I am sending good vibes that your sweet Lucy will come home. She just has too! She knows how much you love her.
Please keep us posted.
Please keep us posted.
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newbie here needs serious help
- Thread starter catmom5
- Start Date
Humm..so someone doesn't agree with me? Well I hope you are right and not me. I only know what I have been told..I have different trapper friends and she does believe that taming down a feral does depend on the indiviual cat. The other lady simply will not try..so I guess it's all in what we want to do. The one woman I know is retired and works to socialize many of the cats she traps. I simply do not have time. I have caught tame stray cats and I do get them to the rescue to be adopted. I guess it's not a science. Whatever works right? Man I had not heard about the large dog food bag..but I will tell you I am going to try it. I have a very feral mama siamese that I have been unable to catch in about 20 different times of trying. Different food, different traps and so on.
Anyway I hope Miss Lucy comes back.
Anyway I hope Miss Lucy comes back.
Of the two cats that are still outside of my group, trying to retrapping them is going to be difficult. If the house sells, I will have to move quickly, but the weather is getting nice so hopefully I will have time.
My friend is an excellent trapper and she has a method she uses occasionally when all else fails. She buys a mouse and puts it into a hermit crab cage and places it under a drop trap. She said it works every time. She then returns the mouse to the pet shop, unharmed.
And I do hope Lucy is close by. Sometimes change throws them off a little, hopefully she will return soon.
My friend is an excellent trapper and she has a method she uses occasionally when all else fails. She buys a mouse and puts it into a hermit crab cage and places it under a drop trap. She said it works every time. She then returns the mouse to the pet shop, unharmed.
And I do hope Lucy is close by. Sometimes change throws them off a little, hopefully she will return soon.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #44
Thanks - I'm wondering whether Tommy is even hungry right now. I'm sure he's a good hunter and there are lots of little critters around the neighborhood for him to feast on. Should I continue to put out food every night to keep him used to it being there, even if he's not eating? (Heck, it's only money, right?) I will put the trap back out and just feed him where I've had it set up before. Sooner or later, he will be hungry and then I'll get him!
I'm also going to order the feral villa house and feeding station - smaller than the conglomeration of shelters and propped boards, etc next to my garage and probably a good idea to get everything settled before he needs shelter/food in the fall.
I don't really have a place to set up a drop trap - so the mouse idea will have to be put on hold.
catmom5
I'm also going to order the feral villa house and feeding station - smaller than the conglomeration of shelters and propped boards, etc next to my garage and probably a good idea to get everything settled before he needs shelter/food in the fall.
I don't really have a place to set up a drop trap - so the mouse idea will have to be put on hold.
catmom5
Check with a shelter for a large empty dog food bag. They will be able to give you a few of them, I am sure.
. You could still try to trap him up until a couple of day's before your trip. He will only need one day to recover after he is neutered and then you could release him back outside. UNLESS - you have decided to try to socialize him... then I would wait till after your vacation to trap again. Otherwise - just keep trying 
..... It is possible that he has one or two other feeding stations in your area. I have found that to be true where I live. There is another TNR caretaker that I just met who lives about 1/2 mile from me. I think the cat's travel back and forth to check for food :lol3: So possible that Tommy is eating elsewhere too :dk: Have a nice vacation !!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
Catmom5, you are absolutely CORRECT!
A cat who gets trapped lets off an enormous amount of adrenaline, leaving the cage smelling like fear! If this trap is not cleansed of this smell, there is not a chance in hell that another cat, no matter HOW hungry it is, will step one foot near it.
This isn't saying that the place where you borrowed the trap is not at least disinfecting it, although if it's primarily used as a loan trap, there is a great chance it is NOT being cleaned and disinfected.
Simply take it outside near the hose, and thoroughly spray it down with a good household cleaner like 409, etc. making sure it gets completely covered. You can also use a bleach/water solution, but I personally prefer the cleaner types.
Then just power hose it off and let the sun bake it dry.
This will help in your trapping ventures!
PS, I ALWAYS use smelly tuna, and I'm called the "master trapper"
Try to put the trap along bushes or a building, not out on it's own in the middle of a yard, etc.
Another tip is get a cardboard box, open at both ends and slide the trap in, they need to see there's a way out.
Also put a piece of newspaper on the bottom, the wire feels odd and stops them too.
A cat who gets trapped lets off an enormous amount of adrenaline, leaving the cage smelling like fear! If this trap is not cleansed of this smell, there is not a chance in hell that another cat, no matter HOW hungry it is, will step one foot near it.
This isn't saying that the place where you borrowed the trap is not at least disinfecting it, although if it's primarily used as a loan trap, there is a great chance it is NOT being cleaned and disinfected.
Simply take it outside near the hose, and thoroughly spray it down with a good household cleaner like 409, etc. making sure it gets completely covered. You can also use a bleach/water solution, but I personally prefer the cleaner types.
