I trapped before

I could use some advice and support. I have adopted 10 stray cats over the years that i have lived in a condo complex with many neighbors.  I used a have-a-heart trap for some of my cats and others slept in my storage unit and eventually willingly went into a carrier so i could take him or her to my veterinarian. Every one of my cats has given me so much happiness. Some have passed, and we now have 4 cats adopted from outside. They are not from the same litter, but they get along wonderfully.

Now I will try to trap and adopt another stray. She arrived in last year's New York winter which had record snow and cold. I've been feeding her every day she shows up here. Unofficially i call her Sweetie, and she is much more nervous about me getting near her than my other cats were when they were outside. I have not been able to pet her. She has not touched my hand when i put a food treat near her. She sometimes doesn't come for food for three days in a row. She won't come near the dish i put down for her until I step away, but she does eat with me nearby, 4-5 feet away. I can't let this sweetheart go through another winter outdoors. My neighbors will not let me put a cat shelter on our property. I tried last winter and some of them called our managing agent who told me to take it away. I only own the condo itself, the property is common area and i must follow the condominium rules or be fined. 

So, I got the humane trap on loan today from a shelter. Sweetie didn't come to eat today in either the morning or evening, but the trap is sitting out there. The door won't snap shut, it's just there for her to examine when she comes to eat. I hope she returns soon. I am quite nervous about trapping her. I'm also very worried about bringing her into my apartment with my other cats. 

If you have done this once or twice please write to me. Please remind me that it is the best way to care for Sweetie. Please remind me to be brave and just get the job done. I'm so afraid she will run away and i won't see her again. I worry about all of it.  What do you think? It will work out and we will all be happy, right? I want that so badly.

What a GOOD and WONDERFUL heart you have. Thank you for what you are doing for the stray cats. Sweetie is very feral and that is why she is taking SOOOOO long to trust you. IF you have that trap for at least a few days, then this is what I have done with success. Actually, two different scenarios that have worked for me.

I would leave the trap "unset". Tie the door up for a couple of days and only, ONLY feed inside that trap. You can cover the trap with something to make it less threatening. Line the bottom with some leaves, or grass clipping. Drizzle some tuna juice on the leaves and put the food 1/2 way inside the trap. Once you see Sweetie (and hopefully she will come on a regular schedule :cross going into the trap willingly then you are ready. Get the vet check appt. / spay appt. all set up and then set the trap, and put the food past the trip plate. Then, you just wait. I know, the unnerving part of all of this. Hopefully she will come. I usually only feed the feral cats on a schedule so that I can count on them showing up and waiting for food. You can also use a large empty dog food bag to slide the trap into. This makes it smell more inviting too.

Another way I have used with feral cats that will eat in my presence such as you say - about 4 - 5 feet away is to trap them in a crate. The rope and pull method. Again, you have to set up the crate with the door propped open for a few days and only feed inside the crate while you are sitting nearby. You slide the rope through the side of the crate and tie it close to the latch area of the crate door. The rope should be about 15 feet or so in case you need to sit farther away. On trap day, I take away the large rock that was keeping the door open and move away holding the rope but NOT allowing the rope to move thus scaring the cat. I only use tuna or sardines, a small amount, on trap day because they will thrash and get the food all over themselves. So less is better on that day. Once the cat is inside fully, pull the rope quickly and swiftly, dragging the crate to you and with a GLOVED hand, latch the door. Off to the vet you then go. The problem, though, with this method is that the vet will have a harder time sedating the cat inside a crate. Most times, I transfer the cat to a trap for transport. OR just bring the trap and the vets and techs can try to transfer for you.

I know this is not easy and I can tell how much you want this to work. Socializing feral cats is always going to be a challenge on the guardian's and can take a very, very long time for some. Here is a great article on how to achieve that as well.

http://www.catnipchronicles.com/may2012/laurie.htm
http://www.thecatsite.com/a/handling-feral-cats


This gives some great advice on hard to trap cat's from Alley Cat Allies http://www.alleycat.org/hardtotrap

GOOD LUCK and keep us posted. :cross: :cross:

Dear Feralvr,

Thank you so much for writing to me. Your advice is wonderful. I have the humane trap from a local shelter. I set it up as you suggested, with both doors tied open for now, newspaper on the floor and some leaves and grass on that. I can't leave anything that has a scent in there overnight because my neighbors have complained that my feeding has drawn raccoons and skunks. (We also live about 10  feet from the garbage dumpster for the apartment high-rise next door, but somehow they think wildlife is attracted to my little dish which i remove as soon as Sweetie is finished). The problem today is that Sweetie has not come here to eat for 2 days. She has done this before and usually returns after 3 days to eat the food i give her. Does that sound like someone else feeds her? She doesn't go off often.

