Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Just so some folks know T-N-R is trap-neuter-release.
We have a stray cat that we have noticed in our neighborhood probably since Spring. Not sure if he was once someone's pet or what. His roaming range is large as we have seen him in various parts of the neighborhood when we have been jogging. He looks young (1-3 y/o)...and I assume "he" is a he, b/c we have not seen him pregnant. He is not approachable and will run. He also doesn't have a collar or tag. We live in an area that pets are kept inside for the most part.
We have started to get him to come to our front porch and eat dry food. I laid in bed the other night and worried about this little cat once the temperatures really drop and we get ice and snow here.
A friend of ours who works for a blood lab gave us a nice size styrofoam box that she said she typically gives to a lady who manages a ferral cat colony. The ferral cat lady cuts out a door and stuffs it full of hay or blankets for her cats in the winter. We're trying to earn his "trust" first and then we want to T-N-R. "Trust" being that he wants to come to the porch regularly so we can trap him. Our house faces South so that will help with blocking the cold North winds.
We have never trapped before. Does anyone have any recommendations on what constitutes a good trap? We've looked at the live and humane traps. Someone recommended that the trap have two doors (one on each end). We didn't know whether someone had a brand that they prefer...or ANY other details that we may accidentally over look in the process. Any suggestions are welcomed. Obviously, we wouldn't set the trap up unless we knew we could get him in the following day to the clinic. Also, we do not mind caring/looking out for him after we T-N-R him.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions or any feedback.
When I was trying to trap a stray here I borrowed a humane trap from a rescue group. It had the two doors and was easy to set up.
I didn't succeed in trapping my stray because he was hiding in 100 feet of shrubs and constantly jumping from one to the other out of sight. He also had someone else feeding him and would not approach the food in the trap.
So you are fortunate that your stray comes to your porch and is getting to trust you. You have to hope no one else is feeding him. Just before you try trapping don't feed him for a day or so so that he will be hungry. That's the key. If they aren't hungry it probably won't work.
I saw some traps sold online like I used for around $60. and you can probably find them in local stores with a little research.
God bless you for caring about this animal and best of luck helping him.
I think I am being inpatient (lol), but, we have the house set up for the feral cat with a bit of cat nip and some smelly treats in it for lure. He's eating the food sitting next to the house, but he has not gone in the house or eaten even one treat. Okay, so it's only been two nights, BUT is there something else we need to do or not do? We thought we'd try to get him used to the house before we set up the trap. I can't help but wonder if he is just being leary. Any thoughts?
We used a Hav-a-Heart trap to trap our little monsters (who are indoor cats now). We had to catch two of the neighborhood cats first because our target kitty didn't like the wire floor on her delicate little cat feet. As soon as we fitted the floor with cardboard, she went right in and ka-blang!!! LOL
We bought one, but perhaps a rescue group would have one you could borrow or rent for a day or two? Check rental places, too.
When you're using the trap, though, you can't leave food out anywhere else. They've gotta be really hungry to go in.
Thanks Ohiogirl! Hav-A-Hart is the brand of the trap I bought yesterday. It was about $50. I knew that we would have to stop feeding to make him hungry to take the bait...BUT you may have a point with the wire bottom of the trap. Although we haven't put the trap out yet, your feedback may help if we have that situation on our hands. I have emailed all our neighbors to make them aware of the cat and what we are doing. I have also asked them not to feed the cat, so the cat become dependent on us.
On the comical side of things, I swear this cat is watching me! I try to peek out my window to see if he's been by to eat. We have a window by our front door where I can see the food and house. Everytime I look...he's either not there or just has been by to eat. For instance, I just finished walking my dogs for an hour and came back to our house to notice he had apparently come by after we left within that hour to eat and bolt (lol).
Amazonchix, I have never trapped either, but I hope it goes well for you and him. Gosh, it must be hard.
I would try the Hav-A_heart trap too, I have heard that they work and Ohiogirl81 has the direct experience with it.
Good Luck!!!
We're so excited!!!! We pulled up the kibble yesterday morning and then we set out the trap this morning. We put canned salmon in the trap and by 6:30pm tonight...we had our cat!!!!!!!
I feel guilty b/c he was initially stressed and freaking out a bit (totally normal), but I know this is the right thing to do. He is going in tomorrow to be fixed. I say "he" but we will know for sure which sex he is tomorrow. He did let me take my finger and rub his head through the trap. He wasn't rubbing up against me, but he wasn't avoiding me. There was the occasionally low growl. Also, at least he gets a warm place to stay tonight as a sleet and snow storm is moving in and should be gone by tomorrow evening. He'll stay in his trap until Wednesday to fully recover after surgery. I'll keep you guys posted on all the details. Thanks for all the well wishes!!!
Great news! Someone else, in another thread, said not to use blankets as they will stay wet once they get wet. Use straw as it dires out easily. Or, you could make him/her an inside cat?
I got "HER" to the clinic this morning to find out our vet was stuck out of state at the airport waiting to catch a flight here. The vet we use at our low cost S/N clinic still flies home twice a month to maintain his S/N work.
The gals at the clinic weren't sure whether he'd be in later today or tomorrow. It was upon further examination through the trap that is was determined "he" was a "she." So I talked one of the gals into taking the cat out of the trap and to board that cat in a cage there until she could be operated on. Also my thoughts of rehabilitating this cat ended. It was an event to get this cat in a cage to say the least (lol). This cat IS feral. So it looks like we'll have an outdoor kitty to be looking after.
Sorry to sound like such a dork .This is our first time to TNR...so we are obviously excited.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
because our target kitty didn't like the wire floor on her delicate little cat feet. As soon as we fitted the floor with cardboard, she went right in and ka-blang!!! LOL