Then just power hose it off and let the sun bake it dry.
This will help in your trapping ventures!
PS, I ALWAYS use smelly tuna, and I'm called the "master trapper"
Try to put the trap along bushes or a building, not out on it's own in the middle of a yard, etc.
Another tip is get a cardboard box, open at both ends and slide the trap in, they need to see there's a way out.
Also put a piece of newspaper on the bottom, the wire feels odd and stops them too.
Catmom5, you are absolutely CORRECT!
A cat who gets trapped lets off an enormous amount of adrenaline, leaving the cage smelling like fear! If this trap is not cleansed of this smell, there is not a chance in hell that another cat, no matter HOW hungry it is, will step one foot near it.
This isn't saying that the place where you borrowed the trap is not at least disinfecting it, although if it's primarily used as a loan trap, there is a great chance it is NOT being cleaned and disinfected.
Simply take it outside near the hose, and thoroughly spray it down with a good household cleaner like 409, etc. making sure it gets completely covered. You can also use a bleach/water solution, but I personally prefer the cleaner types.
Then just power hose it off and let the sun bake it dry.
This will help in your trapping ventures!
PS, I ALWAYS use smelly tuna, and I'm called the "master trapper"
Try to put the trap along bushes or a building, not out on it's own in the middle of a yard, etc.
Another tip is get a cardboard box, open at both ends and slide the trap in, they need to see there's a way out.
Also put a piece of newspaper on the bottom, the wire feels odd and stops them too.
:nod: Cleaning is really a must!We also buy the Feliway spray, and when it's dry, we spray the trap with it. :nod: And we don't use newspaper, we use cardboard. A small piece in the center of the trap. That way they don't have to walk on the wire, but they still have to take a step onto the trip plate if they want to reach the food. We also leave a small trail of "bites" of food leading up to the trap, another "bite" of food on that cardboard... and that point, they're just following the trail of food ... all the way in! :lol3:
One tip I learned on these forums: mix some cat nip in with the food. Some cats are attracted to cat nip, and I've heard it relaxes other cats.
Food--the smellier, the better. I use mackerel mixed with some cat food (because that is what my feral cats are use to) mixed with a little bit of cat nip. I second LDG's suggestion of putting out a 'trail' of food, and I drizzle tuna fish oil in the middle of the trap. Not sure what surroundings your cat(s) is use to, but --especially if it is windy--I've put a branch inside along the edge of the trap so the newspaper doesn't flap and make too much noise. One or two leaves won't hurt either. Trying to make the trap blend into the environment, as much as possible.
Good luck!
Food--the smellier, the better. I use mackerel mixed with some cat food (because that is what my feral cats are use to) mixed with a little bit of cat nip. I second LDG's suggestion of putting out a 'trail' of food, and I drizzle tuna fish oil in the middle of the trap. Not sure what surroundings your cat(s) is use to, but --especially if it is windy--I've put a branch inside along the edge of the trap so the newspaper doesn't flap and make too much noise. One or two leaves won't hurt either. Trying to make the trap blend into the environment, as much as possible.
Good luck!
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #49
Just back from vacation. The pet sitter left mixed news - sometimes the food was eaten, other times not. I didn't see Tommy last night so don't really know what's going on. Will have to get things back on schedule and hope to see him. (SIGH - no Lucy)
I think I'm going to have to redo the area where I feed them. It's gotten quite busy with neighbors being out and around with warmer weather and the ants are terrible! (Hints for THAT problem?) This feral business is tougher than I thought.
Thanks for all of your tips. We may have to muddle along until my work is done the end of April, then I can put some good effort into settling things around here.
I think I'm going to have to redo the area where I feed them. It's gotten quite busy with neighbors being out and around with warmer weather and the ants are terrible! (Hints for THAT problem?) This feral business is tougher than I thought.
Thanks for all of your tips. We may have to muddle along until my work is done the end of April, then I can put some good effort into settling things around here.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #50
Good news is that Tommy sat across the street, watching me mow my lawn. I hope he comes for food tonight. Need to get him on schedule again so I can seriously work on trapping him. He keeps himself "hidden" (behind bushes) and sits in the middle of the driveway, but must think that because no one talks to him or makes direct eye contact we can't see him. He just sits and watches and watches . . .
Just checking in and happy to hear that Tommy has been hanging around. Sorry you have not seen Lucy :shame:. Hopefully Tommy will start coming regularly for food :cross: so he can be trapped.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #52
Tom comes most every night now and is eating well. He looks thinner to me, but it could be because he's losing his winter coat. Anyway, I do have a question about trapping.