My vet is alerted. If she comes back I will again try the schedule of feeding her at 6:30 in the morning and 4:30 or so in the afternoon. I would most like to trap her at 4:30 so i could drive her right to the vet. What would i do otherwise?

Once she has shots and is spayed I'd like to adopt her. I have also done this before. We had a little feral cat, Dylan, who we had to put into a large cage some of the time. It was easily large enough for her to live in there, about 5 feet tall, on a wheeled platform. A shelter where i volunteered let me have it. Dylan had to use it for about a year, while of course some of the time she had the whole bedroom to herself.  It turned our lives upside down, but we did it and she eventually stopped lunging at our other cats. She lived with us 8 years and was so adorable and fun.  She passed last year. 

We are ready to do this all over again if  it means we can keep Sweetie in our family. We don't want to put her out in the winter here, it's so harsh. But with one bedroom and little space it will take some effort. 

I hope you will keep in touch. i will write whatever progress i make with Sweetie. I'm new on this site, but I will try to figure out how to put a picture of my little stray cat on the site. She is adorable.

vibes for Sweetie coming to eat in the trap tonight!

Thank you for being there to help her and the other cats.  You are making a great positive difference in their lives and the neighborhood, whether your neighbors know it or not.  I know what it's like to have management/neighbors get on your case for "attracting" undesirable wildlife.  Which was already there.  My landlord said to me that I should not feed the community strays/ferals in the middle of winter because doing so was keeping them from going home!  What home did he think they had? 

Anyhow.  I look forward to an update on Sweetie, and wish you the best of luck with her.

Thank you for writing to me. Sweetie did come for food this morning at 5:30 but I made her wait until it was a little more light outside so wildlife would not be roaming around and approach her food. When I fed her at 6:00 I stood a few feet away, which she allows, and waited while she ate her food. One of my neighbors left for work, but that was the only interruption. The best news is this : she ate in the trap. I have it tied open and she went in to her dish. She wasn't afraid. She even passed through to the open end. 

I'll call my veterinarian again today an let him know i m about to trap her. i can't wait until she is safe here. Letting her adjust to life in my apartment with 4 other cats will be difficult. We will put her in the bedroom and keep the others away from her, but don't think we can leave her alone there for 24 hours to explore. We have to sleep there. Does anyone have any ideas…..of course I'm jumping ahead. I have to trap her first.

WONDERFUL news that you saw Sweetie this morning. This can be very, very common for the cats to come and go for a few days at a time. KEEP UP with ONLY scheduled feedings than take the food away, right away if she does not come to eat. Do not leave the food sit out there. That way Sweetie will figure out that she has to "wait" for you to come out and that she will only eat if you are there. Excellent that she ate inside the trap. PHEW. That will make things much easier. NOW - what I would do is close off one end of the trap and only keep the other side tied open. You run the risk of losing her because the double door traps sometimes don't trigger at the same time and can cause injury as well while the cat tries to escape to the other side. I only tie up one door, keeping the other shut and feel solely inside the trap. You don't need newspaper but it is good that she walked on the paper!!!!! Also excellent that your vet is so wonderful and willing to be open ended about the appt.

IF you trap her after the vet closes then you keep her in the trap over night in the garage. Tidy cats makes a litter box, that I swear was made for traps , and it is disposable. It is about $3.00 at the store and can slide perfectly into one side of the trap. I use the other side of the trap for sliding in a bowl of water/food. This is only for one night but it works very, very well. Hopefully you will trap her in the morning though. :cross:

I would not let her in your room because she will just hide under the bed for days and days and no progress will be made OR at the very least it will be painfully slow IF she is truly a feral cat. YES - on that cage. I have a couple of those too. Actually, I prefer using a large cage in the beginning for socializing because that way the cat cannot completely hide from you and you can gently force yourself on the kitty by them having to watch you all the time. The cage method does make socialization move along a bit more quickly in the trust department. Then, after I feel they are more settled and not freaked out about seeing you do I move them to their safe room which has NO hiding places that I could not reach them.

