A cat forum. CatBanter

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Go Back   Home » CatBanter forum » Cat Newsgroups » Cat rescue
Site Map Home Register Authors List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Web Partners

trying to trap feral cats (and going crazy)



 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old January 18th 04, 07:24 AM
Sheri
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default 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
  #2  
Old January 18th 04, 10:56 AM
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

In article ,
(Sheri) wrote:

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.


I have had situations like this at my colony. One very effective tactic
is to get them hungry. Very hungry. Make sure nobody else in the area
is feeding them. Then withold food for a day or two (you can feed the
altered cats, but only if they will eat while you monitor them). Try to
set it up so that nobody gets any food unless you give it to them, and
then only at assigned times. A feeding pattern (same time and place
every day), established beforehand, helps a great deal.

The baited trap will soon begin to seem much more interesting to the
recalcitrant-but-increasingly-hungry animals. Note that this will only
work if you can control the artificial (which is to say, human sourced)
food supply very throroughly. Don't worry about the prey catches;
they're neither sufficient nutritionally nor reliable enough to keep
the kitty stomach from rumbling. The important thing is to drive the
cat to distraction from hunger so it ignores its own cautionary
instincts.

The only other thing that worked for me is time. One feral queen had
two litters before I was able to get her (I often felt like Captain
Ahab against the great white whale)...but I DID get her (sometimes I
get the oddest feeling that she surrendered herself to me), and she
lives in the colony to this day, as smart and cagey as ever she was.
Just don't give up, whatever you do.

BTW, I have also seen one or two cats get out before the trapdoor
closed fully. I have also seen small kittens merrily walk all over the
trip plate, eat all the bait and walk out without ever tripping the
blasted door.

Trapping animals is an incredible PITA, an exercise in frustration and
patience. To think that frontiersmen sometimes made their living at it
is appalling. You do get better at it with practice, though.
  #4  
Old January 19th 04, 12:36 AM
Sheri
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

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
  #5  
Old January 19th 04, 03:54 AM
Cheryl
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

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  
Old January 19th 04, 05:15 AM
Mr B
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

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  
Old January 19th 04, 04:46 PM
RobZip
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


"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  
Old January 20th 04, 01:16 AM
Knack
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


"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  
Old January 21st 04, 02:42 AM
Sheri
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

"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
 




Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 02:58 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 CatBanter.
The comments are property of their posters.