Feral cat is just mocking me

so, there is this feral cat that has shown up after i had gotten everyone else s/n. i borrowed a trap from someone, but this cat won't go in it. oh, it will walk in circles around it, jump on top of it, stare inside of it, but not dare step a paw into it then it will sit there and stare at me to get my attention, then act like its going to walk into the trap, go in but not far enough to set it off. seriously, this cat is bugging me

i have a towel inside the trap so its not walking on the wire, a large blanket over it, and a can of very smelly wet food inside with a trail of dry food leading into it. and yes, it has eaten every single piece of dry food, but manages not to set off the trap.

any suggestions of how to catch him? its a beautiful black and white longhaired male (atleast i assume male because of how much fights it gets in).

alaska of course isn't being any help. she went in and set it off five times, and i kept rescueing her, but i think she enjoys it

You might have to catch Alaska and lock her up somewhere until your new boy takes the bait.

Have you tried Kentucky Fried Chicken yet? Original recipe, skin and bones removed. Cats go gaga for it. Put tiny pieces leading into the trap and a big chunk deep into the trap.

Another proposal is to use rotten cheese.

I once read a cat hunter in Australia tell this his professional recipe.

Of course, these ferales werent used to treats, so almost any would probably do. But it worked for him every time. And as he was a pro, time was money for him.

I happened to be in hardware store yesterday and, because I needed a new trap, asked if they had any. The one I bought is really neat - it's a Havahart, 36" long, with trap doors at both ends!

The trigger plate is right in the middle, so the cat doesn't have far to go before he hits it. Then both door spring shut! I love it because the cat can clearly see the outside from whatever end he comes into the trap.

If you're not in the market for a new trap, maybe you can buy or borrow a box trap. They take more patience and two people to operate but they really work.

I second the KFC - it works like a charm.

And - Alaska may have to be kept away from the trap. We have one cat that insists on springing any trap we set. I call him "Old George" among other names! At least he's easy to trap when we need to keep him away but the look on his face when we take him into the garage instead of letting him go is priceless!

i will lock alaska up somewhere, but she will not be happy with me. i love her, she will wait for my by the driveway to the farm every night, when i am an hour late she still is waiting there.

KFC - there are no KFC's in this county i'll just try some chicken from somewhere like safeway. maybe i'll catch him eventually!

Originally Posted by furryfriends50

KFC - there are no KFC's in this county

i'll just try some chicken from somewhere like safeway. maybe i'll catch him eventually!

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It's the special herbs and seasonings that draw them in, not actually the chicken. I've tried other types of chicken and it doesn't work as well.

What kind of wet food are you using? A lot of trappers use tuna or other fish flavors as they usually smell stronger than others.

Bummer about not having KFC's around.

i tried again tonight and no luck. i tried raw chicken which amazingly he went crazy over, but would not go into the trap to get it. however, i fed all the farm cats raw chicken tonight, so he just ate some from their plates. maybe since i won't give them any tomorrow he will go for it even if it is in the trap?

Originally Posted by Momofmany

Have you tried Kentucky Fried Chicken yet? Original recipe, skin and bones removed. Cats go gaga for it. Put tiny pieces leading into the trap and a big chunk deep into the trap.

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Ironically, I found my feral cat, Holly Golightly (the orange one) living at the KFC parking lot! The employees told me that she had been living there for approximately one year. She survived by eating trash/hand-outs and getting one chicken wing each night after closing. It took me nearly two weeks to capture her!

Originally Posted by furryfriends50

i tried again tonight and no luck. i tried raw chicken which amazingly he went crazy over, but would not go into the trap to get it. however, i fed all the farm cats raw chicken tonight, so he just ate some from their plates. maybe since i won't give them any tomorrow he will go for it even if it is in the trap?

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Do you know if he goes in the trap and just doesn't set it off? You could try the water bottle trick; instead of setting the trap, tie a long piece of string around a water bottle and prop the door open with that.Tthen go a long ways away and wait and when he goes in pull the string, the door closes and you got him.

it sets off really easily, and works on alaska lol! he doesn't step on the plate that makes it close, i watched him. his not wanting to go in the trap though makes me wonder if he has gotten trapped before (or was a housecat at one point and hated cat carriers). if he can see me, he doesn't dare go near the trap though at all. he has started to get along a bit better with everyone at least - i guess the threat of getting nuetered worked!!!

i didn't get him tonight which is obvious. again he got the chicken out of it, and didn't get caught. he is just one way to smart cat i guess

Originally Posted by kscatlady

Do you know if he goes in the trap and just doesn't set it off? You could try the water bottle trick; instead of setting the trap, tie a long piece of string around a water bottle and prop the door open with that.Tthen go a long ways away and wait and when he goes in pull the string, the door closes and you got him.