Once you trap her and get a better feel if she is truly feral, a semi (reverted) feral cat, or a scared lost pet then you can have a better plan of action as to how to keep her in the house. But, definitely she needs to be kept separate until you have a clear stool check two times.

Anyway - GOOD LUCK and I think SOON :cross: you will have trapped Sweetie. What a lucky kitty. :rub: :heart3:

Dear Feralvr,

It is so kind that you are sticking with me every step of this rescue, and your being there has helped me very much.  If i start to get nervous i remember I can check The Cat Site and I see your note. It helps. It's good advice and gets me past a nervous moment.  The trap I have from a cat shelter will have one end closed on the day I trap and the other will snap closed when she steps on the trigger plate inside. For today I have both ends open so she understands she can go in and out and will not hesitate to go in on trap day.

My vet will take her whenever I trap her. If I get her in the morning Sweetie will have to wait in the trap about two hours. Is that difficult? I can cover the trap and put her in my secure storage space and look in on her (probably every 10 minutes knowing me). Or should I bring her into my apartment. She will hear my other 4 cats. They aren't quiet, they love to make noisy demands. They will scratch at the door. That might be scary for her. She doesn't seem to ever be with other cats outside. She has always come here by herself.

Once she is spayed and has shots I'll bring here into my apartment and have a big cage for her in the bedroom with the door closed. Even if another cat gets in the bedroom they will both be safe from fighting.  i read the articles you suggested, all three. they are excellent. I got some very good ideas there. The one thing i can't do is leave her alone in the room for 24 hours. We sleep there and have no other place. So, she'll have her cage, a box inside it to curl up in and i will leave her alone to settle down after the vet for as many hours as i can. I'll try to keep it quiet here. Some of our other cats  get a special diet  and two get medicine daily that i put in their food. I've been feeding two in the closed bedroom so they don't grab the medicated food after they have gobbled their own, but I'll have to figure out something else now. Damn open concept apartments. I need lots more rooms and lots more doors.  Again I'm jumping ahead of myself. First I have to trap her.

After you trap her, I would NOT bring her inside of your apartment because you will want her tested for FIV/FeLK first and foremost before you even bring her near your other cats. The FIV is not really a major issue BUT the FeLK is a deadly and very contagious disease. So, put her in your storage shed and keep her covered until you take her to the vet. OH I hope you are able to trap her very soon !!!!!! :cross: Glad that the articles helped and super happy that you read them.

Since she will be in the cage in your bedroom, then feeding will not be an issue with any of your other cats because Sweetie will not be getting out anyway, right? I would keep her in the big rolling cage for a bit until she knows she can trust you and even allowing you to pet her! I have had great success with feral cats and using the large enclosure cage. Who knows, maybe she is just as sweet as can be but we never know until we trap them and get them to the vet and then back home.

for trapping !!!!!!

p.s. And, of course, I will keep checking up on your now. I won't be able to stop myself. :lol3:

Dear Feralvr,

This morning I fed sweetie at 6:30 and put the dish far inside the trap. She went all the way in with out any problem. I hope she has decided the trap is safe to walk into and she will go readily when I set the door to close. When I can bring her home I want to put her in a large enclosure in the bedroom with the door closed so other cats don't get near her at first.  I do not have the large cage on a platform with wheels that I used to have. It was in pretty bad shape, had some urine soaked wood at the bottom. It was useful at that time but I got rid of it when that feral cat became used to all of us and didn't need to be secluded from the rest of my household. (Little Dylan became so comfortable here she became the leader of the pack.)

So I'm wondering, did you buy your large enclosure? Is it a large dog crate? Is it specifically made for cats? I get Cat Fancy magazine which has advertisements for cat enclosures, often to be used on balconies or outdoors, and they are expensive and have to be shipped. I'm looking at websites like Petco, PetSmart, and others to see if they sell cat enclosures. Haven't really found the ideal one. They do sell crates for large dogs. The large door would let kitty escape from the crate any time I needed to get into it for a litter box or to feed her. What to do?

Here you go!!! Very, very reasonable on Amazon. They really take two people to put it together so I hope you have someone to assist? It has two doors that open on the top front and two doors that can open on the bottom front for easy clean-up.

