I Need Advice On Trapping Feral Cats.

Hello,

I'm caring for a colony of about 7 cats, plus I have 10 ex-feral cats that live with me and have outdoor access. So far I've managed to neuter 7 kittens and 6 adult cats. The kittens were no problem at all, as I'd already coaxed them into the house and spent a long time handling them. When the time came to get them neutered it was just a case of putting them in cat carriers and taking them to the vets. Most of the adult cats were quite easy too, as they were used to being fed and petted. However, I want to get all the ferals in this area fixed, so recently I borrowed a trap from Tokyo Animal Rescue and so far this month I've managed to TNR two more adult females.

Here's the thing; the cat I REALLY want to trap is a large tom who showed up about 3 months ago and has been terrorising the neighbourhood ever since. He's so aggressive and beats up the smaller, un-neutered males as well as the neutered males and females. I've had to take cats to be treated for bites twice, one of them even needed stitches. I'm hoping to catch and neuter this big tom before he hurts any of the others.

I started by putting the trap in the place I usually feed the cats with a dish of food just inside, them slowly moving the food further inside every evening. After a week of this I set the trap for the first time. I watched from a window as he went inside, carefully reached over the plate to get to the food, then left without setting the trap off. A few minutes later a female cat went inside and got trapped straight away, so I knew that I'd set it correctly.

Two nights later I tried again. This time he went inside, ate, then touched the plate with his back leg as he left. The trap went off but as he was already half way out of the door he managed to escape. For the next three nights I didn't set the trap but put food inside. He sat close to it, watched the females go in. eat and leave but didn't venture inside himself. Today I felt sorry for him and left some food outside of the trap, which he ate.

I'm hoping he was just lucky, rather than an evil genius who knows I'm trying to trap him. Any advice on what I should do from now on? I've still got more females that need to be spayed so I'm going to continue feeding them inside the trap and then setting it once a week when I know I can take them to the vet straight away, but I really want to catch him.

Not only is he big and aggressive but he also has a lot of infected looking bites on his neck that I want the vet to look at.

I'd appreciate any advice on how to trap him successfully.

Should have mentioned I'm using an MDC Foldaway Eeziset Cat Trap with a spring operated treadle.

URGENT!

I went out for a few hours last night and when I got home there looked like there had been a cat fight. Lots of plant pots knocked over and clouds of white fur blowing about.

All of my cats had been locked indoors so they were OK. The big tom that I'm trying to catch is white, but two smaller cats that are part of the colony I feed have white bellies, and neither of them showed up to be fed last night or this morning.

I'm really worried that a cat is going to get seriously hurt if I don't catch him soon.

Does anyone have a lot of experience trapping cats? Any advice on how I can trap him?

Norachan:

It looks like he's trap savvy and will probably not be fooled by your current trap.  So you have two options.  You can buy or borrow a drop trap (you may have to order one).  You can also set your current trap up to work similarly.  This technique will also work if you have a big carrier.

For the trap, fill a soda or water bottle with water and put the cap back on.  Wrap a length of stout twine or thin rope around it and use it to prop the trap door open.  Wrap the twine around the bottle a couple of times.  Walk the other end of the twine back to your door or other hiding place.

Feed inside the trap as usual.  When the right cat is inside eating, pull the twine as hard as you can - thus pulling the bottle away and springing the trap.

Similarly, tie one end of a length of twine to the top corner of the carrier door (not the hinge side - the outside).  Loop it through one of the holes at the top of the carrier (or the top of the side, wherever there's a hole).  Push the door open as far as it will go.  Make sure the twine does not hang down inside the door opening.  Feed inside the carrier similarly to the way you feed inside the trap - food all the way at the back.

Once he's inside, slowly pull the twine so that the door closes.  You may need two people for this - one to hold the door closed and the other to run over and secure it.  You may have to prop the carrier door open.  Use something small and light enough so that when you pull on the twine, it will just move out of the way.  Don't use a prop if you don't have to - it will make a noise when it drops and alert the cat that something's going on.

Just remember, the twine or rope you use has to be strong enough to yank on without breaking.

Good luck!

I am sorry to hear that the big Tom is not cooperating. I have suggestions on how to trap an unwilling cat. Patience, persistence and time have never failed me. I live with 13 cats of which all but two of them were total ferals. I trapped all of them myself and with the help of two friends we have trapped over 200 cats over the years. Actually the trapping was easier than finding loving permanent homes for all of them.

Here are two of my methods for smarty - cats.

