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Please complete and sign the enclosed New Smyrna Beach TNR Program Caregiver Agreement.  

We have also enclosed a copy of the New Smyrna Beach TNR Instructions that contain helpful hints on

 trapping, transporting, rehabbing after surgery and returning cats to their colony or pick-up location.

We will register your colony with the City of New Smyrna Beach.

If you need to borrow a trap please call Officer Megan Wilk at 386-410-2873.

When you are ready to start trapping please call CCFAW to make an appointment at the Redinger Clinic, 600 Mason Ave., Daytona Beach, FL 32117 for the spay/neuter surgery.  

1.           Call CCFAW to register colony and to make arrangements for appointment at designated

                veterinary or spay/neuter clinic.

Note:   NEVER SET TRAPS TO CAPTURE THE CATS ON A WEEKEND - NO VETS ARE AVAILABLE UNTIL MONDAY.

        2.    Place the traps at the location where you are feeding the cats.

        3.    Open the door of the trap (do not set the trigger)  - use a twist tie to secure the door in the open position

        4.    The first day, put the food in front of the open door – move it further into the trap each day until the cat is going

        into the trap.  This may take a few days.

Note:  It is best to use a smelly, wet cat food or tuna as bait.

        5.    Once the cat is going into the trap you can put the food at the back of the trap and set the trigger mechanism to

                capture the cat.  

Note:  Please make sure that the rear door of the trap is secure so the trapped cat I cannot escape.

 6.    The best time to capture the cats is early in the morning so you can take them directly to the spay/neuter clinic.  If you trap the night before the surgery day make sure that once you trap the cat you place the trap with the cat in it in a secure, comfortable place out of the weather.   

Note:  When trapping in the morning use tuna juice to lure the cat into the trap as they will be going under anesthesia and should not have undigested food in their stomachs.   If the cat has eaten lease tell 

the vet at approximately what time in the morning the cat ate.

7.    If you trap at night you can put more bait food in the trap but make sure you do not feed the cat in the morning as they cannot have undigested food in their stomach.

Note:  We strongly recommend trapping and/or feeding in the morning.   Trapping and/or feeding at night can attract raccoons or other animals.  Only leave enough food to feed the cats and remove remaining food after cats have eaten as remaining food draws raccoons that can and will attack colony cats.  Damage done by raccoons is the main complaint from property owners that are near cat colonies and many times the cats get blamed for the damage caused by the raccoons.   Protect your cats – only feed once in the morning.

Note:  If you trap a raccoon or other animal please release with caution.   Use gloves and do not put your fingers in the cage as trapped animals are unpredictable.  The traps that we provide have a release door at the rear of the trap for your convenience. 

8.     When the cat is trapped put a sheet or large towel over the trap to calm the cat.  Make sure that the cat has sufficient air.  Pick up the trap by the handles.  Do not put your fingers in the trap and or try to pet the cat.  

Note:  Cats will try to escape from the trap and it is normal for them to bloody their noses   or paws on the wire cage – DO NOT RELEASE THE CAT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES AS YOU WILL NEVER CAPTURE THE CAT AGAIN.

9.    Before putting the cat into your vehicle make sure that you put plastic over the carpet and/or seats as the cat might urinate, spray or throw up as it is frightened and agitated because it is in a trap.

               Note:  Plastic tablecloths, tarps or drop cloths work very well to protect the car.

     10.    FOR APPOINTMENT AT THE REDINGER CLINIC, 600 MASON AVE., DAYTONA BEACH, FL 32117 CALL CCFAW at 386-405-1559 or EMAIL at ccfaw@ccfaw.org    - DO NOT CALL THE REDINGER CLINIC FOR AN APPOINTMENT.

     11.    Clinic will spay/neuter the cat, vaccinate for rabies and distemper, tip its ear and administer

               a pain shot.  They will place the cat back in the trap after surgery.

NOTE:  All feral/stray cats must be in a trap and all cats will be eartipped. 

NOTE:  Tame Stray cats and/or kittens from stray/feral mother cats can be spayed or neutered under the TNR Program without an eartip but proof that the cats/kittens will be kept inside and/or adopted as inside only cats must be provided by email at ccfaw@ccfaw.org   or by calling 386-405-1559.

              VERY IMPORTANT:   ONLY ONE CAT PER TRAP – NO EXCEPTIONS.

     12.     The caregiver will pick up the cat after surgery (each clinic will give you an approximate time when the      

cat will be ready for pickup). 

Note:  DO NOT try to pet the cat or to remove it from the trap when you bring it home as you could be bitten or scratched as the cat will be stressed and unpredictable. 

DO NOT let children touch the cat or try to play with it. DO NOT let other animals near the cat.

     13.    When you bring the cat home, place the cat trap on a surface that can be cleaned in case the cat defecates  

               or urinates (garage, screened  porch, etc).  Place bricks or wooden blocks under the corners of the cage and 

               put plastic and/or newspaper under the trap so the feces or urine will drop through the wire floor making it   

               easier to keep clean.

