Cat Population Management

Ian MacFarlaine RVN Head of Operations – (Welfare Projects)

ian@fabcats.org

Dogs Trust International Training Programme, March 2013

Who are International Cat Care?

www.icatcare.orgFacebook: Feline Advisory Bureau

•Specialist charity dedicated to improving knowledge and understanding of cats and their care, established in 1958 when expertise in the UK (including within the veterinary profession) was low or non-existent.

•We were formerly called the Feline Advisory Bureau (Fabcats). Mid name change.

•We incorporate ISFM – International Society of Feline Medicine. This is our veterinary division, national partner veterinary associations in 13 countries.

•Welfare division promoting the welfare of stray and feral cats. Written materials, small projects, and three main training and development projects in:

Capacity buiding of NGO in Sudan European Feline TNR training centre Contributing to courses at India ITC

Apology 1

• 20 hours ago:

• 4 hours ago:

Apology 2

• Committed to full programme for next 2 years.

• We cannot offer visits, grants or funding• We can offer training at our residential TNR

centre in Portugal from next year.• Focusing on doing a thorough job in a few

places.

TNR•Principles of Trap Neuter & Return (not Release)•Generally use “catch” for dogs and “trap” for cats•Process of trapping feral and community cats, neutering and returning them to the same spot where caught. •Where resources allow, selecting suitable socialised cats for rehoming in the process

Considerations1. Welfare & safety of cats & people 2. Neuter whole colonies/focus on districts 3. Work with all stakeholders –

municipalities, vets, feeders, residents and landowners. Communicate

4. Select/use the right equipment, 5. Being prepared for the work.6. Planning for the unexpected 7. Hygiene8. Legality9. Measure effectiveness (pre/post)10. TNR is only one tool in the CPM kit. 11. Must be planned, measured and

holistic.12. TNR benefits each cat, but should only

portrayed as macro population control if it actually does that!

 

Outcomes – (1)

• What do we want to achieve?• Can we afford everything we want?• Therefore, what do we promise?• When are we going to promise it by?• How are we going to engage with the

community and all stakeholders?

Outcomes (2) - MicroOutcomes we want:• Stabilise & reduce colonies at both

site and district level.• Prevent injury, stress & trauma.• Maintain our organisational

reputation and that of TNR.

Principles:• Get cats in & out of TNR as fast as

SAFELY possible - release next day except for pregnant spays.

• Surgery with minimal complications.

• Clear policies and procedures

• Stakeholder workshops?• Brainstorming?

Cat and Dog TNR DifferencesAttitudes•Return-To-Site more tolerated in cats•Cats often more tolerated•Cats viewed less as a key rabies species. Dogs seen as a priority.• BUT municipal authorities with good dog control are more likely to be interested in developing cat control. Those with no animal control tend to be dog-biased as this is the priority.

Cat and Dog TNR Differences

Executing:

•Vehicles – larger, specialist vehicles / equipment for dogs

•Capture method (Traps for cats vs. Traps / Net for dogs)

•Recovery more significant for dogs

•Pre/post-op facility & housing more significant for dogs

•Capacity - (3 cats = 1 dogs in terms of resources, cost, time and space)

Obstacles to cat TNR• Legal to trap?

• Legal to feed?

• Legal to return?

• Removal favoured?

• Money!

• Vet capacity / skills / cost

Neuter more females first to achieve initial resultsNeuter more females first to achieve initial results

Let’s imagine each female produces 3 Let’s imagine each female produces 3 kittenskittensSo, after 3 months….So, after 3 months….

Males first?Males first?

Males first? Result:Males first? Result:

Females first?Females first?

Females first: ResultFemales first: Result

Females first: ResultFemales first: Result

We’ll show you how to trap girls first, in a minuteWe’ll show you how to trap girls first, in a minute

10 cat colony,

wide ranging male# 1

6 cats 13 cats,

2 males

6 cats, no male seen

Fishing maintenance

huts, 7 cats, Wide ranging male # 2 1 cat,

territorial queen

5 cats,

1 wide ranging queen

1 male 2

cats,

3 cats. 1wide ranging queen,

Wide ranging male # 1

Total cats – 76; Caught 72; uncaught 3 males, 1 female

Praia da Vagueira, Portugal, W/B 9th Nov 2008Wide ranging male number 2

Trapping • One chance• First intervention

should always be neutering

• Do not trap to vaccinate before you neuter – unlikely to catch again

• Always plan ahead, organise, have the right equipment

• Works best when feeders are on-side

Equipment• Don’t try TNR without

having the right equipment.

• Costs to ship – collect from conferences, ask holidaying friends / relatives to bring back with them. Crush cage 3.7kg, traps around 6kg.

• SNIP International • Learn how to use it

properly

Automatic traps

Great for:- 1 or 2 cats- Wary cats- Last of colony while others at surgery

• Label Traps• Monitor and supervise if on

public-accessible land (whether legal or illegal)

• Do not leave unsupervised if on accessible land

• If on enclosed, private, access-controlled land, check every 3-4 hours (no more than) or get householder to monitor.

