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Low Cost Spay/Neuter for Feral Cats
A.C.T., 1719 W. Lemon St., Tampa 33606 (813) 250-3900
Humane Society of Tampa Bay, 3607 N. Armenia Ave., Tampa 33607 (813) 870-3304
Feline Folks, P.O. Box 6294, Sun City Center 33571-6294 (813) 944-7651
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How to Trap/Neuter/Return
1. Once you locate a colony of feral cats, see if they are ear-tipped. If they are ear-tipped then someone is taking care of the colony and you can leave them alone. If they are not, determine how many cats are living there. How many are kittens and what are the approximate ages? (Feral kittens between the ages of 5 – 10 weeks can be taken away from the colony, socialized and adopted.) Make sure that someone is feeding the cats. Find out who that is and explain that you’d like to help them out by sterilizing the cats and adopting out the kittens. Normally, people want to do the right thing for the cats.
2. Pick your date in association with a feral cat spay day. There are three local low-cost, high-volume Spay Neuter Clinics in Hillsborough County: ACT, Feline Folks and HSTB. Ask the feeder not to feed the cats the day before. Reserve the number of traps you will need from one of the organizations. Invite friends or other feral cat caregivers to help you if it is a large colony. The goal is to TNR 80%, but 100% is better.
3. At the normal AM feeding time, set out the traps. Do not put newspaper or other material in the trap. Use something smelly as bait (canned tuna or sardines). Use one can for multiple traps by placing the food on a small dish. Make sure the dish will not interfere with the spring that closes the door. Leave the area for a while, but don’t go far. Read a book in your car or get a cup of coffee. When you hear a trap door shut, very quietly go back into the area and cover that trap to calm the cat down and remove it from the area. Part of your responsibility is to minimize the cat's stress as much as possible.
4. Have a quiet place ready to keep the cats. Drape towels over them to keep them calm. Slide a small bowl of water through the guillotine door for each cat. REMOVE ALL FOOD AND WATER NO LATER THAN MIDNIGHT THE
NIGHT BEFORE SURGERY.
5. In the morning, take the cats to one of the low cost Spay/Neuter Clinics:
- HSTB is currently conducting Spay Mondays. Check-in is between 7:00 – 8:00 AM. Feral cats (not free roaming cats) must each be in their own trap (one cat per trap). HSTB charges $25 for spay/neuter, rabies & distemper vaccines and ear-tipping. Pick-up time for feral cats varies. You will be instructed at drop-off of the time for pick-up.
If you are trapping in zip code 33612, you may be eligible for the PetSmart Charities grant which would allow the cats to be sterilized for free. - ACT conducts a monthly Spay Day at their clinic. Spay Day is the 2nd Sunday of every month. Call (813) 818-9381 to make an appointment. In addition, ACT is accepting walk-ins Monday - Saturdays.
- Feline Folks conducts a monthly Operation Feral Fix (OFF) for cats in the South Shore Area of Hillsborough County. Feline Folks charges $10 for spay/neuter, rabies vaccine and ear-tipping. OFF is normally the 3rd Saturday of every month. Call (813) 944-7651 to make an appointment and get location and check-in time.
6. You will need to have a place to keep the cats while they recover. We recommend keeping the cats in the traps for one to three days depending on gender. You can release the males after one day and females after two days. However, females who have experienced any difficulty in the spay (such as pregnancy) should be kept and monitored the full three days. It is recommended that you use a cage divider to keep the cat on one side while you clean the other side of the cage and give them fresh water and food.
7. Return the cats to their colony and let the caregiver know they are back. Make sure that the caregiver has sufficient food for the colony. If you are the caregiver, make sure you monitor the colony for any newcomers when you feed. Always try to feed feral cats out of the way and please pick up dishes and containers once the cats are done eating. The less neighbors see of the cats, the less likely it is that they will complain about the cats. Cats should be fed once a day in the AM to avoid attracting PM wildlife like raccoons.
8. Last and most important, keep up-to-date records on this database so we know how many cats are in the colony and how many have been fixed. It is vitally important for grant funding purposes to keep accurate information. Grants help lower the costs of sterilizing feral cats for the public.
To Borrow Humane Traps (Refundable Deposit)
- HSTB (813) 625-0910 (Drop off/pick up Friday & Saturday 4:00 - 6:00 pm at the trap shed behind the clinic)
- ACT (813) 250-3900 (Call for Trap Depot near you)
- Feline Folks (813) 944-7651 (Call for South Shore Area Trap Depot near you)
Spay/Neuter Clinics do NOT provide Emergency Vet services -
Contact your Veterinarian or Tampa Bay
Veterinary Emergency Service (813) 265-4043
Investigate Animal Cruelty Cases - Contact Hillsborough County Animal Services (813) 774-5660
· To surrender socialized cats or kittens call (813) 876-7138 to make an appointment. HSTB would love to take them all to place them in good homes; however, we have limited cage space. HSTB will not take in cats
or kittens in need of socialization or bottle feeding.
