Not Sure What I'm Asking for...

libbys girl

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Sep 9, 2016
Messages
4
Purraise
3
Location
New London, CT
When we moved into our house in July, we saw (or thought we saw) a black cat furtively moving in the bushes by the neighbors garage.  We live in town, so everything is very close together.  Finally, yes, we were sure we saw this beautiful solid black, quite small, but obviously adult cat.  She stayed close to the fence, moved up and across our yard and into the neighbor's yard--no idea where she went after that, but always came back.  We were gone for a week, and when we returned, we discovered that she had four kittens. Cute, cute, cute, and cuter.

My goodness, it's really hard to find an agency that is willing to take feral animals!  Finally, I found a lady who worked for animal control in a neighboring town, who, in her off time, captured ferals, and cajoled vets to spay/neuter them.  If they are kittens, they go to the shelter for re-homing, if adults, they are returned to the neighborhood where she captured them.

We set the traps and in one day caught three kittens.  Cuter and Mommy were too smart for their own good, and are still on the loose.  I feed them and have "tamed" Cuter so that she comes to me when I go outside with food, but won't let me touch her.  Mommy has left Cuter on her own, pretty much, but comes back to eat once a day.  I suspect she is pregnant again.

Meanwhile, we did trap three Tom cats that were neutered and returned to the neighborhood, with a little snip out of one ear.

We set the humane traps over the course of a couple of weeks (that's how we caught the Toms), and it was really stressful for me, and my own cats seemed to feel the stress, too.  There is a little shed in the yard in which I have started to feed Cuter and have set up a bed off the floor to keep her dry--and she uses it every night.  I will reinforce it with bales of hay for winter.  I'm committed to this.  But I'd rather trap her and have her spayed and make sure she's healthy.

Suggestions?
 

motorcyclist

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Aug 29, 2016
Messages
31
Purraise
13
Location
Durham, NC
Sounds like you have the right idea to me.  Exactly what we've done with a feral colony near my parents.  Any kittens that are caught young enough are delivered to a no-kill shelter nearby to find homes.  The parents are generally brought back and released into the colony again.

You don't mention where you're from but if in the states, then check to see if there are vets nearby that would work with operation catnip and provide cheaper cost spay/neuter for the feral cats.

I think it's great that you're also offering a little shelter to the colony by allowing them to use your shed.  

Over time we have even been able to bring some of the adults inside from that colony but they've taken more work on our part.  The three cats living at my parents are a mother and two of her kittens that we caught and brought inside.  The estimate on the mom was that she was about 1.5 years at the time and she actually calmed down quickly and is now a great house cat.
 

ondine

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Nov 20, 2008
Messages
5,312
Purraise
780
Location
Burlington, North Carolina
You are  an angel!  You have gone about this in an excellent way and all these cats will have a better life because of you.

There are a couple of things I'd suggest.  Have you tried feeding Cuter in the trap only?  You can set the trap so that it won't spring (tie the door open).  Every mealtime, place the food inside the trap.  You can start by placing it at the entrance and gradually moving it toward the back until she is fully inside the trap.

Once that's accomplished, untie the trap and it will spring closed when she steps on the plate.  Make your appointment for that day or as soon thereafter as possible.  she can stay in the trap for a day or so - use peepads under it so you can clean up after her.

You can also use a drop trap.  These allow you to pull the trap down onto the cat when he or she enters to eat.  They are pricey, so you may need to borrow one.

A large dog crate can be used as a modified drop trap, too.  Tie a length of twine to the door, loop it through the top of the crate and put the food at the back of the crate.  Walk away with the other end of the twine and hide yourself a distance away.

When the cat enters, pull the twine and close the door.  You may need to have a companion who can rush and secure the door.  Often, cats are so busy eating, they don't hear the door closing.

Keep up the good work!
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #4

libbys girl

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Sep 9, 2016
Messages
4
Purraise
3
Location
New London, CT
WOW!  Odine, your pic looks just like the Mommy cat.  

I did try the gradual entry into the trap a couple of months ago.  She finally went in but didn't have enough weight to trip the door.  I should try that again.

Thanks!
 
Top