Trying to humanely trap a feral/stray kitten - how far do kittens roam?

[MajorCushman]

Hi all! Long story short: last weekend a kitten (she looked to be 8-10 weeks old) crawled under the metal security gate into our entryway. We set out food for her that evening, and she returned that night and the next night. The following night was garbage night (very loud!) so I wasn’t expecting to see her; by Wednesday, we had the humane trap set up, and we’re listening/watching closely, but we haven’t seen her since.

She was not obviously sick or starving, but definitely hungry and on the thin side. She was not completely unsocialized either: she came into our entryway, through the open door, and into our house; she exchanged meows with me; and she was willing to approach me… but not willing to get close. It’s hard for me to tell whether she’s actually feral or someone’s escaped pet. Unfortunately, none of the neighbors I canvassed yesterday are missing a kitten, feeding a kitten, or have seen a kitten in their yards. I handed out pieces of paper with the kitten’s description and a google voice number, and everyone said they’d call if they saw her.

I live in a city with a large population of urban coyotes that prey on cats, so even aside from making sure she’s spayed (or neutered! I could be wrong about the kitten’s sex, since I couldn’t get close) it’s urgent that she be given safe shelter.

I used to work with cats in one of these shelters, so I’m experienced when it comes to handling and socializing kittens… but I’ve never done TNR. I feel good about my trap setup, because I got advice from a more experienced friend, but I still have some questions.

1. How far is a kitten of this age likely to travel from “home”?

2. Any idea how long will it take before she’s too big to fit through the 2.5” gap under our security gate? Last week she could crawl under it easily, but they grow fast at this age...

Mostly I’m trying to get a handle on how long I should keep trying, and reasonable search radius of where else she might be hiding or living. Unfortunately it’s not a simple matter to look in neighbors’ back yards; with one exception, I’d need them to let me in through their houses or garages.

 

[tabbytom]

Hi all! Long story short: last weekend a kitten (she looked to be 8-10 weeks old) crawled under the metal security gate into our entryway. We set out food for her that evening, and she returned that night and the next night. The following night was garbage night (very loud!) so I wasn’t expecting to see her; by Wednesday, we had the humane trap set up, and we’re listening/watching closely, but we haven’t seen her since.

and welcome to TCS!

Thank you for the interest in trapping this kitten.

She was not obviously sick or starving, but definitely hungry and on the thin side. She was not completely unsocialized either: she came into our entryway, through the open door, and into our house; she exchanged meows with me; and she was willing to approach me… but not willing to get close. It’s hard for me to tell whether she’s actually feral or someone’s escaped pet. Unfortunately, none of the neighbors I canvassed yesterday are missing a kitten, feeding a kitten, or have seen a kitten in their yards. I handed out pieces of paper with the kitten’s description and a google voice number, and everyone said they’d call if they saw her.

According to your description of the kitten, I agree with you that the kitten is not completely unsocialized else the kitten will hiss at you rather than meow at you and try to approach you.
The kitten could be born feral or belongs to some household around your area but as you've checked with them and no no seems to admit that it was theirs or seen it around, but I guess someone have been near the kitten and have been feeding the kitten.

I live in a city with a large population of urban coyotes that prey on cats, so even aside from making sure she’s spayed (or neutered! I could be wrong about the kitten’s sex, since I couldn’t get close) it’s urgent that she be given safe shelter.

Yes, it's good to get the kitten to a shelter or a foster home or have some kind soul to adopt the kitten.

I used to work with cats in one of these shelters, so I’m experienced when it comes to handling and socializing kittens… but I’ve never done TNR. I feel good about my trap setup, because I got advice from a more experienced friend, but I still have some questions.

1. How far is a kitten of this age likely to travel from “home”?
It is unlikely that the kitten will stray very far from where she is now as I guess she found a safe place to hide already and she'll always retreat to the safe places and never come out if she feels threatened. So she is nearby.

2. Any idea how long will it take before she’s too big to fit through the 2.5” gap under our security gate? Last week she could crawl under it easily, but they grow fast at this age...
It won't be too long before the kitten gets too big to squeeze through that small hole. Cats use their heads along with their whiskers to gauge the size of the gap. If the head does not fit, the body definitely won't fit.

Mostly I’m trying to get a handle on how long I should keep trying, and reasonable search radius of where else she might be hiding or living. Unfortunately it’s not a simple matter to look in neighbors’ back yards; with one exception, I’d need them to let me in through their houses or garages.