I set up a regular trap of the type that your are probably are using. The first step is to neutralize all odors with a bleach water mixture. Find a solid level surface preferably under cover and in the shade. Place grass, dirt, hay or a bottom cover that blends with the terrain. Place this material on the bottom of the cage and blend it to the surrounding terrain so the cat does not notice a change in footing. Make sure that the trigger still works. Cover the trigger plate with light material. Next try obscuring the trap with foliage, branches with leaves so that it blends into the surrounding area. Place stinky canned fish like mackerel in plates around the outside of the trap. I also place fried chicken nuggets in other bowls.

Observe what food is preferred. Place the food at the back of the trap. Use his favorite. Leave the food outside of the cage in addition to the inside of the cage. After a few days place food only on the inside of the trap. Kit-Kat and Tiggy 2 took a month of the trap being held open so that cats could enter eat the food and leave. They watched other cats who would enter eat and leave with nothing scary happening. Once you observe that he enters the trap and eats regulary, it is time to set the trap. It helps if you put the food in at around the same time. Try to run off the other cats when you see them by leading them away with food to another spot. If you can catch some of them and confine them temporarily you lessen the odds of your smarty cat seeing another cat get trapped. Kit Kat and Tiggy 2 took a month of leaving the trap open. If you have a vet or someone that has access to a female in heat you might want to collect some of the female's cat heat fluid and place her scent in the trap. This isn't mandatory but it really does attract toms. The other trick you can use is to place a mouse in a small safe wire cage inside the trap at the back. Regardless you will get your cat that night the first time you set it since he has been entering it to eat on a regular basis.

This has always worked for me. But there is another method the I use. Place food in a bowl on a flat level area - ground should be soft and very level. The feeding place must be directly underneath a large tree branch about 4 or 5 feet from the ground. Loop a rope over the branch. Attach to the rope should be a 3 by 3 or 4 foot metal dog kennel. Remove one of the kennels sides so that it is an open space. Secure the kennel with ties to make sure it won't fall apart and is solid. Attach it to one end of the rope. Slowly lower it to the ground. Check that the food bowl is centered. Once it is positioned correctly practice releasing your grip on the rope so that the kennel falls quickly. Make sure the ground is soft enough that the kennel does not bounce. Make sure that the rope does not get caught up on rough surfaces like bark. The kennel needs to drop quickly. Leave the cage in the air and place food underneath it. Let the Tom eat under it for a week without trying to dropit or if you are trapping in a place where the kennel would get stolenn then feed the cat for a week or two and catch the cat on the same day you hang it. Again it is important you feed at the same time. You don't want to wait any longer than required. I have used this method with success when the cat is shy of the regular type of trap. Sometimes it is not practical to leave the regular type of cat trap out for a month at a time if there is a chance of it getting stolen.

You will need help transferring the feral from the kennel. Open the front door and push in a cat carrier. You should put on thick leather gloves and a thick jacket to prevent scratches or bites. You can also try throwing a blanket over the cat, and placing it in a gunny sack until you can transfer it to a carrier or cat trap.

My other method is to use a large net. There are a couple different ways to use them. If you want to try this technique I will explain it on a later post.

I have never failed at getting any of the cats I tried to trap. Kit- Kat was the hardest. It took me months to get him but I did. Even a professional trapper failed but we didn't. I hope this info helps!
Good cat catching!!!

I am sorry to hear that the big Tom is not cooperating. I have suggestions on how to trap an unwilling cat. Patience, persistence and time have never failed me. I live with 13 cats of which all but two of them were total ferals. I trapped all of them myself and with the help of two friends we have trapped over 200 cats over the years. Actually the trapping was easier than finding loving permanent homes for all of them.

Here are two of my methods for smarty - cats.

I set up a regular trap of the type that your are probably are using. The first step is to neutralize all odors with a bleach water mixture. Find a solid level surface preferably under cover and in the shade. Place grass, dirt, hay or a bottom cover that blends with the terrain. Place this material on the bottom of the cage and blend it to the surrounding terrain so the cat does not notice a change in footing. Make sure that the trigger still works. Cover the trigger plate with light material. Next try obscuring the trap with foliage, branches with leaves so that it blends into the surrounding area. Place stinky canned fish like mackerel in plates around the outside of the trap. I also place fried chicken nuggets in other bowls.

Observe what food is preferred. Place the food at the back of the trap. Use his favorite. Leave the food outside of the cage in addition to the inside of the cage. After a few days place food only on the inside of the trap. Kit-Kat and Tiggy 2 took a month of the trap being held open so that cats could enter eat the food and leave. They watched other cats who would enter eat and leave with nothing scary happening. Once you observe that he enters the trap and eats regulary, it is time to set the trap. It helps if you put the food in at around the same time. Try to run off the other cats when you see them by leading them away with food to another spot. If you can catch some of them and confine them temporarily you lessen the odds of your smarty cat seeing another cat get trapped. Kit Kat and Tiggy 2 took a month of leaving the trap open. If you have a vet or someone that has access to a female in heat you might want to collect some of the female's cat heat fluid and place her scent in the trap. This isn't mandatory but it really does attract toms. The other trick you can use is to place a mouse in a small safe wire cage inside the trap at the back. Regardless you will get your cat that night the first time you set it since he has been entering it to eat on a regular basis.

