'It's up to neighborhoods now': What Burlington area residents can do to control cat colonies

Michaele Niehaus, The Hawk Eye
·6 min read

The dissolution of A Street Cat With No Desire is expected to be bad news for Burlington's feral cats and the remaining organizations that work to help them.

But there's plenty residents can do to fill the gap.

Tiffany Rourke-Thompson, shelter manager for the Des Moines County Humane Society, said she often referred people who came to her shelter with concerns over neighborhood cat colonies to the nonprofit trap-neuter-vaccinate-return program that dissolved on June 30 due to a lack of volunteers and other obstacles.

More: 'Stubborn ladies who wanted to do something': Inside the rise and fall of A Street Cat With No Desire

"We already have a big cat problem in this town, so this will make it a lot harder," Rourke-Thompson said. "Now I have nowhere to send people."

Rebecca Rosales, founder of Sunny's Legacy, a relatively new nonprofit whose focus is solely on cats, is never one to turn away a cat in need, but with few volunteers and limited financial means, she can only do so much.

The Des Moines County Humane Society already is "drowning in kitty cats," Rourke-Thompson said, each of which can cost between $150 to $500 in vet care, and the shelter can take on only so many cats.

"It's up to neighborhoods now," Rourke-Thompson said. "I urge neighborhoods to come together if you have a cat problem in your neighborhood. The only one that's going to fix it are yourselves at this point."

TNVR is ideal for controlling cat populations, improving the health of cat colonies, preventing animal cruelty and decreasing the size of colonies over time, according to Alley Cat Allies, a Maryland-based nonprofit that works in communities to champion low-cost spay and neuter policies and programs.

More: New partnership between Des Moines County Humane Society, Sunny's Legacy to help provide care and adoptions for area stray cats

With Street Cat's dissolution, Rourke-Thompson suggested that neighbors organize, settle on a vet, and chip in to pay for the cost of spaying and neutering feral cats.

It's either that or expect more cats, which are good for keeping mice and other vermin at bay but can be problematic for bird enthusiasts and those who don't want their lawns used as litter boxes.

"There's 20 people in a neighborhood and everybody can give $100," Rourke-Thompson theorized. "That's something that really needs to be considered anymore."

But before you can get feral cats to the vet, you'll have to catch them.

To catch a predator: A Street Cat With No Desire founder offers tips for trapping

Lanie Fritz, cofounder of A Street Cat With No Desire, has learned much about trapping over the years.

If a cat appears friendly, she suggested giving it food and water to gain its trust.

Once that trust has been established, the cat can be taken indoors, ideally kept in one room so it doesn't get overwhelmed or hide out, until its vet appointment.

To catch feral cats within city limits, you'll need to obtain a permit to set a live trap, which can be done through the Burlington Police Department.

The permit requirement does not expand to the county.

Once you have your permit, you'll need a trap.

"The live traps are cumbersome," Fritz said. "They're hard on your fingers and they're ugly."

They also look intimidating to cats, which is why you'll need to cover everything but the opening of the set trap with a sheet.

More: 'I don't want to give up on them': How Sunny's Legacy is helping Burlington's stray cats

Before you set the trap, you'll need something to lure the cat into it. Fritz suggested sardines or pungent wet cat food.

The trap will need to be checked numerous times a day, as often as every 30 minutes in extreme temperatures.

Fritz advised that trapping not be done after November due to extreme cold that could quickly kill a trapped feline.

When the cat has been caught, you'll need the help of another person to transfer the cat from the trap to a carrier.

One will need to hold the open carrier up to the opening of the trap while the other holds the trap and releases it. The sheet used to cover the trap should be positioned over both the carrier and the trap before the trap's release.

"Put a sheet over the two openings, because they will escape," Fritz said. "If you don't have a sheet over those two openings, the cat's gone. All your hard work is done."

Once the cat is in the bag, so to speak, you'll need to find a vet and make an appointment.

How to find an affordable veterinarian

Some veterinary clinics offer discounted spay and neuter for feral and/or community cats, but they are few.

Among them is the Iowa Humane Alliance in Cedar Rapids. The Alliance's I-TRAP program provides reduced-cost spay and neuter, as well as a variety of other services such as DIY shelter-making shops.

Up to two cats can be brought there without an appointment. Drop-off time is from 7:15 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday through Thursday. Pick-up is 6:45 a.m. the next morning.

For more information about pricing and services, call (319) 363-1225.

The Quincy, Illinois, Humane Society, 1705 N. 36th St., also offers a spay/neuter clinic Tuesdays through Thursdays, but only by appointment. To schedule an appointment, call (217) 223-8786.

There are some veterinary clinics in southeast Iowa that offer reduced-cost spay and neuter for community cats that do not advertise the service due to lack of funding, so those who do not wish to travel far would be best served by calling around to area vets.

How to care for the cat after surgery

Cats should not be released immediately after undergoing surgery, Fritz cautioned, explaining the anesthesia used on the felines lowers their body temperature, making them more susceptible to the elements.

It takes about 24 hours for the cats to fully recover from anesthesia and regain the ability to regulate their body temperature, so they should be kept either in a home or other temperature-controlled structure and provided with food and water while they recuperate.

Neutering is fairly non-invasive, so male cats usually can be returned to their colony the next morning.

Spaying of female cats, however, is essentially a full hysterectomy, and they should be kept inside and monitored for two or days post-surgery.

Other ways to help

Those who don't want to do field work but want to help can do so by volunteering or donating either materials or money.

Here's a list of rescues and other nonprofits that work to help animals in southeast Iowa:

Michaele Niehaus covers business, development, environment and agriculture for The Hawk Eye. She can be reached at mniehaus@thehawkeye.com.

This article originally appeared on The Hawk Eye: How to help Burlington feral cats after dissolution of nonprofit