Oscar is in the trap! need advice

bastfriend

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Hi everybody, so I have successfully trapped Oscar!   Thank you all for the vibes now please send more!   I'm not sure if I'm doing things right.  I've got him in a bathroom with a nightlight and a cover on the trap - the cover will let in a little light but it's pretty dark in there.   Is that okay till morning?    Should I feed him by smushing canned food through the wires of the cage?   I am nervous to mess with him at all because he is freaking HUGE and growled menacingly at me when I moved the trap.   Right now every now and then I hear a great rattle as he tries to break out of the trap.    I'm praying this thing holds - it's a Tomahawk.   I am planning to release him tomorrow night rather than tame in him in the bathroom - not ruling it out for the future but I'm just not up to it for now.   My two indoor kitties are fascinated and really want to know who our guest is.

Any and all advice appreciated, thanks!
 

whaler

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is he being altered tomorrow? if so, depending on when the procedure is going to be done, don't feed him since he should have an empty stomach before being put under.

my advice would be do not go into the bathroom as it will cause him more stress and try to keep it as quiet as possible - tv volume very low, whisper when talking, etc., and put a small radio in there that is tuned to a classical station - seems to help keep them calm while drowning out other noises. also, if he is going to be altered tomorrow see if he can stay at the vet/clinic overnight. i just feel much safer if the cat is in a safe (and warm) environment for that first overnight.

good job!
 

rebecca cats

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Congratulations!  I know how excited you must have been when you trapped him!  I would not feed him after 9pm.... they explained to me at the clinic that it's just like humans having surgery and they want them to have an empty stomach so they don't get sick.  My trapped cat went ballistic in the trap also and I worried about her but kept telling myself that any minor temporary discomfort for her right now was worth the benefit of her being spayed.  I have also heard they like dark spaces but I think covering the trap and using a night light is the best thing to do.

Hope you are able to get some sleep with the trapped cat in the bathroom!  I know that would be hard for me because the bathroom is right beside my bedroom.

Sending positive vibes your way!
 
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bastfriend

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Thanks for the encouragement Whaler!   So no food, check.   Whenever I open the door to check on him, he flails in the trap so leaving him alone sounds good.   I don't have a radio though I could go out and get one - wouldn't the voices during the commercials scare him?    I can keep my apartment really quiet so that part should be okay.   
 
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bastfriend

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Thanks Rebecca - yes my bedroom is right next to that bathroom.  I don't know how much sleep I'll get!    I wanted to put him in there because I can shut my bedroom door and keep my indoor kitties two doors away which seemed good.   I feel bad about him being hungry because he got a lighter meal than usual yesterday and hasn't eaten today at all.   Still I don't want to stress him out further.
 

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:woohoo: WAY TO GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh you must be SO relieved! :clap: :clap: :hugs:

Don't worry about buying a radio. You're doing fine. I'd stop checking on him... just leave him be. He should settle down. :nod: :rub:

Aw....... great news! :bigthumb:
 

rebecca cats

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Oh I know you how you feel about not wanting to think of him as being hungry because I felt the same way about trapping my cats.  Someone at the clinic told me not to feed them for 2 days when I wanted to trap them and I looked at her like she was crazy and could not imagine letting them go hungry and then being stressed and scared in the trap.  But he will be OK.  I know it's difficult for you - you are relieved to have him trapped but don't like the discomfort for him.  Just remind yourself that this is worth it in the long run!  Good luck!!
 

whaler

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Thanks for the encouragement Whaler!   So no food, check.   Whenever I open the door to check on him, he flails in the trap so leaving him alone sounds good.   I don't have a radio though I could go out and get one - wouldn't the voices during the commercials scare him?    I can keep my apartment really quiet so that part should be okay.   

do not worry about a radio, no need to go out and buy one just for that. it is something that i have done in the past but only when i have had to keep a cat in the trap during the daytime hours - my colony is at my work so even though i leave the trap in our storeroom it is impossible to keep it really quiet during the day.

is this your first trap? if so, i will tell you that when i did my first tnr i was so anxious and nervous i thought i would have a heart attack, i think that is a normal (and healthy) reaction - shows that you really do care.

once again, good job!
 
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bastfriend

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Hi Whaler, I have trapped twice before but in both cases it was small female cats and I was able to take them to the vet right away and actually let them out into a small room on return.  Long story on what happened after that
  This is the first time I've trapped a big feral tomcat and had to just keep him in my apartment for a looooong time.   Hence the anxiety!   So I haven't gotten a lot of sleep, he's actually been pretty quiet but still making a few noises here and there only a couple of mournful meows.    Soon I'll be packing him up in the car for the long ride to the place.  Suddenly feeling guilty thinking about them chopping off part of his ear.  Still I know it is for the best.    Thanks for sharing how nervous you were....my heart's been racing quite a bit at different points of this!

