What are some of your ideas for target trapping of a specific cat in a colony?

catwoman707

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Hi Amanda,

This is a common issue with trapping, when a newly found group who has not all been tnr'd yet, but there are 1 or 2 cats needing vet care first, sick or injured that I need to get help for asap.

I set traps but don't want to trap others for s/n just yet, and would certainly never trap and let one go who needs trapping, so do you have tricks for target trapping?

I've used a few things, throwing pieces of dry food at them when they get too close, or start going towards them which might affect the targeted cat too, even used a power squirt gun! haha

Thanks!
 

Norachan

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This is a good question. I have just one intact female left in the colony I care for, but she refuses to go into the trap. I've managed to get her comfortable with putting her head inside to take the bait. but if the bait is further back she won't touch it. I usually get some big, dumb male cat bumbling in there, pushing her out of the way and eating everything.

She saw me trap two of last years kittens and one of the toms cats about 6 months ago. Is it possible that she remembers what happened when they went into the trap?
 
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catwoman707

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This is a good question. I have just one intact female left in the colony I care for, but she refuses to go into the trap. I've managed to get her comfortable with putting her head inside to take the bait. but if the bait is further back she won't touch it. I usually get some big, dumb male cat bumbling in there, pushing her out of the way and eating everything.

She saw me trap two of last years kittens and one of the toms cats about 6 months ago. Is it possible that she remembers what happened when they went into the trap?
I had to laugh! Exactly!

Males are retrappable, where females normally are not.

Does this mean girls are smarter???.........


She remembers seeing them trapped, believe it!
 

amandaaca

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I had to laugh! Exactly!

Males are retrappable, where females normally are not.

Does this mean girls are smarter???.........


She remembers seeing them trapped, believe it!
Hahah!  It does always seem to be the particularly fertile female who is the smartest about avoiding the traps...
 
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catwoman707

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Hahah!  It does always seem to be the particularly fertile female who is the smartest about avoiding the traps...
Exaaactly.....
    hey who said that girls are smarter?!.......:)
 
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amandaaca

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This is definitely a great question!  It can be tough to get every single cat in a colony on the first trapping date, so having some ideas and tricks up your sleeve for targeting those last few cats can be super important.  Here are my tips:

1.  Get the cats used to eating out of the trap.  At first, simply feed the cats near the traps, to get them used to seeing the traps around their feeding site.  Then, gradually move the food deeper into the trap.  Use the trap's back door for this, so the trap won't close on the cat.  This is just to get the cat used to going in the trap to eat.  Then, when the cats are comfortable going in the trap, close the back door and set the traps for real.  If you get some cats that have already been TNRed, just leave them in the traps while you wait for the target cat to go in.  (Time out for cats!)

2.  Try different baits.  Maybe switching up the bait is what will do the trick!  If sardines is your go-to, try tuna, or a super smelly brand of cat food, or something completely different like fried chicken.  I've never used fried chicken myself, but I've definitely heard people say it's the magic ticket for trapping. 

3.  Use a bigger trap.  If a cat is hesitant about going in a trap, maybe using a bigger trap will work!  Perhaps the larger space will be less intimidating.

4.  Use a drop trap!  A drop trap is a great option if you've got cats who just will not go in a box trap.  For pictures on what a drop trap looks like, check this page out.  The drop trap is useful as it allows cats to come and go, and lets you choose when the trap is triggered (when your targeted cat is under it!).  It's also good if you've got cats who are hesitant about going into a box trap; the drop trap feels less confining to them, and they may be more likely to fall for it.  :) 

There are more helpful hints on hard to trap cats on the Alley Cat Allies' 'Hard to Trap' page, but the above recommendations should get you started at least!

-Amanda
 

melissa laninfa

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We use canned Mackerel fish for bait. It is REALLY stinky and gross, but the cats love it. You can buy it in the canned seafood section of the grocery store. It's usually very cheap.

I love the idea of keeping the non-target cat in the trap while you're waiting for the target cat to go in another trap!! Thanks for that!

