Catching A Semi Feral Kitty With Net?!

Hello,
I kept asking the members since last year for advice on how to catch the kitty I've been caring for 9 years. We had a few unsuccessful attempts to catch her last year and she became very suspicious. We eventually regained her trust, can hold her for a few seconds, hug her...she is napping for a few minutes under the bench where we feed her...but if she sees a carrier or a trap...she takes off and might not come back for a while. The weather was so bad all the time starting November...I was unable to try feeding her in a crate...and gradually try to close the door. She is too smart and too suspicious.
Getting desperate because it will be very cold in a few days...and our girl is too affected by the weather (wind, cold, snow). I have to mention that all methods that worked for other kitties (regular trap, drop trap, wrapping with a towel) will not work in this case, as she is in a very exposed area, public park. Using a little bit of calming/sleeping pill is dangerous...even in summer I was unwilling to take this risk....But what else can we try? A net maybe? We don't want to hurt or scare her...we love her too much! We have a foster home waiting for her...and a permanent one. Everything is ready...but we cannot get the girl. Cannot wait until spring...Thank you so much for any advice!!!

You can hold her for a few seconds? that may be your answer
I hope someone comes along with an answer.
If there is anyway you can get the net above the bench and just drop it on top of her, that's all I got, I've seen videos on digital drop traps, but I guess that won't work for you, if you can hold her for a few seconds maybe someone can be at the ready with the crate with the door up, drop her in put a towel on top so when she goes to grab the crate she will grab the towel. might have to go brut force on her.
It needs to be no fail I assume. If it's in a big open area, a few people with nets.
for if she runs. There are people here that have experience with this sort of thing.
Have you tried not feeding her so she will be really hungry?
If you have a whole day to monitor her, maybe the gabapentin wouldn't be a bad idea since she's in an open area, I have never used it, so I'm assuming it could be a bad idea.
she has good things in store for her!

walli said:

You can hold her for a few seconds? that may be your answer
I hope someone comes along with an answer.
If there is anyway you can get the net above the bench and just drop it on top of her, that's all I got, I've seen videos on digital drop traps, but I guess that won't work for you, if you can hold her for a few seconds maybe someone can be at the ready with the crate with the door up, drop her in put a towel on top so when she goes to grab the crate she will grab the towel. might have to go brut force on her.
It needs to be no fail I assume. If it's in a big open area, a few people with nets.
for if she runs. There are people here that have experience with this sort of thing.
Have you tried not feeding her so she will be really hungry?
If you have a whole day to monitor her, maybe the gabapentin wouldn't be a bad idea since she's in an open area, I have never used it, so I'm assuming it could be a bad idea.
she has good things in store for her!

Click to expand...

Walli, thank you for your reply! A friend told me about Gabapentin and I would be willing to try, but it takes a while until it works...and she won't stay with us all this time, it is cold and she goes into her shelter after she does what is necessary...So we need a better weather...and lots of luck. There are dogs in the area, raccoons and skunks...so we cannot afford to fail again...as last year. We tried the trick with the towel and carrier, she is all muscle and escaped...

If she goes into a shelter I think gabapentin will work as long as you have 2-3 hours to wait for her, @shadowrescue uses gabapentin so she may know if this is a good idea.

I have found cutting instead of grinding and putting in food works better but shadow rescue can give you tips on that too!

so you would cut the pill in small pieces with a pill cutter

Get some good long leather gloves. If you grab her, don't let go, even if it seems like she might hurt herself (it's usually a mild strain and it's worth it to get her somewhere safe). Have someone nearby to run a crate out to you.

A fishing net may work but I think you'd only get one chance so be careful not to muff it the first time.

Just saw your message and figured I'd chime in about gabapentin! I have used it a couple of times, but only on a semi-feral cat who was in a safe room. For cats that are not confined, it is not recommended because they could run away and the medicine would kick in when they are in an unsafe location. I found that it took about three hours for my cat to get drowsy, and I can't imagine how you would keep track of a cat if she is in a big open area.

I would never recommend giving gabapentin to an outside cat. Way too dangerous.

Have you used a drop trap yet? Baiting with someone irresistible such as Kentucky Fried Chicken, mackeral, tuna, really stink cat food, etc...

Have you tried feeding her in the unset trap for a few days or longer so she gets used to it? Possibly adapting the trap so it is covered.

What about feeding her in a medium size dog carrier? I retrapped 3 feral cats using a medium dog carrier. I got them used to eating their meals in the carrier. After I placed the food in the carrier, I would sit right next to it and wait. I had to start by placing the food just outside the carrier and gradually moving it inside. I kept a sturdy outdoor pillow right next to the carrier. On retrapping day, once the cat was inside, I quickly closed the door and used the pillow to help me keep it tightly closed while latching it.

I am not sure about the net. Unless you really know what you are doing, so many things could go wrong.

Walli, thank you!
I am afraid of taking the risk of using a pill...as I cannot follow her everywhere...
She is playful, she can run, go places...and not enter the shelter ...
If I had her inside....

walli said:

If she goes into a shelter I think gabapentin will work as long as you have 2-3 hours to wait for her, @shadowrescue uses gabapentin so she may know if this is a good idea.

I have found cutting instead of grinding and putting in food works better but shadow rescue can give you tips on that too!

so you would cut the pill in small pieces with a pill cutter

Click to expand...

alli, post: 4825078, member: 117155"]If she goes into a shelter I think gabapentin will work as long as you have 2-3 hours to wait for her, @shadowrescue uses gabapentin so she may know if this is a good idea.

