TNR this week, scared of neighbor

Taking in a colony of about 8-10 this weekend for TNR! I have never done it before. I'm excited and nervous, lol. My weirdo neighbor feeds the cats but refuses to take care of them in any other way. They have kitties numerous times a year and he thinks it's funny! (we have socialized one litter of 5 week olds who now have great homes, and are now raising baby kitties that weren't being taken care probably due to their mom still being a kitten herself, or she also could have been hurt) I also just heard from another neighbor that he sometimes will take the kittens and "dump" them in some neighborhood thinking people will adopt them! Instead they probably either die or form their own colony of reproducing ferals! How sad and sickening.

Thing is...he doesn't know that we plan on doing TNR (doubt he even knows what it is) to "his" cats. We are too scared to talk to him about it b/c like I said he is really weird and I feel uncomfortable around him. He also does "claim" the cats as his cats and I believe even has names for them. He lives by himself and frequently talks to the cats who might be his only friends, which is why I'm worried of how he will react. I am scared that he might get mad that we are "messing" with them and cause who knows what kind of problems, and even though he is weird he is a decent neighbor in other aspects. Being scared of him is why we are just now doing the TNR with the cats.

Should we maybe leave an anonymous note on his door about trapping the cats and explaining what will be done to them and why? The TNR people, my other neighbor and my husband all say not to worry about him, but I'm just not sure what to do!

Also, I am worried about other people's outside cats get in the trap that might not have collars.

Guess I will just not say anything to him, and hope all goes well.

I am picking up the traps tomorrow and will probably start putting them out on Thursday night. Hopefully the only animals I trap are cats

I wouldn't say anything to him.

Just do it.

If he asks, then divulge details.

Just my 2 cents.

A lot of people are like your neighbor. I don't think anybody can claim a colony of ferals as their cats just because they feed them. I would proceed with the TNR but I think you should tell him about it. He will appreciate it.

THANKS! I feel better just hearing that from cat people

Well, I have not spoken to my neighbor. So hope all goes well!

Tonight I am setting the traps out!!! I have had a few out for 2 days with food in them so they get used to eating out of it.
**Should the traps be spaced apart a certain amount?

I hope I can trap them all this time around! I am so excited to finally be doing this, it makes me feel like I am doing something for the kitty overpopulation.

I'll let you know how it goes!

Good for you. You are doing a good thing.
He doesn't need to know. If he were a responsible but unknowing owner that would be one thing but he isn't. You will be doing the cats a huge favor.

There is ALWAYS the possibility that you might capture a housecat that was let out for the night--you'll have little way of knowing, because even the friendliest cat reacts badly to being trapped and can be mistaken for a feral.

When the cat goes to the spay/neuter clinic it will be examined in the OR--it it has previously been spayed or neutered by a responsible owner the OR workers can pretty easily see that--it will have either a spay scar (sometimes a tattoo--saw one of those today) or an empty scrotal sac. If the cat has not been altered you will have saved your neighborhood from a potential kitten-maker and the owner the cost of having his cat spayed/neutered. And if he has a problem with the eartip being removed, simply ask him if he'd rather have paid what the vet normally charges for the surgery instead and suggest that he could donate that amount for future operations--he'll probably just shut up and leave....

Originally Posted by ipw533

There is ALWAYS the possibility that you might capture a housecat that was let out for the night--you'll have little way of knowing, because even the friendliest cat reacts badly to being trapped and can be mistaken for a feral.

And if he has a problem with the eartip being removed, simply ask him if he'd rather have paid what the vet normally charges for the surgery instead and suggest that he could donate that amount for future operations--he'll probably just shut up and leave....

Click to expand...

I have to file that away for future references.

Well, I did go through with doing the TNR but was only able to trap 2 cats!!! I had even left the traps out and open for a couple of nights with food in them and they ate it! Guess the cats are smarter than I thought, lol!

One cat had an infected uterus and they called me while she was in surgery to ask if I could give her antibiotics for a few days. HA! No way, that cat would kill me. She is very feral and since I'm not even he one who feeds her she would tear me apart if I tried to shove medicine down her throat. It ended up they were able to keep her at the vet school for a few days until she is better!

I am so thankful for such a wonderful organization that will do that for feral cats!

Next clinic is in Mid-May, hopefully I can trap all the rest of the cats then
I've already seen one I think is pregnant, and I already have some kitties from this season, so I'm very ready to get them all fixed.

Thanks everybody for your responses.

congrats on getting at least a couple trapped, esp the sick one! if at all possible keep your neighbor in the dark, i have encountered this type before and they apply a very arcane logic to feral cats. the notion of 'unnaturally' altering them will make no sense to him. i ran afoul of a guy like this recently, and no amount of discussion could convince him TNR made sense. he didn't like the idea of NOT seeing new kittens every season. people like this claim they love cats, but really they only want to be entertained by them, do you think he'd help a cat with an infected uterus?

Jimmylegs- he def would not help out one with an infected uterus. All he does for them is put out a pile of food (no water) and he talked to them. And as I said before he dumps kittens in other neighborhoods

One of the reasons I had trouble trapping them is probably b/c they had already eaten their normal meal that night. The info for the TNR organization online said to skip their meal so they will be extra hungry and go to the traps to eat...I thought I couldn't do this since I am not the one that feeds them...to my surprise the organization said to "take" the food away after he feeds them (as long as he is not outside) in order to better trap them!!

I hope next time I can get the rest of them. And I don't think he will even ever notice their clipped ears!

People like him really make me sick

Are you paying to get all these cats neutered? I want to start neutering some of the cats near me in Indonesia but I can't afford to do them all. I take it that in America you have some kind of free neuter scheme for ferals?

The TNR in my area does not require anyone to pay when they bring in strays or ferals to be fixed. They do ask for donations and state what it costs them per cat (about $30). We do not have the money right now to donate for every cat we take in, but I have promised the organization and myself that I will give money for every cat I take in plus extra donations when we have money. Also, I think I might help out at an upcoming clinic.

I have no idea how it would be in Indonesia (I really know nothing about that culture ) but maybe try to talk to a vet you know well and see if they can help you out?