PET CARE Feral cats: Trap, neuter, return

Trap, neuter, return


Ask the vet
Esther Van Luipen

I regularly get people contacting my practice to ask if there is anything that could be done about the feral cat problem in their estate or near their shop. Feral cats can be an awful nuisance! A few kind neighbours may be leaving out some food, but soon it will not be enough, because the cats start to breed uncontrollably.
Where you once had only one or two friendly cats it soon turns into ten or twenty or even more cats. Because if there’s no longer enough food, they start ripping bin bags and creating a mess. Something has to be done.
Some people ask me if it is possible to catch the cats and put them to sleep. Sure, this would be possible, but it is not the solution to this problem. When you catch and destroy the cats, other cats will soon come into that area and create the same problem all over again.
The best way to deal with this is to trap, neuter and return. We trap the cats in a humane cat trap, that does not hurt them. If they are very sick – for example, if they have feline AIDS – we have to put them to sleep. But if they are healthy, we neuter them and bring them back to the place where they were caught initially.
If there are any tame kittens or cats, we can rehome them to people that are looking for a pet. The neutered cats will keep the cat population stable: They keep other cats from moving into their territory, and they will not be able to breed anymore. This solves the cat problem for up to 15 years, and works out much cheaper than having to get pest control to trap them and kill them.
I have successfully trapped and neutered cats in several housing estates and near shops. In a few cases, individuals or resident committees have come together to raise funds or to help me trap the cats and return them. Peace returned to these estates, and the residents are very happy that their problems have been solved for a long period of time.
When we neuter feral cats, we also take the tip of the left ear off: this way we will be able to distinguish between neutered and unneutered cats. Maybe you have spotted cats with a missing ear tip in your area: This animal has been looked after already. If you have any feral cats around your house with intact ears, then now is the time to act!

Esther van Luipen is a veterinary surgeon in Claremorris Small Animal Practice. Feel free to contact her with any of your small-animal concerns on 094 9373955 or at living@mayonews.ie.