WebMD for Pets has an excellent article on the problem and solution. Some highlights from that article: * There are between 60 million and 100 million feral cats in the U.S. They are usually the offspring of cats who were lost or abandoned by their owners, and they grow up not socialized to humans. *…
Addie, the Administrator of this program, has had to go out and trap on top of everything else that she does. As a fellow trapper, my heart goes out to her. She has so many other responsibilities. If you have some experience in trapping, or even if you don’t but think you would like to…
Advantages of have a TNR, Trap, Neuter, Return, program for feral cat colonies: Getting feral cats neutered will stop the overpopulation of the colony. Every time a feral cat has kittens, it significantly lowers the odds that the kitten will survive. If it does, and it is not handled often, it may never be adoptable….
If you are already starting to care for feral cats, Thank You!! I am going to share some suggestions here that might help someone who is just starting to feed outside cats, at your home. I learned some of these by caring for colonies during trapping process. First, and most importantly, connect with a vet…
I am going to put this here, but it is currently a closed program. When it opens back up, I will change this post. The LISN program is called Low Income Spay Neuter program. It is for people with lower incomes so that they can get their cats neutered. You can purchase a voucher for…
If you have one, two, or three feral cats, and have the money to do it, you may choose to be a responsible caregiver by getting them neutered. When they weigh 2-3 pounds, most of the low cost vets will do that neuter. I know of a couple of vets that do it rather inexpensively. …
At different times, will will be publishing printable flyers onto this website. We ask that all who check it, print it and circulate it. They could be informational or fundraising fliers. When we publish one, we will tell you where, when, and how to share it or hand it out. We will try to keep…
Are you someone who has been trapping for a while and you have gotten pretty good at it? If so, you can help by training people who want to trap but have never done it before. Or maybe you are someone who has done business and government organization fundraising. In that endeavor, the more that…
If you have experience organizing, we need you. As a veterinary Liaison, you would contact the veterinarians that we work with and make appointments. After securing some appointment, coordinate trappers to fill those appointments and get the paperwork they would need to submit to the vet clinic to bring their feral cats in for neutering….
This is a copy of a discharge that I received from a vet once a feral cat had been neutered. I put it here, on the website, because a Veterinary Liaison should make sure that they received these instructions from any vets they work with and that the trapper/caregiver has read them. Part of the…
I am currently working on two different, large colonies, in my neighborhood. Sadly, there are several more because this area seems to be a dumping ground for people who don’t live here. On one of the colonies, this week, I will be trying to trap the last of the cats. I am praying for success,…
This is a person who has had years of experience working in a TNR program. She brought up a number issues. I did not know that the life expectancy of a feral cat is, in average, 3 years. I do know that one colony I have been working in for over a year lost several…
Cats need to be held the night before and at least one night after surgery. There is usually hours to a couple of days time period from the time a cat gets trapped until the time they go in to the vet to be neutered. Once the surgery is done, they will be transported back…
You can make a valuable contribution as a transport volunteer, delivering cats to the clinic and returning them to a holding place after surgery. We are currently using multiple vets in our area and in Humble. In Humble, we are able to take many cats at one time, but in our local vets, it is…
TNR programs are always in need of people with the drive, patience and dedication to do the essential: catch the cats. Right now, we have a set number of traps and vet appointments available. If we can get enough funds to expand out, we can get more traps and enter more community areas. We do,…
If you are trapping from multiple areas, keep some masking tape in your car to mark, clearly, on the trap, where that trapped cat came from so you can return them into the same area. Cats do best when they stay in the same communities. In fact, they may not survive well if you do…
If you have ever helped with business level fundraising, we need you. Anyone who has done this knows that businesses that will donate to communities are able to give more than an individual. Having someone who has experience doing this can help by doing the actions needed or even teach other volunteers how to do…
Like most non-profit programs, we cannot keep the program going without money. So far, this has been done by the program Administrator and she has done a great job, but she has a LOT more to do. We need help in this area. We need volunteers to not only do the actions needed for fundraising,…
We will be posting an online method of donating to the Trap, Neuter, Return (TNR) program. For now, we ask that you mail checks to the Polk County SPCA, (NOTING TNR PROGRAM on your check memo) to: P.O. Box 1403, Livingston TX 77351, or take them into the SPCA at 802 S. Houston Ave, Livingston. See sample here: 
Or, donate online: –> Donate To TNR Online
Here are some helpful steps on how to use the website. Use the REPLY (below) or –> CONTACT US link to tell me if you are having problems or want to add info. I will gladly update the with solutions or better info. * The website is split into sections, using the menu options on…
The TNR program is a self-supporting entity of the Polk County SPCA. The program was created to try to solve the feral cat problems in Polk County TX. As a mostly rural county, this problem has been well hidden, but it is extensive. –> Read More Here
I have learned, under fire, about various traps, losing kitties and cleaning up trap messes is not fun. I am going to put pictures, in posts here, of various traps I have used. There are dozens of models, so this will certainly not cover them all. If you have personally had some experiences with traps…
This is a run-through of what TNR (trap, neuter, return) is and some basic trapping info and different trap devices. It also tells you, in a simplified way, how to set up your TNR trapping process. To get more in-depth information and instructions, go to the TRAPPING section of the website: –> How To Trap…
I have used 2 different HavAHart traps. With the 1089, I have never lost a cat using. The 1092 is easy to setup and to release the cat, but it has one problem and that is that the gate can be pushed open by a large cat. I have learned to use carabiners to hold…
I have used the TruCatch trap quite often. The setting of the trigger is tricky, but you will learn with time. This video not only shows you how to use this style of trap, but it also shares some trapping basics. Don’t forget the carabiner to lock up the back. I would NOT suggest putting…
I have never used a drop trap, but others have so I am showing three videos here. The first shows some of the pitfalls of trapping and why a drop trap might be used. The second is a very good video showing well structured, beginner instructions, on how to best work with these traps and…
I have no personal experience with a drop trap, YET, but I am sure I will some day. I have watched someone use it thought. THE PROS: I have been told by people who have used them that this is the ‘go to’ trap for cats that have become ‘trap savvy’. They have been trapped once,…
The 30LTD TruCatch trap is a totally different style from the standard ‘gate traps’. THE PROS: The first thing is that if you are going to have a cat in a trap for a while before neutering, this is the trap you might consider your ‘go to’ trap. It is easy to get a pee…
The standard Hav-A-Hart trap is pretty common. Here, in the rural area of my county, a lot of people own at least one. They are good for trapping annoying critters and taking them out to the countryside instead of in your garden (smile). THE PROS: Some people already have one or two, so no need…
I bought one of these traps and still have it in my arsenal. It is a HavAHart trap with a nice, comfy, handle on the top. THE PROS: It is very easy to carry because the handle is sturdy. Also, it is very easy to open because there is an additional handle that opens ‘the…
