I need the idiots guide to an ouside semi feral

Mr peaches and cream( my name as he is lovely ) is eating what I leave and sleeping in the make shift bed ( his hair is all over) ... My trouble is I have only seen him twice ( late late at night) so catching him will be umm difficult... but I need too as he is thin ( he lets me touch him breifly( why I say semi and not totally feral) .. I only have cat carriers , I think I can rent a humane trap( what do I bait it with)... Should I just hang out in the middle of the night on my porch and get to know him( i beleive he is a him) ?? I do need to be very careful as I do have an immune disorder, but if he is the same cat I have seen in the forst he has been on his own for at least 2 years... Sorry for the lengthy post but I need help, my only experience with ferals is my Zoey who was socialized three months before I got her..

If there is a feed store near you, they sometimes have spare traps to rent. Vets may have them, animal shelters or pounds- you usually have to leave a deposit and you get it back when you return the trap. Be sure and wash the trap out before you use it, and you can bait it with the smelliest cat food you can find- mackeral or sardines is also good. You can sprinkle a small amount of catnip in the bottom of the cage, it will go on the ground, but it will also entice the cat to go inside. So will cat litter, putting in some plain clay cat litter before the trigger so the cat doesn't feel the metal under the pads of her feet.

Hissy has the best solution for this since you have an immune disorder you dont want to take any chances, and you dont know what he could have since he has been in the forest. But since he does let you touch him you could just hang around him and let him get used to you so when he gains trust and comes over to you more often and hangs around alot, you can start a plan to guide him to the carrier with food and then slowly shut it so he doesnt think he is being trapped.

What worked for me was waking up in the night and getting to know the cat. Then my vet suggested putting the carrier outside the door and putting the food inside at the back. Let kitty get used to eating the food in there and comfortable in there and then shut the door one night when he's in there eating.

And, yes, catnip will make a kitty want to go in there. Put it in the back near the food.

Good luck. Keep us posted.

I found out many places will rent me a trap ... so a few more days of him eating I will get one and try to catch him... Thank you for the info and I will keep you updated..

CATS SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN FED (Continue giving water.)
Do not feed the cats for 24 to 48 hours before you try to trap them. They will not go into the traps unless they are really hungry.

1. Checklist of things you need or may need when you trap:

Traps
Can opener
Cover for each trap
Dish or lid to hold cat food
Flashlight
Tarp or plastic for under traps when transporting in vehicle
Newspaper

2. Set the traps around the area where the cats are used to being fed. You can also set up in areas where they are seen. In general cats like to be up against walls, etc. so you are more likely to catch them there.

3. Potential Trap problems: Be sure that the trap door has a full, unhindered swing. If you are using the brown traps with the side chain attached to the trip plate (thing that they step on) check to see that the chain is not twisted or jammed when you set the trap.

If your trap is one with a back door look at how it is secured when you get it so you know how to correctly close it. If you do not close it correctly the cat may be able to escape.

4. Put newspaper, folded in half length wise, in the bottom of the trap and put a small amount of smelly food on a lid or other small item in the back of the trap against the door that will remain closed. Sprinkle a very small amount of the food along the newspaper in one or two places. Never put any food outside the trap itself. Suggested food: Tuna fish; sardines; Fancy Feast salmon or other smelly cat food.

5. As you trap the cats and move them be sure to look at the ground. Sometimes the tuna or other food you use for bait will spill onto the ground. Pick it up immediately if you have not yet caught all the cats you are trying to trap. You don't want it to be eaten by the other cats you are trying to trap.

When a cat is in a trap:

1. Immediately cover the trap completely with a towel or sheet then take the cat away from the area. (Careful as they can move back and forth quickly in the trap and catch you off balance.)

2. Always check to see if the left ear of the cat is ear-tipped. The tip of the left ear is cut straight across so that the tip is removed. That means that the cat was previously trapped, altered, and returned. It can be released. If you have sufficient traps, hold the cat in the trap until you are done trapping, and then release it.

