How to pick up a timid semiferal cat?

lentilplanet

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Hi, I'm looking for tips on how to catch Iris, our beautiful timid stray cat! We have been feeding her for about 5 weeks and last week I decided to take her to the vet for a health check, also because I was worried she might be going on heat and should be spayed. She seemed quite friendly and relaxed, and I had already picked her up once (she squirmed but didn't scratch or bite). However, she freaked out when I tried to put her in the cage, after a long struggle I managed to force her in and push the lid down. I was scratched and we were both traumatized, and she howled all the way to the vet. Strangely enough she was fine at the vets, it was just the cage she couldn't deal with.

Fortunately it turned out she was microchipped and spayed, just has been living in the wild for sometime, and her former caregivers can't take her back. However I need to take her back to the vet a couple of times to be vaccinated (they couldn't do it right then as she is still legally someone else's cat, we are still waiting for them to transfer it over). I am not sure how to catch her again as a week later she is still scared of me especially in the kitchen in the mornings which is when I caught her for the vets.

I don't think I could get her into the cage again, or even if I could it is just too stressful. I have already tried her  with a 'walk-in' cage, putting food in and trying to lure her, but she wouldn't enter it.

Do you think trapping is the only option? That would be stressful too, especially as we have another semiferal who we trapped a while ago (for spaying), and she too would be freaked out at us trapping her friend.

I'd love any advice on this! I am new to working with stray cats ...

 

shadowsrescue

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Thank you for taking care of this sweet soul.  Getting a scared cat into a carrier is no easy task, but it can be done.  I brought a stray/feral into my house last May.  I had already trapped him and had him neutered so he wouldn't go near the trap.  I had a medium sized dog carrier and I spent 2 hours trying my best to lure him inside.  I ended up scruffing him an shoving him inside.  He scratched me good and flailed about.  I did learn a quick tip to calm a cat inside a trap or carrier is to cover it with a sheet or blanket.  It really does calm them.  Once I had the cat safely inside my house in his safe room, I knew I had to get him to a vet for shots and blood work.  I bought a soft sided medium sized carrier and started to feed him inside it.  I started by placing the food just inside the door and each day moving it back until he was eating in the far back.  On the morning of his appointment, I came into his room to feed him as usual and he went right inside.  I had a chair pad close by that I used to block the exit so I could get him zipped up.  I then placed a sheet over the carrier and away we went to the vet. 

There are also lots of other ideas floating around.  You can do a search and watch some videos on youtube.

Welcome to the forums!
 

ondine

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Thank you for helping him!  Sad she couldn't return to her former owners but so good she found you!

Also good that she was socialized at some point.  Her readjustment will go easier.

Someone on this site recommended using a laser pointer to lure cats into carriers.  Another recommended feeding inside the carrier and over time, the cat becomes used to the carrier as the food site.

You can also leave the carrier out all the time, so it become a part of the environment.

Good luck - this is a challenge but you and kitty can do it!  BTW - is her name Angel?  She looks like she has angel wings on her back.
 

hexiesfriend

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I have been successful with catnip in a soft carrier with a towel over it.  I would put a little catnip on the outside of the carrier and then lots in the carrier. It requires you to watch her for awhile to see when she walks in the carrier but in the long run a lot less stressful.  This would require she to like catnip and some good timing.  I have gotten 3 strays this way.  2 unfortunately had to be put down because I was too late finding them, but my cat, Tom below is a happily domesticated cat, that I will be shameless over, and brag about.  He is still a Tom in every physical way, because I can't seem to get him to fall for the carrier trick a 4th time, but he has come to appreciate the inside life and lets me pet him and snuggle.  He still won't let me pick him up, and I have stopped trying.

 
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lentilplanet

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Thank you all so much for your thoughtful replies and taking the time to answer. I hadn't considered catnip, that is a great idea! And I will look for one of those soft carriers, hopefully that will work better than the cat cage. I think if I give her weeks to get her used to the cage first, with luck that will be less traumatic. I did have the cage in the kitchen for a few days before, and put a sheet over once she was in the cage but she still howled - perhaps it was the stress of the incident.

