It is finished, and just in time. Turns out one of the females was already in heat.
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I'm not new to TNR, but with me it's a situational thing. The cats appear. The cats need to be neutered. I do my best to make it happen. Most areas now have a low-cost spay/neuter clinic within a reasonable distance and they often have grant funds available to offset the cost of community cat spay/neuters. The clinic I use is 25 miles away. I paid a total of $200 to get these five kittens neutered. The clinic requires a $20 down payment for each cat scheduled that is credited toward the cost of surgery. If you no-show, you lose your dough. I have to take off a couple hours from work to get them there in the morning, then head back over after work to pick them up.
I personally find TNR draining. There's the developing of relationship. The trapping, which rarely goes the way I want it to. Stinky fish is a great way to lure them into a trap, but with one I used string cheese, and another trapped herself while I had the trap out for them to get used to.
After surgery they are afraid, and they don't feel pain thanks to medication and anesthesia, so I have to be careful they don't get loose. Making sure they eat, drink, and eliminate is important. So is keeping them in a clean and safe environment. Cats should receover in a space where the temp can be regulated because they can't regulate their body temp until the anesthesia leaves their system.
Ideally, these guys would have remained in a trap, but I only have two traps. I also had them inside to make sure I had access to them come surgery day. Traps are so much easier; put newspaper inside and a puppy bad underneath and replace as needed. It's also easy to slide food and water inside and get the dishes out. One of these guys decided to hide his bowl under the puppy pad, and would bite me when I'd reach in to get it. Pro trick: never use your dominant hand to do things like that.
Once released, the waiting for them to return is hard for me; I wonder if they're safe and healing well. Sometimes it's a few days before they'll allow me to see them, though I can tell they've stopped by to eat.
Despite the difficulty, I've TNR'd ten cats this past year. I did all the work and paid for it myself. I'm proud of that.
But I hope that's it for awhile.
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