Problems with re-trapping - Ideas greatly appreciated!

Hi everyone,

Last August I trapped a stray in my backyard and got her spayed. I finally convinced the fiancé to take her in but I'm having trouble re-trapping her. She won't even go near the trap (understandable after having been trapped in it overnight last summer). Not sure where I could find a drop trap. Any other trapping ideas? She comes into the house 2x/day when I get her food ready, and is incredibly sweet and playful, yet quite skittish. I was ALMOST successful in trapping her with a regular carrier (put food in there and she walked right in) but her tail stuck out and I was worried about hurting her when closing the door. 

Any other ideas?

When I needed to retrap one of my feral cats, I had to use the cat carrier.  I purchased one that was large and more suitable for a dog.  I started feeding the cat in the carrier each day.  I started with the food just outside of the carrier and then every few days moved the food back until it was completely in the back.  One of the day I had a vet appointment for the cat, I put food in as normal and once he was inside, I blocked the exit with a board ( I used an old piece of dry wall).  I have also used a firm pillow or chair pad.  I then zipped up the carrier. 

I have used this technique a few times.  Once time I had to end up pushing the cat in to get the door closed, but he was only in the carrier for just a few minutes. 

Here is the type of carrier I used


You need to be patient. 

Also be sure that you have a room ready for the cat.  One that she can be in all alone.  The room also needs to be cat proofed.  Be sure if there is a bed in the room that it is flat on the floor or pick up.  Under the bed is the first place the cat will run and it is almost impossible to get them out.  Also block off behind/under other large furniture.  YOu might want to get on the floor and view the room from the cats sight.  Watch for blinds/curtains too and be sure all windows are closed. 

This room will be the safe room where the cat should be 24/7 until socialized.  If there are other pets in the house, no intros should be made right now.  You want the cat comfortable with you and you being able to handle the cat first.

Also be sure the cat makes another trip to the vet for updated vaccines as well as a worming.

Thank you for caring for this sweet one and taking her inside where she can be in a safe loving environment.

I re-trapped 3 cats using the same technique as ShadowsRescue - that is putting the food progressively closer to the back of the trap and being patient.  I used a small dog crate for one cat who was pretty comfortable being around me.  I put treats all the way in the back so his tail was inside then shut the door in one swift movement.  With the other 2 I used the humane trap again but spent at least a week feeding them progressively closer to the back of the trap while it was wired open.  At first they wanted nothing to do with going inside the trap but after feeding them right outside the opening for a few days, they became more comfortable.  As one of the threads on this board suggested, I sprayed the traps with Feliway and covered the bottom of the trap with cardboard (making sure it stopped short of the trip plate).

Good luck!

Traps hold the scent of fear.  If you are using the same trap, it could still smell of your cat's fear and he won't go into it.  You might want to try cleaning it.  I had to put a cutting board on the trip device so my feral cat would step on it.  He kept going in and getting the food without tripping it.  Put a small tin of cat food at the very back, under the trap  so it won't move or at the very back of the trap.  Put just a small amount of food in the small tin.  The cat will have to work at getting the food out.  That way he will trip the trap as he tries or give you time to close him into a carrier.  

Thanks for the advice ShadowsRescue. I got a huge carrier (looks like it would for a Lab) and we are currently up to 1/3 inside while eating. I think we will be all the way in by the weekend. I also always spray some feliway and catnip into the carrier before letting her inside to eat. Her room is all ready waiting for her. Feliway plug-in, hiding spots, litter boxes, toys... all she needs to do is just go into the carrier. 

try KFC ORIGINAL RECIPE  

AlexIsOnTofu said:

 
Thanks for the advice ShadowsRescue. I got a huge carrier (looks like it would for a Lab) and we are currently up to 1/3 inside while eating. I think we will be all the way in by the weekend. I also always spray some feliway and catnip into the carrier before letting her inside to eat. Her room is all ready waiting for her. Feliway plug-in, hiding spots, litter boxes, toys... all she needs to do is just go into the carrier. 

Click to expand...

You are making great progress.  Hopefully she will be inside soon.  Just be sure that in the room she will be using that all large furniture is blocked off so she can't get under or behind.  Also be sure about the bed if there is one in the room.  You will never coax her out from under there if she goes under.  It is then difficult and traumatic for the cat to move the bed.  I like to get on the floor at a cats level and see where I missed.  Cats can squeeze into very small places.  Be sure to watch out for blinds/curtains too.  Many feral cats once brought inside will fling themselves at the window.  Be sure the windows are closed and remain closed. 

I like to use composure to help the cat adjust.  You can use the treat formula, but it takes quite a few treats and some cats won't eat them.  The liquid can be mixed with wet food and given twice daily.  I like to double the dose at first (according to package instructions). 

Good luck and keep us updated. 

Hmmm, we do have a bed in there but it's sleeping sofa and I can just fold it up. What about lamps? Should I leave a dim light on or will that be too dangerous (e.g., cable chewing). Also here's a video of Oskar after her dinner last night. She literally loves every toy my other 2 cats find boring 

Definitely take the bed up.  Also block off so she cannot hide under the couch its self. 

She seems very much like a stray so you may have been a pet before and had some experience in a house.  This may make her transition easier. 

Just take one step at a time with her.  Also wait a bit before attempting intros with your other cats.  That is a completely different process!!