We always recommend that people feed their colony in a "dead" trap for a few days before they want to trap. That way, they will be used to seeing the trap and associating it with food when you are ready to take them for their appointment.
 

feralvr

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Hahah!  It does always seem to be the particularly fertile female who is the smartest about avoiding the traps...
Exaaactly.....:anon:     hey who said that girls are smarter?!.......:)
Have to share this most recent story of a "semi" feral female cat told by her caretaker. The caretaker was not able to touch this cat but the cat would approach with arm's length and seem to want that connection. She had set up two traps outside with both trap doors zip tied up. I always recommend people do this first to get the cat's used to going in and out of the trap. Anyway - she said this particular female cat was going in and out of the trap for over a week but then suddenly completely stopped. She was coming and begging desperately for food but refused to go into the trap to eat no matter what. Meanwhile this caretaker was able to trap two male tom's that week. She soon realized why this female refused to willingly eat in the trap nor would she go near the trap even with the most enticing KFC chicken inside. She saw her carrying kittens, one by one, to her back yard into her dense bushes out back to make a new nest!!!!! There were six in total and were only about one week old, the exact time she stopped going inside of the unset trap to eat. SMART - I would say so. The caretaker was successful in trapping this female after all of the kittens were gathered up and brought inside. Then, and only then, did the female cat go into the trap to be caught and reunited with her kittens inside. Mom cat was still quite feral and not wanting to be touched but it was obvious she had some human contact in her past. Interesting story and wanted to share. MOTHER KNOWS BEST !!!!!!!!!!!!!! :lol3: :clap::clap:
 
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sweetthangtx

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Wow! The first trap thart we ever set we got momma and one of her babies at one time! The youngster went in to eat the bait but was so light weight that the trap didn't close. Momma went strolling in and WHAM!

We have also had two kittens trapped at one time like that.

Good luck and thanks for getting involved in TNR. Don't give up. Almost any cat can be trapped. Although I have to admit that there are a few that we are still trying to outwit.

My husband is trap master here. When we have a Target cat to catch it is more work. He rigs the trap with a small stick or block of wood to hold it open. There is a string attached to the stick and that string leads back to us. If another cat goes in the trap we shoo it out and rebait. When ( if) the targeted cat goes in we pull the string to drop the trap door.

It is also very important to have covers for the traps on hand. A feral cat that is trapped may be frantic at first. If you cover the trap the cat calms right away. Also , make sure the traps are washed well after use. The smell of a frantic cat from a previous use may keep the next cap from getting into the trap.
 

sweetthangtx

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Here is another trick that we have used. If you have a litter of kittens to trap and you get one of them you can use that kitten or cat to get the others.

We found two youngsters in our yard. They were clearly by themselves and too young to be on their own. We managed to trap one of them but the other one would not go in a trap. We had the first kitten covered with a crate cloth. We finally did this: we moved another trap so that the front off the one that had the kitten in it butted up to the back of the one that was empty. We put the bait at the back of the trap and.covered it as well. From the vantage point of the untrapped cat it was just one contraption with a cat already in it. It didn't take long for him to want to join his brother.



Ps both of the guys are now part of our indoor population. After we spent a month or two getting them vetted and socialized we were too in love to let them go anywhere.

Here is a photo of Sunny and Bailey. Sunny is the lighter one.

Fertile female cat is redundant. I don't think there will be much need for feline fertility clinics! I always assume that every cat that is in my line of sight is a female , unless proven otherwise. I also firmly believe that if she is not pg now she will be as soon as I turn my back. Trap first. Ask questions later.
 

amandaaca

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He rigs the trap with a small stick or block of wood to hold it open. There is a string attached to the stick and that string leads back to us. If another cat goes in the trap we shoo it out and rebait. When ( if) the targeted cat goes in we pull the string to drop the trap door.
This is an awesome tip!!!  Definitely a good way to be able to selectively trap that one cat you're after, using a regular box trap.  Thanks for sharing!

