NORTH FLORIDA ANIMAL RESCUE HEALTH CENTER
16800 CR 137 ~ Wellborn, FL 32094
Phone: 386-963-1354 Fax: 386-963-1127
FERAL CAT POLICY
Thank you for your interest in helping the feral cat population! By trapping, caring for, and releasing
these animals in and around our communities, we can make a significant difference in their overall
health and quality of life. Also, we can help control disease and continued overbreeding of these cats
in the wild.
First, with regard to the handling and transportation of the animals, we require that any fractious cats,
strays, and all feral community cats be transported to our clinic in individual, properly working live
traps made for small animals. There are excellent models available at Tractor Supply Company,
Jasper hardware store, and online. We also like the Tru-Catch traps available online. Some raccoon
traps are also useful. NO REGULAR CAT CARRIERS OR WIRE KENNELS ARE ACCEPTABLE.
This is so that we can safely inject the cat through the trap without physically removing it, which
eliminates the risk of our staff by being bitten or injured by the frightened cats. If the traps are too tall
or too wide, the cat can move around too much and avoid injection.
We ask that no shredded paper, litter, or sand boxes be placed in the cages; food containers can
often not be avoided since that is used to lure the ferals into the traps.
For the purposes of classifying feral cats, if you cannot easily pick up the cat and pet it or handle it on
a regular basis, it will be classified at this clinic in the feral category. We understand that familiar
people may occasionally be able to handle some of these cats in their usual environment, but when
cornered in a cage after a car ride in the presence of barking dogs, their wilder defensive side comes
out.
Please only bring one animal in each live trap. In the event that two or more accidentally are trapped
inside one live trap, we will do our best but cannot guarantee the procedure will be performed. Every
effort will be made to separate the two cats for injection, but remember that after the procedure, they
are often disoriented during recovery and may lash out in defense and confusion at the other cat in
the cage with redirected aggression.
Feral cats should be two pounds or more in weight; this is equivalent to an approximately 8 week old
kitten.
Animals brought to us in these live traps are not routinely handled preoperatively. Body temperatures
and complete physical examinations before anesthesia are not performed like we do for pet domestic
cats. A visual examination is made, an approximation of weight is made, and if they seem healthy we
will proceed with injection of anesthesia through the cage. Only after they are sedated will they be
removed and examined for injuries, ear mites, oral problems, etc. After the surgery they will be
placed back in the trap onto several sheets of newspaper and placed into a quiet isolated room until
you pick them up. We prefer that the kitties are observed for at least 8 hours or overnight before
being released back into the wild, because a sedated cat cannot defend itself properly. An exception
is made in the case of a mother cat that we know or suspect has kittens in the wild.
With regard to medical services, we can offer the following for the feral cats:









Post-sedation complete medical examination by the doctor
Feline leukemia, FIV, and heartworm testing (IDEXX 3D)
Fecal examination
Deworming in the form of injectable ivermectin and/or injectable tapeworm medication
Treatment for ear disorders and/or ear mites
Topical application of a flea/tick/heartworm combination product. You can bring it to us and we
will apply free of charge if the cat is successfully sedated, or you can purchase a product from
us. Exception: We do not apply permethrin or pyrethrin-based collars or topicals to cats.
Acceptable products include Revolution (recommended), Advantage Multi, Advantage,
Frontline Plus, Assurity, Vectra.
Treatment of wounds or abscesses
One injection of an antibiotic, we can also send home some powders you can place in wet food
for continued antibiotic treatment
Ear-tipping of the left ear (removal of a piece of ear to identify which feral cats in the colony
have been spayed or neutered). This is recommended but optional.
These procedures are all optional but many feral cat enthusiasts request these procedures routinely.
The Maddie’s Fund and other grant programs also provide money which can help with the costs of
these procedures, we are currently trying to apply for some of these funds but have not yet been
approved.
With regard to the testing for Feline Leukemia and Feline AIDS (FIV), at this clinic we will not “mix”
the blood from several cats or kittens; each test will be conducted only on one cat or kitten at a time.
With regard to scheduling, feral cats take more time and handling and on average require nearly
twice as long for the entire procedure from start to finish, since many are terrified and the injections
do not always work as fast as they do in domesticated pets. Therefore we currently limit the number
of ferals we can do in a day. The feral cats are always done last after all the other cat surgeries, so
that any infectious disease cannot be spread by the handling and use of the masks and anesthesia
tubing to the domesticated pets of our clients. We also keep the traps in a separate room from the
domesticated pets, so the risk of respiratory and other virus transmission is minimized.
To schedule a feral cat or cats here, you will need to do the following:
1. Call and make an appointment, there are no “walk-in” add-on unscheduled surgeries at this
time. We understand that it is difficult to know when you are going to be able to trap a feral cat,
but we still need you to call ahead of time and tell us when you are attempting to trap one. We
will not board feral cats here overnight. Due to the high incidence of cats that are not able to
be trapped, this is also another reason we limit the number on a given surgery day to avoid “no
shows.” Additionally, we only have a vet onsite certain days of the week.
2. There is no automatic reservation for feral cats on a surgery day, you have to call in each time
you would like to schedule ferals.
3. Know the approximate age and size of the ferals if possible, it can be as simple as “ old large
adult” or “small kitten.”
4. Some people can handle their feral cats at home. If you can handle the ferals cautiously, we
would like to know the gender of each animal and the weight. At home you can weigh yourself
with the cat on a scale, and then just yourself, and subtract the difference. You can also come
in ahead of time and get a weight on your empty trap, and then write the weight down. We can
then always weigh the trap plus cat upon arrival for a better estimate of weight. Many clients
take a sharpie and write the weight of the trap permanently onto the metal.
5. The person who drops off the cat for surgery in the morning will have to fill out the paperwork
on each cat, every time they come, and will also need to tell us which tests or procedures you
wish to have done on each cat in addition to the spay or neuter. This saves time in the
morning and helps us keep a record of what we are doing for feral cats in the area. There is
also a downloadable printable form on this website you can fill out ahead of time and bring with
you.
6. We can only schedule a few ferals at a time on a given surgery day at this point because they
are combined with the “regular” client spays and neuters. We would like to eventually do all
feral cat days, but at this time they are mixed with those of the general population receiving
spays and neuters here.
7. The veterinarian reserves the right to decline surgery for any reason, including but not limited
to: severe upper respiratory disease or breathing abnormalities, severe diarrhea, high fever if
temperature is taken after injection for suspected sick animals, severe vomiting, extreme
emaciation or paleness in gum color (anemia), jaundice (yellow gum color).
8. If you have a feral cat that needs medical treatment or testing (such as an abscess or wound),
this is also scheduled as a “feral cat” procedure and similar rules apply to scheduling.
Here at NFAR we are dedicated to improving the lives of stray and feral cats, and encourage you to
use our services to help you in the management of these cat populations. Thank you!
Tracie A Daniels, DVM