We give each of our feral cats a feral cat den (about $50 with shipping, and worth every penny. We now own about seven dens, some of which were donated by ACES or purchased for reduced price at conferences or benefit auctions).
When making vet appointments, guessing the sex of the cats can be a bit of a toss-up. If you take the time, you can determine the sex of a cat while he or she is in the trap. I'll do a post on that with the next round. Or, if you have a flexible vet who doesn't mind if a male neuter turns into a female spay, you can guess based on your twenty years of experience as a person who has handled far too many cats.
I guessed on body and face type (and feedback from the caretakers) that EOT was male and Oreo was female. Neither one of them had a tomcat smell to their urine (easy to tell from the tiny catboxes they had in their cages), but EOT was a pretty big laidback guy. Hey, maybe he was young, or already neutered. Lucky for me, and for the vet, the guesses were correct.
When purchasing traps, always get traps with back doors that slide UP. These cost only a few dollars more than the type with only the front trap door. Never purchase the type with a back door that swings to the side (like a standard human door). We buy Safeguard traps. They are economical, strong, wider than most traps so there is more room for a cat if he is being kept in the trap overnight, and they have a back-door model. It is always cheaper to purchase traps online than at your local garden store. I like fTomahawk traps very much but they are more expensive and are narrower than the Safeguards.
Come neutering day, we move the cats from their cages back into the traps. The vet can anesthetize the cat right in the trap using a trap divider, fix the cat, and then put the cat back in the trap to recover. This is the least stressful option for both the cat, and the vet staff.
It makes far more sense for the cat caretaker to make sure the cats are already in traps, rather than making the vet deal with a cat in a crate or feral cat den. The cat then somehow then has to be maneuvered into a squeeze cage at the vet's office, or worse yet, manhandled if the cat gets loose, or chased around the crate with an injection stick. Remember, YOU are the feral cat expert. Most of the cats a vet handles are pettable. It's best that YOU make sure the cats are properly stowed, and not expect a busy and overworked vet to move a cat into a cage suitable for injection.
We put towels on the bottom of the trap. I don't put newspaper down as well, because the vet is going to have to tip this trap to use a trap divider to squish the cat on one end for injection. A soft towel is easier to pull out or move around than newspaper. Check with your vet for his or her preference. They may want nothing at all in the trap, in which case I bring along a clean towel so the cat has a towel to lie on after the surgery.
Once the traps are standing by, the cat can then be shut in her feral cat den, the den is placed against the end of the trap, both sliding doors are opened, the den is tapped to encourage the cat to move from the den to the trap, and the sliding door on the trap is closed.
Covering the far end of the trap sometimes encourages cats to move out of the den. Some people leave the trap uncovered with the theory that the cat will leave the den, seeing light, to try to "escape." I want my cats to be as unstressed as possible, so I don't want them bolting into the end of a wire trap in a frustrated escape attempt. Quiet, patience, and a few taps (which often aren't needed) are usually enough to move the cat into the trap.
Don't forget to lock the trap! Some traps have top locks, and others have bottom locks. Forgetting to fasten them can mean a loose cat in the car, or on the street, or at the vet's office. Cats CAN push these back doors up.
Once the cats are in the traps, it is extremely important to cover ALL of the trap. I can say "ALL" until my face turns blue, and people will still bring me half-covered cats, or cats that were left overnight with a bit of trap uncovered and their nose rubbed raw from trying to get out. During transport, two pillowcases with one side slit will cover one trap perfectly. To keep a cat overnight, a fabric sheet entirely covering the trap will do a great job.
When transporting the vet, be sure your car is protected from urine and dirt. I have a truck with a rubber mat, and I usually lay a towel beneath the traps, just in case.
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