400.12 feral free program

Number: 400.12
SUBJECT: Feral Free Program Page: 1
Date: 11/21/14
Approved: Jennifer Hawkins, D.V.M., Director Revised: 09/24/15
I. PURPOSE
In an effort to be in compliance with the ASV Guidelines for Standards of Care in
Animal Shelters (ASV GSCAS) the following Policy and Procedure has been
written and will be adhered to by all staff of OC Animal Care, Shelter Services.
The Five Freedoms – Freedom from Hunger and Thirst, Freedom from
Discomfort, Freedom from Pain, Injury or Disease, Freedom to Express Normal
Behavior, and Freedom from Fear and Distress will be at the root of every Policy
and Procedure and the core of the works done at OC Animal Care.
The Guidelines are setup with categories of “Must”, “Should” and “Ideal”. OC
Animal Care will strive to maintain or achieve the “Must “category in all aspects
of the Shelter by adhering to the Policy and Procedures written to follow the
Guidelines.
To establish guidelines for the spaying and neutering of Feral Cats.
II. POLICY
Per the ASV GSCAS topic Management and Record Keeping, Establishment of
Policies and Procedures every Shelter Must:
• Develop and document protocols in sufficient detail to achieve and
maintain the standards described in this document, and update them as
needed to ensure that they reflect current information and pertinent
legislation.
Per the ASV GSCAS topic Animal Handling, Feral Cats, every Shelter Should:
• When capturing or transporting feral cats, squeeze cages, feral cat boxes
or humane box traps with dividers should be used for the most humane
restraint and for administering tranquilizing injections prior to handling.

Number: 400.12
Date: 11/21/14
Per California Code 31752.5:
(a) The Legislature finds and declares the following:
(1) Domestic cats' temperaments range from completely docile indoor
pets to completely unsocialized outdoor cats that avoid all contact
with humans.
(2) "Feral cats" are cats with temperaments that are completely
unsocialized, although frightened or injured tame pet cats may
appear to be feral.
(3) Some people care for or own feral cats.
(4) Feral cats pose particular safety hazards for shelter employees.
(5) It is cruel to keep feral cats caged for long periods of time;
however, it is not always easy to distinguish a feral cat from a
frightened tame cat.
(b) For the purposes of this section, a "feral cat" is defined as a cat without
owner identification of any kind whose usual and consistent temperament
is extreme fear and resistance to contact with people. A feral cat is totally
unsocialized to people.
(c) Notwithstanding Section 31752, if an apparently feral cat has not been
reclaimed by its owner or caretaker within the first three days of the
required holding period, shelter personnel qualified to verify the
temperament of the animal shall verify whether it is feral or tame by using
a standardized protocol. If the cat is determined to be docile or a
frightened or difficult tame cat, the cat shall be held for the entire required
holding period specified in Section 31752. If the cat is determined to be
truly feral, the cat may be euthanized or relinquished to a nonprofit, as
defined in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, animal
adoption organization that agrees to the spaying or neutering of the cat if it
has not already been spayed or neutered. In addition to any required spay
or neuter deposit, the pound or shelter, at its discretion, may assess a fee,
not to exceed the standard adoption fee, for the animal released.
It is the policy of OC Animal Care to save the lives of healthy community cats.

Number: 400.12
Date: 11/21/14
III. SCOPE
Applicable to all Shelter Services staff.
IV. FORMS
All screens in Chameleon computer program.
Stray Cat Form
TNR Surgery Log
TNR Report
Kennel Card
V. REFERENCES
California Code 31752.5
ASV Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters (ASV GSCAS)
OC Animal Care Policy & Procedure 600.14
VI. DEFINITIONS
Not applicable.
VII. PROCEDURE
The following procedure will be followed by all staff to ensure that all feral cats
are given the opportunity to be altered and released in a timely manner.
Intake:
1. The Kennel Attendant assigned to Station 1 will give the Stray Cat Form
to every person that brings in a cat.
2. The Kennel Attendant is responsible for making sure the form is
completed correctly.

Number: 400.12
Date: 11/21/14
3. The Stray Cat Form will be filed in the drawer at station 1 for the week, by
the day; they will then be given to the supervisor on duty every Monday.
They will then be filed in the file cabinet in the Recovery Room.
4. The following entries will be placed in Chameleon:
a. In the TNR box, TNR will be put in on all feral cats that are not
coming from a NO TNR specified location.
b. The address of the reporting party (RP)/where the cat was found
will be put in the Comment box of the Kennel screen.
c. The zip code will be put into the Zip Code box of the Kennel
screen.
d. All other fields will be completed as per policy. All cats will be
taken to the Clinic for exams.
e. If a cat has a tipped ear, it is to be scanned, retrieve the Animal ID
from Chameleon and impounded using the old Animal ID, new
cross streets.
f. All persons bringing in ear-tipped cats should be encouraged to
return the cat to the place where it was trapped. Educational
materials should be given to the RP to assist them with the issue
they are having with the community cats.
g. If the RP will not return the cat, it is to be placed in the cage that
will be released the following day. The Due Out date will be the
same as those animals scheduled to be released on the following
date.
h. All cats impounded on Sunday and Monday will have the same
Due Out date, it will be Friday.
i. All cats impounded on Tuesday and Wednesday will have the
same Due Out date, it will be Sunday.
j. The cat is than taken to the Clinic where it is weighted, the weight
and the size cage it was weighted in will be given to the Vet staff
member doing the initial exam.

