# TNR for a female cat - Update: Good news!



## Jet Green (Nov 28, 2005)

If all goes according to plan (ha ha! :?), on Monday I'll be spaying Eva, only my second female feral. I'm really nervous about the possibility that she might have nursing kittens hidden somewhere. 

I've asked the vet to check her out and let me know if she looks like she's been nursing. I still want to do the spay either way, because I'll never catch her again if I let her go. The vet is OK with it; they either don't use sutures or uses ones that dissolve, so I don't need to worry about that; and all the TNR sites say you can spay nursing mothers and let them out 24 hours later. So it should be OK, right? But I'm still really squeamish about releasing a cat so soon after surgery.  Am I over-worrying?

This all may be moot if she doesn't find her way into my trap on Sunday, which I have no doubt already jinxed by talking about it. :? With a tomcat I would trap first, then make the appointment, but I don't want to have her in captivity one minute longer than necessary in case of kittens!


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

*Re: TNR for a female cat*

I had to do that once, TNR a feral female and let her go immediately after spaying. She managed to do just fine. She didn't run off and she kept returning for the food. It took a lot of time (_around 3yrs, start to comfortable and relaxed housecat_) and effort, but I did manage to tame and socialize her. She is my Pretty cat, who was TNR'd the winter of 2004 and is now a calm and happy housecat.

Overall, I'd say winter is the best time for TNR as it helps against developing infections warm weather can encourage. I still worried, I knew I wouldn't be able to catch her again to treat her if something went wrong, but I had to TNR her or be overrun with kittens. My experience was successful, the odds are great that yours will be, too.
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## Jet Green (Nov 28, 2005)

*Re: TNR for a female cat*

Thanks Heidi, that's reassuring!  I'm glad Pretty finally took you up on your offer. I bet she wonders now what she was ever thinking, staying out in the cold for three years. :wink: 

Speaking of cold, I never knew that cold weather could inhibit infections -- makes sense, though. Unfortunately (from that perspective), it's in the 70s here right now. At least I don't have to worry about keeping her warm. My biggest worry is always rain, and naturally, there are isolated thunderstorms forecast for Sunday, the day I need to trap her. :roll: 

Just out of curiosity, is the yearly breeding cycle different in warm vs. cold climates? February is official spay/neuter month around here, apparently because mating picks up in earnest in the spring. It definitely seems like more kittens are born in the summer, too. Is that pretty much universal?


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

*Re: TNR for a female cat*

I think you'd have to ask Merry (Mitts & Tess) about that. I only just recently learned cats HAD seasons. I thought they could come into and go out of season all year round. I had heard of "kitten season", but I never really put 2+2 together. I think I always assumed summertime meant more kittens surviving and needing to find homes. 

I am guessing, but I would bet that more temperate climates are more conducive to longer 'seasons'. I know it isn't temperature, but the number of daylight hours that tell a horse to grow and shed their winter hair coats. Perhaps it is similar for kitties?


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

*Re: TNR for a female cat*

We have kittens all year round here. Spring and Summer is still the highest number of kittens for us. I attributed the year round litters to our milder winters. The big downside to our climate is parasites that live in the soil and are never killed off.


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## Jet Green (Nov 28, 2005)

*Re: TNR for a female cat*

Thanks for the replies.  Looking back, I remember now that we caught some probably five-week-old kittens in late March a couple of years ago, so they would have been born in February. And if you get them year-round in Arizona, Merry, we probably do here too.

Unfortunately, I haven't managed to catch Eva yet. I did get a good look at her from a distance on Sunday, though, and her belly looked noticably plump to me. So I really need to catch her ASAP! 8O


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

*Re: TNR for a female cat*

*Fingers crossed* you can trap her soon. Its so frustrating when they wont cooperate! 

Recently we had a cat with a broken leg we were trying to get. We got every other feral in the trap.. Took us several weeks of attempts. We were very worried for her. When we finally did her in a trap and took her to the vet,he said it had healed on its own but it will never be right. Im surprised it wasnt oozing with infection!


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## Jet Green (Nov 28, 2005)

*Re: TNR for a female cat*

It took forever, but I finally caught Eva!  I was able to get a squeeze-in appointment at the spay/neuter clinic within 24 hours. Not nursing!  Not pregnant!  Getting spayed as we speak!    

The only downside is that she has a "fairly significant" umbilical hernia. I'd never heard of it, but it seems to be a hernia possibly caused by a failure of the umbilicus to heal properly after birth? I'm not entirely clear on that. It can be dangerous if left untreated for too long.

