Beginner trying to trap and rescue possibly sick cat!

Hi! I currently have an indoor/outdoor cat, Cookie. My neighbor (I live in a side-by-side duplex) also has some (2?)outdoor cats --- to me it seems like they're strays that she feeds and shelters. My Cookie is definitely more like a pet, part of the family, indoors and socialized, than the cats my neighbor "owns". Cookie dominates the territory around the house, which leads to a few scuffles outside between my neighbor's cats and Cookie. Basically I've gotten acquainted with the cats around the area.

However, I recently saw a cat that is unfamiliar that seems to either be sick, pregnant, or both. I don't know the gender of the cat, but I did notice it had a low hanging belly. At first, I thought it could be pregnant, but my mother said she saw the cat again today and said it looked more like a tumor. She also thinks the cat is blind.

I instantly got extremely concerned, because all possible situations at the moment are troubling. So, I decided it was best to try to capture this cat, bring it to the vet, and then see what to do from there.

I went to a local cat rescue organization and they lent me a drop trap and authorized a vet visit that they would be able to fund. Tomorrow in the afternoon my mother and I plan to try to trap the cat and quickly take it to the vet. I'm pretty nervous, because even though I rescued my Cookie, she was a baby and therefore easier to take in. This is a completely new experience for me.

Anyways, I just wanted to open this up to the community and look for some support. I'll be documenting the process here, updating as things progress [emoji]9829[/emoji]

That's awesome! Hopefully the cat will go into the trap easily.. 

Here is a link to a how-to video on trapping cats for TNR. Maybe you can find some ideas and tricks that may help.


Good luck!

thank you so much! I'm definitely going to watch that video to get a few pointers. I've been reading all I can about trapping to prepare myself

Wonderful and nice plan!   Just so!   Its also positive you have this friendly rescue group there.

One tip: when she is catched, IF the vet cant take her immediately, you can have her in the trap to the next day too.

Not optimal, but shy homeless are used to hide in a hole both 24 and if need longer.

Keep reporting!

Great plan. Please update us when you can. 

Good luck!

--sigh--  this is a lot more difficult than I thought. the only trap I was able to get was a kind of drop trap, the kind you have to pull a string to close the door. the poor cat is skittish, so it has been extremely difficult to even get near it, much less entice it into a cage. I've been out a few times for quite a long time, but it has proven to be quite difficult. I'm not giving up, of course! I left the trap outside with food in it, so even though I won't be there to close to door the cat will hopefully get used to going in an eating.

I managed to take a few picture of the cat here he/she is!



I was giving it treats to try to get it used to being closer to me. It seems like it's definitely struggling to see, maybe no blind, but visually impaired. I'm really kind of upset that I was unable to catch the cat today, and I feel really disappointed in myself.

I'll give it another shot later in the day and definitely tomorrow. I hope I can manage to do this 

Don't be so hard on yourself!  Lots of seasoned trappers meet cats that are trap-savvy and hard to trap.

Leaving the trap out is an excellent strategy, actually, one we all recommend when faced with trap-savvy cats.  It does exactly what you said - gets them used to eating in the trap.

Keep trying and you will succeed.  This kitty is so lucky to have found you!  Keep us posted, please ...

Took me 6 weeks of trying before II rented a trap and after putting the trap with food in position caught the kitten in literally 30 seconds. Worked like a charm.  The only other advice I would give you is use the same language, sounds, and name calling each and every time you see the cat.  It will respond to those words and the sound of your voice.  Once captured, I wait as long as it takes for the cat to come out of hiding.  But I continue to call to it, make little whistle sounds and talk to it.  Things like "hi baby cat"... heres your food babycat and leave the food and water and stay still and quiet at a distance while the cat eats.  The first time I handled the kitten I had kitchen gloves on which I had shown the kitten while it was crated.  The first time I picked it up she did scratch but I waited a few more days and she never scratched again.  She hid under an armoire for a solid week and I continued to slide her little plate and water under it and talk to her from a distance saying babycat, same cooing babytalk and soft whistles.  At the 7 day mark she would stick her head out at the whistle sound.  Day ten she came out and over to sniff me and then ran back under the armoire.  With each day she would come out sniff and see if I was going to try anything and when I made no movements she finally stretched out about 2 feet from where I sat.  I began to place the plate of food outside of the armoire and sat still on the floor while she ate and talked softly all the while.  She eventually had the food within a foot of me and stopped running under the furniture.  By day 14 she began to come out of the room and explore the house.  By day 18, she clawed her way up the side of the bed comforter and went to sleep on my bed.  I then patted her for the first time and she surprisingly purred.  She is now 7 years old and very sweet and lays on stomachs, laps, no fear of people. Make sure the cat associates you with food and pleasant soft sounds and you will win them over when they are ready. Just don't try to force it on your end or you will scare them with trying too hard, too fast. Kind of think of it as cat whispering technique.

