Where do I start?
If you have a cat coming by your house and you're fairly sure it doesn't belong to any of your neighbors, chances are you could have the start of your very own cat colony. All you have to do is trap the cat to Trap, Neuter, and then Return it to your yard.
Ok so how do I do that?
Colony Care
A colony caregiver has the following general responsibilities
- Supplementing food and water to prevent starvation
- Heated outdoor water bowls can help provide water in the Iowa Winter
- Trapping and Neutering your charges to the best of your ability
- Re-trapping, if possible, for rabies boosters
- Euthanization if necessary to end a cat's suffering
- Holding onto documentation for your cat veterinary work
- If our group helps you trap your cats, we'll hold onto original copies
Optionally, you might want to provide shelter against inclement weather. There are shelters available ready to go for purchase on many websites.
They are also easy to build from:
- Basic structure:
- Second hand coolers
- Foam coolers
- Wooden structures
- Second hand deck storage containers
- Storebought outdoor shelters
- Nesting material
- Straw
- Not Hay
- Not fabric
- Outdoor heated animal pads