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trying to trap feral cats (and going crazy)
Help! I'm at my wit's end. A family of 4 feral cats has been living in
my parents' front yard for the last 6 months --- I'll call them Mama Cat, Daddy Cat, and Big Sister and Little Sister (their 2 female offspring). My mother feeds them every day, but we want to get them "fixed" and vaccinated for rabies. I trapped the Mama Cat and Big Sister with no problems. However, Daddy Cat and Little Sister have been elusive. (Both witnesses Mama Cat and Big Sister being trapped.) The trap I'm using is a Tru-Catch trap, which basically works on the same principle as the popular Hav-a-hart traps. I've baited it with sardines, tuna, Fancy Feast, and mackeral (even heated in the microwave to make them really smelly). I've put food half way in the trap to make a path to the food beyond the trip plate. I've put catnip & catnip treats in the trap as well. I put newspaper on the bottom so they wouldn't feel the metal cage under their paws. I also place Mama Cat in a carrier behind the trap with a towel over both so any cat wanting to get close to her would have to walk down the "tunnel" to see her better. She was in heat, but Daddy Cat wouldn't fall for that (even though he'd been chasing her around the yard the whole day before). I also thought Little Sister would want to be with Mama Cat but she too wouldn't go in either. Unbelievably, Little Sister actually went into the trap one time, tripped the plate but managed to zoom out as the gate was falling. The gate falls very fast so I wouldn't have believed this if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. Little Sister also wandered into the living room when I put a bowl of wet food near the cage where Mama Cat and Big Sister are now recovering from being spayed. I hid behind the door and tried to slam it when Little Sister was about 10 feet inside. Yes ... she managed to get out as the front door swung shut. Daddy Cat and Little Sister are now taunting me. I stopped feeding them so they killed a squirrel and left its dismembered remains on the porch. This was particularly upsetting. We like squirrels and keep a feeder for them. As far as we know, these cats haven't killed anything before when my mom was putting out lots of food for them. I know the trap is reasonably effective. I keep catching the same poor possum in it! I'm actually laying awake at night agonizing over this situation. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. I'm desperate to keep Little Sister from reproducing and would like to have Daddy Cat neutered just so he'll stick around (and of course not contribute to the overpopulation problem). I thought about buying a different brand trap, but I'm afraid they won't go near any trap at this point. Thanks, Sheri |
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Thanks. I'll try all your suggestions.
Daddy Cat didn't show up today, and I'm pretty worried. I'm afraid he left to look for food. I'll never forgive myself if something happens to him. I used to see him walking a busy road near my parents' house, but once they started feeding him, he stayed near their house, which is on a quieter street. I am new to trapping and find this to be a maddening endeavor. I had a real case of beginner's luck about 6 weeks ago. I volunteered with a trap/neuter/return program. There were 2 young feral males (brothers from the looks of them) living near my apartment complex. I put a trap out with a can of tuna and went back to my apartment to get a warmer coat. I had planned on watching the trap from my car. When I got back 20 minutes later, BOTH cats were in the trap. These two were inseparable and I suppose they walked in side by side. As it turned out, it was a week before the neuter clinic. Both acted hostile to me, but I let them out of the trap into my walk-in closet. One of them (I named Louie) began acting affectionate toward me. His brother (Omar) was still hostile, but I decided to adopt both rather than releasing them in what I felt was too high traffic an area. Now Omar lets me pet him also, and Louie is just a love bug. Louie acts like being a housecat is the best thing that ever happened to him. I'll let y'all know if I ever capture Daddy Cat and Little Sister. Thanks, Sheri |
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Sheri wrote in on 18 Jan
2004: Daddy Cat didn't show up today, and I'm pretty worried. I'm afraid he left to look for food. I'll never forgive myself if something happens to him. I used to see him walking a busy road near my parents' house, but once they started feeding him, he stayed near their house, which is on a quieter street. Best of luck to you. I'm still trying to get a very elusive one who is the only one left here that I know of. He's been eating here again regularly so I'm in the same boat as you. (at least I think he's a he... medium haired cat.) This one seems to be the sibling of one I had trapped and rehomed last summer. They look almost identical but the one left has a very unusual face with his black/white markings. I'd love to see him find a home, too. I also live on a busy road. They seem to stay close to where there is food so I understand being scared about letting them get hungry. I've seen shows on Animal Planet where they don't cover the trap but I used one of those lawn refuge paper bags (looks like an oversized grocery bag) and the trap fit in it perfectly. I got two that way here, and one of them I got twice. It worked in another location, too. -- Cheryl I shall call him Squishy and he shall be mine. And he shall be my Squishy. Come here Squishy. Ow. Bad Squishy. - Dori |
#7
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We trapped our 7 strays all in one night (and 1 the next morning). Just make sure to camoflage the