The kitten is likely to be nearby, under some kind of shelter, a crevice, some dumpster or even in a shed or hole or in the drain. One thing to do is walk around with food and calling the kitten and try to hear any meows from her or go out in the dark with a torch and shine the light into holes where you think the kitten may be hiding and the kitten's eyes will glow when light is shone on them and this may give you a clue on where the kitten is hiding.

I do hope you get the kitten fast before any mishap happens to the kitten. Do keep us posted on the progress.

 

[jono]

I would keep the trap out with food inside for a while. If it has found food at your house once, it will likely be back for an easy meal. We had a litter of 5 feral kittens, along with momma, a couple years ago. They were already big enough to eat solid food and run from us when we found them. We put out 2 live traps, nothing the 1st night, 2 the 2nd night, 1 the 3rd night, 1 the 4th night. The 5th little sucker avoided capture for 2 weeks even though I put the trap out every night. We also managed to get momma during that 2 1/2 weeks so the kìtten wasn't with her. Just be persistent and keep trying, everyone told me the last one would never be back, that something happened to it, to give it up, but I didn't and eventually got them all together. Have faith!

 

[allmykitties]

I think that you've plenty of time with the 2.5 inch gap, you should be able to capture the kitten before it cannot get through. Cats are pretty good at flattening themselves to get through spaces you'd otherwise think not possible when they really want to. So I'd keep trying with some really smelly food in the trap.

 

[fionasmom]

It’s hard for me to tell whether she’s actually feral or someone’s escaped pet

Consider the possibility that someone is dumping kittens. This does not change your scenario or plan of action at all, but may explain why she seems to be used to humans.

 

[MajorCushman]

Thanks for the advice and encouragement! I will definitely be checking around the neighborhood this evening for likely kitten hiding spots. I appreciate the reminder about the possibility that someone might have dumped kittens. I’d been thinking feral-or-stray because back in my shelter days, the most obvious kitten abandonment cases happened at the monitored feral colonies. Of course, that doesn’t mean that’s the *only* place kittens can be abandoned, and it’s given me some ideas about where someone might have dumped some kittens. When I do my kitten search tonight, I’ll check those places out, and also look for other kittens and/or mama cats.

On that note, I have one more question: how long is it safe to leave a trap without checking it? The one in our entryway we’ve been leaving set up and baited, because someone’s always home and we know we’ll hear it if it gets triggered. I’m thinking about setting up another one close by - if I can find a place to do it - but monitoring it would be a challenge.

Again, I really appreciate the help and insight.

 

[fionasmom]

Dumping cat at a colony is a very likely situation. When we had a feral colony at my workplace, people definitely added pets to it.

Around here, I have often suspected dumped kittens, Fiona having been one herself. Some people just randomly dump, some look for a likely spot like a home that appears to have cats. Just the other night nearby someone threw a kitten out of a Tesla and kept on driving.

How You Can Help Community Cats: A Step-by-Step Guide to Trap-Neuter Return
Tip: Keep an eye on the traps at all times for the safety of the cats, and to make sure your equipment is not taken or tampered with. Observe from a location far enough away that the cats will not be disturbed, but close enough to see all the traps. NEVER leave a set trap unattended.

I don't think that you are actually talking about leaving a trap unattended, like over night, but keep an eye on it and keep checking all the time that it is set and baited. Once a cat is in the trap, you want to immediately put it in a safe place and cover it with enough fabric that the cat will relax and stop fighting.

 

[MajorCushman]

Thank you - and no, absolutely not all night! But I’ve seen advice like what you’ve quoted (keep an eye on the trap at all times!) and other advice that just says to check it “regularly” (without quantifying that, or explaining the conditions under which that would be safe vs dangerous or just counterproductive).

Given the available sight lines in my neighborhood, the second trap might not be feasible. I’ll have to keep thinking about that.

 

[tabbytom]

On that note, I have one more question: how long is it safe to leave a trap without checking it? The one in our entryway we’ve been leaving set up and baited, because someone’s always home and we know we’ll hear it if it gets triggered. I’m thinking about setting up another one close by - if I can find a place to do it - but monitoring it would be a challenge.

Can you set up an outdoor all weather wifi camera? If you can, this will help you monitor and if there's any movements in and around the cage, the motion sensor of the camera will alert you through your mobile phone and you can view it from your phone if there's no one in the house.

