However, there are those who have mastered both the art and the science of working with these wonderful animals and have made a huge difference to their welfare.

Working with ferals is not the same as rescuing and rehoming pet or stray cats - it needs a very different attitude and approach, and a new set of skills.

The various authors bring together a unique mix of expertise and experience in an effort to pass on years of knowledge and tried and tested methods.

This manual aims to provide the best information to those who want to help feral cats - so you don't have to learn the hard way!

Chapters cover:-

1. Cats, cats and feral cats
• Definitions
• Always a predator
• Domestication
• Social behaviour: solitary or group living?
• The crucial sensitive period
• Problems caused by feral cats
2. Trap-neuter-release: the best solution
• Terminology
• Neutering has many benefits
3. Before you start
• Why do you want to do this?
• Do you have the expertise?
• Working alone or with a group - reinventing the wheel
• Do you have the time?
• The story of Monika
• Money
• Handling cats
• Working with others
• Do you have the stamina?
• Recruiting helpers
• Policies
• Working with vets
• Looking after your helpers
• Minimum requirements for volunteers
• Zoonoses
• Understanding the law
4. Addressing the particular problem
• Assessing the problem
• The options
• Obtaining the cooperation of feeders
• Food sources
• Local cooperation
• Cat colony registration form example
• Pre-trapping actions
• Dealing with cat hoarders
• Future action
5. Trapping - the equipment
• Automatic traps
• Manual traps
• Marking and identifying traps
• Leaving traps on site or with people
• Sterilisation notice
• Trap instruction notice for volunteers
• How to bait traps
• Other ways of luring cats into traps
• Types of basket
• Transferring a cat from a trap
• Transferring from trap into a crush cage or transfer cage
• Transportation in cars
• Labeling
• Trapping kit
6. Trapping - the theory and the practice
• The concept of trap-shyness
• Timing of the exercise
• Withholding food
• Selection of cats
• Trapping cycles
• Minimising trauma
• Using your car
• Limiting eye contact
• Trapping mother cats
• Releasing cats
• Holding procedures
• Team size
• Length of session
• Dealing with visitors or onlookers
• Spare traps
• Saturation trapping
7. Ongoing management of the feral cat colonies
• Over winter
• Trapping cats over winter
• Food and water
• Feeding points
• Monitoring the colony
• Routine veterinary care
8. Health of the cats
• Assessing cats
• What to treat
• Infectious diseases
• Blood testing
• Normal reproduction in the cat
• Setting up a field hospital
• The process of neutering
• The timing of neutering
• Spaying an adult female via the flank
• Concerns about early neutering
• Anaesthesia for neutering kittens
• Care during anaesthesia (for vets)
• Recovery
• Spaying pregnant cats
• Neutering lactating queens
• Neutering elderly cats
• Female cats already neutered?
• Spaying a young kitten using a mid-line incision
• Male cats with undescended testes
• Ear tipping
• Euthanasia
• Vaccination
• Care after surgery
• Parasite control
9. Queens and kittens
   • Pregnant queens
   • Sexing kittens
   • Ageing kittens
   • Hand-rearing kittens
   • Practical aspects of kitten care
10. Feral cats as pets
• The taming process
11. Working around the world
• What are the issues?
• Working with local charities
• Working alongside local veterinarians
• Working with government
• Practical considerations
• Sustainability
12. Animal hoarding
• Symptoms of cat hoarding
• Examples of hoarding cases
• Approaches to dealing with hoarding problems
• Common illness and medical considerations
• Dealing with the hoarding personality
13. Project histories
    • Gibraltar
    • Dallas
    • Gran Canaria
    • Kenya
    Code of practice
    Useful contacts
    Glossary

Price: £20
(approx USA $37 | CA $40 | Eur €29 | AU $49 | NZ $60)