[Chat] Alley cats

[Lauren Redmond]

Hi.  There have been lots of interesting discussions about cats recently since the dog attacked our neighbor Greg and his dog, Herschel.  I am glad that both of them are on the mend and have gotten some support from the city because of the community's efforts.

Now on to other CV animals....CATS.

Our neighbor went to a workshop offered by Alley Cat Allies and this is the info she reported:

"Basically the way ACA works is that if you have a stray cat or a
colony, you schedule spay/neuter appointments with a vet ahead of time
(2 weeks-a month ahead to get into the $20 clinics). Then, starting several days before the
appointment, you start putting out some food for the cat/cats you are
trying to catch, so they'll get used to you and come around your
yard/porch/wherever on a regular basis. 


You need to get a trap ahead of time (big wire cage with a trip
plate), which you either buy at Ace or somewhere like that, or you can
try to borrow one, which you may be able to get by getting in touch
with someone from Alley Cat Allies. I think they're a bit big and
expensive to buy if you're not planning on using it a lot.


So, you put out the normal plate of food inside the trap the day
before you have the vet appt. and hopefully, the cat will come by, go
for the food, and the trap door will snap shut behind them. They'll
probably freak out, so the woman who was giving the talk said to bring
the trap inside your house (a bathroom may be a good idea), put
newspaper under the trap, and cover it with a towel (this calms the cat
down I believe). The next day, you take them to the vet for the
appointment, and then, the important thing is to keep them inside
somewhere warm the night afterward because anesthesia keeps them from
properly regulating their body temps. The next day, take 'em outside,
open the hatch, and you're all done."

I just looked on the Alley Cat Allies website, I found this helpful info:
"What is Targeted Trapping?Targeted
trapping is a method of trapping, spaying or neutering, and vaccinating
an entire colony at a time before moving on to the next surrounding
colonies in a specific geographic location. Newcomers entering
completed colonies are immediately trapped, spayed or neutered, and
vaccinated.
Conducting Trap-Neuter-Return
indiscriminately by spaying and neutering only a few cats in a colony
and then moving on to another colony has limited effects. It certainly
helps those individual cats, but does not address the overall goal of
helping all of the identified members of a colony and preventing new
litters of kittens in that colony. Cats who are not trapped and vetted
will continue to breed and exhibit behaviors such as yowling, spraying,
and roaming for mates.   
Targeted trapping brings
about total positive results. When caregivers employ targeted trapping,
they work “smarter, not harder.” This focused process improves the
lives of all cats in the colony."

For more info, see: http://www.alleycat.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=285

Do you all find that there are enough alley cats in the neighborhood that this would be a good idea to control their breeding?  It seems like this would be a good time of year to spay and neuter the cats since March - September is often breeding season.

Is anyone interested in leading or participating in a targeted trapping initiative in Charles Village?


Lauren 

Lauren Redmond 
2636 Guilford Ave.
Baltimore, MD 21218
(410) 366-0162
laredmond at hotmail.com

 		 	   		  
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