I know it can be kind of expensive, but if you could put a cat tree in her room, that would be ideal. It would provide height so you can see her and interact with her, but would also provide a sense of security and safety for her. Cat trees have cubby holes in them where a cat can feel secure, but the kitty will never be out of sight so you can interact with her a few feet away without her freaking out. It’s much  less expensive to find a cat tree on ebay or Amazon than at a store. The feral kitten I took in 6 weeks ago LOVES the cat tree in her room and after the first few days didn’t try to hide anywhere because she knows that she’s safe in her cubby hole.  Even if your kitty hides at first, she will come out when you’re asleep or not around to eat and use the litter box. Leave plenty of catnip toys out in her room if there’s room enough for her to play, because that too will help her to settle in and feel comfortable.  Also, I would plug in a few night lights for her.

Today was the optimal day to trap her and I messed up. She was all the way in the carrier and I waited patiently next to it until she was all involved in her breakfast to quickly close the door but she got spooked and pushed her way out as I was closing it. I am so utterly disappointed in myself and feel rather hopeless. At least she did not get so scared that she took off. She came right back in and started playing again. I may have to use a drop trap, though I think even that won't work. I can't believe how hard it is to trap her. 

Did you say she sometimes comes into your house when you are getting her food ready? If she's coming into your house, close the door behind her when she's inside or enlist the help of someone else to get the door closed. Once she is in your house, you can corral her into a spare room and set her up in that room. It will be so much easier for you to get her into a carrier when she is inside your house. In fact, after a week or two of being inside your house, you may simply be able to pick her up and put her into a carrier. The problem with using a drop trap is that she will have to get from inside the drop part into the regular trap part. If she is familiar with a regular trap, she may not go into it and you willl have a stale mate situtation and she will be more spooked. So I would advise that you try to get her into your home, and then the rest will take care of itself. Don't beat yourself up over a failed trap effort. We have all been there. Just move on and do the best you can.

I thought about trapping her underneath a laundry basket, sliding a sturdy piece of something underneath and duck-taping it to the laundry basket transporting her that way to the vet. What do you think?

She generally spend about 1 hour in the house per day (eating, exploring, playing) while my other 2 cats are locked in the bedroom. I could potentially get her into the room I have set up for her but I would feel safer for my cats if she was first checked out before checking into our residence. Although..... I mean she is already walking around so I guess if she has something, she probably already spread it?

Yes, the horse has already been let out of the barn because she already spends an hour or more inside your house each day. As long as you get her into a spare room and keep her separate until you get her to a vet, you'll be fine. Just close off the doors to other rooms and put her food bowl and some smelly tuna in her room, and she should go into her prepared room pretty quickly. I would try to get some Frontline onto her if possible, though, so if she has fleas, they don't get into your house (though if she had them, they would already be in your house I suppose). It sounds like she will be easy to socialize, and that you will be able to get her into a carrier fairy quickly. Any attempts of trapping that are unsuccessful are going to spook her. You don't want to scare her right now. Also, if you trap her and your vet isn't able to see her for several hours or days because you don't have an appointment, that will also be stressful for her.

People stress about taking a cat into their home before a vet visit, and ideally this is how it should be done, but I want to add that the incidence of feline leukemia and Feline AIDS even among the outdoor population is very low, less than 3%. If she appears healthy, with no obvious symptoms of disease, you should be fine taking her into your home and a spare room prior to a vet visit. I've done this many times in the past with no problems.

Well, I always get in with my vet right away (emergency visit) so that should not be an issue.

My cats are vaccinated for feline leukemia, AIDS, rabies and distemper. Oksar (the stray) was vaccinated for rabies and distemper last August when I got her spayed. She does not show any signs of illness. What about other illnesses that could hurt my guys (e.g., cat flu)? Anything else that could pose a danger After each time she comes inside I vacuum (she loves rolling around the carpet) and take away toys she licked to throw them into the washing machine.

Distemper vaccinations protect cats against the "cat flu," which is caused by the Herpes V virus. They can still get the virus,  but it would be very mild--a little sneezing. Any cat can get any illness no matter how hard you try to protect them, even if you never take a "new" cat into your home. If you take her into your spare room and keep her separate until her vet visit, your other cats will be fine. They've already been exposed to her and are fine. Also, since they're familiar with her scent, the socialization process will likely go smoothly.    

MsAimee said:

Distemper vaccinations protect cats against the "cat flu," which is caused by the Herpes V virus.

Click to expand...

Sorry, but I have to elaborate on this. Feline distemper refers to the Feline Panleukopenia Virus, which is highly contagious and devastating. While healthy adults can make a full recovery from it, it can wipe out kittens and immune-compromised cats within hours.
Distemper in Cats

Cat "flu" vaccinations are against feline herpesvirus (FHV-1) and feline calicivirus (FCV).

Cornell has a good summary: Feline Vaccines

The confusion is caused by the "combined" vaccine FVRCP, which prevents three airborne viruses: rhinotracheitis (feline herpes virus), calicivirus and panleukopenia.

The FVRCP was the vaccine I was referring to, sorry for the confusion. Distemper is the slang name for it. This is considered a core vaccination for cats alone with rabies shot, I don't think vets even vaccinate just for distemper anymore, they always give the combo.

 ty for the info** this is why i have opted to seclude my two ferals to an enclosed envior only**

whilst this causes yearnings to be a part of the outdoor commune, the benifits outweigh the other alternatives**

 my ginger guys have full access to the visual aspects of their previous lifestyles, i just wonder how much they sense what they have been missing, as i still see their mother but cannot trap her she is a WISE old soul  probably carrying the feline virus' a some kind**

my heart goes out to her and any feline or canine suffering out there **

AleIsonTofu, do you have an update for us on your situation? Did you get your kitty into your home yet?