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I've used this trick with success. We use a stick with a string tied to it and prop the door open with the stick. Do not set the trip plate. Make the string long enough that you can get out of site and still watch. When he goes in you pull the string and the door closes. No trip plate needed. He only has to walk in for you to get him.

Canned sardines in oil is very attractive to cats around here. We have tied a KFC piece of chicken to a string and let it dangle. They are busy looking at the chicken and don't watch the trap.

Sometimes a thick layer of newspaper may be easier for them to walk on. Just put a thin layer over the trip plate. Good luck!

didn't catch him again tonight. i decided on a name though - Harley. idk, he just looks like that should be his name! i didn't have any more raw but my parents are getting some chicken tomorrow for me from costco since i can't because of being stuck in school (only 37 more days of school till summer!). i might have to somehow actually tie the chicken to the cage so he can't get away so easily, maybe then he will get caught.

Maybe the towels and blankets are throwing him off. A cat whisperer I know lines the bottom of the cage with newspaper, and then throws a bit of dirt and grass on top of that. She puts the trap in an out of the way place and makes sure that it's covered with foliage or whatever is normally around...sometimes that might mean anything that's normally laying around, boards, branches, whatever. That way there's less "abnormal" things to scare the cat. I've never seen her fail to get a cat.

Originally Posted by clixpix

Maybe the towels and blankets are throwing him off. A cat whisperer I know lines the bottom of the cage with newspaper, and then throws a bit of dirt and grass on top of that. She puts the trap in an out of the way place and makes sure that it's covered with foliage or whatever is normally around...sometimes that might mean anything that's normally laying around, boards, branches, whatever. That way there's less "abnormal" things to scare the cat. I've never seen her fail to get a cat.

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Great tip I think.

I suppose it is also good to make all this in gloves, so your scents and sweat wont get into the leaves etc...

Perhaps a dot of Feliway as extra, if you have it handy cant hurt either...

well, i have been trying to trap him in the haymow since that is where he has been waiting to get fed the last few days. so do i cover it with hay then or something?

actually there is no problem with him going in it. he will grab the chicken and run back out, so i might have to somehow tie down the chicken so it isn't so easy, therefore hopefully accidently step on the plate that trips it.

i have watched him, he will go in the trap, take a big step over the trip plate, grap the chicken, take a big step back out, and run off with the chicken. i tried using a stick and a water bottle but he won't go in their with them there.

alaska, alaska... i tried to put her in the only room at the farm that she couldn't get out of. well, she spread out her legs so i couldn't just open the door far enough to put her in it. if i go in their and put her as far away from the door as possible she will run back out. she knows what she wants

If you have not done so, line the trap with a folded piece of newspaper to cover the trap plate. This is SOP for us trappers here. Also, put bacon or KFC tied to back of the trap... so he has to work to get it, and then may
step on the latch part...

Good luck and you have a giant heart -

lol that cat! he got the food and ran again. i even tied it to the back of the cage, well, as much as you can tie raw chicken (w/o the bone since thats all i had) to a cage. he just grabbed it and ran again. i covered the cage in hay, and honestly don't know how he could have saw the thing that makes the trap close. he did, and again took a big step and got over it... i am going to see if there is anyone i can borrow one of the double door traps from. thinking i might be able to catch him in the calf calf barn; aka the stalls where baby calves were not the other part where the older calves were. it is easy to make it so that there is no escape in there, and i found out how to block the door so that the only hole to escape through would be running through the trap. maybe that will work.

going to check at both vets tomorrow - they have humane traps that people can borrow. one place only people on the staff can borrow it which is fine because my mom works there in the lab. the other you have to give them the money that equals the price of the trap, and they give you back the money if you bring back the trap in good condition. i guess so no one can borrow the trap and really steal it?

Originally Posted by opilot

If you have not done so, line the trap with a folded piece of newspaper to cover the trap plate. This is SOP for us trappers here. Also, put bacon or KFC tied to back of the trap... so he has to work to get it, and then may
step on the latch part...

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Have you tried folded newspaper?

Can you borrow a dog trap? I have had great success using the large dog trap, lined with newspaper and a stick with string to hold the trap door open. Works great for those "trap smart" cats.

Good grief but that's one smart cat! The good news is that he doesn't have a fear of the trap.

Can you maybe line the back half in a really stiff cardboard? If he steps over the plate, he'll step on the cardboard and trip the trigger? Don't put it too close to the opening or else he might get hurt. It's just a thought.

thanks i will try that! maybe it will work, right now anything is worth trying.

if i can't trap him i am going to have to try become his friend, he already walked up behind me within 5 feet of me so better than he was before. though when i turn around he runs.