He comes now between 8 - 9 pm so it looks like he's going to be trapped at night. I can put him in the garage in the trap once he's in and secure, that's not a problem. But since he comes in such a large window of time, it's possible that he might be in the trap for 20 - 30 minutes. If I check on him too often, he knows it and runs (like when I go to check if he's eaten). So - any thoughts on this? I will, of course, cover the trap once he's in and I know that, but should I worry about him being in there uncovered? The trap will be set behind a piece of plywood, since that's the spot where he feels safest when he eats. No one else will know he's there (unless he goes ballistic and makes a lot of noise).
Thanks for sharing whatever experiences you have or any suggestions. This boy is going to make me nutso before we get him all vetted and neutered!
catmom5
He comes now between 8 - 9 pm so it looks like he's going to be trapped at night. I can put him in the garage in the trap once he's in and secure, that's not a problem. But since he comes in such a large window of time, it's possible that he might be in the trap for 20 - 30 minutes. If I check on him too often, he knows it and runs (like when I go to check if he's eaten). So - any thoughts on this? I will, of course, cover the trap once he's in and I know that, but should I worry about him being in there uncovered? The trap will be set behind a piece of plywood, since that's the spot where he feels safest when he eats. No one else will know he's there (unless he goes ballistic and makes a lot of noise).
Thanks for sharing whatever experiences you have or any suggestions. This boy is going to make me nutso before we get him all vetted and neutered!
catmom5
:lol3: Join the club on the kitties making us nutso. I have been trying to trap a tomcat for over eighteen months. He makes ME crazy. I usually set a dark towel over the trap anyway. This way it makes it look more secure for the cat to go inside to get the num nums. There are many times when the cat is in the trap for a bit of time before the trapper comes to pick up the trap. You will be a busy "trap checker" then and might lose some sleep. But let's just hope that Tom will be a quick trap. :cross: Good luck 
Good luck
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I second what Feralvr said; you can leave a cat in the trap for several hours in fact. Not ideal, but sometimes you have no other alternative.
I put a dark towel/blanket over 90% of the trap. If you drap the towel carefully over the opening, when the trap is sprung, the towel will fall down so the trap is 99% covered. Cat feels very secure in that situation.
PS: about the ant problem. Try setting the (small) bowl of food on a (big) plate with high edges; on/in the plate, put some water. The theory being, the ants will drown trying to get to the food.
Does this make sense, or do I need another cup of coffee?
I put a dark towel/blanket over 90% of the trap. If you drap the towel carefully over the opening, when the trap is sprung, the towel will fall down so the trap is 99% covered. Cat feels very secure in that situation.
PS: about the ant problem. Try setting the (small) bowl of food on a (big) plate with high edges; on/in the plate, put some water. The theory being, the ants will drown trying to get to the food.
Does this make sense, or do I need another cup of coffee?
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #55
Thanks so much. I can rig up a dark towel over the trap and hopefully that will help keep him calm. I surely will not let him sit in a trap for overnight. If he doesn't go in, I will just unset it until the next night. I did get some dewormer from the vet today so will be putting that in his food the next time I see him so I know for sure he's coming. (It would be just like him to NOT show up the night I put it in the food, so I'm going to try and increase his chances of eating it!)
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #56
UPDATE and more questions . . .
Tom has been around and eating every night between 8 - 9. This week I got some dewormer from the vet and put it in a smaller portion of food. He ate most of it, but there was a bit left so I added a small can of wet and put it back out and left it overnight. In the morning the bowl was licked clean. The next night I left the bowl out overnight and again, licked clean in the morning. It's right next to the unset trap and in a small area that I don't think a wild animal could get to without disturbing something. So, I believe that a cat is coming after dark and eating the food.
Now, my questions are many.
What if it is Tom coming back to finish up the food? Do I try and trap him and hope he's okay until early morning?
What if it is someone else (Lucy, I'm hoping)? And if I do set it and get someone else, then what? And if it is Lucy, then what do I do with her? She was just starting to come around after a week indoors, but pushed the screen out and I haven't seen her since. Would it be fair to try and bring her in again? And if it is her, and she is trapped, then will she stop coming altogether if I simply let her out again?
Since everything is set up on the side of the garage away from the house, other than camping out overnight, there's no way to see who is coming. There is a bit of light from the street light, but it's really quite dark and isolated there (which is why I thought it would be a perfect place for the ferals).
So . . . what's the next step?
I plan to continue putting food out for Tom at the usual time (around 7 - 8) and then bring it in about 10 before I get ready for bed. But I also feel like I should leave something out overnight just in case someone else really needs the food.
Would it work to leave the food out until around 11 - 11:30 and then bring it in? Will the cat learn to come earlier if it's not there overnight? And then could I bring it in a bit earlier each day to get a better (for me) schedule? And maybe then I might catch a look at the late night snacker?
Sorry to have so many questions, but I know with these ferals that you sometimes don't get a lot of chances and I don't want to mess it up . . . like I did with Lucy the first time.
