We provide resources to educate neighbors; TNR feral cats in Highland (Stoner/North, Kings/South, Centenary/East, Line/West); & serve as a site for donations. Trap, Neuter, Release feral cat program established for the Highland Historic District of Shreveport, LA in March of 2020, in partnership with Port City Cat Rescue & Robinson's Low Cost Spay & Neuter Clinic. Here’s how it works (obviously a
lot more goes into it, but these are the basics):
• We set out traps at dusk, check them in the mornings;
• Transport feral cats to/from Robinson’s Rescue;
• Release back to trap location. Robinson’s accepts feral cats for spay/neuter only on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings at 8am. Pick up is Wednesday, Thursday, Friday mornings at 7:30am. This means weset up traps on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights and cross my fingers that I don't catch any possums. Robinson’s will only accept 2 feral cats per car per day. Surgery costs are covered by Port City Cat Rescue and related grant funding from the Highland Neighborhood Association, Robinson’s Rescue, & the Louisiana Pet Overpopulation Council. I handle all the rabies paperwork as well as keep charts, notes, and logs on the cats. I also try to educate neighbors with brochures and flyers. This helps me to identify locations where homeowners are willing to let me put traps in their yards; sometimes I trap at abandoned houses, businesses, or in alleys/streets that run behind houses. FAQs:
-"I have an indoor/outdoor cat that is domesticated and I'm worried you're going to trap it! How do you handle these situations?" Not to worry! I can spot a domesticated cat a mile away (usually observable in trap behavior, physical appearance, and vocalization). If I accidentally trap a cat with a collar, I release it immediately.
-"I don't have a collar on my indoor/outdoor cat. Still pretty worried you're gonna trap my cat; what do I do?" Here's the worst case scenario: I accidentally trap your cat, take it to Robinson's, they'll call me that day and tell me it has already been fixed, I'll pick it up the next morning and release it back to where I set the original trap location (this is partially why I keep such good logs, charts, and data). If your indoor/outdoor cat isn't fixed, you just benefitted!
-"Do you provide the vaccinations?" No. Robinson's will administer the rabies shots for TNR cats in this program, but we retain the paperwork.
-"I need to surrender a cat or see about rehoming a cat or my cat has had a litter and I don't know what to do. Can you help me?" Sadly, no. I only focus on TNR'ing feral cats. I recommend you reach out to local rescues and animal organizations or animal control.
-"I have a feral cat in my yard that seems to be hurt. Do you provide medical or healthcare to feral cats?" No. Reach out directly to a local veterinarian.
-“I want to domesticate a feral cat I’ve been feeding and keep it indoors. What do you recommend?” Don’t do it. Ferals are generally happy in their community colonies.
-“I’m trying to trap a feral in my yard to relocate it. TNR only works when ferals are trapped at a specific colony location and returned to the same original location. Please, do not trap feral cats and then drop them off in other neighborhoods, unfixed, to become someone else’s problem.
-“I think one of the feral cats that I feed might be pregnant. What do I do?” PM me ASAP. I can come out and try to get the cat TNR’d and Robinson’s will terminate the litter.
-"Do you do the spay/neuter yourself?" No. We TNR the cats and work with Robinson's Rescue, whose vets perform the surgeries.
-"Can you help my domesticated cat that needs to be fixed?" No. We only provide TNR to feral/undomesticated cats.
-"Why do some feral cats have their ear tipped? What's that all about?" Ear-tipping is a widely accepted means of marking a community cat who has been spayed or neutered. It also often identifies them as being part of a colony with a caretaker. Ear-tipping is the humane, safe surgical removal of the top quarter-inch of the left ear. The procedure is performed by a licensed veterinarian, typically during the spay/neuter surgery and rarely requires aftercare. Ear-tipping prevents an already-spayed or neutered cat the stress of re-trapping and an unnecessary surgery. Robinson's Rescue will ear-tip any feral/undomesticated cats.