Anyway Iris sat on my lap for a bit tonight and purred, so that made me feel better. Angel would be a lovely name, however initially (before we were certain of her gender) we were calling her Blue Eyes (as she has unusual turquoise eyes). We felt that Blue Iris sounded similar to Blue Eyes, and Iris does kind of suit her. She is a sweet kitty, rather aloof but I hope she will get more friendly as she comes to trust us. It is a bit difficult especially as Doris the semi-feral who turned up just before her and also moved in has quite a dominant personality and barges in whenever Iris is getting cuddles, there is definitely some jealousy going on. Strangely Doris is way more feral (2 months ago she would just hiss at me and skeddadle), but now is much more friendly and people focused than Iris, if still very tense and jumpy. Oh well, it is all interesting!

Here's Iris (left) and Doris (right) together - thank's so much again!

View media item 197392
 

shadowsrescue

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Iris is a lovely name and she and Doris are just beautiful!! 

Here is a link to the soft sided carrier I use.  You could even consider the smaller one, but this one gives them plenty of space to get inside and not feel trapped or feel like they are in a carrier.


The stray/feral I brought into the house was used to eating in a feeding station outside.  This was similar in size for him and he felt really safe going in. 

Cat nip inside is also a great idea if he likes catnip.  Playing with a laser pointing is another great tip.  You can also try really yummy food to get him inside.  You can try tuna, sardines, cooked chicken/turkey, baby food, etc..  Anything that is special and will allow him to know the carrier is safe.  You can also try feliway spray.  It may help reduce some of the anxiety if you spray the carrier each day.  I also would just leave it out so it because a permanent fixture.  Lastly, when you do get her inside, cover the carrier with a sheet or towel.  This usually calms them right down.

Keep us posted!
 

splasha1

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Iris is a lovely name and she and Doris are just beautiful!! 

Here is a link to the soft sided carrier I use.  You could even consider the smaller one, but this one gives them plenty of space to get inside and not feel trapped or feel like they are in a carrier.


The stray/feral I brought into the house was used to eating in a feeding station outside.  This was similar in size for him and he felt really safe going in. 

Cat nip inside is also a great idea if he likes catnip.  Playing with a laser pointing is another great tip.  You can also try really yummy food to get him inside.  You can try tuna, sardines, cooked chicken/turkey, baby food, etc..  Anything that is special and will allow him to know the carrier is safe.  You can also try feliway spray.  It may help reduce some of the anxiety if you spray the carrier each day.  I also would just leave it out so it because a permanent fixture.  Lastly, when you do get her inside, cover the carrier with a sheet or towel.  This usually calms them right down.

Keep us posted!
In similar situation re: trying to get cat into my carrier for the second vet visit. Neither food, laser, cat nip gets her past the front or top entrance.  Ran across this post and followed link to Amazon. The reviews on that carrier are poor for various reasons others listed in their reviews.
 

shadowsrescue

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This carrier worked beautifully for me.  It gave plenty of room to feed the cat in the back of the carrier and it was easy to get him inside.  I have used it on two ferals and never had a problem.  The reviews on Amazon are for dogs.  For my 10lb ferals it was just fine.  No problem with zippers.  The product may be unpredictable, but you can use another similar carrier and still get the results of using it to feed a cat first.  I fed the cat for over 2 weeks in the carrier.  Each day I moved the food back just a bit more.  By the second week, he was eating completely in the back.  It made it very easy to get him to the vet.  I have him no choice.  His food was in the carrier and if he wanted to eat that's where it was located.  He gave me little problems. 

If you want to try this trick, you can use a sturdier carrier. 
 

splasha1

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This carrier worked beautifully for me.  It gave plenty of room to feed the cat in the back of the carrier and it was easy to get him inside.  I have used it on two ferals and never had a problem.  The reviews on Amazon are for dogs.  For my 10lb ferals it was just fine.  No problem with zippers.  The product may be unpredictable, but you can use another similar carrier and still get the results of using it to feed a cat first.  I fed the cat for over 2 weeks in the carrier.  Each day I moved the food back just a bit more.  By the second week, he was eating completely in the back.  It made it very easy to get him to the vet.  I have him no choice.  His food was in the carrier and if he wanted to eat that's where it was located.  He gave me little problems. 

