Connect with Your Community

Hundreds of people have stepped up as new foster families for cats and kittens during the pandemic. We are pleased to see that people are also remembering the animals in their neighbourhoods by donating to their local animal food banks. Caregivers are continuing to feed and care for community cats. People are connecting with others in their community virtually to assess needs and provide support in any way possible.

This reinvigorated community mindedness and outpouring of compassion for cats is one of the few unexpected upsides to life during COVID-19. You can tap into this growing convergence to boost your work for cats. Reaching out to your neighbours will not only benefit your TNR efforts now, it will help establish a network that lasts long after this crisis is finally over.

Consider:

• Joining or starting a community Facebook page to explain your TNR efforts and educate followers about community cats.
• Reaching out to your neighbours over phone, text, or email to have one-on-one discussions and hear any concerns they have about community cats.
• If your community already has a Facebook page or other group to discuss needs or share information during COVID-19, join the discussion and share your work with cats. Ask if anybody needs help with community cat care or TNR.

Communicate with Caregivers Virtually

If you know you will be trapping in an area that is unfamiliar to you, and the cats already have a caregiver, make sure you have the contact information of that caregiver. To ensure success, you will want to communicate with the local caregiver in advance. This is always a good idea, but it is even more important during the pandemic.

Ask the caregiver to email or text photos showing where on the property the cats eat, sleep, and spend time. The caregiver may even be able to give you a “tour” over video chat of where exactly you should set your traps.

You may also consider asking the caregiver to communicate with their neighbours about your upcoming trapping effort. He or she may already have neighbours' contact information or will be a trusted face distributing informational materials.

Alternatively, the caregiver can provide you with the contact information of close-by neighbours who are be most likely to benefit from knowing about the trapping before it begins.

COVID-19 Additions to Your Trapping Kit

Stay safe during COVID-19 by adding the following equipment to your trapping kit.

• Face masks - Make sure to wear one and ensure that it is properly fitted and in accordance with HSE guidelines. Bring multiple masks and keep some in your vehicle at all times so you’re covered even if you forget one, and so that you have spares to share.
• Gloves - Bring spare pairs so you can change them periodically and so you have extras to share if needed. Remember, some gloves tear easily.
• Hand sanitizer/Sanitizing wipes - Use these between glove changes and to clean the handles of humane traps.
• CATalyst's Social Distancing Flyer - You can find this free printable card here. Print and bring multiple copies. We will detail when and how to best use these later in this guide.

You can find our full TNR equipment guide here. Please review this list a few days before you plan to trap and check the list again as you are packing to go. Planning before you start is always key for TNR success, but it is even more important now.

Finding a Veterinarian During COVID-19

No TNR project can begin unless you have veterinary appointments scheduled ahead of time for as many cats as you think you are likely to trap. However, finding spay and neuter services during the COVID-19 pandemic can be difficult. High-quality, high-volume, and low-cost spay and neuter clinics near you may be closed.

Well in advance, call to ask if your preferred clinic is open and taking slots for TNR. Keep in mind that even if a clinic is open, they may be facing a backlog of requests that could push your appointments to a later date than you initially planned.

Ask About COVID-19 Precautions

It always helps to know what COVID-19 policies your clinic has in place before you start trapping. Some may have curbside drop-off and pickup, for example. Ask about your clinic’s new protocols and prepare to adhere to them.

If Necessary, Prioritize Your TNR

Your chosen clinic may have limited slots for TNR, especially during COVID-19, so build your plan accordingly.

If you need to space out your appointments, prioritize cats who are in most urgent need of spay and neuter. Plan to trap female cats first and consider utilizing drop traps to trap these specific cats.

If Your Usual Clinic is Closed

Ask if there are plans to reopen and to be included in a list to be contacted once it does.

In the meantime, we recommend that you branch out, call around and research other clinic options in the area - or maybe one a little further away. 

Since some private practices may not be familiar with TNR, you can share our veterinary resources, Be clear up-front about what services you’ll need - such as eartipping - and what services you won’t need - such as pre-operative bloodwork, or FIV and FeLV testing and work out pricing in advance. You may also be able to request a discount.

Sometime when you are not in direct need of TNR services, you might consider reaching out to local private veterinary practices, sharing resources about TNR, and exploring if they might be willing to provide care for community cats. It’s never a bad time to plant seeds, educate, and recruit. Helping out with TNR is a great way for veterinarians to serve their communities during the pandemic.

