Help please. I am trying to catch feral/stray cat.

smittenkitten2

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"Shadow"comes to my back patio every night at sundown and stays till sun rise. He just lost his best friend/prorector/brother and is in sad shape. Not dealing well. With being on his own. Gets beat up by other cats that come around. I want to bring him in my house, but he will barely let me touch him. He gets close then gets out of reach. I don't want to trap him bc that will negate all the trust I have built up with him to date.

My wish is to put something in cream that will get him really sleepy. I know many will say to do the trap instead but I really want to do it where he will not get strssed out. There has to be a safe way to sedate him to bring him inside.

Appreciate any and all help.
 

Willowy

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Vets usually won't give you sedatives to use like that. Cats tend to hide when they feel funny and it would be pretty bad if he fell asleep under someone's house or staggered into the street.

If you decide to trap him, he will get over it fairly quickly. And then you could have all his vet care done all at once so he can recover and learn to trust you. In my experience, it's much better to do all that right at first rather than wait until he trusts you a bit and then do it.

Another way to do it, maybe, is see if he'll come into your house. Like if you leave the door open (if possible) and start putting his food inside the door. If he'll come in to eat, at some point you might be able to close the door behind him. He may freak out a little over that but at least he'd be inside.

Personally, I'd trap him and get all his vet work done first thing. I think that would be the least traumatic for him in the long run.
 
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deedeeva

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I would check with a vet before giving an animal anything whatsoever.Having socialized dozens of feral and community cats, my best recommenndatuon is to capture his attention.
Sardines, pouched salmon in water, etc. captures their attention, and then placing it within distance to the door of the house. Having something that captures his attention visible to him from outside the house, and patiently leading hom towards the house with quietely watching him, using toys such as interactive toys, and sitting quietly watching him eat,every other day or two moving the food closer and closer to the house, leaving the door open, then start placing the food just inside the house.
Then let him come inside without making sudden moves, have food and water placed where he has an escape out if he feels threatened. The important thing is to not let him feel trapped. He will start getting used to it, and start coming in on his own. This can take a few days or a few weeks, but the pay off is worth being patient. This an ongoing process, so do not get discouraged.process.
I am not thrilled with the idea of drugging him, especially mixed into something else, as cats are very sensitive and you cannot be sure of the correct dosage being accurate. He can easily react negatively to any drugs, and be worse off then he is now.
Take the time to socialize him. I am certain reading here on this site, and others such as alleycats.com how to do it from others also successful doing this, will be much better for his health and the bond you wish to establish with him.
It is awesome that you have taken an interest, but as with nearly all things cat, patience is what wins the day!
 

Norachan

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Hello @SmittenKitten2  Welcome to The Cat Site.

There are sedatives that you can mix with food to make the cat sleepy, but they shouldn't be used unless the cat is already in an enclosed area. They take 20~30 minutes to work, during which time the cat will start to feel sleepy and walk off to his safe place to sleep.

As others have said, it's too dangerous to drug an outdoor cat as he won't be able to escape from predators or avoid danger.

The best thing to do is use a humane trap. He won't hate you for this, I promise you. I've TNR'd dozens of cats and they always forgive you for it.

You'll be the one opening the trap door once he is safely inside and providing him with regular meals from then on, so that's what he will remember about you.

Once he has entered the trap and sprung the door closed cover the trap with a blanket so he can't see anything. This will minimize his stress.

If he hasn't already been neutered it would be best to take him straight to the vets to be fixed when you've caught him. This way he only needs to be trapped once and you can work on establishing a trusting relationship with him.

You'll need to get a safe room ready for him. I suggest that you keep him confined to one room until you can handle him confidently. This can take months, but a smaller area will make him feel safe and make the process much easier on both of you.

A few articles that might be of interest.

 [article="33261"]The Five Golden Rules To Bringing An Outdoor Cat Inside​[/article]  

 [article="30316"]Six Surefire Strategies To Reduce Stress In Cats​[/article]  

 [article="22410"]How To Make Your Home And Garden Safe For Your Cat​[/article]  

 [article="33503"]16 Top Cat Experts Share Tips For Dealing With Timid Cats​[/article]  

Please keep us updated on how things work out.
 
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