               Note:  Make sure that the recovery location is not too hot in summer or too cold in winter

               and make sure that it is dry and out of the weather.  

     14.    Male cats recover very quickly and can be ready for release the evening you bring them home      

               or the next morning.  If you keep them overnight make sure that they are in a sheltered area 

               that is dry with a comfortable temperature 

               Note:  Make sure that before you release the cat that you assess his condition to make sure 

                that he has recovered from the surgery without issue and is capable of being on his own.

      15.    Female cats need to be kept in a sheltered area that is dry with a comfortable temperature 

                until her incision has time to heal;  this can take several days.  

                You can feed her and give her water by pushing it under the rear door of the trap.

                Note:  Make sure that before you release the cat that you assess her condition to make sure 

                that she has recovered from the surgery without issue and is capable of being on her own.

                Note: Cats cannot regulate their body temperature after anesthesia, so please 

                monitor them to make sure that they are not in distress or bleeding from their Incisions or any other 

                condition that is unusual during recovery after surgery.

       16.    If the cat has any of the issues listed above please contact CCFAW at 386-405-1559 

                and they will contact the clinic for advice on how to proceed.

       17.   VERY IMPORTANT:  Make sure that you release the cats back into the area where you trapped them as 

                cats will try  go back to where they came from.  Most of the time they do not make it.

                RELOCATION DOES NOT WORK WITH FREE ROAMING OR FERAL CATS.

18.   The City of New Smyrna Beach is responsible for the cost of spaying or neutering the cat, vaccinations of  

         rabies and distemper, a pain shot and ear tip.

       19.    The Caregiver/Volunteer is responsible for trapping the cat, transporting the cat to the veterinary clinic, 

               rehabbing the cat as per the instructions listed above and releasing the cat back to the colony or pickup 

               location. 

The undersigned hereby commits to care for and maintain a feral cat colony so that feral cats in New Smyrna Beach are not regularly and routinely euthanized.  The undersigned shall consult with the designated nonprofit agency to register a free-roaming cat colony. The nonprofit agency will notify the New Smyrna Beach Code Enforcement Division of the colony location and caregiver information.  The undersigned shall identify for the New Smyrna Beach Code Enforcement Division and the designated nonprofit agency all feral cat colonies under his/her control and care for and monitor the colony by doing the following:

1.           Register the colony with the designated nonprofit and provide if required the land owner’s consent form for the placement of a colony on their property. The nonprofit agency will forward the documentation to the New Smyrna Beach Police Department.

2.           Feed the colony regularly throughout the year, including ALL weekends and holidays in a controlled manner set up by the designated nonprofit agency, which will not cause the property to be strewn with trash, debris or litter.

3.           Sterilize and vaccinate against rabies all adult cats that are captured.  All cats that have been captured, sterilized and vaccinated against rabies shall have their ears cropped by a licensed veterinarian with a single cut on the left ear at least one (1) inch from the outside tip of the auricle.

4.           Make every attempt to sterilize all kittens over eight (8) weeks of age and before they reach sixteen (16) weeks of age.

5.           Make every attempt to remove kittens from the colony before eight (8) weeks of age for domestication and placement.

6.           Make every attempt to remove sick or injured cats from the colony for immediate veterinarian care or humane euthanasia.

7.           Proof of sterilization, vaccination and medical records for all cats will be provided by the spay/neuter clinic to the designated nonprofit agency upon request and will be forwarded to the New Smyrna Beach Code Enforcement Division.

B.           The undersigned understands that the New Smyrna Beach Code Enforcement Division has the right to immediately seize and remove any colony for the following reasons:

1.           Public health and public safety concerns including rabies and certain diseases identified by the County Public Health Unit as a legitimate threat to the public health.

2.           Neighborhood complaints of the colony creating a public nuisance as defined in by the City of New Smyrna Beach Code of Ordinances.

C.           In the event the designated colony care giver fails or refuses to comply with any of the provisions of Paragraph A above, the designated colony care giver and the non-profit organization identified below shall be given reasonable notice of the Police Department’s intent to remove the colony.  The designated colony care giver and the non-profit organization identified below will be afforded reasonable opportunity to correct or improve the situation, however if such efforts do not satisfy the New Smyrna Beach Code Enforcement Division, the colony will thereafter be removed without further notice.

D.           The undersigned understands, agrees and acknowledges that caring for and maintaining a free-roaming cat colony could result in bodily injury or death and/or property damage to the property upon which the colony is located or to personal property.  The undersigned agrees to indemnify, hold harmless and defend the CITY, its employees, volunteers, representatives and officials, both elected and appointed and the non-profit lead agency from and against all liability and expense, including reasonable attorney’s fees (through and including all appeals), in property or loss of use resulting there from, arising out of or resulting from your involvement in the care and maintenance of any free-roaming cat colony.  The undersigned also understands and agrees that neither he/she nor any of the other individuals assisting with the care and maintenance of the free-roaming cat colonies are employees or volunteers of the City of New Smyrna Beach nor are they associated in any manner with the City of New Smyrna Beach but rather they are independent contractors working without pay to help free-roaming cats in the Volusia County area.