNR (Trap, Neuter, Release).  We suggest searching for those groups in your area by using www.PetFinder.com.  Go onto the site and search under “Rescue Groups” using your zip code.  Call everyone on that list to see if they will physically come out and assist you as this is not usually our practice.  Be persistent, call them ALL and remember, the more YOU can do, the easier it is to help you.

So – onto the cat or cats.  If the cat is in Trenton, NJ (either outside your home or work place), you may bring it to the shelter.  Please call first to see if they have room (609) 989-3254.  Bring ID with you, and the shelter will accept the animal.

If the cat is friendly and is hanging around your house looking for a meal, it may belong to someone.  The first thing to do is either snap a picture and hang some posters, or call neighbors and ask if the cat belongs to anyone.  Set up a phone chain between neighbors – I once replaced a cat within 2 hours using this method.  Have your neighbors call everyone in the area they know and ask about the cat.

If no one claims the cat, it may have been abandoned when someone moved and is looking for a new safe home. If the cat is friendly, super!  Take the cat indoors and keep it safe. Ah yes – here is where most people balk.  “I have other cats – won’t they catch something?”  “I have no room”  “My husband will get angry” “I don’t have time” – We’ve heard them all.  Well people, you have been kind-hearted enough to notice the problem, now, please OWN the problem.  Be brave, be responsible and see this thing through!

Most people have more resources than they think they do. Most people swear they don’t have room for the cat.  All that is needed for the friendly cat is a safe haven. Do you have an extra bathroom in the house?  A small room, a cellar?  How about the laundry room?  Ask family, friends, business associates and neighbors if they have a space for the cat – temporarily - even a garage will do if there are no holes in the walls and it has some sort of ventilation.  Trust us – you have more resources than you think you do.  ASK EVERYONE.  There is someone out there who can house a cat temporarily (if you absolutely can’t).

We hear from some folks who don’t drive.  We understand that not all of us have equal resources, but honestly – you CAN find someone – a boyfriend, neighbor, business associate to help you complete these steps.  Do it for the cat(s)’ sake.  Don’t give up and don’t just turn the cat into any shelter without first checking on their policy of euthanasia – many shelters do not house outside cats.

If you have cats of your own, don’t be worried – cats CANNOT pass most diseases through doors. The first thing you would want to address would be fleas. Don’t bother buying anything from a grocery store – it is a waste of money, especially flea collars.  Go to a vet and get a Frontline or Revolution treatment.  Open the capsule and squeeze the liquid out on the skin between the cat’s shoulder blades. Wash your hands after handling the stray.  There!  You’ve completed your first step. Congrats!

Now you need to decide – do you want to keep the cat?  If you do, have your vet give it a thorough exam and you are on your way.  Reference our website for low cost spay/neuter.  The program called “Animal Oasis Sanctuary” is a super resource for New Jerseyans who make a net income of under $40,000 – check it out.

Do you need to give the cat up for adoption?  Then look at the part of this web site labeled “Rescue/Relinguish” and follow the instructions on how to display your cat with us until it is adopted.

If the cat is unfriendly or wild:

This is a little different – you must earn the cat’s trust.  If you have been feeding the cat for more than 3 days, it is technically your cat (that is the law in most states) AND if you have an outdoor cat and it is NOT spayed or neutered, it is considered animal cruelty in some states – so there are a couple of reasons to get this animal either off the streets, or fixed.  Plus – you don’t want any more litters of kittens or male cats spraying your porch – you just want to help the cat!

Instead of reinventing the wheel, we will refer you to the experts.  Go to www.AlleyCatAllies.org for as much information as you can possibly use on how to catch cats, provide them temporary shelter and then get them to a safe place. (Go under “Caregiver/Advocate info”, then click on “Trap, Neuter, Release”.)

Here are some of our suggestions to get started. They pretty much follow what the experts suggest.  Take a large Tupperware container or box. Tip it on its side.  Put the food in a bowl INSIDE the box so that the cat gets used to sticking his or her head INTO something while it eats.  Don’t try to grab the cat yet, just let them eat.  Keep feeding them on a regular schedule and PICK up the food once feeding time is over – otherwise you’ll be feeding every outdoor cat in the neighborhood PLUS raccoons and skunks!

