Do you have a feral cat colony care tip that you'd like to share?
CONTACT US with your tip or suggestion today!

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**CAREGIVER MIXER NOTES**
SEPTEMBER 2009
 
We had an AWESOME Mixer on Sat., Sept. 26.
There were 12 in attendance (2 others had to leave early).
Light refreshments were served, and Pat from the ABC Clinic brought us a tasty Pina Colada cake that was devoured! (Thanks, Pat!)
 
Here are some notes from that meeting:

1. HOTFF FALL RAFFLE - Caroline (fall fundraiser co-chair) talked about some of the fantastic items that are going to be raffled off for the Heart of Texas Feral Friends FALL RAFFLE! Tickets will be available soon to sell, at $2 or 3/$5, and the drawing (now confirmed) will be held on Sun., Nov. 8during the ABC Clinic's Low-Cost Vaccination Clinic. We will be posting a list of raffle prizes to a "dedicated webpage" at our website, so check it out later today or tomorrow. Prizes, including a $120 package from the Spa at Canyon Oaks, stunning custom-made afghans/jewelry/crafts and fabulous gift cards will be grouped into "themed bundles." We'll let you know when tickets will be available (soon!)to start selling! Remember, funds from the tickets you sell can be designated towards TNR at YOUR SPECIFIC COLONY! You'll need to have a "TNR Colony Account" at ABC Clinic if you want funds to go towards your TNR Colony (ask us for details if you're unsure). Or, you can choose to have your ticket sales go to the TNR General Fund to help large-colony/senior citizen/financially-challenged caregivers, or the Feral Cat Room at the new ABC Clinic (opening Jan 2010!). Checks for raffle tickets need to be made out to "ABC Clinic/TNR"with the colony specified on the check. This is going to be a FUN event! Call Caroline or Pam with any questions or to make a donation at 254-235-4601! Thank you.
 
2. FIX MY FERAL! PetSmart Charities Free-Roaming Cat Grant -
As we stated in an earlier email, we have an opportunity to apply for a PetSmart Charities Free-Roaming Cat grant to help with costs of TNR! We're calling the program FIX MY FERAL!Attached please find a "Caregiver Intent To Participate." All of the caregivers at the Mixer signed it, and it's states that you will be willing to share statisticsfrom your colony about TNR so we can MEASUREthe IMPACTof FIX MY FERAL!in our community. If you have not already filled one out, PLEASE print a copy, mark it at the appropriate places, sign and date, then back fax to ABCC at 254-772-1641or drop off to ABCC at 1531 Wooded Acres BY THIS FRIDAY (Oct. 2).This information will be used to TRACK our success of the FIX MY FERAL! program. (Your colony locations will not be made public.) If you have any questions about the information we're requesting, call Amy at 254-732-3413. Thank you!
 
3. FERAL CAT WINTER SHELTERS - Many caregivers would like to have a "Winter Shelter Building" workshop like we had last year. (See website for photos!) We'll set a time for October (probably a Saturday morning again). It really helped to have so many extra hands available and so many great minds at work to build/modify/improve the shelters for our colonies. If you see 18- or 30-gallon Rubbermaid-type bins with lids at good prices, please let us know so we can post it. List of materials we used last year is posted on the CAREGIVERS' CORNER webpage. We had a LOT of fun last year (even though it was soooo cold!). DETAILS TO FOLLOW!
 
4. ORDINANCE UPDATE - Our Ordinance Committee gave a "green light" to our proposed revisions to the City of Waco City Ordinance regarding feral cats and TNR, in conjunction with FIX MY FERAL! Our next step will be a meeting with the Animal Control Advisory Board; we'll keep you posted! Special thanks to the HOTFF Ordinance Committee for all their hard work in making this a reality!!!
 
5. NATIONAL FERAL CAT DAY: FRI., OCT 16 - Be sure to mark your calendar to wear ORANGE on National Feral Cat Day! We'll have a PRE-PARTY earlier in the week to celebrate TNR! We will also be promoting FIX MY FERAL! Please wear one of our TNR Awareness orange ribbons (available soon), and be ready to share the benefits of TNR to your neighbors, family, friends and co-workers. We are each living proof that TNR works - not only does it benefit the cats in the colony, it also benefits OUR COMMUNITY!!!
 