This has always worked for me. But there is another method the I use. Place food in a bowl on a flat level area - ground should be soft and very level. The feeding place must be directly underneath a large tree branch about 4 or 5 feet from the ground. Loop a rope over the branch. Attach to the rope should be a 3 by 3 or 4 foot metal dog kennel. Remove one of the kennels sides so that it is an open space. Secure the kennel with ties to make sure it won't fall apart and is solid. Attach it to one end of the rope. Slowly lower it to the ground. Check that the food bowl is centered. Once it is positioned correctly practice releasing your grip on the rope so that the kennel falls quickly. Make sure the ground is soft enough that the kennel does not bounce. Make sure that the rope does not get caught up on rough surfaces like bark. The kennel needs to drop quickly. Leave the cage in the air and place food underneath it. Let the Tom eat under it for a week without trying to dropit or if you are trapping in a place where the kennel would get stolenn then feed the cat for a week or two and catch the cat on the same day you hang it. Again it is important you feed at the same time. You don't want to wait any longer than required. I have used this method with success when the cat is shy of the regular type of trap. Sometimes it is not practical to leave the regular type of cat trap out for a month at a time if there is a chance of it getting stolen.

You will need help transferring the feral from the kennel. Open the front door and push in a cat carrier. You should put on thick leather gloves and a thick jacket to prevent scratches or bites. You can also try throwing a blanket over the cat, and placing it in a gunny sack until you can transfer it to a carrier or cat trap.

My other method is to use a large net. There are a couple different ways to use them. If you want to try this technique I will explain it on a later post.

I have never failed at getting any of the cats I tried to trap. Kit- Kat was the hardest. It took me months to get him but I did. Even a professional trapper failed but we didn't. I hope this info helps!
Good cat catching!!!

I am sorry to hear that the big Tom is not cooperating. I have suggestions on how to trap an unwilling cat. Patience, persistence and time have never failed me. I live with 13 cats of which all but two of them were total ferals. I trapped all of them myself and with the help of two friends we have trapped over 200 cats over the years. Actually the trapping was easier than finding loving permanent homes for all of them.

Here are two of my methods for smarty - cats.

I set up a regular trap of the type that your are probably are using. The first step is to neutralize all odors with a bleach water mixture. Find a solid level surface preferably under cover and in the shade. Place grass, dirt, hay or a bottom cover that blends with the terrain. Place this material on the bottom of the cage and blend it to the surrounding terrain so the cat does not notice a change in footing. Make sure that the trigger still works. Cover the trigger plate with light material. Next try obscuring the trap with foliage, branches with leaves so that it blends into the surrounding area. Place stinky canned fish like mackerel in plates around the outside of the trap. I also place fried chicken nuggets in other bowls.

Observe what food is preferred. Place the food at the back of the trap. Use his favorite. Leave the food outside of the cage in addition to the inside of the cage. After a few days place food only on the inside of the trap. Kit-Kat and Tiggy 2 took a month of the trap being held open so that cats could enter eat the food and leave. They watched other cats who would enter eat and leave with nothing scary happening. Once you observe that he enters the trap and eats regulary, it is time to set the trap. It helps if you put the food in at around the same time. Try to run off the other cats when you see them by leading them away with food to another spot. If you can catch some of them and confine them temporarily you lessen the odds of your smarty cat seeing another cat get trapped. Kit Kat and Tiggy 2 took a month of leaving the trap open. If you have a vet or someone that has access to a female in heat you might want to collect some of the female's cat heat fluid and place her scent in the trap. This isn't mandatory but it really does attract toms. The other trick you can use is to place a mouse in a small safe wire cage inside the trap at the back. Regardless you will get your cat that night the first time you set it since he has been entering it to eat on a regular basis.

