People have contacted me about trapping feral cats. One person said she trapped a feral and then it died. I have never had that happen. But I would imagine that the trapped cat which died would have died soon even if not trapped. But this could be very distressing for the trapper. If anyone reading this has such an experience, please write a post for others who may need encouragement and understanding about this sad phenomenon.During 2 years of TNR (34 spay/neutered) I have noticed that many ferals seem to shut down or seem to want to give up after becoming trapped. Many in the holding cage after being fixed have refused to eat. But once released they go back to eating and drinking water immediately.
Thanks for reading my post - leave a comment if you like. I plan to share more about my experiences and what I have learned from managing this homeless colony. Please let your friends know about my blog.
I would be extremely grateful if you feel inclined to donate to the management of this feral/abandoned colony, using the PayPal button on the sidebar.
Debby Taylor DTConsult@cableone.net
http://homelesscatcare.blogspot.com/
6 comments:
So sorry to hear that sad news. We've trapped around 240 cats since 2007 and never had one die in the trap. We have noticed them not eating and drinking, but are back to normal once released.
I'm really sorry to hear this. Like Dana, I've never heard another story like that. I would agree that the cat might have been very sick anyway.
That is a very sad story. We have never had to trap a ferral (honestly I haven't really seen any near our home - and we have tons of other little animals so I would think if they were around we would see them) but this had to be so hard for them. I think you are right that the poor thing probably was already very sick.
That is sad story, I've never heard a story like that ,we think is so hard for them.
I agree that a death during TNR is uncommon. I've never experienced it myself.
I've not experienced it myself ever, but a TNR friend not far from us had one real hardcore feral male die after transfer to a large cage to await neutering. The vet who neutered him is very experienced with ferals, and he had never seen it happen either. The vet did a PM and heart failure was the cause of death, no sign of any heart abnormalities or disease. The cat was about 3 years old.
Our friend was heartbroken that he died. She followed all the rules, kept him in quiet room, lowlight, warmth, water - she didn't even force any eye contact on him. He was trapped on a weekend and had to transfer to the large cage whilst waiting to go to the vet on the monday. Our friend said he didn't go bonkers or try and get out of the cage - he drank water, huddled away in the covered part and behaved like a normal true feral. It really shook our friend's confidence.
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