having trouble trapping the third kitten.

lisa1950

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my friend and I have  tried useing a drop trap next to the enclosed,locked  wooden fence storage enclosure. am able to put a bowl  of food under  enclosure and a trail camera.tried putting a box trap inside enclosure for a couple of hours (no takers). next to impossible to get  someone at Elks LODGE  to keep enclosure unlocked. has anyone got any other suggestions. Oh!even tried useing a net inside enclosure. kitten jumped over wall and into wooded area near by.
 

trudy1

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I have been through this a few times with tnr of my cat colony so:

First I would ask around at vets or pet smart for the names of cat rescue groups.. They are usually willing to help. What you are trying is VERY labor intensive but rewarding in the end to keep more babies off the street.

You did not say what is in the I closure.. Dumpster with food or? If not a food source then I suggest borrowing from humane soc or groups about 4-5 small live traps... The kind with the treadle spring and spring door. Bait each with a food with lots of Oder such as tuna, cat food in another, raw chicken, etc. be sure to smear at least a good spoon full on the treadle and a good spoonful in the back of the trap. I then string a few bites ( small) out the door and in front of the trap. Place the traps along a wall and cover all but the opening with grass. If you have several traps you can see if he has a trail and use it as a site.

We usually run these every couple of hours round the clock. If you are close to woods you probably will get raccoons and opposiums but they are always more interested in flight than fight. Always wear leather gloves, even wth ferals.

Probably more than you wanted to know.

Have faith...you will get him/her

George
 
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lisa1950

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thank you for your quick reply. I feel like a fish out of water and over my head with kitten trapping issue. have a "experienced trapper  helping me . she  was able to help me trap the mama cat and two of her kittens so far with her drop trap. but this kitten is not going down without a fight with mom cat  coaching her.

 several raccoons have been showing up on my trail camera for the past couple of weeks.the raccoons have not gone near the storage shed thank goodness. there are huge barrells with lids  inside the enclosure . nothing with  any food like a metal dumpster. there is no roof on the enclosure .they keep it locked  .there is a space about two or three inches along the bottom of the fenced in area where we put a plate of  food and water for the kitten and mom cat. trying to get someone from Elks Lodge to leave enclosure unlocked  for a few hours is difficult to get in touch with anyone. the enclosure  is out in the open ,near a parking lot and on   flat ground. difficult to camaflauge the trap.
 

trudy1

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Always good to have someone with experience to help. If disguising the trap is not possible I would find where it goes under (probably the same hole every time) and place a trap one each side of the hole. Try to pull some long grass from a field or use hay and cove all but the opening. Then use "trail of breadcrumbs" idea to lead him from entry hole to trap.

Usually ferals are creatures of habit... Always use same trails, entries, etc.

Since you have a trail cam try to see where he is coming out of the woods toward the compound...bet it is the same place every time. Focus the rest of your trapping effort on that area. But remember anything strange or out of place may scare him for a while till he gets used to it.

Trapping, as I am sure your friend will tell you, is all about catch per unit effort. Meaning the more traps you set in more areas frequented the better your success.

Don't give up... The last of a feral group the we trapped took 4 days of every 4-6 hours resulting in a little female yellow tabby... Now named dolly, who is asleep at my feet as I write this!
 
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