The right time to place a feral cat trap.

I have a thread going on in cat SOS, about an area that I am focusing on in my town and planning to TNR. I've never done a big area TNR, or anywhere away from my house- i've trapped a few of the ferals around my house just by setting the trap up outside of the door, then moving it inside until I took the kitty in to be fixed.

This to me is new though. This area is across town, there are vultures and snakes as well as other wild life i'm sure. People come and feed all of the kitties, but allow them to reproduce over and over (i've rescued 7 kittens ranging from 4 weeks to 20 weeks in the past week since I discovered the place). I want to trap them all, take them to HH which is the only feral cat clinic in the area- spay/neuter and rabies vaccine for $35.

The main question I had is what time of day should I place the trap? I obviously don't want to place it at night and then have a cat get trapped right away and stuck in the open all night. You have to drop off ferals in between 7.30 and 9. AM and it takes me thirty minutes to drive there, so I suppose I could wake up really early (like 5am?) and set the trap then, then go by a few hours later? But is that enough time for it to sit? Also, when they're recovering- how long do you suggest keeping a feral inside? Should I try to transfer it to a carrier while it's still somewhat loopy or should I leave it in the feral cat cage until i'm ready to release it?

ALSO. There are three adult females out there, two which are possibly pregnant... or nursing? (ones tummy hangs really low but doesn't come out at the sides much). I would like to take those 3 to an actual vet to get checked out and see if they ARE nursing (I don't want to keep a momma away from newborns all night and kill them) or if they are pregnant, how far along they are (i'm okay with doing emergency spays up until a certain point... once I can feel the babies moving around I just honestly don't think I could go through with it and then would foster the mama and babies until they were old enough to be adopted). How much does a check-up like this normally cost? (I know it ranges).

Thanks for taking your time reading this all! Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

Thank you so much for doing this.

Don't know much about pregnant/nursing:  do you see any kittens, do you see the kittens hanging around a cat? I'd try trapping the cat and then let the S/N clinic do an assessment to determine if she is still nursing.  If so, they probably won't do the spay and won't charge you any money.

I would trap what ever is the most quiet time; cats get spooked easily.  I routinely set out traps at 5 am.  If the cat is hungry and never been trapped before, he'll usually go in within a short period of time.

That said, I have left traps out overnight near bushes and in secluded locations when the weather is condusive, i.e., no rain in the forecast and not hot/humid.  Drap a blanket/towel over the trap such that when the trap is tripped, the front part of the blanket will fall down over the opening (make sense?)  Cats feel much more secure that way.  And spray Calming Spray in the trap too prior to trapping.

Leave the feral cat in the trap until you're ready to release it.  Female cats should be released the next day; male cats, okay to release same day (weather permitting).  If you have room, never hurts to keep them all inside overnight.  They'll sleep most of the day/night anyway.  You should NOT feed/give them water unless your trap has a separate door for that purpose, too risky the cat escaping.  And the cat may be too scared to eat.

No idea how much vet checks cost.  I volunteer for a cat rescue organization and the pregnant cat my friend and I are co-fostering got checked out by the head of the group for next to nothing.  (She's due sometime this week and tested negative for FIV/FELK; previously owned.)

The organization I go through to get my cats TNRd will spay a pregnant cat almost to term as long as it won't jeopardize the health of the mother. Labor/delivery is not without its risks, but that is a purely personal decision on your part.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

I second what Cindy says! When TNRing cats you cannot predict who you will be trapping, pregnant or not, it just has to be done. Most TNR vets will abort spay females. It is very, very sad and most times you just don't know if a cat is pregnant or how far along they are. You could, IF you are willing, tell the vet that if a female is almost term that you would take the cat back and raise the kittens. BUT this is a lot to take on, especailly if there are already kittens in this outdoor colony that need socialization and homes. They need your attention more. Sometimes, it is best to just let the vet abort spay the female. Hard as it is for me to tell you that, it is sometimes for the best. You have to look at the overall big picture in the scheme of things and what you are trying to accomplish here. No more breeding, no more kittens and TNRing all of the cats, pregnant or not.