If you want to try this trick, you can use a sturdier carrier. 
Yeah that's what I resorted to doing an hour ago. Her reaction; she ate a little of it just inside the entrance, went out of her room and peed on

the leather couch in the living room.
  After a week of good progress with what I believe is her first with indoor life I'm concerned where

this may put things; however after the Spay 10 days ago needs back to the vet to get stitches out and I've not yet asked them what happens

if it takes weeks to get her there during this trapping process. I'm thinking maybe bring inside the live trap and just leave her in the front room

until I hear it's door smack shut. I'm also thinking asking the vet about some sleeping meds of some sort. As friendly as she's become

I've never attempted to pick her up but as wild / mean as I've seen her a few times back when nursing kittens I don't want to be on her bad side.
 
 
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shadowsrescue

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Keep at it.  It's something new and different and ferals hate new and different.  It took my guy a good week to make it all the way to the back.  Some days, I made sure to put something really yummy like tuna or cooked chicken way in the back as a reward.  On the morning of my vet visit, I went into the room where I was keeping the cat and put some food in the carrier.  I sat right beside the carrier and had a piece of dry wall ( a board would work too) that I placed over the entrance once was inside.  That allowed me time to get it zipped shut.  I know others have used a carrier with a swinging door and tied a string to it and sat a bit away.  Once the cat was inside, they pulled the string and the door shut. 

The day of the vet trip, I was shaking all over.  My vet was great and said if you get him, you get him, if not no big deal, we will try another day.  I did get him right away.  It also really helped to cover the carrier just like you cover a trap.  My guy thrashed around until I got him covered. 

How much time do you have before you need to get him back?
 

splasha1

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Keep at it.  It's something new and different and ferals hate new and different.  It took my guy a good week to make it all the way to the back.  Some days, I made sure to put something really yummy like tuna or cooked chicken way in the back as a reward.  On the morning of my vet visit, I went into the room where I was keeping the cat and put some food in the carrier.  I sat right beside the carrier and had a piece of dry wall ( a board would work too) that I placed over the entrance once was inside.  That allowed me time to get it zipped shut.  I know others have used a carrier with a swinging door and tied a string to it and sat a bit away.  Once the cat was inside, they pulled the string and the door shut. 

The day of the vet trip, I was shaking all over.  My vet was great and said if you get him, you get him, if not no big deal, we will try another day.  I did get him right away.  It also really helped to cover the carrier just like you cover a trap.  My guy thrashed around until I got him covered. 

How much time do you have before you need to get him back?
Vet says 10-14 days so we're 10-11 now.

The only time I got her was when she was still outside but would not go into the live trap far enough but at that time there were still 2 kittens running in and out of a carrier out there

and then the morning she walked into it ( the only place I had food) right after they both ran out, and I simply pushed the gate closed. She was calm about it but cried

all the way to the vet and all the way home in it 2 days later and it appears she's not forgotten it. Vet says only 1 1/2 yrs. old but she's extremely street wise. Stinky stuff like Sardines

that seem to attract most; she just turns her nose up on that. I'll have to cook some fresh salmon tonight and bring in the live trap and hope that works.
 
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lentilplanet

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Yeah, we ended up buying a similar carrier to the one on Amazon (the one on Amazon didn't deliver to New Zealand), but slightly larger. We found that Iris would venture inside it, but  she wouldn't go right to the back, and it was just too hard to get the door zipped before she busted out. In the end we tricked her - we put a cat trap outside the cat door right against it, and she ran away from me through the cat door straight into the trap - she was caught before she really knew what was going on!

I'm not sure if that strategy will work if she needs to go back to the vet, but it certainly worked well the first time! Strangely enough she has been more tame and affectionate since being sick and going to the vet, and is sitting on my lap right now. You never know how things will work out.
 
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