Thanks to all you seasoned feral caretakers. I appreciate your help more than you know.
catmom5
Tom has been around and eating every night between 8 - 9. This week I got some dewormer from the vet and put it in a smaller portion of food. He ate most of it, but there was a bit left so I added a small can of wet and put it back out and left it overnight. In the morning the bowl was licked clean. The next night I left the bowl out overnight and again, licked clean in the morning. It's right next to the unset trap and in a small area that I don't think a wild animal could get to without disturbing something. So, I believe that a cat is coming after dark and eating the food.
Now, my questions are many.
What if it is Tom coming back to finish up the food? Do I try and trap him and hope he's okay until early morning?
What if it is someone else (Lucy, I'm hoping)? And if I do set it and get someone else, then what? And if it is Lucy, then what do I do with her? She was just starting to come around after a week indoors, but pushed the screen out and I haven't seen her since. Would it be fair to try and bring her in again? And if it is her, and she is trapped, then will she stop coming altogether if I simply let her out again?
Since everything is set up on the side of the garage away from the house, other than camping out overnight, there's no way to see who is coming. There is a bit of light from the street light, but it's really quite dark and isolated there (which is why I thought it would be a perfect place for the ferals).
So . . . what's the next step?
I plan to continue putting food out for Tom at the usual time (around 7 - 8) and then bring it in about 10 before I get ready for bed. But I also feel like I should leave something out overnight just in case someone else really needs the food.
Would it work to leave the food out until around 11 - 11:30 and then bring it in? Will the cat learn to come earlier if it's not there overnight? And then could I bring it in a bit earlier each day to get a better (for me) schedule? And maybe then I might catch a look at the late night snacker?
Sorry to have so many questions, but I know with these ferals that you sometimes don't get a lot of chances and I don't want to mess it up . . . like I did with Lucy the first time.
Thanks to all you seasoned feral caretakers. I appreciate your help more than you know.
catmom5
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Have you ever thought about using a Critter Cam to see who comes for the food? Thats how I knew how many cats I was feeding and knowing for sure it wasen't a raccoon. And when I caught my feral kitty Tiger, I left him in the live trap over night. I just covered the trap with a blanket and left him out in the garage. He settled down and was fine overnight.
UPDATE and more questions . . .
I will try to help and answer your questions as best I can :lol3: .
Now, my questions are many.
What if it is Tom coming back to finish up the food? Do I try and trap him and hope he's okay until early morning?
I would. But I would also go and check the trap throughout the night. You might trap a raccoon.
What if it is someone else (Lucy, I'm hoping)? And if I do set it and get someone else, then what? And if it is Lucy, then what do I do with her? She was just starting to come around after a week indoors, but pushed the screen out and I haven't seen her since. Would it be fair to try and bring her in again? And if it is her, and she is trapped, then will she stop coming altogether if I simply let her out again?
Well, that would be wonderful IF you do trap Lucy! I would try to keep her indoors again, if you can. Start over with her. OR if you do release her, I am pretty certain she will be back. I just don't think Lucy is eating that food, I think she would be showing herself to you by now. IF you trap another cat, then be ready to bring that cat into the TNR vet for its sterilization. Many places will have opened appointments for cases like this. They understand that the appointment has to be opened ended because we never know which day the cat or cats will be trapped. I have a feeling that the food is getting eaten by Tom or a raccoon/opossum though.
Since everything is set up on the side of the garage away from the house, other than camping out overnight, there's no way to see who is coming. There is a bit of light from the street light, but it's really quite dark and isolated there (which is why I thought it would be a perfect place for the ferals).
That IS the perfect location. AND if you do camp out :lol3: you will never trap a cat. So best to leave the trap out there, set and loaded with the stinky, yummy food.
So . . . what's the next step?
I plan to continue putting food out for Tom at the usual time (around 7 - 8) and then bring it in about 10 before I get ready for bed. But I also feel like I should leave something out overnight just in case someone else really needs the food.
Would it work to leave the food out until around 11 - 11:30 and then bring it in? Will the cat learn to come earlier if it's not there overnight? And then could I bring it in a bit earlier each day to get a better (for me) schedule? And maybe then I might catch a look at the late night snacker?
I would put the food out around the time you have seen Tom. Leave the food in the trap until you go to bed. If no takers, take the food away and leave the trap out there and try again the next night. Don't worry about a cat going hungry this time of year. They are hunting as well. More importantly, you need to trap Tom. :nod: :cross:
Sorry to have so many questions, but I know with these ferals that you sometimes don't get a lot of chances and I don't want to mess it up . . . like I did with Lucy the first time.
Don't ever worry about too many questions. We don't have all the answers :lol3:, at least I don't
Thanks to all you seasoned feral caretakers. I appreciate your help more than you know.
catmom5