6. OTHER TOPICS:

GRIEVING THE LOSS OF A COLONY MEMBER - During our mixer, several caregivers talked about the heartache of losing a "feral friend" at their colony, whether by natural causes, illness, hit by car, etc. Several caregivers said they have recently lost feral cats, and said it would be helpful to have caregiver support group for coping and dealing with these losses. We can include a special time of remembrance during our Caregiver Mixers (followed up by a TNR "good news" item), but we think it would be a great idea if you will UTILIZE the friendships and networking that you're doing at the Mixers to call up one or two other caregivers and meet up for a "wake" of sorts in honor of your kitty. TNR Caregiving is an emotional job with very few "pats on the back" for all the hard work that you do, and to lose one of these kitties is (in most cases) no different than losing a family pet or family member. If you are uncomfortable making the first call to another caregiver, please let us know - we may be able to pair you up with another caregiver or two who has also recently lost a "feral friend."
 
EMOTIONS OF A FIRST TRAP - Several caregivers talked about all the emotions associated with their first trap. We hope to have some testimonials soon to post to the website. We KNOW it's sometimes hard to trap your own feral cats, especially at the beginning, so a suggestion was made to utilize the "Buddy System" (I'll trap your cats, you trap mine!). Since many of you have already made GREAT PROGRESS in your colonies (several have reached 100% at least once - working on TNR new cats to the colony, but it's still a huge accomplishment!), please consider being a MENTOR or TRAP BUDDY as we get some new "rookies" into the program through online "Requests For TNR Help" and FIX MY FERAL! Sometimes, it's simply a matter of getting thru the first trap-and-return-process, seeing the benefits of healthier cats and no new kittens, and realizing that the newly-released TNR cat won't hold a grudge too long, especially when yummy canned cat food comes into play.
 
PRO-TNR LOCAL BUSINESSES - Caregivers would like a list of Pro-Feral business posted to our website. This includes business who have sponsored. PLEASE REMEMBER that just because a business says "no" to TNR today doesn't mean we can't keep "planting seeds of information" in a pleasant, professional manner so that they might change their minds in the future. We are a positive, patient and compassionate group, and please keep in mind it sometimes takes a few "chats" for the lightbulb of enlightenment to click for some people. Thanks for being a good representative of Heart of Texas Feral Friends!
 
FINDING HOMES FOR SOCIAL FERAL KITTENS - One of our caregivers talked about the success she's had for finding homes for her own social feral kittens. If you would like to know her strategy, please let us know. (FYI - she's not offering to do the work, but we can pass on her suggestions.) As the success of TNR "IMPACTS" our community, the number of feral kittens born in the greater Waco area will decrease. Remember in February when the Waco Humane Society had NO CATS to adopt out, in part to our aggressive trapping following the Bow-Wow-Meow Fun Run? Music to our ears!!! (That's not the case now, so please don't take them up there now!)
 
HOTFF TRAP TEAM - We had twoTRAP TEAM volunteers at the Mixer! We talked about the need to have non-caregiver volunteers for the TRAP TEAM (but caregivers are certainly invited to join!) since many caregivers already have full plates. We will be sending a Volunteer Application and details about the upcoming TRAP TEAM workshop in October to allow our community to get involved! We encourage you to pass the Volunteer Application to your service-oriented family, friends, church or place of worship, work and other contacts who would be willing to donate 2-hours one day a week to trap/transport/return. This will be an absolute necessity as we apply for FIX MY FERAL!For more info, call Amy at 254-732-3413.
 
ANTIBIOTICS - Some caregivers mentioned that they have excellent relationships with their vets, who are willing to dispense antibiotics (Amoxicillian) that can be crushed up and placed in food for sick colonies or targeted sick TNR cats. We are not veterinarians, so please check with your vet first to make sure that whatever is ailing your colony can be treated in this manner. (We're just passing on information here.)
 