I have also left traps out all night long. I put a towel over the traps. Sometimes that IS the only way. The cats will be fine in the traps, weather permitting. You would have to leave them in the traps anyway, so what is the difference if it is outside all night in the trap or inside your garage in the trap. The best time to trap is at night, especially with feral cats. Some will not come for food till dark anyway. Again, you have to "harden" your heart a bit :shame: and think of the purpose of this whole effort. The cats will survive this! Of course this will be VERY stressful on them and it will not be easy on them for those hours in the trap, going to the vet, etc. BUT after it is all done, they will have a better life. :nod:

For males, you can release the same day after about five hours of recovery until they are pretty much fully awake. Females require at least 24 hours of rest. I usually bring a larger sized carrier for the vet to transfer the female after her surgery. WHen she awakes, then she has more room other than being in a trap for the next 24 hours. If you can, I keep them for about a day and a half before releasing back outside and release the morning AFTER the full day of recovery. I give them water/food and a litter box. Just enough room for those items and a small cubby/box/or small carrier inside the larger carrier for her to hide in and stay out of sight during her recovery. Much, much luck and thank you SOOOO much for your efforts on behalf of ther feral cats. They need you :rub: :heart2:

My main concern is not really for the pregnant females, as I know that emergency spays can pretty much be done up until birth without complications... but I will definitely take the suggestion of telling the Vet that if she is very far along in her pregnancy that I will foster and place the babies. The two 'possibly pregnant' females out there are actually ones that get closest to me, especially the black one (i've pet her slightly on multiple occassions now while she's eating).

My MAIN concern is that one of them might have newborns out there (which I won't be able to tell, this area is filled with brush, bushes, and trees and the cats have a hollowed out tunnel through all of it.) Being that you're supposed to keep females in for about 36 hours after spaying, wouldn't that sentence the kittens to death without being fed, or warmth, or the possibility of being picked off by predators- since it would be closer to 48 hours from trapping, being spayed, etc? Last time I took the feral momma from the last rescue litter in to be spayed, they told me after I picked her up "Oh, by the way, she's nursing so you might want to look out for kittens". Luckily I already had them. I just don't want to sentence some poor little things out there to death that are already born. That's why I was thinking maybe with the females (only 3 out of the 11 adults out there are female, the rest are male) when I caught them I would take them to my vet and do an exam to see if they are pregnant, how far along, or if they are nursing (would they be able to tell how long ago she gave birth by how much milk she has?) and figured if she was nursing I could let her back out? But then she could get pregnant again? I don't know exactly how to go about it... I just don't want little babies out there starving to death because I have the momma in confinement for recovery.

As for kittens being out there that I know of- I rescued 7 kittens from the area already, there's one 4-6 month old male left out there that is really difficult to catch, but all of the rest are adults.

Thank you both so much for your responses!

You can always take the possibly nursing cat to the s/n clinic, ask the vet to take a quick look and if she is nursing, simply return her to where you find her.

BUT you may have an extremely difficult time trapping that cat again.  I was trying to trap a lost cat, one that I TNRd a year ago and had co-fostered for 6 months.  She refused to go into the trap over a five day period.  Six other cats did, but not her.  (She eventually found her way back home.)  On the other hand, I was trying to trap a new cat to my colony, and one cat I'd TNRd a few months ago went into the trap twice within 30 minutes.  If the cat trusts you, she may be more likely to go into the trap a second time.  (Or try getting her into a cat carrier.)  Write back if you're in that position and we'll give you some suggestions.

Regarding leaving the cat in a trap overnight:  sometimes it is stressful for the cat to be moved into holding place, they'd just as soon stay where they are, they are probably somewhat familiar with the smells, noises outside than inside your garage, apartment.  (Weather permitting, of course).

