HUMANELY TRAPPING FERAL CATS
The primary purpose of trapping feral cats by Feline Friends of Destin, is to have them tested, altered, vaccinated, identified and returned to their prospective colonies. We trap kittens at a young enough age to be socialized, altered and adopted into qualified, loving homes. We also trap sick or injured cats. Cats with signs of rabies must be captured by the local animal control.
Feline Friends of Destin would like to help all cats, but we are limited by our resources: limited funds, limited number of trappers and overwhelmed foster caregivers. You can help. We ask each caller to assist with the medical costs. Veterinarians charge us an average of $80.00 per cat for testing, inoculations, and spay/neuter procedures.
Here’s what we do: Once called, Feline Friends will schedule a trapper to visit the site and arrange a pick-up. At the same time we’ll call a veterinarian and schedule the cats to be tested and altered, and make sure they know they are dealing with feral cats. If a large number of cats are involved, we’ll try to capture the adult females and males first. Many veterinarians perform surgery Monday through Thursday so we do not trap on Fridays. For safety purposes, feral cats are taken to the veterinary office in a trap only.
We ask that caregivers feed the cats at the same time each day, and will often leave the trap unset and covered with a large towel during routine feeding so the cat will get used to seeing and smelling it in the area. Don’t feed the cats the day/night before you plan to trap so the cats will be hungry. Be sure to notify others who may feed the cats not to leave food out either.
Our trappers are well trained and are all volunteers, selflessly committed to saving as many cats as possible. If you are interested in joining forces with Feline Friends of Destin in Northwest Florida and becoming a trapper, please call Feline Friends at 850-837-3869.
Releasing the Cat
When cats are ready for release, they will be returned to the area in which they were captured with a designated feeder. You will be responsible for feeding the cat or cats. Keep in mind when you call, that Feline Friends of Destin is not a shelter. We do not relocate cats, If we did, most would be disoriented and most likely die trying to find its way back to its own colony, and area cats would probably drive the cat or cats away.
If the vet has indicated a serious medical problem with the cat, which will need long-term treatment or if it has feline leukemia or feline aids, the cat will be euthanized while under anesthesia.
Untreated abscesses and respiratory infections, and any number of other conditions, can mean a suffering and slow death.
Mothers and Kittens
If kittens are involved, they should not be weaned from mother before 4-6 weeks of age. If we trap a lactating female, we return her to the colony as soon as possible. Kittens can survive a couple of days without mother’s milk, however predators and other danger lurk and the lives of her kittens may depend upon her for survival.
If we know the mother is lactating, we try to locate the kittens and wait until they are old enough to wean. The ideal age to tame and foster the kittens to adopt out, is 4-8 weeks. The job becomes progressively harder with age.
Ear Tipping
We feel ear tipping is the most humane way of identifying feral cats that have been altered and returned to their colonies. It is crucial that all sterilized cats be identified so they will not be subjected to undue stress and trauma by re-trapping. We tip the left ear for the male and the right ear for the female. This has become the universal symbol of the feral cat. It tells others (including animal control officers) that the cat has received its rabies vaccine, has been altered (sterilized) and is deemed healthy by a qualified veterinarian.
Euthanasia
All the cats going through the Feline Friends program are anesthetized and then tested while still under anesthesia. If a cat is chronically ill, has feline leukemia or feline aids it is euthanized. We cannot allow sick cats to struggle for survival and ultimately die a tragic and painful death, nor can we allow a contagious cat to infect other healthy cats living in colonies. There are things on this earth much worse than death.
Again, if you wish to join forces with Feline Friends of Destin and volunteer as a trapper or foster caregiver, please call us at 850-837-3869. We also need more participating veterinarians. Ask your vet to if he/she will help and call us to follow-up.