For the top shelf I put one of these and used Velcro to secure it to the plastic shelf. The feral cats love this to hide in when you are cleaning, feeding, etc. http://www.petsmart.com/cat/beds-bl...-catid-200009?var_id=36-23566&_t=pfm=category It fits perfectly - the exact size as the shelf. Put a large old dark sheet or blanket over the top half of the rolling cage in the beginning. It is alright if you cats jump up there too. Mine did and the feral cats seem to be comforted about seeing the other cats nearby. Also - using the cage is a great way for the feral cat to watch you interact with your kitties and shows the feral cat how loving and trusting you can be.

For the second shelf I used zip ties to secure plastic cat placemats on the back of the cage. Sort of like a back splash for the bowls so my other cats could not reach their paws in and grab from the feral cats bowls. I tucked a felt placemat around the corner of that second shelf for the bowls to sit on so they don't slide around. It is easy to remove and wash when necessary.

I would not use a hooded litter box in there. Just a open box will do on the very bottom. I also placed litter mats in the bottom portion for easy clean up too. And a small scratching post that stands up. You can hang toys in the cage AND also a small hammock from the top of the cage. My feral cats would go from the bed on the top shelf right into the hammock to hang out and watch.

I think I have pictures somewhere and will try to post them here for you to see what I am describing. Hope this all helps!!!!!!!

for SWEETIE's trapping. :cross:

I am so glad that I still had these pictures. This will give you an idea of how I set it all up.

The first picture is of Magilla one of the three older feral kittens I socialized.

You can see my two bratty boys Presley and Perkins going in the cage to play with toys when I had the door open. You can see Magilla and her sister, Avery, hiding inside her brown cubby up top. This was after many weeks though and my cats and the ferals were becoming quite friendly.

YOUR CATS ARE SO BEAUTIFUL. The pictures are absolutely terrific. They all look so engaged and comfortable.I know that took some work! You have so many things for them to enjoy. What a lucky cat family!  I will try to give mine the same sort of fun house to own.  Here is today's update on Sweetie, and in some ways it's not good. But I'll be patient.  I fed her this morning and then saw her rolling around outside again at 3:30. My vet closes at 5:00 today so i thought I'd give the trap a try.  I put warm delicious food all the way at the closed end past the trip-plate and she tried to enter the closed end. She smelled it and then sat near the middle of the trap. She wouldn't go in. A neighbor and i waited a distance away for 10 minutes or so, no movement. Then the mailman came by and I think we lost our chance. Sweetie didn't go to the open end, she didn't walk into the trap.  About 2 hours later I saw her again, the trap was now open again on both ends so she could explore it tonight and feel at ease again, i hope. She ate a little food back inside the trap (open) at 5:30.

Then i got a surprise. I was near Sweetie, she was eating, it was bright out and I saw for the first time that her ear is clipped. She must have been T-N-R'ed already. It is a relief to think she is spayed and will not have a litter, but i still would like to adopt her. She would be more safe and I just don't think my neighbors will stand for me feeding her for years outside.

Every day there is something new with Sweetie. i hope I'm not taking up too much of your time with this. i can't wait until the time i can say she is safe in her new cage in our bedroom with toys and hiding places.

First - you are in no way taking up my time!!!! Nope - this IS my passion to help and assist in anyway someone who is willing to step up on behalf of feral/stray kitties. I am totally on board with you as much as I can.

AND about her ear already being tipped. That is really great news!!! You are ahead of the game then and since she has been trapped before then she is being quite brave going in and out of that trap! If it were me, I would keep the one end completely closed now and only tie up the other door. She WILL go in and hunger will take over. Be strong and diligent but I know that is not easy. The goal is to get her trapped and the only way to do this is for her to get hungry enough to go in. SHE WILL !!!! I would also still follow through and take her right to the vet for a check up, FIV/FeLK test and shots, etc. The vet most likely may have to sedate her for this UNLESS she is a friendly turned feral. The mother of the kittens in the pictures above was that way. I was able to scruff her to get her out of her crate for the vet!! She completely gave in to humans in that moment.

I cannot wait to hear IF Sweetie is either semi friendly or a total feral. Won't know until you get her trapped. Continuing on this journey with you and mega, mega vibes !!!

