This the time of year for feral cats to be roaming around. We have had some wander into our little farm out in the country. As the weather warms, last year's kittens (especially the males) get kicked out into the cruel world to find their own way. Also, it seems that it is also when the tom cats start prowling around, expanding their territory. We occasionally get in feral cats that have been live-trapped for spaying or neutering. Here is the way that we usually sedate these wild cats.
Example A: a young feral cat brought in by caring clients.This young male is pretty scared to be caught in the live trap and transported to a strange smelling place.
Here the live trap is turned on end, and the cat is trying to find a way of escape.
Once on end, the top trap door is opened and bedding is firmly stuffed in on top of the cat, taking care not to smother the cat.The goal here is to position the cat up against the side of the cage so that it cannot move around.
Here, the rump of the cat is positioned perfectly for intramuscular injection of the sedative/anesthetic combination.
Once the intramuscular injection is administered, then the bedding "restraint" is removed.
And once the cat is feeling the effects of the sedative, it can be removed for preparation of neutering or spaying -- in this case, neutering.
Once the neutering was completed, the cat was put safely back in the trap to recover. In this way, it will be easy to transport the cat back to where he came from for release -- with minimal trauma to any people or the cat. Controlling the feral cat population is a good thing.Happy trails,
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