Try not to get too discouraged. Some cats can take what seems like forever to trap regardless of what you try. Just remember that you're doing an awesome thing helping this cat, and it'll be worth it once he or she is trapped and to a vet. Also keep in mind that if this kitty is having a hard time seeing he or she may have developed a heightened sense of wariness about foreign and strange things like traps. It's awesome of you to be doing all this to help this cat out and I commend you for looking out for it. Wishing you the best of luck and remember to be patient : )

Don't give up and be patient. It is awesome what you do!

Many TNR people establish a feeding schedule weeks before they would even try to trap. And even if perfectly prepared, it is still not easy and many cats get away several times before finally they go into the trap  :-) 

Unfortunately, I think the cat might actually be the neighbor's cat  ... in which case I can't get involved, much less trap her cat. She says she has her cats spayed and neutered, so maybe the cat I've seen is just old and I've mistaken it for being sickly. I'm still worried, but I fear there's not much more I can do besides bring her attention to her possibly unwell cat   

Please don't feel bad for anything!

If the cat belongs to your neighbor then she should not be letting a nearly blind cat or partially blind cat outside. There are too many risks outdoors for healthy cats these days. Saying something to her will let you know if she really cares about this cat. She may very well tell you to take the cat.

As far as trapping goes, we have trapped well over 200 cats over the years. But there are several instances in which we never  caught our target. Some cats are just plain too smart for their own good!

I can't imagine a string on the door type trap working too well. We use a trap my brother bought from Harbor Freight.  It uses a pressure plate. You bait it with food, the cat walks in, and it's caught. At least that is how it is supposed to work...

We've seen determined cats force the door open on it before we could get there , but that only happened a couple of times. It's not a bad trap for the price and ease of use, although we are looking for a better one.

No matter what happens, you deserve lots of great karma for trying to help this kitty!   

Thank you so much! I really appreciate the kind words! I just worry about this kitty, but since it' not mine I don't think there's much I can do. 

If your neighbor is overwhelmed, she may appreciate help with this kitty.  Can you talk to her and ask her if you could take the cat to the vet?  If nothing else, she may realize you want to help.

Ondine said:

 
If your neighbor is overwhelmed, she may appreciate help with this kitty.  Can you talk to her and ask her if you could take the cat to the vet?  If nothing else, she may realize you want to help.

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Good thought. But I bet the owner tells you that you can have her. Please let us know what she says if you get a chance to ask her about the cat.

She had actually called me when I had the trap up because she said she was worried that her own cats were going to get stuck in there, even though I told her it's a manual trap and I had to be there in order for the door to go down, but I understand her concern. In the same phone call she told me that her cats are "spayed/neutered and healthy. None of my cats are blind and I take good care of them." It seemed as if she was a little defensive, so I'm a bit nervous about confronting her about the cat I've seen around her property. 

I would use the approach that you've seen the cat around her house, which led you to believe it might be hers.  Stress that you know she takes care of her cats and that you want to help.  If she isn't concerned that she is being judged, she may be more open.  And actually, you really have nothing to worry about now, as she has denied the cat belongs to her.  You may proceed to help this kitty without worrying...

Good luck!

I agree. If she says none of her cats are blind or in poor health, this must not be one of her cats, She probably has never seen it around.

I would catch it and take it to the clinic.