 

[dahlia]

You may have already said but would the trap be covered? If so, I think you could check if every hour and be fine. They freak out less in a covered trap.

 

[tabbytom]

Here's one way to cover up the trap

 

[fionasmom]

KFC or any other similar fried chicken can be a very good bait.

 

[MajorCushman]

Hi all. To answer your questions:

1. I haven’t come up with a good way to set up a camera with a view of a second trap. Aside from my entryway, the only place to put a trap would be directly on the sidewalk, and since I rent, I can’t mount the camera on my wall or whatever. I will keep thinking about this though.

2. The trap is partially covered with a shirt of mine that I sprayed Feliway on, and which the kitten seems to have slept on once (the night of August 6th). The bait and trigger plate are within the covered area, hopefully making it look like they’re in a safe hiding spot.

3. I will try the paper bag idea! It’s a kitten trap, so it may fit into a grocery bag.

4. I will also try using some actual chicken to up my bait game. (It may sound ridiculous, but I’m a vegetarian myself so the only meat my own cats enjoy on the regular comes in the form of their own food… so I honestly forget sometimes that chicken is a thing cats really love. It‘s an out of sight, out of mind thing, I guess.)

When I was out canvassing, I was not able to speak with everyone, so I put my mini-flyers with the kitten’s description and a google voice number through peoples’ mail slots. I’m fervently hoping that the kitten is safe at home with one of those people, and that they don’t feel the need to text some rando about that fact. Sigh.

 

[tabbytom]

1. I haven’t come up with a good way to set up a camera with a view of a second trap. Aside from my entryway, the only place to put a trap would be directly on the sidewalk, and since I rent, I can’t mount the camera on my wall or whatever. I will keep thinking about this though.

Since you can't mount anything on the rented property, can you like plunge a stake into the soil next to the sidewalk and mount the camera on the stake. This is not rented property................sniggle sniggle......................

2. The trap is partially covered with a shirt of mine that I sprayed Feliway on, and which the kitten seems to have slept on once (the night of August 6th). The bait and trigger plate are within the covered area, hopefully making it look like they’re in a safe hiding spot.

This is good. The kitten knows your scent and has her scent which is very important.

3. I will try the paper bag idea! It’s a kitten trap, so it may fit into a grocery bag.

Yes, cats like paper bags

4. I will also try using some actual chicken to up my bait game. (It may sound ridiculous, but I’m a vegetarian myself so the only meat my own cats enjoy on the regular comes in the form of their own food… so I honestly forget sometimes that chicken is a thing cats really love. It‘s an out of sight, out of mind thing, I guess.)

Yeah chicken and tuna are attractant to them though fish is not too good for them but using as baiting is ok.

When I was out canvassing, I was not able to speak with everyone, so I put my mini-flyers with the kitten’s description and a google voice number through peoples’ mail slots. I’m fervently hoping that the kitten is safe at home with one of those people, and that they don’t feel the need to text some rando about that fact. Sigh.

The kitten may be smart, single she knows where food comes from, she probably be hanging out near the food source be it at your place or somewhere nearby where someone else is feeding her and also she's hiding away from danger.
Most important thing is that you have to get to see the kitten coming over to your place time and time again and since no one's admitting that the kitten is theirs, it makes your job is easier to trap the kitten without questioning.


Oh, let's say you are at home all day and can keep vigil on the trap, you may want to set up another trap like this one :-

 

[Kwik]

Welcome to TCS and thank you for the effort you are putting forth to rescue a kitten but please please please ---- don't TNR her/him.....You mentioned the little one is maybe 2 months old or 3- such an adoptable age.Im not sure if you meant 'trap, nueter and release " or maybe "release" to someone that shelters or sets up adoptions. I'd like to think TNR means 'trap, nueter, rehome"
Your original question was how far can a kitten roam-how far can really depend but typically a kitten that young would not go much further than 4 or 5 houses away from where it came from provided it finds safe hiding spots.This does sounds to me like a lost kitten but how did that happen Id have to wonder,barely weaned and you mentioned kitty waltzed into your house,I would suspect she may not be far from home but apparently no one is looking,are they?

Who knows- but cats can travel many miles when searching for home,not usually that young..... Others mentioned maybe someone dumped this kitty-very possible,so sad,isn't it? I'm really glad your trying so hard-God Bless you

 

[MajorCushman]

So, I think I have good news: I’m fairly sure the kitten has a home, and I’m fairly sure I know which home it is. Unfortunately, verifying this is difficult because the person who lives there only speaks Chinese, and I only speak English.