3. It takes a while for other cats to come back in the area after a cat is trapped so be patient. It gets harder to catch the remaining cats with every trap they see or hear go off.

4. Do not feed the cat in the trap you risk escape and the cat is having surgery the following morning and should have nothing in its stomach. (The exception is kittens that are small but big enough to alter. Kittens blood sugar drops when they do not eat causing added risk during surgery so the recommendation is to feed them a small amount of MOIST cat food right up to a few hours before surgery.)

5. Put the trapped cat somewhere where it will not be too adversely affected by the weather and where it will be safe from people and other animals.

Transporting:

1. LEAVE THE TOWEL OR SHEET ON THE TRAP THE CAT IS IN THE ENTIRE TIME THE CAT IS IN THE TRAP. If the cat pulls the cover into the trap get another cover to put on the trap. Cats in traps must be covered.

2. You should put a tarp or other waterproof covering in the vehicle (for example, an old shower curtain.) The cats may urinate or defecate.

3. MAKE CERTAIN THE TRAPS CANNOT ROLL OVER IN YOUR VEHICLE. Gravity-operated (brown) traps will open if turned upside down. If you must stack the traps on top of each other make certain that the handle is not sticking up on the trap that is on the bottom and that the top trap is secure so that it will not tip on either side.

Holding the cat overnight and releasing the cat:

1. Hold the cats in an area where they are safe from predators and protected from the elements. After surgery, cats cannot regulate their body temperatures the way they normally can, so their holding area cannot be too cold in winter or too warm in the summer.

2. You should give the cats water and a little moist food, use extreme caution so the cats cannot escape from their traps. Using the same door you used to put the bait in the trap, lift the door up no more than necessary and never so far up that the cat can fit through the door if it suddenly decided to bolt forward. (The door should come up only a couple inches.) Be sure to secure the door correctly as well. If a cat is very groggy or unsteady, wait. You do not want to risk having the cat drown in the water or choke on the food.

3. Hold the cat a minimum of 24 hours after surgery. If there is continuing bleeding or other problems do not release the cat. Follow the instructions given by the veterinarian.

4. To release take the cat to its usual secure location preferably where there are bushes or other things in which it can hide, open the back door, pull the trap cover back, and stand at the opposite end of the trap to wait for the cat to go out. If it is near an area where there is vehicular traffic wait for a time when there is no traffic because the cat may make a panic run directly into oncoming traffic.

Follow up:

1. Clean the trap with a bleach solution. Bleaching traps helps prevent the spread of any diseases for future trappings.

1 gallon of water to 4 ½ oz. of bleach
2 gallons of water to 8¾ oz. of bleach
3 gallons of water to 13 oz. of bleach
4 gallons of water to 17 1/4 oz. of bleach
5 gallons of water to 21 ½ oz. of bleach

2. Wash the towels or sheets that were used as trap covers. Use bleach.

I cant get a trap for a few weeks all are rented... I saw him last night again .. Gigi my dog did actually and he is good with dogs...I may try getting him in one of my carriers( hard side type) to get to the vet...

More questions

He doesnt have a notch in the ear, so I am guessing hell need a neuter ... I am 90 percent sure he is a he ...

Since he is good with my dog and permits me to touch him ... Would it be okay to try to intrigrate him into my household?? I ask since Zoey was truely a baby when she was caught and socialized( 5 months ish).... Or should I let him run wild??

His behavior is weird he is skittish to sounds but not to me walking up and peting him... He is eating and sleeping on my front pourch ..He does not come out before dark... I am being very careful when near him and am washing up right after all encounters...

Any and all suggestions welcome thank you

Peaches ate a very small amount ... I think he may not like the food as I was mixing him from one to another...

The vet will check to see if he has been neutered and will do it if need be.

