Animal Welfare Professionals

Hello everyone,  I am curious to what everyone is doing for cat welfare after being trapped and TNRed. Do you release the cats immediately after or do you keep them overnight to help with recuperation? Feeding stations: what is the best way to avoid having non-cat animals eating food at the stations? Do you elevate your feeding stations? Thanks

Hi Julielani, 

All cats being TNR'd (especially in places with very cold weather, like many places in the US right now) need to be kept inside and monitored for at least 24 hours because after anesthesia cats cannot regulate their body temperature. This also allows you to monitor for any post-surgical complications which while rare, may occur. Female cats after a spay may even need closer to 48 hours as their surgery is a bit more intense than a male cats. 

For feeding stations, it is hard to keep other animals away. What I have done is took a very large plastic bin and cut a rectangle into the side of it 

This keeps the food protected from the elements and the cats sometimes even go inside the feeding station and eat with their backs protected.

The biggest game changer has been placing this on a wooden pallet - you can often get these for free from local businesses! This has helped so much with keeping the feeding station cleaner and not getting nearly as much water in it!

Hope this helps!

Hello everyone,  I am curious to what everyone is doing for cat welfare after being trapped and TNRed. Do you release the cats immediately after or do you keep them overnight to help with recuperation? Feeding stations: what is the best way to avoid having non-cat animals eating food at the stations? Do you elevate your feeding stations? Thanks

Hi Farah,

Thank you for your reply. I am in California so cold is less of an issue but regardless I think post-surgery care is important.  Do you keep the cats that have gone through surgery at the clinic or you have a special set-up where they can recover ?  I like the bin idea for feeding stations. I have done some research and found this for feeding station but I think their backs might be exposed this way and so the design is not optimal. I like that it is off the ground. I set up a field camera just to see who else was eating the food at a random feeding station and we saw raccoons, opossum, skunks, and coyotes. The elevated structure would help with most except for raccoons. They can't jump but climb. Love to hear your thought about something like this maybe a bin on an elevated structure. Thanks. 

Hi Julielani, 

All cats being TNR'd (especially in places with very cold weather, like many places in the US right now) need to be kept inside and monitored for at least 24 hours because after anesthesia cats cannot regulate their body temperature. This also allows you to monitor for any post-surgical complications which while rare, may occur. Female cats after a spay may even need closer to 48 hours as their surgery is a bit more intense than a male cats. 

For feeding stations, it is hard to keep other animals away. What I have done is took a very large plastic bin and cut a rectangle into the side of it 

This keeps the food protected from the elements and the cats sometimes even go inside the feeding station and eat with their backs protected.

The biggest game changer has been placing this on a wooden pallet - you can often get these for free from local businesses! This has helped so much with keeping the feeding station cleaner and not getting nearly as much water in it!

Hope this helps!

Hello everyone,  I am curious to what everyone is doing for cat welfare after being trapped and TNRed. Do you release the cats immediately after or do you keep them overnight to help with recuperation? Feeding stations: what is the best way to avoid having non-cat animals eating food at the stations? Do you elevate your feeding stations? Thanks

Hi Julielani, 

As far as set up goes for recovery, we hate to hold the cats in their traps too long so we usually transfer the cats to a dog crate and let them recover in there (please note this should only be done if the person feels confident enough in their ability to get the cat back in the trap). If recovering in the trap, we line the trap with fresh newspaper/potty pads and also usually but a larger potty bad underneath as well. If access to a garage this can be done there.

The elevated feeding station looks awesome. I would genuinely love something like that. My guess is the cats would probably walk all the way inside and eat facing outwards. 

Hi Farah,

Thank you for your reply. I am in California so cold is less of an issue but regardless I think post-surgery care is important.  Do you keep the cats that have gone through surgery at the clinic or you have a special set-up where they can recover ?  I like the bin idea for feeding stations. I have done some research and found this for feeding station but I think their backs might be exposed this way and so the design is not optimal. I like that it is off the ground. I set up a field camera just to see who else was eating the food at a random feeding station and we saw raccoons, opossum, skunks, and coyotes. The elevated structure would help with most except for raccoons. They can't jump but climb. Love to hear your thought about something like this maybe a bin on an elevated structure. Thanks. 

Hi Julielani, 

All cats being TNR'd (especially in places with very cold weather, like many places in the US right now) need to be kept inside and monitored for at least 24 hours because after anesthesia cats cannot regulate their body temperature. This also allows you to monitor for any post-surgical complications which while rare, may occur. Female cats after a spay may even need closer to 48 hours as their surgery is a bit more intense than a male cats. 

For feeding stations, it is hard to keep other animals away. What I have done is took a very large plastic bin and cut a rectangle into the side of it 

This keeps the food protected from the elements and the cats sometimes even go inside the feeding station and eat with their backs protected.

The biggest game changer has been placing this on a wooden pallet - you can often get these for free from local businesses! This has helped so much with keeping the feeding station cleaner and not getting nearly as much water in it!