Hope this helps.

I know that is the hardest part of trapping a feral colony - not knowing IF the female has a nest of kittens somewhere. The vet will be able to tell you that though and I would definitely release her if the vet thinks she is nursing kittens. In my heart of hearts - that I could not do either - just let the little kittens die out there. Let's just hope that IF you trap a female cat she is not nursing. :cross: But - yeah - these are always my concerns too.

clynn11

You,re doing sterling work. Congratulations. I didn't go looking for cats . They came to me . Since joining this forum, I realize I could be doing more.
I guess I 'll graduate to that level eventually .

My temporary signature I'd rather look at a cat than a Kardashian

Hi everyone..... I'm finding the trapping a little difficult too.  Because there are owned cats in my area,..and ferals.  & some of the ferals are moms to kittens.

  So how do you trap say 2 in particular cats out of about 6  cats ??  I accidently trapped a nursing mom & had to release her so she could nurse her babys.

Which scared her so much she moved her litter on me,...which I could'nt  find them for weeks and when I gave up trying to find them they surfaced in my garage. 

 Only 2 tho,..and there were 3       I have no idea what happened to the other baby.     Now I am trying to tame them out of my garage & have no real plans on what to do at the point.

   Still trying to trap tho so my cat population does'nt grow.    Stray/feral cats are def on the rise in my hometown.  Its sad

tandy said:

Hi everyone..... I'm finding the trapping a little difficult too.  Because there are owned cats in my area,..and ferals.  & some of the ferals are moms to kittens.
  So how do you trap say 2 in particular cats out of about 6  cats ??  I accidently trapped a nursing mom & had to release her so she could nurse her babys.
Which scared her so much she moved her litter on me,...which I could'nt  find them for weeks and when I gave up trying to find them they surfaced in my garage. 
 Only 2 tho,..and there were 3       I have no idea what happened to the other baby.     Now I am trying to tame them out of my garage & have no real plans on what to do at the point.
   Still trying to trap tho so my cat population does'nt grow.    Stray/feral cats are def on the rise in my hometown.  Its sad

Click to expand...

Hi Tandy! This is a great question and many people do have the same problem when trying to trap multiple cats, some of which are already TNRd.. It really is impossible to pick out just a couple to trap. You just have to release the ones who you think are nursing and have litters. Not an easy feat, that is for sure.

Tandy,

I've run into the same problem, though not with *nursing* cats, rather, with cats that I've TNRd.  Around 10 cats regularly dine at my dumpster, and I TNR any new ones that come around.

I put out lots of food the morning/evening I plan to trap and sit with them; if the new cat comes around, I shoo him/her off (or give him the evil stare).  After the already-TNRd cats are finished eating, I throw away any extra food.  That way the new cat is hungry enough to go into the trap and hopefully the old cats aren't hungry enough to chance going into the trap again.    I wait a few hours and then set out the traps. 

Also, when I trapped cats near where I live (same condo complex, different area), I put up signs in the buildings saying, in effect:  TNRing will take place.  Please keep all indoor/outdoor cats inside or they will be assumed feral.  And, as part of the TNR process, their ear will be tipped.  That absolved me (and the condo association) of any responsibility for trapping and spay/neutering someone's pet. 

Note that I have better luck trapping in the very early morning (5 am) versus 8/9 p.m., but that may just be where I live.  If you are familiar with the nursing mothers, I'd try to figure out when they leave their kittens to hunt for food, and avoid that time period when trapping.

Some cats that have been trapped before WILL go into the trap before (one of my cats went in twice within 30 minutes....), so you could trap the mother cat after she has finished nursing.

I am also feeding and trapping strays and ferals in NYC.  If you dont mind me asking where in NY are you located?  Have you found any low cost Vets that deal with strays & ferals? If you are having trouble catching the exact cat that you want you need to get a drop trap.  With a drop trap you can wait until you want until you pull the rope and catch the cat of your choice.