Thanks Rebecca, yeah I feel bad for him being hungry and scared in there.  I want to comfort him but I doubt my presence is much comfort so I've kept contact minimal.    He's very faithful at feeding time but keeps a big distance so being near me and in the trap is way past his comfort zone!
 
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bastfriend

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Hi everybody, I've got an update!   Not only is Oscar bigger than expected, he's so much bigger that he's two cats.   While he was in the trap in my bathroom and I went out to my car, I saw a cat that looked just like him doing the things he normally does.  Then I realized there are TWO identical cats, just one bigger than the other!   I may have been feeding both of them for the last three months.   So now I get to do all this again in a couple weeks.   I believe the smaller cat is the real Oscar, so I've named the sixteen pound wonder in my bathroom Hercules.   He got through his clinic visit with flying colors and is hanging out peacefully in his trap right now.   He ate his first bit of wet food well an hour ago.    Now to get my head around this two cat thing and figure out what to do long-term.   My apartment management grudgingly said they were okay with me feeding one, but did not want me to feed a colony out here.   I can just tell them it's one cat for now
but I worry if more get attracted.
 
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bastfriend

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I present to you the Mighty Hercules!

 

whaler

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well, think about it in the glass half full sort of way - it will be easier and less stressful when you trap Oscar since you will already have one tnr under your belt :)
 
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bastfriend

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Thanks everybody for your support!   Felt kind of blue today to have to release him since he was well-behaved in the trap - he bounded away quickly into the woods.   Do you guys know if the behavior in the trap is related to how well they'll socialize?   I'm not up for it now but thinking about it in a couple months if he sticks around.      Now trying to put the pic in again

The Mighty Hercules!

 

whaler

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i know that sadness/worry that you feel all to well. with one of my ferals i was really stressed when i released him since it took me about a year to finally catch him, i thought that for sure he would take off and never be seen again. fast forward a year and now he actually wants me to do belly rubs! he is going to be my next "project".

if after you take the cover off they remain even somewhat calm in the trap that is a really good sign, at least in my experience. judging by what you are saying and how calm he looks in that picture i bet you may very well end up with a 16 lb lap cat down the road.

try and work with him in the meantime, whatever you can do to further trust; lots of talking to him, eye blinks, etc. those are some of the things that helped me a great deal in the past, especially with my first one.
 

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I've found no relationship between their behavior in the trap and how quickly they become friendly. One of the craziest in the trap we had just this summer. Yet when the vet tech went to put him back in the trap for us to take him home, she was able to just scruff him to get him in there. The very next day, he didn't run when we put the food down, and within a few days (of watching us pet the other friendly ferals), he wanted a pet. He is insanely skittish, but LOVES being petted and has a purr motor like a giant Mack Truck. :lol3:

:hugs: :hugs: :hugs: I hate watching them run when released..... hope he'll be right back and enjoying his meals! :vibes: :vibes: :vibes:

:heart2:
 
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bastfriend

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Whaler, that is great to know!  That's so awesome about your cat wanting tummy rubs just goes to show positive outcomes can happen!   Hercules was surprisingly calm - they told me at the clinic they use long acting anaesthesia and buprenorphine so I expected him to be a bit drugged, but the pic is from this morning about 24hrs after his surgery right before I released him.   I even felt safe to open the door of his trap a smidge and scoot a plate of food in.   He just sat still when I did it, but he wouldn't eat till I left the room.   

LDG, that's awesome about your crazy kitty taming up so fast - I love it when cats have a big rumbly purr.  I'll still hope that Hercules' good behavior means good things for the future.   He and Oscar got a raw deal and I hope they can have happy lives or at least better. 

It helps a lot to know I'm not alone in how hard it was to release him.  I had to think really hard about what was best for him, me, and my two indoor cats.   This feral rescue stuff is intense!

Hugs everybody 
 
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rebecca cats

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I agree Bastfriend.  I had no idea how emotionally attached I would become to these ferals.  The TNR is intense for me also.  I finally released my female feral that was spayed while in heat and then held captive in a large dog crate in my garage for 10 days while she healed.  She was slow with coming out of the crate when I opened the door for her.  I felt sad all day today when I went out to the garage for something and saw the empty crate sitting there.  At least I knew she was protected and out of the weather elements while she was in the crate.

That is too funny that you thought you were feeding one cat and now realize there are 2 of them.  It's like they were trying to trick you by never showing up together!
 
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