HOTFF TRAP BANK - As a reminder, if you need to borrow a Tru-Catch trap from our TRAP BANK, please call Cindy at 254-717-9130. We appreciate your cooperation in trapping in a timely manner, then returning the trap so we can loan to others! (Thanks again to the Humane Society of the United States for the grant that allowed us to buy 19 Tru-Catch traps!)
 
SHARE YOUR STORY! Do you have a story that you would like to share about how TNR has helped you and your colony, or your experience with your first trap, or a special TNR kitty who defied the odds to live a healthy life as a free-roaming cat in your colony? Send us your stories! We know there are a lot of "rookies" and caregivers considering TNR, and it may just be the story they need to hear to inspire them into action!
 
HAPPY TRAPPING!!!
 
Best regards,
Heart of Texas Feral Friends
www.HOTFeralFriends.com

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*CAREGIVER MIXER NOTES*
JULY 2009

1. KEEPING YOUR COLONY COOL DURING TRIPLE DIGIT TEMPS:  It’s HOT HOT HOT here in Central Texas!!! According to KXXV Ch. 25 news on Friday night, we’ve hit 100+ degrees in Waco 27 times already in Waco this summer! The “heat index” has regularly been 110+ on these hot, humid days - with cloudless skies. HOT!

EXTRA WATER BOWLS – We recommend at least one water source per cat. If you have a large colony, you may need to consider several larger bowls, but it is crucial to keep cats hydrated during this extreme heat. Remember, water evaporates very quickly in this weather, so you may need to water in the morning and in the evening. Another option is an automatic waterer – found at Walmart or Target.

**CHECK THIS OUT** --> ICE CHEST – Set a clean ice chest on a small table and put a water bowl underneath it. Then open a bag of ice in the chest and open the little spout, just off the edge. The melting water will drip into the bowl, and it will do it slowly throughout the day.

TUMBLERS - Freeze large plastic water tumblers (like you get from the convenience store or sporting events), then wrap a small towel around it to insulate it.

ICE MILK JUGS – Clean out 2 gal milk jugs. Fill with water and freeze overnight. Place around areas that cats like to lounge, preferably in the shade so it will last longer. Lightly spraying the area with water will help keep it cool, too. – Tip from Caroline

ICE CUBES – If you feed at a home colony, put a few ice cubes in the bowls several times a day.

SHADE SHIFT – Be mindful of the sun’s movement, and having a shady place and cool water for each quadrant throughout the day.

HEAT STROKE – Watch for signs of heatstroke. Cats naturally pant to cool off, so the symptoms described below are for excessive actions:

Panting
Rapid breathing
Dark red or bright red gums
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Lethargy
Disorientation
Unresponsiveness

If you suspect one of the cats in your colony has heatstroke, your first call should be to your vet, emergency vet clinic or Animal Control.

We do NOT advise that you try to pick up an unresponsive feral cat. An unresponsive cat may wake up in your car, and then you’d be in trouble! Try to get the cat in a trap and take to your personal veterinarian or an emergency vet clinic (at your own expense). If this is not possible, you may need to call Animal Control at 254-750-7500.

 2. HOW DO I KNOW IF I'M OVERFEEDING?

LESS IN SUMMER – Just like with humans, cats typically need less food in the hot summertime than during cold winter months. This is partly because the heat causes mammals to eat less, plus cats are able to supplement their diets with a buffet of bugs and rodents.

DURING THE SUMMER, we recommend a ½ cup of dry cat food per cat – OR (“Or” not “And”) – ½ can of wet food per cat. If you feed both wet and dry, do ¼ for each.

The exception would be if you have (hopefully you don’t) a nursing queen.

DANGER! – If you overfeed, you run the risk of attracting unwelcome guests to your colony’s feeding area, including skunks, raccoons, possums, and dogs! Any one of these can pose a life-threatening situation to a cat in your colony. So please remember that overfeeding not only attracts other cats, it can also attract danger!

3. FLEA & FIRE ANT CONTROL FOR YOUR COLONY

ANTS OUT OF FOOD BOWL - Place the food dish inside a larger pan, like an aluminum pie crust pan or turkey pan. Fill the larger one with water. Not too much water or the food bowl may float and fall over, but just enough to make a liquid barrier, with some extra added to compensate for evaporation.

