My colony had been completely fixed a couple of years ago, and since then I was sure no troubles would have come from those cats.
Right after the first lockdown a new cat showed up at the colony, looks like a Maine Coon, or a mix of that breed. At first I thought it was a boy, but when I noticed the belly growing, my certainties vanished, and seeing it tail up last week confirmed me that it was a girl, pregnant.
I thought it was time to get my trap cage out of my garage and put it back in operation, but though I have tried all kinds of tricks, she doesn't even get near to it. All other cats walk into the trap, eat the bait and leave (the trap is remotely controlled, so it closes on the cat only when I press the remote button), but "my target" isn't getting in, and days are going by, the due date is getting closer...
She prefers the dry food, and I'm using this food as a bait, but no success. I also thought that if she was seeing that other cats walk in, eat and leave without harm received, she might think it was safe for her too.
Any idea on how to convince her to walk in the cage?
These are two photos of how I set up my trap, it's next to the site where all cats usually eat, so it's a familiar place to every of them.
Seen from behind, you can see the bait plate at the end of the trap. The green nylon mesh covers the small canopy with the dishes. The timber structure around it kind of hides the spot from people walking nearby (it's at my workplace).
Seen from the front, the entrance of the trap. A piece of cardboard is on the trap floor to conceal the metal grid.
Right after the first lockdown a new cat showed up at the colony, looks like a Maine Coon, or a mix of that breed. At first I thought it was a boy, but when I noticed the belly growing, my certainties vanished, and seeing it tail up last week confirmed me that it was a girl, pregnant.
I thought it was time to get my trap cage out of my garage and put it back in operation, but though I have tried all kinds of tricks, she doesn't even get near to it. All other cats walk into the trap, eat the bait and leave (the trap is remotely controlled, so it closes on the cat only when I press the remote button), but "my target" isn't getting in, and days are going by, the due date is getting closer...
She prefers the dry food, and I'm using this food as a bait, but no success. I also thought that if she was seeing that other cats walk in, eat and leave without harm received, she might think it was safe for her too.
Any idea on how to convince her to walk in the cage?
These are two photos of how I set up my trap, it's next to the site where all cats usually eat, so it's a familiar place to every of them.
Seen from behind, you can see the bait plate at the end of the trap. The green nylon mesh covers the small canopy with the dishes. The timber structure around it kind of hides the spot from people walking nearby (it's at my workplace).
Seen from the front, the entrance of the trap. A piece of cardboard is on the trap floor to conceal the metal grid.