But they can fix the hernia during the spay surgery, and they're only charging me an extra $35! The spay itself is only $45 -- I love this clinic.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

Woot! Congrats on catching Eva and getting her all fixed up. 
Wish me luck, now.
I've just started seeing/feeding a tortie on the back porch. Yesterday afternoon, she only moved off about 2-3yards when I put kibbles out for her to eat. I *think* her belly is looking a little big-ish and she is tiny. Maybe 6-8mo old. I need to determine if I can catch her and bring her to my bathroom for taming/birthing or only do TNR.
Oh, and then there are the two tomcats who come every evening to eat and yowl/tangle with each other. :roll: It just never ends. *slaps hand to forehead!*


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## Jet Green (Nov 28, 2005)

Good luck, Heidi!  I hope you can catch them all.


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

*Re: TNR for a female cat*



Jet Green said:


> It took forever, but I finally caught Eva!  I was able to get a squeeze-in appointment at the spay/neuter clinic within 24 hours. Not nursing!  Not pregnant!  Getting spayed as we speak!
> 
> The only downside is that she has a "fairly significant" umbilical hernia. I'd never heard of it, but it seems to be a hernia possibly caused by a failure of the umbilicus to heal properly after birth? I'm not entirely clear on that. It can be dangerous if left untreated for too long.
> 
> But they can fix the hernia during the spay surgery, and they're only charging me an extra $35! The spay itself is only $45 -- I love this clinic.


Those are fabulous prices. The vet we used the most raised their prices yet again.. grrrr.. then reduced our discount. They are adding on to their practise! Hmmm. They were so close and convienent. Now were driving to get the better price. 

Ill have to go look at what an umbilical hernia is! Havent come across that one yet! What saints they are to fix it for a reasonable price.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

Today I was able to lure the Tortie over to me for pets, loves and scrubbles. She wasn't too keen on being held, but I did manage to hold her on my leg for a few moments. She preferred to rub on me and wind about me while I pet her. She also has a 'lump' on her rump...just in front of her tail and a little to the side, possibly an abcess. 
I've sent off an email enquiry to my For Paws Sake adoption friend, so I'll see if they can take her into their program and I'll foster her to socialize her. I left it up to them about spaying, if they want to spay right away or do it after she births this pregnancy and I'll just raise everybody up.

My local Humane Society http://www.athenshumanesociety.com/ is a brand new s/n facility. I had Flooter done there last year in mid-February. $63 for neuter, rabies, FIV and FeLV vaccinations. They will do feral s/n, ear-tip & rabies for $35. I am trying to find a free program to do these latest cats who have shown up...


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## Jet Green (Nov 28, 2005)

Good luck with the Tortie!  Sounds like she's partly socialized already, so hopefully you can bring her the rest of the way.

I spoke too soon about Eva not being pregnant.  They originally told me on the phone that she was either not pregnant, or so early it was too soon to tell. I thought that was the end of it, but apparently it was "too soon to tell" only during the exam, not the surgery. But, they stressed again that it was very early. She's only about 8 months old, and since she didn't appear to be nursing, this was probably her first pregnancy.

She's the youngest cat I've TNR'd, and it's going to be tough returing her to the wild! She's tiny and cute, and I want to keep her.  But she's definitely feral, not pet material, and she did fine outside before. I just need to let go. 

So here's another question about TNRing a female: given that there's no rush to get her back outside now, how long would you keep her before letting her go? (The vet clinic says 10-12 days, but they say that for neuters too. They seem to be very overprotective. :?) Thanks for any advice.


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

I missed this thread. Yes, cats can come in and go out of season at any time. Sometimes it seems as if the heat never stops. 8O


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

Male ferals keep 1 day after surgery. Females non pregnant two days. Females pregnant but early pregnant three days. Female late term 4 days. 

do not release them till they are eating and moving around & using litter box. Rule of thumb is they have to be able to run and jump or they are coyote bait. Sorry to hear it was pregnant. thats always heart breaking but you can never tell alot of times till it is too late in surgery. 

Plus it is so taxing on the young ones to be pregnant and then try to take care of kittens. Ones Ive had were skin and bones and health issue while they were trying to take care of their kittens.


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

That's so very sad.


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## Jet Green (Nov 28, 2005)

I went ahead and kept Eva for the full 10 days. She seemed calm and relatively contented, and I wasn't sure how long it took to recover from hernia surgery, so I decided to err on the side of caution. I released her on Sunday.  

I haven't seen her since then, but her usual eating time is in the afternoon while I'm at work, so that's not surprising. Hopefully she's doing fine!

Here's her photo:









ETA: I'm having difficulty with the photo size -- Photobucket will give me either huge or thumbnail size, but nothing in-between. Sorry!


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

Oh, she looks lovely and I hope she continues to do well. I wish I could have a meezer kitty, I haven't had one since my very first childhood cat.


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

Oooooh she is a pretty girl. I hope you see her soon. I hate the way they will disappear the first few days and then reappear after youve worried about it and their safety!


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## Jet Green (Nov 28, 2005)

Saw her yesterday!  She's doing fine. Thanks everybody for your thoughts!


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