COVID-19 Social Distancing and Other TNR Precautions

Once your equipment is sorted out, your veterinary appointments are all set, and you’re in contact with the caregiver (if the cats have one), it’s time to start TNR!

It’s worth repeating that you should remember to practice HSE recommended precautions and government restrictions.

Wear a mask at all times when around others.

Trap with One Partner—Preferably Someone Who Lives with You

CATalyst recommends trapping with a partner in normal circumstances, but there are new considerations during COVID-19. If possible, it is best to trap along with somebody who lives in your household already. That way fewer precautions will be necessary.

If that is not possible, maintain social distancing and wear a mask at all times when around your trapping partner. Take separate vehicles and use separate supplies. If both trappers must share equipment, like a humane trap, use gloves and wipe off the equipment with a sanitizing wipe before the other touches it.

Minimize the Number of People Involved

If there are other caregivers or residents who are involved with the cats, communicate with them through call or text on trapping day. If they live nearby or on the property where you are trapping, explain that - for their safety and yours - they should stay indoors and not come onto the trapping site.

If the caregiver must be present (sometimes community cats will only emerge if they hear their caregiver’s voice), ask that they wear a mask and maintain at least six feet of distance from others.

If you know your trapping area can become crowded, trap at a time when foot traffic is low. Early morning, for example, is one of the best times to trap anyway!

Communicating Safely with the Public

As many TNR advocates know, members of the community may be curious about what you are doing and ask questions.

To maintain social distancing while explaining your TNR work, we’ve created a  Social Distancing and TNR Flyer. It’s A5 size. Download the card then print and bring a stack of these cards with you into the field.

• Keep a stack of the cards on a nearby table or chair if possible. Then people can walk up and pick them up without making contact with you.
• You can also place a card on the ground or other available surface and back away so the other person can pick it up.
  Consider including other printable educational materials to share alongside the card. 
• Create a small safety barrier (Tip: a couple pails and traffic cones will do the trick) near the trapping area. This will reduce foot traffic and is a great place to put a stack of the cards.
• Assure anybody who is uncomfortable with your presence that you are maintaining social distancing and using all possible COVID-19 precautions based on CDC guidelines.

For more information on how to talk about your TNR work to the public or officials at this time, read the “Addressing Concerns from Others” section of our Feeding Community Cats During COVID-19 guide.

At the Veterinary Clinic

As detailed earlier in this guide, make sure you have called ahead of time to learn any new COVID-19 safety protocols at your clinic. Even if the clinic does not have specific protocols, maintain social distancing and wear your mask indoors and around others.

Use hand sanitizer or wash your hands after touching any paperwork or equipment veterinary staff gives to you. The veterinary staff may be sanitizing this equipment between each interaction, but it does not hurt to be cautious.

Many veterinarians are offering curbside drop-off and pick-up. Wear a mask while communicating with staff from your car. The cats will be taken from your car for surgery by veterinary staff. All you have to do is return to the designated pickup time and have the cats loaded back into your car.

Increased Hygiene Vigilance Needed

Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water before and after trapping and after dropping the cats off and picking them up at the veterinary clinic. If soap and water is not available, for example when you’re about to transport cats from the trapping site, use hand sanitizer or sanitizing wipes instead.

When you go home after dropping off the cats at the veterinarian for surgery, consider changing clothes and showering immediately. Do the same once the trapping is over, cats have been returned outdoors, and all supplies have been cleaned.

Cleaning equipment is always part of the TNR process but during the pandemic do so extra thoroughly after trapping is over.

How to Clean a Trap after TNR

Scrub every part of the trap and trap dividers with soap and water. Working in a well-ventilated area, spray a solution of one-part bleach to 10 parts water on all surfaces. Rinse the bleach solution off after 10 minutes - make sure to rinse thoroughly as bleach is poisonous to cats. Allow to air dry.

Cats Need You Right Now

We hope these guidelines inspire you to continue your critical TNR work at this most urgent time. You'll find more of our COVID-19 guidelines here.

CATalyst is committed to providing support to those on the front lines saving and improving the lives of cats during the pandemic and always. If you need assistance, advice, or materials, contact us.