Tricky Territory in Helping Feral Cats

See also Mary's previous two posts in this series: "Feral Cats, TNR, and the Beginnings of Project Treadstone" and "How to Start a Trap-Neuter-Return Project for Feral Cats." -S. Ernst

Undici (the 11th Project Treadstone cat), aka Fluffy Black Tail, who was in her first trimester with three babies when spayed. Photo by Mary Martin.

When you endeavor to reduce the population of feral cats and you must put the pieces of an initiative together yourself, as opposed to hopping aboard one that already exists, you probably can’t avoid navigating some tricky territory. In this post, I’ll discuss the three issues that caused the most anxiety or problems at Project Treadstone, and the lessons I learned: Testing for Feline Leukemia (FeLV) and/or Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV); Microchipping; and Spaying Pregnant Cats.

1. Testing for Feline Leukemia (FeLV) and/or Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV)
There are two opposing schools of thought on this one: Test all cats or test only when there are visible symptoms. The protocol of Alley Cat Allies does not include testing for FeLV or FIV for multiple reasons, including that the test results can be unreliable and result in false positives; testing is expensive (and more cats could be sterilized with those funds); and the percentage of feral cats infected is low (and the same as owned cats--about 4%).

When I first started Project Treadstone, the vet I worked with first had a “test everyone and kill if positive” protocol that was non-negotiable. The package of sterilization, vaccination for rabies, ear tipping, and testing for FIV and FeLV was $50/cat. Fortunately, no one tested positive. But it was only a matter of time. I found another veterinarian to work with who was $40, and had to campaign for not testing. The campaign began with Tres, who was asymptomatic and tested negative for FeLV but positive for FIV. We were suddenly faced with the possibility of killing a healthy cat, but after I brought the vet some research (like this), he decided not to kill Tres. His protocol changed from testing everyone to testing only when there were visible symptoms. And if the cat tested positive for either (unfortunately, as they are different in how they are transmitted and the likelihood of transmission), then depending on what kind of symptoms were present, he would decide what to do next, including “euthanasia.” For instance, if the cat had an easily-treated condition he’d send the cat back with whatever medication necessary, then do the sterilization, then release. But again, it would be a case-by-case situation.

So far, one cat at the Project Treadstone site, Brows, appeared to be ill (and pregnant), tested positive for FIV, and because of her combination of symptoms, was “euthanized.” And I still feel guilty.

Our county’s Animal Care and Control’s spay and neuter program reopened since then, and they do not test at all, plus their fee is only $25 and includes microchipping. That’s a great deal, and my vet knows the vets who do the surgery and says they’re fantastic.

2. Microchipping
I learned an important lesson the night Project Treadstone’s mascot, Scroungy, got hit by a car and probably had two broken legs. Someone other than us had neutered him, and though we had someone willing to pay for his care and rehab him, he was euthanized. Why? Because the woman who had him neutered also had him microchipped; therefore she was his owner and the sole person to decide whether he would live or die. And she chose death for Scroungy, and there wasn’t a darn thing any of us could do about it.

Microchipping can be expensive. The vet I worked with would charge us only for the cost of the chip, which was $19.88. But that would have brought the cost per cat to $60, which was prohibitively expensive. Vets and rescue groups can purchase chips very inexpensively and there are clinics for rescuers to learn how to micochip. So the cost can be made more manageable if you don’t have a public agency already set up to do it for minimal cost.

3. Spaying Pregnant Cats
The first time the vet said one of the cats I had spayed was pregnant, I was in shock. I didn’t want to think about that as part of the deal. But it is. And here’s what happens: Once under anesthesia, the babies fall asleep along with their mother. Then the blood vessels to the uterus are cut and tied off and the uterus is removed intact. The lack of oxygen circulating through the bloodstream while the babies are asleep is fatal.

Obviously, it is possible to avoid this and allow the moms to give birth and then adopt the kittens out. But that’s just X number of kittens (4-6 is the average) who need homes in addition to all of the others in shelters and foster homes. My only advice is to think about this issue and decide how you feel about it, as it’s unavoidable.

Choosing to reduce the feral cat population is an admirable decision, but it is fraught with difficult decisions, unexpected expenses, and hostility from people who don’t understand what you’re doing. Information is your best friend, and it behooves you to learn as much as possible about what’s involved, regardless of how much you don’t want to think about it.

Until next time . . .