A few questions about how to trap a feral.

I live in a rural area, next to woods, medium sized. I occaisionally see cats around, but I'm not sure if they are ferals, or simply cats that owners let outdoors(very common in the country). However there is one cat I am certain is feral, she is a HUGE solid orange with a white tip on her tail that makes her very easy to identify. I know she is female because she has had two litters of kittens on my property, but she moves them as soon as I discover them(I always find them accidentally). I have never gotten any closer than about 50 feet to her(I named her Samantha) and the one time I got that close I was hiding waiting for her. The second she sees a human she runs into the woods, and I only see her about twice a month. I have no clue where she lives, but I would like to trap her and get her spayed, as she has had 2 litters of kittens this spring alone. What type of area should I put the trap in, so that she will be most likely to "find" it?

I have only been rescuing for a year, but I will try to share what I have experienced. Do you feed her daily? That would be where to start. You put food for her where you see her every day at the same time even if you don't see her. She will find the food and begin to wait for it. Don't put the food out in the open. If she comes from the woods, pick a spot where you see her and put it where she can find it. After a time of feeding her you can put a trap there and not set the trap. Let her eat next to it for a time then open the trap and put the food at the entrance to the trap, again do not set the trap. Each day move the food back in the trap. When you get to this point and she is eating the food.....you set the trap.

I hope that makes sense. Keep posting on your progress. Good luck.

Feeding is a good way to find out. A stray or friendly cat will form a bond with a feeder and may allow itself to be touched. A feral may form a similar but much looser bond and will depend upon but avoid the feeder.

Trapping is a different matter. First get the cat used to a regular feeding schedule--then cut it off for a night or two. Set your trap with attractive bait--the current debate is over chicken, Boston Market or KFC. Ennyhoo, put the bulk of the bait behind the pressure plate, with only teaser bits leading to it. A hungry cat will eat the teasers and then move on to the main bait; hopefully it will trigger the trap when it does so.

Now you have to determine if the cat is friendly or feral--and you won't be able to do that immediately unless the cat has already been eartipped. Even a friendly housecat will freak out when trapped, but after a period of time it will calm down and allow you to approach and touch it. A feral will not.

So you've trapped a feral cat--what do you do with it? Are there spay/neuter clinics in your area? A vet who will work with feral cats? If the answers to those questions are no, then you may want to reconsider trapping until circumstances change.

I work in Philadelphia; the University of Pennsylvania is a major veterinary school. Philadelphia is TNR friendly, and many of the volunteers at our clinics are Penn students. Those students, when they graduate and get their licenses, will join or open practices all over the country. And they will at least know about TNR.

Things are changing for the better. Just don't expect it to happen overnight....