Yesterday i ordered the cat condo online. I chose the shipping option that will get it here in 2-3 days.  With that done (and it is your photographs that convinced me to buy that condo instead of some others I saw. I thought she'd have no room, but I saw 3 or maybe 4 of your cats in yours and got out the credit card!) I am very impatient to trap her. My 4 other cats take medicine in their food, so it is best to feed them in different rooms with closed doors so no cat finishes quickly and goes to another's dish. I tried that this morning and it is going to be tricky. Two young boys can eat together in one room and it's usually my bedroom. I'll need that closed off for Sweetie. I tried to feed them in the bathroom w/ closed door and they didn't take to it too well.  Bronxy kept running out when I tried to close the door. I finally got them to eat in the bathroom but they are highly insulted that I made any change to their routine. I'll try something else tonight.

I was really ready to trap her this morning. Sunday is good because it's very quiet. But without the condo I think it best to wait until it comes and I know i have a place to feed her that will contain her. My other cats will be running around outside the bedroom for and I don't want them to face each other until she has been alone in the room for some days, and then sees them through her condo wire. Yes, when i trap her I'm taking her right to the vet. All the staff there know I am trying to do this and said come anytime, just call first. They know she has the tipped ear and all about T-N-R but that I will have her in my home.  

I am hoping that the next time I write you it is to say that Sweetie is at the veterinarian's office..  I found the emoticons.

Another option in case your cage/condo is not ready and you end up trapping Sweetie is to board her at the vet's office for a few days. Yes - this will be a stressful time for her but this is a means to an end and her life will be so much better for it. She just won't know it in the beginning. Yup - patience is hard especially in the trapping phase for me too. But, once you have her in your room, in her new condo, then you will need even more patience. :lol3: That is the easy part for me but I find it is not for others and they want to rush things. One has to follow what the feral cat is telling them and only that cat will be the one to make the next move when the time is right for THEM and not the other way around. :bigwink:

You can still feed your cat or one cat in your bedroom with Sweetie in there because Sweetie will be in her condo, right?! So that should not be an issue at all for quite some time. Even when Sweetie is ready for that next phase (which could be weeks and weeks until she trusts you and lets you pet her AND is purring for you pets, wanting more) in which you leave the door open, you will still feed her in her condo and most times they retreat into that condo for all meals anyway. That will be her safety - the cage/condo - and I would make sure you leave that cage set up for quite some time even after she is "friendly". She will need that for her confidence until such time as she never feels a need to go back to the cage on her own. BOY - I am getting WAY ahead of myself. :lol3: sorry. Will try to help you as things progress along in this exciting and rewarding process.

GOOD LUCK !!!! :cross: :cross: SWEETIE.

haha on finding the emoticons. :high5:

Dear Friend,

I GOT HER!

I trapped Sweetie at about 4:30 today and my neighbor drove us to the vet. They were able to move Sweetie out of the trap and into a holding cage for overnight with no problem. She didn't hiss or thrash about. Right now my husband is wondering why he has no dinner, but i will write tomorrow and tell you how elated i am and how grateful for all your advice. Finally tonight i will sleep soundly. I'm so happy, and my name is Laura which i forgot to write about 6 letters ago.

Yay Laura.. and Sweetie!

Looking forward to hearing how it all goes.

SWEETIE is NOT feral if you were able to transfer and there was no thrashing and hissing, etc. OH MY GOODNESS. This is so wonderful and really made my day. GOOD JOB, Laura !!!!!!!!!! :high5: :bigthumb: :high5:

Dear Feralvr,

Yes, taking her to the vet was so easy. I am waiting today to hear from their office that she is healthy enough to bring her home. I won't really rest easy until I get that news. But when she was outside I fed her so well she put on a little weight and that seems like a healthy cat to me. Anything they tell me, i know I did something good for this little cat. Even if she is sick and can't live with me I will have spared her getting weak and becoming more vulnerable outside alone. I have to keep that in mind. I'm going out now to buy a few things for her new cage-home. I so happy i could dance!

Dear Feralvr,

4:07 in the afternoon, everything went wrong. Sweetie had leukemia. The vet, he's new, I'm not really used to him at all, told me many possibilities like keep her isolated, test her again in 3 weeks and maybe it was a false positive, bring in my 4 cats for testing then vaccines now and in 3 weeks again. For the past 3 hours since they called me with her blood test results i have gone back and forth in my mind trying to figure out how to do this or what to do, and in the end i chose to euthanize Sweetie. Two of my cats are FiV positive and they might get leukemia from sweetie even with the vaccine. My husband is not well. Caring for him is a full time job. I'm just giving you every excuse i can come up with right now but what really happened is that i didn't help Sweetie to ever know a home or comfort. I decided to end her life. I am sick with grief and disappointment in myself.