My reason for thinking this is the proximity of the house (across the street and two doors down), and the fact that when I was camped out on the sidewalk yesterday evening, little cardboard tray of chicken in my hand, making mewing noises - you know, like a sane person! - I was pretty sure I heard an answering “mew” two or three times over the course of about half an hour. The mewing was not at all distressed or prolonged, and sounded like it was coming from inside the building where my Chinese-speaking neighbor lives. Having a home would fit with the kitten’s overall condition and demeanor (her coat was in great shape, her eyes and ears were very clean, and though she didn’t let me get too close she did, after all, walk right into my house!). I honestly think that she escaped from her own home, possibly went in and out over the course of a few days, and then her owner discovered her egress and blocked it up. That would explain why I haven’t seen or heard her since more than a week ago.

At this point I’m planning on leaving the humane trap in my entryway for another week or so just in case. I figure after that point the kitten would be too big to fit under my security gate, but maybe that will give me time to see if there’s any way to communicate my kitten questions to my neighbor, who managed to convey despite the language barrier that he’s very nice.

You mentioned the little one is maybe 2 months old or 3- such an adoptable age.Im not sure if you meant 'trap, nueter and release " or maybe "release" to someone that shelters or sets up adoptions. I'd like to think TNR means 'trap, nueter, rehome"

Yes, Trap-Neuter-Rehome was my intention. At the local shelter where I used to work, TNR really meant Trap, Neuter, evaluate for sociability, and then either Release or Rehome as indicated. The intake folks would often find that Mama Cat was social enough to be rehomed herself, so she’d be spayed and rehomed once her kittens were old enough to wean.

My plan was to capture the kitten, set her up in my bathroom, and then figure out if she’d already been fixed and microchipped. If she didn’t seem to have a home, I’d get her fixed and vaccinated, then foster her until I could find her one. I completely agree that 2 to 3 months is much too young to give up on placing kittens for adoption!

 

[Kwik]

So, I think I have good news: I’m fairly sure the kitten has a home, and I’m fairly sure I know which home it is. Unfortunately, verifying this is difficult because the person who lives there only speaks Chinese, and I only speak English.

My reason for thinking this is the proximity of the house (across the street and two doors down), and the fact that when I was camped out on the sidewalk yesterday evening, little cardboard tray of chicken in my hand, making mewing noises - you know, like a sane person! - I was pretty sure I heard an answering “mew” two or three times over the course of about half an hour. The mewing was not at all distressed or prolonged, and sounded like it was coming from inside the building where my Chinese-speaking neighbor lives. Having a home would fit with the kitten’s overall condition and demeanor (her coat was in great shape, her eyes and ears were very clean, and though she didn’t let me get too close she did, after all, walk right into my house!). I honestly think that she escaped from her own home, possibly went in and out over the course of a few days, and then her owner discovered her egress and blocked it up. That would explain why I haven’t seen or heard her since more than a week ago.

At this point I’m planning on leaving the humane trap in my entryway for another week or so just in case. I figure after that point the kitten would be too big to fit under my security gate, but maybe that will give me time to see if there’s any way to communicate my kitten questions to my neighbor, who managed to convey despite the language barrier that he’s very nice.



Yes, Trap-Neuter-Rehome was my intention. At the local shelter where I used to work, TNR really meant Trap, Neuter, evaluate for sociability, and then either Release or Rehome as indicated. The intake folks would often find that Mama Cat was social enough to be rehomed herself, so she’d be spayed and rehomed once her kittens were old enough to wean.

My plan was to capture the kitten, set her up in my bathroom, and then figure out if she’d already been fixed and microchipped. If she didn’t seem to have a home, I’d get her fixed and vaccinated, then foster her until I could find her one. I completely agree that 2 to 3 months is much too young to give up on placing kittens for adoption!

That is good news-I hope so

Yes,my 7yr old Timmy was TNRd less than 6mos old and released back to a Condo parking lot where he's been living,hiding under bushes for 6 yrs..alone,pretty sad,huh?He's home now,with me and 4 other kitty cats figuring out how to be part of a pride,lol

 

[tabbytom]

MajorCushman

Any updates?

 

[tabbytom]

MajorCushman

Updates please!

 

[tabbytom]

MajorCushman

Any updates?