-Amanda
 

Norachan

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Well, I still haven't been able to trap Robin.

I've tried a trap with a plate that shuts the door when the cat steps on it and a trap with a hook to hang the bait from that shuts the door behind them. I've managed to TNR 29 cats with these two, but she know's what I'm up to and she won't go near them. I've tried KFC, steamed chicken, tuna, smoked fish and cat nip but no luck with her.

I think I'm going to have to build a drop trap but she's pregnant again and looks like she's going to give birth any day now.

How soon after she has given birth should I start trying to trap her? What I mean is, how old should the kittens be to be able to survive 24 hours without their mum? We're quite high up in the mountains here and it's below freezing at night. We usually get snow until the end of April. Maybe I should wait until May?

Here's a picture of the little minx, so you know what I'm up against.

 

melissa laninfa

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You should check with your vet. Some of them will do a flank incision so as not to disturb the milk in the mama cat. This way, she would only have to be away from the kittens for one day. But, I believe the kittens would still need to be 3 to 4 weeks old. Just be sure before you take her in for surgery that they are able to do that. Otherwise, you will have to bottle feed the babies.

Is someone else maybe feeding this kitty so that she's not hungry when you try to trap? This happens quite a bit when a colony is in a public location where there are multiple feeders. Just a thought.  :-)
 

amandaaca

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You could go ahead and try to trap her now, but if she is pregnant the kittens will be aborted.  There's another thread on here that talks about that a bit!  If you know for sure she is pregnant and really don't want to take her in before she gives birth, then I would probably wait until the kittens are a couple weeks old until you take her to a vet.  She will continue to produce milk after she's spayed, and once the kittens are a couple weeks old they will probably be ok without their mom for the time it takes to TNR her.

Here's an idea that may work, since this mama is so smart: use the kittens as bait!  This will mean that you'll have to know where the kittens are being hidden, but if you care for the mama cat every day hopefully that won't be too hard!  When you are ready to try and trap the mom cat, you'll need TWO traps - one for the kittens, and one for the mom cat.  Put some soft blankets in one trap, and place the kittens in that trap with doors securely closed.  Then, prepare the second trap like you normally would - line it with newspaper, but don't put any bait in.  Then, place both traps under the same trap cover, and set the second trap.  You can place the traps side by side, or you can place the traps end-to-end.  The idea behind this is that the mother cat will go in the open trap to try and get closer to her kittens.  If you place the traps end to end, the mother cat will (hopefully!) go all the way to the back of the set trap to try and get to her kittens, thereby setting the trap off.  This is doubly beneficial because then you can keep an eye on the kittens while the mom is in surgery.

I've used this trick a couple times and it's worked pretty well!  I hope it helps you catch this mama cat, too!

-Amanda
 

Norachan

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If she were any less pregnant I would keep trying to trap her, but she looks like she is about to pop and she's warier than ever. I've actually been trying to trap Robin for about 10 months now. She's always been able to avoid being trapped, and had her second litter about 6 months ago. (All three kittens have gone to good homes, the first three kittens she had have been TNR'd and are now part of the very friendly feral colony that lives here.)

 I think the fact that she is trap smart, plus the fact that she is being extra careful as she gets closer to her delivery date, is going to make it impossible to trap her within the next few days.

Using kittens as bait is a good idea, I'll keep that in mind. Her last litter were born in the roof of an abandoned house near here. I don't want to risk climbing up there, part of the roof has already come down, but I'll try and find out who the owners are and get permission to go inside. At least the kittens will be safer from predators in that roof while their mum is at the vet.

Thanks for the advice.
 

amandaaca

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Good luck, Norachan!!!  Keep trying, you'll get her!

-Amanda
 
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pksears

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Sounds like a drop trap might work. Thankfully my feral/strays went into the traps I set out. ( live traps)
 

pksears

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Wow, using them how?? In a feral setting, some times the male feral will kill the kittens to get a female to go into heat sooner, just so they can mate again.
 
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