Trap, Neuter, Return

9th September 2020

In July 2020, our Community Team was contacted by a farm who needed support in the neutering of its 22 feral cats. Breeding had become a real issue and in addition to the 22 adult cats, they had 16 kittens to care for, totalling their number of feral cats to 38.

Understandably, the carer of the cats was becoming overwhelmed by the size of the colony and whilst they were trying to rehome the 16 kittens, they were worried that they wouldn’t be able to find the right homes.

Our Community Officer, Julie, visited the farm to assess the situation and arranged to carry out the trap, neuter and return (TNR) of the cats the following week.

On the day of trapping, Julie invited along Oak Tree’s Volunteer Co-ordinator, Angel, so that she could shadow some of the behind the scenes work our Community Team carries out.

All cats and kittens were trapped without any issues and the whole process took a total of 3 days and 2 nights. 

Once the kittens were neutered, vaccinated and treated for flea and worms, they all found lovely homes and are settling in well. 

All adult cats were safely returned back to the farm the day after neutering and they can live out the rest of their lives happily as outdoor cats. 

Our partnered vets, Paragon veterinary Group, Dalston did a fantastic job. They were able to neuter all of the cats swiftly so that they were able to be released the following day, ensuring the cats didn’t become distressed. 

Whilst the TNR was going on, we were aware of one feral cat which had had a litter of kittens. Because the kittens were too young to bring in at the time, they are being monitored and will be brought to Oak Tree for rehoming once they are old enough. 

The carer of the cats has since commented on how peaceful the farm yard is without the toms fighting all of the time. 

A great result all round.

 

Well done team!