-"What's the difference between a stray cat and a feral cat? How can I spot the distinction?" In short, pet and stray cats are socialized to people. Feral cats are not socialized to people. While they are socialized to their colony members and bonded to each other, they do not have that same relationship with people. Over time, a stray cat can become feral as her contact with humans dwindles. Under the right circumstances, however, a stray cat can also become a pet cat once again. Stray cats that are re-introduced to a home after living outdoors may require a period of time to re-acclimate; they may be frightened and wary after spending time outside away from people. We do not socialize feral cats in the TNR Feral Cats of Highland Program. We trap/neuter/release and when able, monitor. In rare circumstances, we will work with local rescue organizations to ensure that kittens born to feral cats can be socialized at an early age and adopted into homes. See this article which describes body language, socialization benchmarks, and fear/responsiveness: https://www.alleycat.org/resources/feral-and-stray-cats-an-important-difference/?gclid=CjwKCAiAsOmABhAwEiwAEBR0Zk6wus41XLZ7uQJknNZ7FpJtQ4fjWZ3PQJ3BovaCchEU5D6-bCKtTBoCQ0UQAvD_BwE
-"Do you profit from your efforts?" Nope, and I’m a teacher in real life/my day job, so y’all know I don’t make any money! is a hobby of mine (I like to pretend that I have “free time”) and I’m strictly a volunteer.
-"I like cats and love what you’re doing! But, I don’t have any time or can’t take on new volunteer projects. How can I help?" You're a blessing! $upport TNR in the Historic Highland Neighborhood of Shreveport by donating directly to Port City Cat Rescue (specify “HIGHLAND TNR”). Two options: 1) On Venmo -Inc, or 2) on the website at https://portcitycatrescue.org/donate/.
-"I don't have any spare change or free time but still want to help somehow. What can I do?" First, thank you! Share our FB page widely, talk to your neighbors about TNR, and educate yourself and others on community cat colonies. Finally, shoot us a message if you have old/extra sheets or blankets; we use these to cover the traps on cold evenings and calm cats in transport.
-"Can I give you an address where you can setup TNR traps on my property?" Yes...eventually! This is what we're working toward **in the long term**. A sign-up sheet will be posted on our page in the next month or two where residents of Highland can "report" urgent TNR needed (say, a pregnant feral on your property). We rely on homeowners to "approve" their yards as sites for TNR.
-"Do you need any help?" Yes! Please PM the account. Right now, it's just me, one volunteer. But in the next few months, I will set up meetings with 2-4 folks who are interested in helping out with TNR to establish a collaborative community program for Highland. This will rely, in part, on donations to Port City Cat Rescue for more humane traps (they cost about $60 apiece). We will host an educational workshop with a "How To" webinar to get better organized. Being from Louisiana, most of us know how to use traps, but there are some serious considerations to review when targeting a TNR a feral cat community on your street and we will need to network in advance with Robinson's and Port City to ensure they can withstand the increase in TNR efforts in our neighborhood. It takes a village!
-"What if I want to TNR cats myself?" Please do! But, do the research first. See a step-by-step guide here from Alley Cat Allies: https://alley-cat-allies.myshopify.com/collections/community-relations/products/how-to-help-feral-cats-a-step-by-step-guide-to-trap-neuter-return. See also the language from Caddo Parish: "Citizens may lawfully place humane animal traps on their private property to capture stray cats that may enter. However, trapped cats must be transported by the citizen to the Animal Shelter. Once the animal is brought to the Shelter it is accepted without charge. Animal Services has a limited number of cat traps available to the public on a first-come, first-serve basis. There is a refundable $50.00 deposit required for a trap. Stray or feral cats surrendered to us will be evaluated for potential adoption but may be euthanized after the appropriate hold period."
-"What are the "rules" for TNR in Shreveport?" See Caddo Parish "Community Cat" rules here: http://www.caddo.org/349/Stray-Cats
•Already TNR and want to connect or otherwise have a question/concern not mentioned here? PM me!
•If you see a trap set up, do not touch it! Ferals are NOT usually friendly. Humane trapping is in progress. If you feed feral cats, please, understand that feeding them is just **one step of community cat care. You must also ensure they are fixed.** Robinson’s Rescue has information here about feral cats: https://robinsonsrescue.org/feral-cats/
•Transparency is important! Donations are used to subvent surgery/vaccination fees (it costs Port City $35 for every feral cat that gets fixed at Robinson’s Rescue), buy new traps (these cost $60 each), and purchase bait ($16 for a 12-pack of sardines in water; one box will last me about two weeks). NOTE: Abandoning animals is animal cruelty. To abandon an animal that has been trapped is a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable by a fine of up to $5,000 or by both imprisonment and a fine in Caddo Parish. CADDO PARISH / REPORTING ANIMAL ISSUES: "If you see someone hurting an animal, or you see an animal that looks sick, injured, or deprived of food, water, shelter or veterinary care, call 318-226-6624. You may leave your information or remain anonymous. Your concerns will be forwarded to the proper investigator for action."