This has always worked for me. But there is another method the I use. Place food in a bowl on a flat level area - ground should be soft and very level. The feeding place must be directly underneath a large tree branch about 4 or 5 feet from the ground. Loop a rope over the branch. Attach to the rope should be a 3 by 3 or 4 foot metal dog kennel. Remove one of the kennels sides so that it is an open space. Secure the kennel with ties to make sure it won't fall apart and is solid. Attach it to one end of the rope. Slowly lower it to the ground. Check that the food bowl is centered. Once it is positioned correctly practice releasing your grip on the rope so that the kennel falls quickly. Make sure the ground is soft enough that the kennel does not bounce. Make sure that the rope does not get caught up on rough surfaces like bark. The kennel needs to drop quickly. Leave the cage in the air and place food underneath it. Let the Tom eat under it for a week without trying to dropit or if you are trapping in a place where the kennel would get stolenn then feed the cat for a week or two and catch the cat on the same day you hang it. Again it is important you feed at the same time. You don't want to wait any longer than required. I have used this method with success when the cat is shy of the regular type of trap. Sometimes it is not practical to leave the regular type of cat trap out for a month at a time if there is a chance of it getting stolen.

You will need help transferring the feral from the kennel. Open the front door and push in a cat carrier. You should put on thick leather gloves and a thick jacket to prevent scratches or bites. You can also try throwing a blanket over the cat, and placing it in a gunny sack until you can transfer it to a carrier or cat trap.

My other method is to use a large net. There are a couple different ways to use them. If you want to try this technique I will explain it on a later post.

I have never failed at getting any of the cats I tried to trap. Kit- Kat was the hardest. It took me months to get him but I did. Even a professional trapper failed but we didn't. I hope this info helps!
Good cat catching!!!

Hi Ondine and Spooky Bones,

Thanks for your support and advice. The two male cats I was worried about came back. One of them looked as if he'd been in a fight so I cleaned him up with warm water and an antibiotic spray that the vet recommended. It was only a couple of scratches but it's so hot and humid here at the moment. I don't want the cuts to get infected.

The big tom is now putting his head very gingerly inside the trap to get the food that's in there. I'm going to experiment to find out what he likes the best over the next week. Thursdays are the only days I can get to the vet, so I usually set the trap as soon as it gets light on a Thursday morning then who ever ventures inside gets taken to the vet at 9 a.m. So, he's got a few days to get used to the idea.

There aren't any trees around here that I could rig a kennel to in the way that you suggested Spooky Bones, but I like the idea of disguising the inside of the trap so he doesn't notice he has gone inside. I've scattered lots of sweet smelling grass cuttings inside and out to make it less obvious that it's a trap

I'll let you know how I get on.

Thanks once again.

I think your patience will pay off.  If he's exploring the trap, he'll probably eventually be trapped, so hang in there!

Foiled again!

Late last night I noticed that the big white tom cat was hanging around after the cats had all been fed and wandered off. I thought I'd have another go at catching him so sprinkled a little cat nip inside the trap and set it. About 15 minutes later I heard the trap door shut, but when I went to check the trap was empty and he was sitting on the wall looking smug. He really is good at this!

I've noticed that the distance from the bottom of the trap door, which swings shut when anything touches the treadle, and the treadle is only about 30 cm. He's a very big cat and I think that rather than trapping him inside the door swings down, taps him on the hindquarters and warns him to back out quickly.

I'm going to have to try and borrow a bigger trap.

In the meantime I'm hoping that as I get all the intact females spayed there will be less reason for him to hang around here and be all uber-macho.

We've started to call him Houdini as he's so good at getting out of tight spots.

What a rascal, mocking you with smugness even!  On the plus side, he is developing confidence that he can evade the trap, so when you bring in a different model or bigger trap he'll go in planning to use his regular tricks to get out and they won't work!  

Ah yes, we all have a Houdini.  Just hang in there.  I think a bigger trap is an excellent idea.

He may still hang around for the food once all the females are spayed but at least most of your kitten problem will be fixed.

My name is Micheele,
Bones I'm my black (used to be feral) cat. He is a small cat that is constantly on my lap or sleeping under the covers with me :-).

Anyway if the Tom is sticking his head into the trap it only a matter of time. I f you have the time don't set the trap until he is confident that nothing bad will happen. Allow him to let his guard in so he doesn't get spooked. I live in St. Augustne. If we live close to each other I would not mind helping you. I have a fish line method that works well with nervous cats.

My name is Micheele,
Bones I'm my black (used to be feral) cat. He is a small cat that is constantly on my lap or sleeping under the covers with me :-).

Anyway if the Tom is sticking his head into the trap it only a matter of time. I f you have the time don't set the trap until he is confident that nothing bad will happen. Allow him to let his guard in so he doesn't get spooked. I live in St. Augustne. If we live close to each other I would not mind helping you. I have a fish line method that works well with nervous cats. You may need to use it on Houdini. My method allows you to trigger the trap when you see he is inside.

One certain feral outside of my place was hard to trap until I put pieces from a fish inside the trap instead of regular cat food.

Raw meats or a fresh catch from the waters might be worth the try