FIREANTS – If you must put down fire ant killer, put a bucket or some other protection over the area for a couple of days. Follow directions and do not overuse. You can also try sprinkling cinnamon on the mound, ants hate cinnamon! The only problem with cinnamon is that the fire ants will probably just relocate a few feet away.

FLEAS – Sprinkle flea powder around feeding stations (but not near the food or water), areas where the cats lounge and other areas where fleas may gather (near the house, building). Our friends at Neighborhood Cats also recommend Petguard's Yeast and Garlic wafers, which some cats may find to be a tasty treat. Lyons Feral Cat Guardians suggests putting cedar in and around feeding stations as it is supposed to repel fleas and mosquitoes.

DIATOMACEOUS EARTH                            (Usually sold at feed stores)

Some of our caregivers use it, other don’t. Please read the directions and ask other caregivers for their experiences before you use it so you can determine if it is right for your colony.

PROS / DIATOMACEOUS EARTH – Keeps fleas off cats and dogs. It mixes in with food so you do not have to get close to a feral cat to provide the relief. It claims to be very effective against fleas, ticks, lice, and other pests on dogs, cats, and birds. It can also be used as an organic wormer and will kill any worms or parasites the pets may have. For more info, visit http://www.earthworkshealth.com/ When using as a de-wormer, mix the Diatomaceous Earth into their food as follows:
Large Cats: 1 teaspoon             Kittens: 1/4 teaspoon (we recommend you check with your vet)

CONS / DIATOMACEOUS EARTH – Two main concerns: 1) The sharp edges of the fossilized material - what kills the bugs by cutting through their exoskeletons & causing dehydration - can also cause severe corneal abrasions and blindness in animals if it gets in their eyes at all. 2) The primary risk for humans is lung damage from accidental inhalation, also caused by those sharp little edges. In other words, the stuff isn't poisonous like some insecticides, but it has the potential to physically injure humans and animals.

 
4. LEADERS NEEDED! Learn how you can get involved with HOTFF to help people and feral cats in our community with TNR with just a few hours of volunteer time a month!

5. UPDATE ON OUR ORDINANCE COMMITTEE ACTION

In the next couple of months, we plan to present our proposed revisions to the Animal Control Advisory Board. (The revisions were posted and discussed at the Caregiver Mixer today.) The ACAB will then let us know if it’s ready to be presented to the Waco City Council. Want to help? Ask us for EZ ways that you can help!

6. OPEN TIME FOR YOUR COLONY QUESTIONS!
Some of our discussion today included:

Using Dawn dish soap on flea-infested kittens really works! START AT THE KITTEN'S FACE AND WORK TO THE TAIL: Start from the kitten’s head and work to the tail, or the fleas will gather on the kitten’s face. Do NOT try this on a juvenile or adult feral cat. SAFETY FIRST!

One caregiver noted that if you can put Frontline or other flea control on one of the “friendly feral cats” it can be of benefit to the others since they have a tendency to rub up against one another.

There was a discussion about the Hartz brand of flea control, and many agreed Hartz is NOT a good choice and can make a cat sick.

Another caregiver brought up possums… according to her research, they are not aggressive (although they are not the prettiest of things), and will typically not hurt cats (as some raccoons have been known to do). Her research also showed that possums are not as susceptible to rabies as other mammals.

One stabilized colony has been forced to relocate their colony since aggressive stray dogs have been killing cats for more than a year. Even with stakeouts, help from animal control, and MANY modifications to the feeding stations, this is the only option for the remaining cats. We support the caregivers at this “Charter Colony” and we know that the caregivers have the remaining cats’ best interest at heart. They worked very hard to avoid this, but it’s life-or-death for the remaining cats. They are being relocated in groups of 2 or 4 to qualified, INSPECTED ranches to serve as well-kept barn cats and should adapt just fine.

We talked about getting vests (like the kind the employees wear at the grocery store when they go to get the carts). We were thinking orange ones with the word VOLUNTEER on the back, and then our HOTFF logo on the front left panel. It’d be cool enough to wear in the summer AND over large jackets in the winter. Any ideas where we can find these vests?