Call your local hardware store and ask if they rent “Have a Heart” traps.  Sometimes we have some to loan you.  Some communities have animal control entities who can loan you traps, or you may buy one of your own – if you have more than 2 cats to catch, it will be cheaper and easier just to purchase one.

Next, get a local vet “on notice” that you are going to try to catch a feral cat.  Most vets will understand that you don’t know WHEN you’ll catch the cat and can usually have a cage standing by to foster the cat until it can be fixed by them.  It may take a couple visits to local vets to find one to help, but again, be persistent. Compare prices and see if this vet participates in any of those low cost programs. Again, check out our link for low cost spay/neuter on this website.  See which ones you qualify for!

Once the cat has been feeding in and out of the Tupperware box, set the Have-A-Heart trap with wet cat food inside and cover it with a small blanket or towel.  You MUST monitor the trap at all times.  There are legalities to this – you can NEVER leave a trap unattended (and certainly not overnight), so plan to set the trap at a time when you will be available for a couple hours.  If the cat has not entered the trap and you need to leave, bring the trap indoors and release the door.

Once the cat is caught, DON’T get TOO upset if there is a lot of thrashing going on – the animal will eventually calm down. One trick is to make sure the trap is completely covered with the towel or blanket for about 10 minutes before you re-approach to retrieve it. (For your own protection, before picking up a trap containing an upset cat, consider donning sturdy pants, a long-sleeved shirt and/or jacket and leather or suede gloves.) Take the cat to the vet you are working with and have it FeLV/FIV tested and then spayed or neutered. If there are raccoons or skunks in the area, you may also want to consider a rabies shot. Ask your vet's opinion.

Now, again, we ask the question, is the cat friendly or is this obviously one who cannot be tamed?  If the cat turns out to be friendly, we can display it at our adoption sites for you until it is adopted. If you are not sure about the temperament, ask your vet for advice.

If you feel the cat is “unadoptable” – that is, would not do well inside a house, ask your vet to “notch” the ear while they are fixing them.  Since you would be planning to re-release them to a safe place, this notched ear will let any other rescue group know that the cat has been spayed or neutered – and they will not waste their time and money recapturing it.

Now contact the groups who have agreed to help you place the cat, and ask to be put on a waiting list.  In the meantime, you may need to borrow a display cage from us to house the cat.  There is a $20 charge to borrow a cage which will be returned to you once the cage is returned to us. Again, ferals are NOT our specialty, but we DO want to help all the cats we possibly can.

What to do if you haven’t heard from any other rescue groups:

You still need to help the cat.  If it is outside your home, it is fine to spay/neuter the cat and to provide shelter – that is, if you can continue to feed them.  If this is the solution, buy an “igloo” from Home Depot for shelter.  Or if you have any kind of outside shelter already in place, just line it with hay or blankets for the winter.  Keep the cat on a regular feeding schedule and that should be enough to suffice.  As long as the cat is not capable of breeding again, you’ve solved most of your problem. If the apartment complex complains, or the neighbors, you should inform them that you are solving what could become a serious health issue for the neighborhood.  Tell them you are working with us and we can confirm that.  The problem will only increase if not addressed by nice people like yourselves.  This is neither easy, pretty or glamorous, but once the group of cats is fixed, you’ll be content in knowing you have provided an abandoned animal with much needed care.

If however, these cats are in danger from neighbors, traffic, or a bad neighborhood, you’ll have to relocate the cat to another site which is safer for it.

This will require keeping the cat in a confined area or large cage (protected of course) for up to one week.  Pick a spot – someone’s home, a barn, someone’s garage – anywhere you think would be safe or adequate for the cat to live.  Put the cat in the building or structure – OR, if you are using a large cage, place the cage in the safest, most protected area you can find (an overhang, a safe, fenced in back yard) and make the cage as warm and safe as you can.  Feed the cat in this location for at least 5 days – again on a regular schedule until the cat understands that this new area is now its new home.  It should then understand that if it stays here, it will be fed and safe.  You may open the cage and walk away.  Hopefully the cat will stay in its new found home.

Thank you for helping our feline friends.  And really, for feral cats, the best resource for questions and answers is Alley Cat Allies.