trap (put a towel over it or something). We just put in some wet cat food and had no trouble at all Of course the cats were very used to us since we fed them on our back porch. Depending on the type of trap, the food should be way in the back since the plate is in the middle. But make sure the only way to see inside the trap is fron the front. Otherwise, just patience I guess. heh. On 17 Jan 2004 22:24:09 -0800, (Sheri) wrote: Help! I'm at my wit's end. A family of 4 feral cats has been living in my parents' front yard for the last 6 months --- I'll call them Mama Cat, Daddy Cat, and Big Sister and Little Sister (their 2 female offspring). My mother feeds them every day, but we want to get them "fixed" and vaccinated for rabies. I trapped the Mama Cat and Big Sister with no problems. However, Daddy Cat and Little Sister have been elusive. (Both witnesses Mama Cat and Big Sister being trapped.) The trap I'm using is a Tru-Catch trap, which basically works on the same principle as the popular Hav-a-hart traps. I've baited it with sardines, tuna, Fancy Feast, and mackeral (even heated in the microwave to make them really smelly). I've put food half way in the trap to make a path to the food beyond the trip plate. I've put catnip & catnip treats in the trap as well. I put newspaper on the bottom so they wouldn't feel the metal cage under their paws. I also place Mama Cat in a carrier behind the trap with a towel over both so any cat wanting to get close to her would have to walk down the "tunnel" to see her better. She was in heat, but Daddy Cat wouldn't fall for that (even though he'd been chasing her around the yard the whole day before). I also thought Little Sister would want to be with Mama Cat but she too wouldn't go in either. Unbelievably, Little Sister actually went into the trap one time, tripped the plate but managed to zoom out as the gate was falling. The gate falls very fast so I wouldn't have believed this if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. Little Sister also wandered into the living room when I put a bowl of wet food near the cage where Mama Cat and Big Sister are now recovering from being spayed. I hid behind the door and tried to slam it when Little Sister was about 10 feet inside. Yes ... she managed to get out as the front door swung shut. Daddy Cat and Little Sister are now taunting me. I stopped feeding them so they killed a squirrel and left its dismembered remains on the porch. This was particularly upsetting. We like squirrels and keep a feeder for them. As far as we know, these cats haven't killed anything before when my mom was putting out lots of food for them. I know the trap is reasonably effective. I keep catching the same poor possum in it! I'm actually laying awake at night agonizing over this situation. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. I'm desperate to keep Little Sister from reproducing and would like to have Daddy Cat neutered just so he'll stick around (and of course not contribute to the overpopulation problem). I thought about buying a different brand trap, but I'm afraid they won't go near any trap at this point. Thanks, Sheri |
#8
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"Sheri" wrote in message ... I know the trap is reasonably effective. I keep catching the same poor possum in it! How much ya want fer that possum? Checkin' spice rack for fixin's |
#9
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"Sheri" wrote in message ... Help! I'm at my wit's end. A family of 4 feral cats has been living in my parents' front yard for the last 6 months --- I'll call them Mama Cat, Daddy Cat, and Big Sister and Little Sister (their 2 female offspring). My mother feeds them every day, but we want to get them "fixed" and vaccinated for rabies. I trapped the Mama Cat and Big Sister with no problems. However, Daddy Cat and Little Sister have been elusive. (Both witnesses Mama Cat and Big Sister being trapped.) The trap I'm using is a Tru-Catch trap, which basically works on the same principle as the popular Hav-a-hart traps. I've baited it with sardines, tuna, Fancy Feast, and mackeral (even heated in the microwave to make them really smelly). I've put food half way in the trap to make a path to the food beyond the trip plate. I've put catnip & catnip treats in the trap as well. I put newspaper on the bottom so they wouldn't feel the metal cage under their paws. I also place Mama Cat in a carrier behind the trap with a towel over both so any cat wanting to get close to her would have to walk down the "tunnel" to see her better. She was in heat, but Daddy Cat wouldn't fall for that (even though he'd been chasing her around the yard the whole day before). I also thought Little Sister would want to be with Mama Cat but she too wouldn't go in either. Unbelievably, Little Sister actually went into the trap one time, tripped the plate but managed to zoom out as the gate was falling. The gate falls very fast so I wouldn't have believed this if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. Little Sister also wandered into the living room when I put a bowl of wet food near the cage where Mama Cat and Big Sister are now recovering from being spayed. I hid behind the door and tried to slam it when Little Sister was about 10 feet inside. Yes ... she managed to get out as the front door swung shut. Daddy Cat and Little Sister are now taunting me. I stopped feeding them so they killed a squirrel and left its dismembered remains on the porch. This was particularly upsetting. We like squirrels and keep a feeder for them. As far as we know, these cats haven't killed anything before when my mom was putting out lots of food for them. I know the trap is reasonably effective. I keep catching the same poor possum in it! I'm actually laying awake at night agonizing over this situation. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. I'm desperate to keep Little Sister from reproducing and would like to have Daddy Cat neutered just so he'll stick around (and of course not contribute to the overpopulation problem). I thought about buying a different brand trap, but I'm afraid they won't go near any trap at this point. No suggestions for Daddy Cat, but what is the length of the trap? A much longer length trap may be all that's needed to catch Little Sister, as that may more than offset her quickness. |
#10
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"Knack" wrote in message news:
No suggestions for Daddy Cat, but what is the length of the trap? A much longer length trap may be all that's needed to catch Little Sister, as that may more than offset her quickness. HI --- The trap is around 31" long, and the cat is very small (an 8 month old female). Honestly I don't see how she got out of it. I caught that dang possum for a third time yesterday in this trap as well. I have good news and bad news about this situation. I caught Daddy Cat tonight. I bought a Hav-a-hart trap (Racoon sized), lined it with newspaper and covered it with towels. I put dry food inside leading toward a bowl of Kentucky Fried Chicken (the boneless popcorn size which I microwaved every few hours so it would smell). Now the bad news ... Little Sister must be in heat. She's had 2 tomcats chasing her around today. I thought this was supposed to happen in the Spring. It was 20 degrees last night. I'm going to keep trying to trap her, though now it will be even harder. She was out there and saw her daddy trapped. She keeps looking at me like she knows what I'm up to:-) Thanks again for all your suggestions. Sheri |
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