National Feral Cat Day is October 16. We talked about where we might have an awareness event, and MAYBE a raffle if we can get some volunteers to help with the fundraising and selling of raffle tickets. If you are interested, please let us know so we can put you in touch with the appropriate leader!  

Other tips: Sprinkle flea powder around your colony "hang outs" to help combat pesky fleas.

                                 
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Heart of Texas Feral Friends CAREGIVER MIXERS: By Invitation Only!
Caregivers who feed free-roaming cats are eligible for a "By Invitation Only" Caregiver Mixer, usually held once a month. The overall purpose of our meetings is to promote TNR, feral cat management, colony care and support/encouragement to each other in a "safe environment" with like-minded peers. Plus, it's a LOT of fun!

If you are a feral cat caregiver and would like to be invited to the next Caregiver Mixer, please CONTACT US now! Notices are sent via email, but we can make exceptions to call you if you don't have email (but you may miss out on some information as this is our primary means of communication). 

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PAST TOPICS - Caregiver Mixers
* How to keep dogs, raccoons, etc, out of your feral cat feeding station?
    -Make sure that you are not overfeeding!
    -Make sure you have a safe place to feed, like having a designated feeding station. Not only is it safer for the cats, it's better for the community to have a contained, clean feeding area. Unless you are feeding on your own property, please do not dump large amounts of food on the curb or in the street. It's dangerous for the cats, plus it attracts fireants, wildlife and is a public safety hazard.
    -Keep fireants out of your feral cats' food bowl by using a "double bowl" method. Place the food bowl in an aluminum pie pan or other larger container that has been filled with water. The ants will not be able to get past the water barrier!
* Building a Feral Cat Feeding Station.
    -There are some great instructions for building simple feeding stations.
    -We recommend that if the feeding station is on private or business property, that you:  
        1. Get permission
        2. Paint the feeding station green (or other color to camoflauge it)
        3. Place it in a very hidden or inconspicuous location, away from human traffic.
        4. Do not overfeed as this can attract more cats or wildlife/fireants.
        5. Keep the feeding station clean!
        6. We encourage our caregivers to bring a trashbag and while they're feeding, be a good neighbor and pick up any trash that has accumulated near the feeding station.
        7. Keep plenty of fresh water near the feeding station, too. Out of sight from human traffic is best.

Future topics:
* Basic Cat Health Tips to keep your feral cat colony healthy.
* What to do with an injured feral cat?
* How do I know if she's a feral or stray?
* Solutions for rehoming the rare friendly feral or stray cats
* How much money would taxpayers save to switch to TNR instead of current policy?

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NEED TO BORROW A TNR TRAP? CONTACT US!
Thanks to the Humane Society of the United States, as well as local donations of traps, Heart of Texas Feral Friends has traps to loan for Trap-Neuter-Return.  We also offer TRAP TRAINING WORKSHOPS and safety instructions to trap feral cats for TNR!Our TNR traps are marked and numbered, and may NOT be used to take cats to the animal shelter.

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**COLONY CAREGIVERS NEEDED**
Would you be able to feed feral cats one day a week at one of our established TNR Colonies? We need a few caregivers to commit to helping to feed a colony for just one day out of the week. There may be a colony near where you live or work!!! Let us know if you are interested - training provided! Donated cat food is sometimes available. Click on CONTACT US webpage (link above) and let us know that you are interested in being a Colony Caregiver!

Are you already feeding feral cats but not involved with Trap-Neuter-Return? CONTACT US and we can send you a TNR Assessment Packet in the mail. We are here to help and have a very successful program to guide you through the steps!

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GREAT WEBSITES FOR CAREGIVERS!
Indy Feral - Feral Cat Shelter Ideas
Neighborhood Cats Winter Shelter
Urban Cat League Winter Shelter
Feral Cat Caretakers' Coalition
Alley Cat Allies Colony Care Guide
Solano Feral Cat TNR Task Force - Colony Care Guidelines

A special thank you to all these groups that post helpful feral cat colony care and TNR tips to be shared! We invite you to link to our CAREGIVERS' CORNER web page, too!

HAPPY TRAPPING!