Trying to catch a divided litter.

I've been trying to help a work friend catch a feral litter and we could really use some advice.  I loaned her my drop trap so she could trap mother and kittens at the same time, however, mama cat started bringing only half of the litter over at a time for feedings around the same time the trap was set up.  I don't know if this is a coincidence or if the trap upset her and caused her to alter her routine.  The other problem we're facing is mama cat hanging out beneath the trap with the kittens while they eat.  Ordinarily this is an ideal situation, but we can't catch mama cat with half her litter.  We're afraid she won't return with the others...or she'll be forever spooked by the trap and won't go near it again.  Friend was hoping to catch mama cat and get her spayed ASAP.  She tried to catch her with a Havahart trap previously and mama cat would not go into it.  The only hope there is of catching her is with the drop trap.  

Any ideas?  I'm at a complete loss.    

Others may not agree with me here but in my experience it is better to catch some then none. You can always set a trap out where you believe the remaining kittens may be after you catch the mom and first half of the litter.

I had a situation once where the mother brought half her kittens to me then something spooked her and she took them away. I thought I had missed my opportunity to catch any of them. She luckily brought some back over the next week and I managed to catch two. My neighbor caught and kept a 3rd. I set traps in my yard and my neighbors for about a week but I never found the other 2. I was glad that we managed to at least catch 3 and give them a chance at homes. Mom was caught and spayed and lives on my deck with her sister.

Have you tried putting something really delicious and smelly in the trap? Try tuna, lunch meat or anchovies.

JodiG said:

Others may not agree with me here but in my experience it is better to catch some then none. You can always set a trap out where you believe the remaining kittens may be after you catch the mom and first half of the litter.

I had a situation once where the mother brought half her kittens to me then something spooked her and she took them away. I thought I had missed my opportunity to catch any of them. She luckily brought some back over the next week and I managed to catch two. My neighbor caught and kept a 3rd. I set traps in my yard and my neighbors for about a week but I never found the other 2. I was glad that we managed to at least catch 3 and give them a chance at homes. Mom was caught and spayed and lives on my deck with her sister.

Have you tried putting something really delicious and smelly in the trap? Try tuna, lunch meat or anchovies.

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Friend is leaning in that direction, as well: catching some is better than none.  Her neighbor informed her that all the kittens plus mom were eating beneath the trap when she was at work earlier today, so there's still a possibility of catching everyone.  Neighbor also said mom cat "looks pregnant", so now we're all getting panicky (I guess friend doesn't know what a preggo cat looks like).  Friend just needs to line up a foster home at this point.  She's "fairly certain" she knows who's going to take the kittens, and I think she might keep a couple.  

Well, we'll see how things unfold in the next few days.  I know I'll be sitting here biting my nails...I always get overly involved in cat drama   

Need some advice ASAP.  All but one kitten have been caught, and the leftover kitten refuses to go near the drop trap *and* the Havahart trap.  It watched mom and the other kittens get caught beneath the trap (it took three tries to get everyone so far) and watched them being taken away, and now it's just hanging around in the vicinity crying, circling the trap and trying to get the food without actually going into the trap.  This went on for several hours and then friend relented and put out a small bowl of kibble near the kitten's hiding place so it wouldn't starve.  

Friend has tried different flavors and brands of cat food, canned mackerel, and rotisserie chicken...kitten will not bite (literally!).  It seems absolutely terrified.  Any ideas for getting it beneath the trap?

At least the kitten is old enough to come out looking for food, so you know where it is. I'd say keep feeding it for a few days and it will eventually let its gaurd down.

It's going to take patience and a hungry kitten. The kitten will not starve itself; but, if you offer food *outside* the trap, the kitten WILL learn to wait for the other food.

Since the kitten has seen the others get trapped, it's going to taken him longer to go inside.

One thought is if you could put one of the litter mates in a small crate and place it inside the trap. Perhaps hearing/seeing the other kitten might entice the other little one to get beneath the trap simply to peek at the other kitten? Not sure if this would work or not. (Obviously the kitten that has ready been caught would stay inside the crate the entire time. The crate would have to be small enough to fit beneath the drop trap and still leave room for the other kitten.)

I have used a fishing net to catch an injured cat before. This was a cat that I could not get my hands on and this cat was also too big for the hav-a-heart trap. He also had other food sources.

If you opt to go this route, know that there are dangers associated with it (cat getting caught in the netting and running away, draghing the net; injuries associated with being caught...the cat I caught had abrasions on his face, nose and his nail were bloody...but ALL were MINOR injuries that healed themselves) and know that you pretty much get 1 try to catch the cat.

Once the net was over the cat, I had to stand on the handle to keep the frame/netting on the ground to the cat couldn't escape underneath. I then had 2 people pick the net and cat up and placed both in a storage tote to be transported to the vet. (Yes, there were LOTS of air holes poked into the tote.)

If you use a large crate, you can put plate of food at the very back.  The large crate may give the kitten a sense that he isn't "trapped."

Tie a length of twine to the door, loop it through the top of the crate and walk a distance away, with the twine in your hand.  Once the kitten goes in, you can pull the twine until the door closes (gently, so the kitten doesn't sense it is closing).  This works better if you have someone who can run up and secure the door - otherwise, the kitten may bolt and run out the door.

If worst comes to worst, another kitten can be placed in a carrier inside the crate, too.  This may draw the kitten inside and distract him from the closing door.

Good luck.  I know this is frustrating!

Good news!  Kitten has been caught and is awaiting a vet appointment tomorrow and reunion with siblings at the foster home    All the advice was much appreciated and will be kept in mind for future reference (I'm sure there will be more rescues I'll be involved with in some capacity).  Friend ended up angling the drop trap closer to the kitten's hiding place and wasn't sure if she'd be able to pull the leg out...but it worked!  We're all happy the baby won't have to spend another night in the cold.  

Thanks again