Trap, Neuter, Release

I had been searching different things on the web and a local neighborhood website. I finally found a path that looked reasonable to help Huckleberry. They have a trap, neuter, release program and we decided that if we trapped him then he could recuperate with us after the neuter and be released afterwards. In the meantime this “brief” capture would give his leg a chance to heal. I contacted the volunteers that supported this program and set a date for Huck to be trapped.  On the evening of the planned capture, a couple of ladies came to the house with a trap and good sized crate. I had my doubts about being able to trap him, but we really had nothing to lose. Prior to the girls coming with the loaner trap, my husband and I had put Huckleberry’s food bowl in our sun room and had been successful at having him eat a little food inside. Of course the entrance door remained open while he ate so that he wouldn’t feel trapped and panic. While we were setting up the trap we saw Huck in the yard. We decided to put the trap right in the doorway. All it took was one stinky can of tuna and he was all ours.

He was surprisingly quiet once he was trapped. We covered the trap and brought him into our attached garage covered with a blanket. We placed some newspaper in the bottom of the trap so that he wouldn’t be laying on the grates all night long, and he finished up the food that we had trapped him with.

The next morning my husband brought him to the humane society to be neutered. I asked for him to be tested for leukemia and for his leg to be checked. They did not want to do either but I finally talked them into at least testing him. He got through the procedure with no problems and I picked him up on my way home from work that night. I met the volunteer outside of the clinic. They had returned him to the trap after the procedure and he was still knocked out. His test for leukemia came back negative. He had his shots and he was treated for fleas and parasites. When I asked her about his leg her eyes got all big. She told me that they didn’t say anything about his leg. She went back into the clinic to inquire, but nobody knew anything. Evidently the vet that neutered him did not look at his leg. We gently lifted the trap gate up and while he was still out I wiggled his toes, ankles, and knees. They all seemed to be in tact and moving ok. I quickly closed the trap back up and took him back home.

He was still out when I got him home. We had set the crate up in the garage to give him some quiet time to recover. I quickly transferred him to the crate, and we put a big blanket over it so that he wouldn’t panic when he woke up. Once I knew he wasn’t going to fall asleep with his head in a food or water bowl, I fed him.

Author: paws120

Huckleberry was a totally feral cat that wandered into our yard to visit off and on for a year. When he disappeared for a month we knew something was very wrong. He came back dragging a leg and very skinny. We knew what we had to do. After a successful trap, neuter, and amputation for a completely broken femur he now resides as an indoor kitty and is pain free and happy. View all posts by paws120