TNR Appointments
1) SCHEDULE A SURGERY APPOINTMENT.
Read up on Trap-Neuter-Return best practices to ensure success and safety on Neighborhood Cats’ website. Make a plan to trap all cats at one time for an easier and more efficient process.
Surgeries are by appointment only. Clinics typically take place every Monday and Wednesday. Make an appointment by emailing info@soscatsky.org. Include your address, number of cats, sexes, ages, feral or friendly.
2) TRAP YOUR COMMUNITY CATS.
Each cat must arrive in a SEPARATE trap that is a designated-size CAT TRAP. These are 30” x 9” x 11”. You can purchase a trap or SOS can lend you a trap if needed. Carriers are only permitted if the cat is absolutely friendly and handleable.
We are a small volunteer-only non-profit, so we depend on you to safely trap your community cats, transport them to their appointment, and recover them. However, if you are unable to trap, a volunteer may be able to assist.
Communicate with neighbors to educate them about TNR, why you may be hanging out in their alley, and to ask them to not feed the cat(s) the day you plan to trap. The cat(s) will go into the trap to eat the bait if they are hungry!
Trapping should be done either the day before your appointment or the morning of your appointment. Do not leave traps unattended during the trapping procedure. Safety of the animal comes first!
Kittens must weigh over 2 pounds to undergo surgery. (If you trap or find small kittens, contact us immediately. It’s possible we can secure them rescue with one of our partners.)
Each trapped cat must remain COVERED with a clean towel/blanket when in the trap, during transport to and from the clinic, and during the recovery process. The covering should be removed only when the trap has been opened for the cat’s release back into the community. The covering used should be large enough to cover the trap completely on all four sides and extend to the bottom of the trap. This keeps the cat inside comfortable and less likely to injure itself.
Safety first: do not attempt to handle the cat or open the trap. Feral cats are wild animals, and they will scratch and bite if they feel threatened.
Cats should not have food or water after 9:00pm the night before their surgery.
3) BRING YOUR CATS IN FOR THEIR SCHEDULED APPOINTMENT.
Cats must be transported in a closed vehicle. No open bed trucks.
Do not use newspaper or metal bowls in the traps. Use pee pads and paper plates, or nothing at all.
You will be given a Lexington drop-off address. It is preferred that you drop off at 7:15am the morning of clinic or at 6:30pm the night before. Our transport volunteer will take all cats to our vet clinic partner.
The cost at our primary partner clinic is $29 per male cat and $69 per female cat. If you are not able to pay the full amount, let us know and we can help. Pay before or during drop-off with cash, check (“Spay Our Strays”), PayPal (soscatsky), or Venmo (soscats). If you don’t know the sex of the cat, please pay $29 and you may pay the difference if the cat is female at pick-up time.
Their clinic visit includes spay/neuter surgery, rabies vax, FVRCP vax, dewormer, flea/tick treatment & preventative, ear cleaning, and ear tip.
4) PICK UP AND RECOVER YOUR COMMUNITY CATS.
Pick up the cat at the same location at 6:30pm. Recovery instructions can be found here or a paper copy can be provided to you at check-out. The check-out volunteer will be glad to answer questions you may have. Any special instructions regarding the cat will be given to you at this time.
Keep cats in a calm warm indoor environment until they are fully awake and have taken some food. They are to remain in their covered trap during this time. Please check on them throughout the night and ensure there are no issues before releasing them. Cats can be returned to their community the day following your appointment day unless there are special circumstances that require additional observation. It is imperative they be released in the same spot they were trapped in.
If you borrowed a trap, please clean them with bleach and water. Schedule a time to return clean traps within one week following your appointment. If you would like to schedule another surgery appointment, please do so ASAP. Traps are a scarce commodity and can only be kept past the one-week mark if you have another appointment within 1-2 weeks of the previous appointment.
THANK YOU FOR CARING ABOUT COMMUNITY CATS BY HELPING TO SPAY OUR STRAYS!