Number: 400.12
Date: 11/21/14
k. Any cat trapped at the flowing places will not be eligible for TNR
– Anaheim Stadium, any mobile home park, on any school
property, any location where it has been identified as having a
large colony of cats and on any county facility. All NO TNR cats
will be subject to the retention policies of OC Animal Care Policy
& Procedure 600.14 VII (G) for Feral Cats.
Clinic:
1. Flea treatment is to be applied to all feral cats at intake.
2. If during the exam any abnormalities are found that would make the cat
ineligible for the Feral Free program, NO TNR will be put into the TNR
box on the Kennel screen.
3. There is no change in procedures for housing of cats.
4. The staff member assigned to Station 3 will input the TNR in the TNR box
and the address in the Comment field when uploading the photo into
Chameleon for those cats impounded by Field Services and Santa Ana
Animal Control.
5. After exam all healthy cats will be placed in VET X cages as is protocol.
Supervisor on Duty:
1. The supervisor on duty will print the TNR Surgery Log in the evening
after closing.
2. The supervisor on duty will ensure the feral dens are in the appropriate
room for surgery the next day.

Number: 400.12
Date: 11/21/14
3. The supervisor on duty will check for any cats listed as NO TNR. Those
cats will be marked for euthanasia. OC Animal Care holds all suspected
feral cats for the retention period stated in OC Animal Care Policy and
Procedure 600.14 VII (G) for feral cats prior to euthanasia. Once
determined that those cats are feral and no interest from rescue, they will
then be marked for euthanasia. Those cats will include cats trapped at a
mobile home park, on a school property, on County/City property, in an
area where active trapping is occurring,
4. The supervisor on duty will run two copies of the TNR Report and place
them in the Recovery Room.
5. The supervisor on duty will verify that all information on the Chameleon
screens is correct at the end of each day. They will verify all Due Out
dates are correct, all cats marked TNR have the following entered
correctly - TNR/NO TNR, zip code, address in Comment field and the
jurisdiction matches information left by RP.
Community Outreach Team (COT):
1. The member of COT designated to do the outcomes will go to the surgery
recovery room and get the completed release forms and outcome each cat
to the person that released the cat. They will be linked to the rescue group.
They will be filed in the file cabinet in the Recovery Room.
2. COT will discuss all issues with the Chief or supervisor on duty as they
arise.
3. COT will track the number of hours spent out coming the cats and use the
job number # on their time sheet.

Number: 400.12
Date: 11/21/14
Surgery Staff - Day of Surgery:
1. The RVT/VA responsible for surgery will get list of feral cats from the
lieutenant, they will verify the number of cats with the number of cats in
the room.
2. They will coax the cats into the feral dens. The cage cards will be placed
in the holder on the feral den.
3. Once a number of cats are in feral dens, the RVT will begin weighing the
cats that do not have the initial exam weight listed. They will note the
weights on the surgery list and get the appropriate amount of sedation
needed to begin sedating the cats.
4. The cats will then be taken into the surgery room for pre-surgery exams by
the surgeon.
5. Any cat that appears ill, has wounds or any other type of injury it will not
be altered, it will be taken to the euthanasia room. A note will be put in the
Animal ID in Chameleon explaining the reason for NO TNR and the
animal will be set for euthanasia.
6. If the cat passes the exam, it will be micro chipped, given flea treatment,
altered, given rabies and FVRCP and tip the ear.
7. Feral Cats are to be done first every day, followed by adopted cats.
8. After the surgery is completed the feral cat will be placed back into feral
den, pen changed into the corresponding number on the feral den and
placed in the Recovery Room with the corrected kennel card. The surgery
staff is responsible to periodically check the health status on the cats.

Number: 400.12
Date: 11/21/14
9. The surgery staff will keep track on the number of hours they spend doing
the feral cats and use job # on timesheets.
Transporters:
A Chameleon report and job will be created that will send an automatic email to
alert the pick-up coordinator how many cats and the cities they will have releases
in.
1. The transports will enter through the gate by the Administration Office.
They will have restricted access to just the first gate.
2. They will unload any empty feral dens next to the fence to the left of the
second gate, making sure to stack them out of the way of the gate and
giving vehicle clearance to enter the gate.
3. They will then enter the “treatment aisle” (cages 69-101), where they can
pick up the cats from the surgery Recovery Room.
4. The transporters will confirm the cats they are taken, verifying the
description on the kennel card to the actual cat in the feral den.
5. They will sign the pick-up form, leaving it in the box designated for them.
6. They will load the cats and exit through the same gate.
7. Any transporter observed in an unauthorized area will be banned from the
program.

400.12 feral free program

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