11/02/2025
THE TRUTH about that "FREE" cat trapper/rescue group service.
Are you one of those people that post about all these cats at your job site that need to be gone IMMEDIATELY? All these cats having babies running rampant in your neighborhood, that either need to be fixed or taken away right now? All the cats in your apartment complex that howl all night? I can bet, when you post, someone always steps up to try and help you FREE OF CHARGE or they at least tag other people that may be able to help you FREE OF CHARGE.
Well, guess what, that FREE OF CHARGE to you, is not FREE OF CHARGE to the cat trapper/rescue groups. Ya see, in order to trap cats, a rescue/trapper needs traps. Good traps cost anywhere from $70 up to $120 per trap. A trap alone won't work cuz you need to entice the cat to walk in so you need cat food, that can cost about $1 per can up to $30 per case (pending how many your trapping). Even though you put food in, you need to put something on the bottom of the trap to make it comfortable so that the cat will want to go in to get the food. That means you need newspaper.
Newspaper nowadays can run $2.50+. Once the cat is in the trap they freak out until you cover it. That means you need sheets or blankets. Sheets and blankets start at about $2.50 and up.
Unfortunately you can't just throw a twin, queen or king size sheet/blanket on the trap and think you're not gonna trip on it. So, someone has to spend their time cutting these sheets and/or blankets down to sizes for the traps or hope someone else (another volunteer) can do it for them.
So the cat is now in the trap, he/she is covered. Where do you put the cat? The cat goes in the trappers truck. Even though you've got newspaper under the cat, chances are it got all bundled up when the cat freaked and when the cat p*es or p**ps, its gonna go all over the trappers truck. So, the trapper uses a water proof pad/blanket to go under the traps, on the floorboard. Those pads range from $20 and up.
From here, where does the cat go until it's spay/neuter appointment/walk in (clinics-$60, some animal controls-free, some shelters-low cost). The cat/s have to go to someone's house to wait. Once at the house, you need to put something under the traps so p*e doesn't get on your floor or carpet. You'd need another waterproof pad or lots of puppy pads (these cost $12 or more). The cat now has to be fed and the newspaper has to be changed out cuz it's either wet, ripped up or has p**p on it. To help do this, so the cat doesn't escape, you can use a divider ($22 and up). The divider goes thru the trap so there's no opening at all for them to escape cuz they're blocked in.
The next morning the trapper takes the cat/s to clinic or walk in TNR, that's time out of their already busy schedule. Most trappers also microchip the cats they speuter so we either pay to use clinics chips or bring our own ($12 or more) Later that day they can pick the cat/s up, more time out of their schedule. The cat can not go home in the trap so it has to be accompanied with an empty carrier when dropped off to be fixed, which the cat will be put in after surgery while still under anesthesia. (cat carriers $20 and up each). The cat can't be released until the next day so again the cat/s have to go to someone's house, be fed and have the newspaper changed out again. The next day, earlier then usual, the trapper has to drive back to where they trapped the cat/s from in order to release them before going to work. Once this is over, the trapper has to disinfectant each trap and carrier that they used and wash the waterproof pad before the next round of trapping.
Think about this, the trapper came to you to trap, took the cats home for the night, took the cats to clinic early the next morning, went back to their life, drove back to clinic to pick them up in the afternoon, took them back to a safe place for the night again, picked the cats back up and drove them back to be released where they were trapped, then drove back to their normal life. All that took gas in their truck. Which as you know, gas is not cheap.
If you're still a little confused after reading this, I'll make it clearer: Trappers/rescues have spent hundreds, if not thousands of dollars just to help you FREE OF CHARGE.
Donating money, cat food, newspaper, blankets, sheets, traps, puppy pads, waterproof pads to rescues/cat trappers helps more then you'll ever know.
~ The above was stolen 👀 from an incredible local organization, Precious Paws Society of NV https://www.facebook.com/PreciouspawssocietyNV/
Aside from the costly aspect to volunteers and their countless hours, I would like to add the institutions that provide the service, which includes rent, power, water, insurance, masks, gloves, scalpels, sutures, surgical scissors, washer, dryer, autoclaves, refrigerator, anesthesia and oxygen (and their equipment), vaccines, medication, maintenance on equipment, sterilization supplies, cleaning supplies, surgical towels, salaries for the receptionist, Vet Tech, and the Vet. AND I’m sure there’s a lot more!
Not to mention putting everyone’s safety at risk when dealing with a scared, feral cat.
Do I dare mention if kittens are found of fostering age and that whole volunteer process?
Just something to think about.
