TNR Post-Operative Instructions

Surgery Recovery Instructions for Outdoor Community Cats

1. Humane Ohio keeps cats overnight for one night. Male cats can be released the day following neuter surgery.  Humane Ohio recommends, if possible, keeping a female cat in a safe, temperature controlled place for one extra day for a total of 48 hours.  Females that were pregnant may need to be kept longer based on our veterinarian’s recommendation.
2. If you are keeping the cat(s) overnight, keep the cat(s) in the trap in which he was placed after spay/neuter surgery and keep the back trap door locked. The cat(s) must be kept indoors in a temperature-controlled area.
3. Keep the trap covered with a sheet or light blanket during the recovery period (but not too heavy….you don’t want the cat to get too hot!). Do not handle the cat or put your fingers in the trap.  Outdoor community cats are not vicious, but they are scared of people, strange noises and activity.
4. You can give food and water after spay/neuter surgery. When feeding the cat(s), place canned food on a plastic lid with a little water around it. The cat may not eat. You can slide the food in through the bars instead of opening the trap. If your trap has a back door and you choose to open, keep hands out of the trap and always relock the trap door.  Open a crack and slide the food and water in. 
5. If the cat(s) is bleeding, vomiting, having difficulty breathing or not waking up, call Humane Ohio’s emergency line located on your go home paperwork. A veterinary professional is available to you 24 hours a day, weekends and holidays included.
6. The cat does not need to return to Humane Ohio’s clinic for suture removal because dissolvable sutures were used.
7. Return cats at the same site they were trapped during a time when there is little traffic. Unlock and remove the back trap door.  The cat should come out of the trap (make sure the cat is facing the back door so he runs straight out and in a safe direction, otherwise, he’ll likely back out of the trap, then run in the wrong direction possibly towards the street).  Some cats come out quickly and others take a bit longer.  Once the cat is out of the trap, put the door back on.
8. Provide fresh food, water and shelter (especially important in the winter months). The cats may disappear for a few hours or days, but they will return after they have calmed down.
9. A safe, warm, dry shelter is necessary throughout the year for each cat. Visit the Outdoor Community Cat section of Humane Ohio’s website for instructions on how to make an inexpensive outdoor community cat shelter or purchase one at Humane Ohio.
10. If the trap was borrowed from Humane Ohio, return the trap and the staff will disinfect the trap and return your deposit. If it is your own trap, spray the trap with bleach and rub it with a towel or scrub brush and then spray it with water.