Hope this helps!

Hello everyone,  I am curious to what everyone is doing for cat welfare after being trapped and TNRed. Do you release the cats immediately after or do you keep them overnight to help with recuperation? Feeding stations: what is the best way to avoid having non-cat animals eating food at the stations? Do you elevate your feeding stations? Thanks

Hi Farrah,

Would transfer cats to a larger trap while they recover rather than a dog crate help?  And make sure the large trap has fresh newspaper and potty pads. That way moving the cats back to the original trap would not be a risk. I am new with TNR. I am not planning to do the TNR myself but I want to support people who do with the recovery necessities anyway I can to make it more comfortable for the cats. 

Hi Julielani, 

As far as set up goes for recovery, we hate to hold the cats in their traps too long so we usually transfer the cats to a dog crate and let them recover in there (please note this should only be done if the person feels confident enough in their ability to get the cat back in the trap). If recovering in the trap, we line the trap with fresh newspaper/potty pads and also usually but a larger potty bad underneath as well. If access to a garage this can be done there.

The elevated feeding station looks awesome. I would genuinely love something like that. My guess is the cats would probably walk all the way inside and eat facing outwards. 

Hi Farah,

Thank you for your reply. I am in California so cold is less of an issue but regardless I think post-surgery care is important.  Do you keep the cats that have gone through surgery at the clinic or you have a special set-up where they can recover ?  I like the bin idea for feeding stations. I have done some research and found this for feeding station but I think their backs might be exposed this way and so the design is not optimal. I like that it is off the ground. I set up a field camera just to see who else was eating the food at a random feeding station and we saw raccoons, opossum, skunks, and coyotes. The elevated structure would help with most except for raccoons. They can't jump but climb. Love to hear your thought about something like this maybe a bin on an elevated structure. Thanks. 

Hi Julielani, 

All cats being TNR'd (especially in places with very cold weather, like many places in the US right now) need to be kept inside and monitored for at least 24 hours because after anesthesia cats cannot regulate their body temperature. This also allows you to monitor for any post-surgical complications which while rare, may occur. Female cats after a spay may even need closer to 48 hours as their surgery is a bit more intense than a male cats. 

For feeding stations, it is hard to keep other animals away. What I have done is took a very large plastic bin and cut a rectangle into the side of it 

This keeps the food protected from the elements and the cats sometimes even go inside the feeding station and eat with their backs protected.

The biggest game changer has been placing this on a wooden pallet - you can often get these for free from local businesses! This has helped so much with keeping the feeding station cleaner and not getting nearly as much water in it!

Hope this helps!

Hello everyone,  I am curious to what everyone is doing for cat welfare after being trapped and TNRed. Do you release the cats immediately after or do you keep them overnight to help with recuperation? Feeding stations: what is the best way to avoid having non-cat animals eating food at the stations? Do you elevate your feeding stations? Thanks

Hi Farrah,

I have attached a picture of one of my volunteer's set up.  This is a great set up for medical fosters too.  I will use a large dog crate and put a feral den inside the crate so when the cat needs to be transported it is easy to get them into the feral den.  There are many above ground feeding stations for cats that use the guards to keep wildlife from getting in them.  Feeding during the day can help to cut down on the wildlife traffic.  

Hope this helps!

Cathy Houde

Hi Farrah,

Would transfer cats to a larger trap while they recover rather than a dog crate help?  And make sure the large trap has fresh newspaper and potty pads. That way moving the cats back to the original trap would not be a risk. I am new with TNR. I am not planning to do the TNR myself but I want to support people who do with the recovery necessities anyway I can to make it more comfortable for the cats. 

Hi Julielani, 

As far as set up goes for recovery, we hate to hold the cats in their traps too long so we usually transfer the cats to a dog crate and let them recover in there (please note this should only be done if the person feels confident enough in their ability to get the cat back in the trap). If recovering in the trap, we line the trap with fresh newspaper/potty pads and also usually but a larger potty bad underneath as well. If access to a garage this can be done there.

The elevated feeding station looks awesome. I would genuinely love something like that. My guess is the cats would probably walk all the way inside and eat facing outwards. 

Hi Farah,

Thank you for your reply. I am in California so cold is less of an issue but regardless I think post-surgery care is important.  Do you keep the cats that have gone through surgery at the clinic or you have a special set-up where they can recover ?  I like the bin idea for feeding stations. I have done some research and found this for feeding station but I think their backs might be exposed this way and so the design is not optimal. I like that it is off the ground. I set up a field camera just to see who else was eating the food at a random feeding station and we saw raccoons, opossum, skunks, and coyotes. The elevated structure would help with most except for raccoons. They can't jump but climb. Love to hear your thought about something like this maybe a bin on an elevated structure. Thanks. 

Hi Julielani, 

All cats being TNR'd (especially in places with very cold weather, like many places in the US right now) need to be kept inside and monitored for at least 24 hours because after anesthesia cats cannot regulate their body temperature. This also allows you to monitor for any post-surgical complications which while rare, may occur. Female cats after a spay may even need closer to 48 hours as their surgery is a bit more intense than a male cats. 

