Trappers must be pre-registered with TAHO as a feral/community cat liaison.
Trappers must meet with a member of our medical team prior to trapping and utilizing our services to discuss the program.
Trappers must commit to financially providing any medical care that the veterinarian deems necessary.
Only feral/community cats are eligible to receive services under the TARP.
Feral Cats are considered cats that were born into captivity, or cats that have been abandoned and are not accustomed to being handled by humans. These cats can not be safely handled by humans. If you can handle the cat (pet, hold, carry, etc) than the cat is considered a stray – not a feral.
Non-feral cats will not be accepted through TARP. These cats are required to have an appointment for surgery.
All trappers must call our organization’s medical department prior to bringing in feral cats.
Feral Cats are accepted between the hours of 7:00am and 12:00pm Monday-Friday.
TAHO requires that all feral cats arrive in traps.
Each trap may contain only 1 cat. If multiple cats are accidentally trapped in one trap, additional traps will need to accompany the cats so that they may be separated after surgery.
If possible, feral cats should be trapped the morning of surgery. This reduces the amount of time a cat will spend in the trap, thus reducing the risk of injury or illness due to extreme stress.
All cats will be required to receive a Rabies Vaccination at the time of care.
We recommend that all feral/community cats receive an “ear tip” at the time of spay/neuter. This ear tip (removal of the tip of the left ear) has become a universal symbol that will let other trappers know that the cat has already been altered – this eliminates future trapping and stress.
Trappers must commit to trapping only when temperatures are between 35-85 degrees. Trapping in extreme temperatures is very dangerous.
All feral cats must be kept indoors in a temperature-controlled room for at least 12-24 hours (or until fully recovered and alert).
Trappers must commit to releasing the feral/community cats in the exact location that they were initially trapped.
If a trapper is planning to use a voucher from another organization, the voucher must be approved by our organization prior to bringing the cat in, and the name on the voucher must match a valid driver’s license or government issued I.D. -
TAHO reserves the right to prohibit or deny services to any trapper. If the organization suspects a trapper of abusing the TARP program, or believes the trapper is not following the TARP guidelines, the organization may suspend the business relationship for a specific period of time or may terminate the relationship indefinitely.