• Someone out there needs to invent a texting trap!

Automatic Traps….

1. Wrong Cat

2. Not actually a cat

3. Food gone, no cat

Manual traps

….are great because…• Trap only the cats you need• Prioritise – females / preg / injuries etc• No repeat trappings of already neutered

cats• Doesn’t require pedal activation• More than one cat/catch: reduced no. of

cycles• No mechanism• Quick clearance (record being 27

minutes for 13 cats)• (Cats which enter a trap together will be

safe to remain together. Can easily split)

Drop traps

Drop CagesDrop Cages

www.metalcote.co.uk – “Dropper basket”

www.MDCexports.co.uk – “Nurse’s Best Friend with end door”

Cover!

Transferring•Prop against wall, solid object – car wheel or bumper and steady other end with your foot•Cover cage you want the cat to go into•Blow on cat to get it to move across

www.mdcexports.com –

“Trap Transfer Restrainer”

“Trap divider” – ACES www.animalcare.com

“Restraining Comb” – MDC www.mdcexports.co.uk

CAT LOGSHEET

About the cat: It’s from

Stray/Feral

Owned

A shelter

Location Details Name of feeder or volunteer

Name of site where the cat was caught

Address: Street, Lane etc

Date & Time Caught

Cat Details Colour of Cat

Coat length

Short hair

Long

hair

Sex (know for definite?)

Male

Female

Don’t Know

Can the cat be handled?

Yes

No

Don’t know

Box and Carrier Details The cat was brought in

Its own cage or box

A trap

Our Cage

After the op

needs to go back in the same box / trap

)--- needs to be recovered in a different box|: details:

Any comments for the vet team EAR TIP: Yes: Straight cut ; No: do not tip Veterinary Details Time of surgery

Male or female

Any Problems?

Type of suture

Working with vets – 1 skills

• Vets who can safely neuter cats – issue in less developed countries especially where small animal practice is limited.

• Where cat neutering isn’t done widely, skill levels may have fallen – therefore no demand for service - cycles

• Look at local options to develop skill base and support training

Working with vets – 2: Incentives• Charity TNR work brings work into practice

• Volume of work – knock on effect

• Keeps skills up

• Discount, or negotiate e.g. every 4th cat free

• Communicate and allow clinicians input.

• Send thank you cards etc

• Pay bills on time

• If you have an issue with your veterinary practice, try to deal with it….rather than go elsewhere

Help your vets by...• Ferals cannot get a pre-op exam, but

volunteers can still communicate observations and concerns – use forms!

• Weigh cats – vets will appreciate• How long since ate and drank – fluids

– tell vet. Hydration is significant during TNR

• Surgeon and their staff needs to know how to handle ferals. This is rarely taught at vet schools. Refer if unsure…

Can we fix it?• Apply wildlife rehabilitation principles -

• Can the cat survive after return to colony?

• What is the context to which it is going back?

• Even if a full(ish) recovery is of high probability, is the treatment to achieve this fair and humane?

• What does the volunteer think based on their first hand knowledge of the environment from which the cat domes?

• Organisational resources – do we want to treat one cat to full work-up, or neuter a hundred?

Can we fix it?

• Find those ferals

• Trap those ferals

• Neuter those ferals

Can we fix it?

• Find those ferals

• Trap those ferals

• Neuter those ferals4th Generation feral. Took extended attempts to capture. RF No function - PTS

Lets talk pussy....

• No nose

Lets talk pussy....

• No nose

?SCC

No nose – unable to eat / thrive - PTS

Friendly male outdoor cat. Feeder able to feed individually hence oral dose ABX. Neutered, debrided, cleaned and returned. Did fine!

Recent non-traumatic eye condition. Flu, debilitated 1.8kg. PTS. (If simple recent injury trauma to eye, would enucleate, hosp and release)

Minimal dentals!

Minimal dentals!

• Avoid procedures which will cause extended oral pain. Cats able to eat on return.

• Avoid scaling (aerosol) at time of surgery

• (invasive dental work is a means to introduce systemic infection which could compromise neutering surgery).

Ear tipping

x

Other identification

• Tattoos: useful to ID specific cat – if studying populations long term. But cannot be read from a distance – so must use ear-tipping as well.

• Microchips are of no use to mark neuter status in ferals, and of little use to monitor individual (usually only read again when cat is dead).

Releasing• Check weather conditions (cats will cope fine – but

public perceptions important)• Release exactly to the same spot where caught• Put food down at site. Cats may not eat then and

there but will come back later.• Males and flank spay females : Morning following

surgery is fine• Extended midline spays, pyometras, spay/abort – late

on following day or second morning after• Dependent on vet’s skill, technique• Minimise captivity – welfare / disease / stress /

anorexia / hygiene if kept in

Thank you!