By your description, though, he doesn't sound feral. Feral cats regard humans as alien and don't allow themselves to be touched. It sounds like he was a pet at one point but has been out for a while and has acquired some street smarts along the way. Given this, I would definitely give him a try indoors if it is practical for you. If it turns out not to work, you can always let him back outdoors at a later point.

Semi
Thank you ... I will ... my next thing is to figure out where is during the day... my meeting s with him are at 11pm to 1 am

Originally Posted by sharky

Semi
Thank you ... I will ... my next thing is to figure out where is during the day... my meeting s with him are at 11pm to 1 am

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My small experience has been this...with Tippy, a semi-feral (in our opinion) that we rescued several years ago, I first saw him trying to eat what looked like leaves at the end of my driveway - very thin and ran as soon as there was eye contact. But smart. I began placing a bowl of food behind a large bush in front of my picture window. He'd run though if he saw that I was watching him eat. This went on for quite a while, then he didn't run when I was watching him.
Eventually he knew when we came home (I was working out of the home at the time) and would semi-hide near our picture window. He'd watch me garden and as almost a year went by, began to let me touch him, but it was no cakewalk...he bit my husband several times, one left scars. We finally simply picked him up when he'd had yet another fight, with an abcess on his ear..by this time, he'd begun sun napping on our backdeck during the day..he had clearly chosen to trust us.

With Miss Frankie..it was for several months that she'd run if I saw her in our backyard (or front), eat only at dusk or dawn and run if she saw me watching...then she disappeared for months. When she came back, as you know, she was almost dead,she was that starved and weak...it only took me a few days then to get her to let me touch her and pick her up. She was clearly once someone's cat but acts as if abused while on her own - and I believe she was on her own for approximately a year.

With each, one a stray, one a semi-feral, it simply took time, gentleness, and then they made the decision themselves.

Good luck with this handsome sounding fellow

Thank you I need the luck... It seems Peaches and mr Kitty are both viaing for a place in my family... Good news Mom approved Mr Kitty coming to live with us if his "mom" gives him up ... she doesnt know about Peaches... best not to tell her till I get closer too taking him on

Oh boy...well, that is good news re Mr. Kitty...one step at a time.

ps Frankie has a new nickname - dumpling cat

Originally Posted by Pat & Alix

Oh boy...well, that is good news re Mr. Kitty...one step at a time.

ps Frankie has a new nickname - dumpling cat

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aww it matches that cutie ...

so far I have been feeding the outside cats mistake foods the indoor gals wouldnt eat ... I am down to about three lbs left so I need to figure something out ... My choices are what ever is on sale or the barn style at the feed store ///// Chn soup that can be had for 17bucks for 18lbs ( I am guessing would last about 2 months ) ///// Or getting them onto Zoeys Natural choice and buying when on sale ...

Suggestions welcome

Originally Posted by sharky

so far I have been feeding the outside cats mistake foods the indoor gals wouldnt eat ... I am down to about three lbs left so I need to figure something out ... My choices are what ever is on sale or the barn style at the feed store ///// Chn soup that can be had for 17bucks for 18lbs ( I am guessing would last about 2 months ) ///// Or getting them onto Zoeys Natural choice and buying when on sale ...

Suggestions welcome

Click to expand...

Most people I talk with feed their outdoor cats whatever is on sale so that they have money to pay for the spaying/neutering, shots and other "unplanned" medical needs of these outdoor cats. You may want to talk to your local supermarket/petstore whether they would be willing to donate to you their expired cat food and dented cans.

Katie

Last night I met a lovely grey with white boots semi feral( I got within 5 ft ) ... I think it is a preggo girl ... how can I tell???

I always assume they are and get them trapped and to the vet. Depending on how far along they are, I will either get them spayed, or if the time of birth is pending, I make room for more kittens here at the house. Bottom line, if your cat or any cat is outside right now and intact- 9 times out of 10 the females are pregnant.

Thank you Hissy

Traps are hard to come by ... I may just try to put wet food into a carrier and wait as she come s early