Advanced Animal Handling Skills - Feral Cats - 08 Flashcards
Learning Objectives -Differentiate between “stray” cats vs “feral” -Identify common restraint techniques used in TNR (Trap, Neuter, Return) - Recognize that gold standard medicine is difficult in these scenarios
Define what a stray cat is
a cat who has been abandoned or who has become lost. strays can usually be re-socialized & adopted
define what a feral cat is
an unsocialized cat who was born outside & never lived in a home or been away from a home for a long time & became undomesticated
T or F: feral cats are not pet cats & can not be placed up for public adoptions
true - although HEAVILY depends on each situation, can be easier to social kittens below 8 weeks
T or F: all community cats should be spayed/neutered in order to prevent unwanted kittens
true
what is chemical restraint
CR utilizes drugs like sedatives, tranqs & anesthesia to alter the patient’s mental state, allowing the animal to stay immobolized &/or without pain during procedures
T or F: CR is required for a thorough physical exam & treatments needed for our feral patients
true
when we have ferals sedated, what does doing ‘everything’ we can look like?
-full physical
-spay/neuter
-FIV/FeLV testing
-bloodwork
-vaccinations
-parasite control
how would we administer hands-off sedation with ketamine?
give it PO - when the cat hisses, a dose of ketamine can be given by squirting it into the cat’s open mouth
can hands-off sedation (ketamine) also work in the eyes?
yes
how is ketamine absorbed
through the mucous membranes causing a sedative effects
T or F: there’s varying success with the hands-off ketamine sedation method
true - katemine tastes horrible, causes drooling, further angering the patient
T or F: it’s difficult to calculate dosages for hands-off gabapentin sedation
true - no record of weight makes dosaging difficult
T or F: gabapentin is difficult to overdose on
true
T or F: in feral colonies it becomes impossible to dose a specific patient
true
what does hands-off gabapentin sedation do in our feral patients
functions to take the edge off, patient will still need further sedation for hands-on exams & treatments
what is hands-off anesthetic sedation sometimes referred to as
boxing down - anesthetic gas chambers are still used in feral cats in some instances
what is the upside to hands-off anesthetic sedation
works quickly to fully sedate the patient hands-off
what are the downsides of hands-off anesthetic sedation
-safety concerns - inhaling a lot of anesthetic —gas
-short lived
-no pain control
-stressful for the patients
list 6 common tools to have on hand for handling ferals
-cat gloves
-large towels
-feliway
-cat muzzles
-capturing devices
-restraint tools (cats bags, cat lasso, live traps)
why is the cat “panini press” capturing device only meant for quick, short term use
it’s stressful long term - only used as a means of restraint to quickly administer IM or SQ injections
what are some benefits of a cat bag restraint tool
-variety of options, head can be inside
-zippers allow you to unzip & pull-out a leg
-zippers allow you to find a muscle for -injections
-thick material protects from scratching & biting
T or F: the cat lasso is a last resort for restraining cats
true
T or F: makehsift versions of the cat lasso can be made from leashes
true
how should we use the cat lasso
place the lasso around the cat’s shoulders to avoid choking & hold just long enough to get a good hold on the cat to administer sedation
T or F: live traps are vital in the TNR efforts
true - main method for catching ferals & many other wild creatures
T or F: food should be withheld 24 hours prior to trapping feral cats (live traps)
true - some food should be left toward the front of the trap with most of the meal at the back of it
how should we lure feral cats into live traps
we should be using bait, something strong scented like tuna, sardines, salmon
why should we line live traps with newspaper
they should be lined for the ease of cleaning & disease control, the newspaper is also easier on the cats feet
why should we cover live traps
we should cover live traps to encourage them to enter & to keep them calm onced trapped
why are tarps sometimes used for live trap capturings
used to cover traps in the snow & rain, it also protects the car interio during transport
how/where should we set live traps
-high traffic areas
-avoiding direct sunlight
-protective from other elements/animals
3 signs we can check for on a feral for ownership or previous spay/neuter
-check for collars
-ear tips
-tattoos
what should we do if we have multiple live traps to transport
cover & store traps in transport vehicle in a way that the patients can’t see each other
T or F:
Ferals are often sedated while still in the live trap & removed after they
are sedated
what kind of administration route are we aiming for
IM injections
what is the best thing we could do for ferals since fear free is usually not an option
move quietly, quickly, and efficiently while
focusing on the bigger picture of population control so they can live
happy, healthy lives outside in their colonies