For feeding stations, it is hard to keep other animals away. What I have done is took a very large plastic bin and cut a rectangle into the side of it 

This keeps the food protected from the elements and the cats sometimes even go inside the feeding station and eat with their backs protected.

The biggest game changer has been placing this on a wooden pallet - you can often get these for free from local businesses! This has helped so much with keeping the feeding station cleaner and not getting nearly as much water in it!

Hope this helps!

Hello everyone,  I am curious to what everyone is doing for cat welfare after being trapped and TNRed. Do you release the cats immediately after or do you keep them overnight to help with recuperation? Feeding stations: what is the best way to avoid having non-cat animals eating food at the stations? Do you elevate your feeding stations? Thanks

Hi Cathy,

How are you attaching the den to the cage?

Hi Farrah,

I have attached a picture of one of my volunteer's set up.  This is a great set up for medical fosters too.  I will use a large dog crate and put a feral den inside the crate so when the cat needs to be transported it is easy to get them into the feral den.  There are many above ground feeding stations for cats that use the guards to keep wildlife from getting in them.  Feeding during the day can help to cut down on the wildlife traffic.  

Hope this helps!

Cathy Houde

Hi Farrah,

Would transfer cats to a larger trap while they recover rather than a dog crate help?  And make sure the large trap has fresh newspaper and potty pads. That way moving the cats back to the original trap would not be a risk. I am new with TNR. I am not planning to do the TNR myself but I want to support people who do with the recovery necessities anyway I can to make it more comfortable for the cats. 

Hi Julielani, 

As far as set up goes for recovery, we hate to hold the cats in their traps too long so we usually transfer the cats to a dog crate and let them recover in there (please note this should only be done if the person feels confident enough in their ability to get the cat back in the trap). If recovering in the trap, we line the trap with fresh newspaper/potty pads and also usually but a larger potty bad underneath as well. If access to a garage this can be done there.

The elevated feeding station looks awesome. I would genuinely love something like that. My guess is the cats would probably walk all the way inside and eat facing outwards. 

Hi Farah,

Thank you for your reply. I am in California so cold is less of an issue but regardless I think post-surgery care is important.  Do you keep the cats that have gone through surgery at the clinic or you have a special set-up where they can recover ?  I like the bin idea for feeding stations. I have done some research and found this for feeding station but I think their backs might be exposed this way and so the design is not optimal. I like that it is off the ground. I set up a field camera just to see who else was eating the food at a random feeding station and we saw raccoons, opossum, skunks, and coyotes. The elevated structure would help with most except for raccoons. They can't jump but climb. Love to hear your thought about something like this maybe a bin on an elevated structure. Thanks. 

Hi Julielani, 

All cats being TNR'd (especially in places with very cold weather, like many places in the US right now) need to be kept inside and monitored for at least 24 hours because after anesthesia cats cannot regulate their body temperature. This also allows you to monitor for any post-surgical complications which while rare, may occur. Female cats after a spay may even need closer to 48 hours as their surgery is a bit more intense than a male cats. 

For feeding stations, it is hard to keep other animals away. What I have done is took a very large plastic bin and cut a rectangle into the side of it 

This keeps the food protected from the elements and the cats sometimes even go inside the feeding station and eat with their backs protected.

The biggest game changer has been placing this on a wooden pallet - you can often get these for free from local businesses! This has helped so much with keeping the feeding station cleaner and not getting nearly as much water in it!

Hope this helps!

Hello everyone,  I am curious to what everyone is doing for cat welfare after being trapped and TNRed. Do you release the cats immediately after or do you keep them overnight to help with recuperation? Feeding stations: what is the best way to avoid having non-cat animals eating food at the stations? Do you elevate your feeding stations? Thanks

Hi Julielani, 

All cats being TNR'd (especially in places with very cold weather, like many places in the US right now) need to be kept inside and monitored for at least 24 hours because after anesthesia cats cannot regulate their body temperature. This also allows you to monitor for any post-surgical complications which while rare, may occur. Female cats after a spay may even need closer to 48 hours as their surgery is a bit more intense than a male cats. 

For feeding stations, it is hard to keep other animals away. What I have done is took a very large plastic bin and cut a rectangle into the side of it 

This keeps the food protected from the elements and the cats sometimes even go inside the feeding station and eat with their backs protected.

The biggest game changer has been placing this on a wooden pallet - you can often get these for free from local businesses! This has helped so much with keeping the feeding station cleaner and not getting nearly as much water in it!

Hope this helps!

Hello everyone,  I am curious to what everyone is doing for cat welfare after being trapped and TNRed. Do you release the cats immediately after or do you keep them overnight to help with recuperation? Feeding stations: what is the best way to avoid having non-cat animals eating food at the stations? Do you elevate your feeding stations? Thanks