I have found cutting instead of grinding and putting in food works better but shadow rescue can give you tips on that too!

so you would cut the pill in small pieces with a pill cutter[/QUOTE]

Please do not give gabapentin to an outside cat. If you are not able to control the cat and watch her every move, you are putting this cat at great danger. Gabapentin makes a cat very drowsy and drunk like. It would put the cat at danger for injuries and predators. It is NOT safe to use on outside cats.

Thank you, Shadowrescue!
I had hesitated since last year....
Weather supposed to be extremely cold...4 degrees.
We don't know what to do.
We love her too much and want her safe!

Never used a drop trap because of the difficult area. Bought a dog crate but she doesn't care for it...we need to try again, but the weather is the obstacle.
She is very affected by the snow, cold, rain.

QUOTE="shadowsrescue, post: 4825175, member: 42811"]I would never recommend giving gabapentin to an outside cat. Way too dangerous.

Have you used a drop trap yet? Baiting with someone irresistible such as Kentucky Fried Chicken, mackeral, tuna, really stink cat food, etc...

Have you tried feeding her in the unset trap for a few days or longer so she gets used to it? Possibly adapting the trap so it is covered.

What about feeding her in a medium size dog carrier? I retrapped 3 feral cats using a medium dog carrier. I got them used to eating their meals in the carrier. After I placed the food in the carrier, I would sit right next to it and wait. I had to start by placing the food just outside the carrier and gradually moving it inside. I kept a sturdy outdoor pillow right next to the carrier. On retrapping day, once the cat was inside, I quickly closed the door and used the pillow to help me keep it tightly closed while latching it.

I am not sure about the net. Unless you really know what you are doing, so many things could go wrong.[/QUOTE]

ParkBaby said:

Thank you, Shadowrescue!
I had hesitated since last year....
Weather supposed to be extremely cold...4 degrees.
We don't know what to do.
We love her too much and want her safe!

Click to expand...

shadowsrescue said:

I would never recommend giving gabapentin to an outside cat. Way too dangerous.

Have you used a drop trap yet? Baiting with someone irresistible such as Kentucky Fried Chicken, mackeral, tuna, really stink cat food, etc...

Have you tried feeding her in the unset trap for a few days or longer so she gets used to it? Possibly adapting the trap so it is covered.

What about feeding her in a medium size dog carrier? I retrapped 3 feral cats using a medium dog carrier. I got them used to eating their meals in the carrier. After I placed the food in the carrier, I would sit right next to it and wait. I had to start by placing the food just outside the carrier and gradually moving it inside. I kept a sturdy outdoor pillow right next to the carrier. On retrapping day, once the cat was inside, I quickly closed the door and used the pillow to help me keep it tightly closed while latching it.

I am not sure about the net. Unless you really know what you are doing, so many things could go wrong.

Click to expand...

Thank you, Avery!
I won't use any pill...

Willowy said:

Get some good long leather gloves. If you grab her, don't let go, even if it seems like she might hurt herself (it's usually a mild strain and it's worth it to get her somewhere safe). Have someone nearby to run a crate out to you.

A fishing net may work but I think you'd only get one chance so be careful not to muff it the first time.

Click to expand...

Willowy, we tried a few times to grab her..
She is very agile and simply escaped, after scratching my husband.
We tried to use a towel, no success. She became very suspicious since then.
We are unable to scruff her...don't want to hurt her.

Here is one of the dog kennels I used It's the 26"

Also this one in medium
IRIS Deluxe Pet Travel Carrier, Red, Medium - Chewy.com

Okay, my two cents. No tranqs in an unsecured place. I have successfully used the large dog crate, the trap which is baited but not set for a few days, and a drop trap but make sure you know how to transfer. Kentucky Fried Chicken is the best bait for me, and even the frozen Banquet frozen chicken will work as well. The couple of times I have had to do this it has been rough. You will need gloves, I assume with your weather you are already wearing outer protective wear, and also need to brace yourself mentally for the fact that this will not be the smoothest rescue you will ever do. There could be some discomfort involved for a few seconds, not anything inhumane, but maybe a temporarily sore muscle or something when it is over. For me, the two times I did this, the biggest part of the game was mental. I do agree that if you can hold her, you are at least a little bit of the way there.

ParkBaby hi, thinking of you. How are you and the kitty??

Hi Kristin,
Thank you for thinking of us!
Very difficult, we all suffer, very cold and we cannot figure out a fast and easy way to get Baby. When weather gets a little better, will start bringing a small crate, with catnip and toy, hopefully she will go inside little by little.
I was holding her today for 5 minutes, she didn't struggle too much...
When she wants to escape, she can easily do, she is very agile.
Hope all is well with you!
Thank you again!

fionasmom said:

Okay, my two cents. No tranqs in an unsecured place. I have successfully used the large dog crate, the trap which is baited but not set for a few days, and a drop trap but make sure you know how to transfer. Kentucky Fried Chicken is the best bait for me, and even the frozen Banquet frozen chicken will work as well. The couple of times I have had to do this it has been rough. You will need gloves, I assume with your weather you are already wearing outer protective wear, and also need to brace yourself mentally for the fact that this will not be the smoothest rescue you will ever do. There could be some discomfort involved for a few seconds, not anything inhumane, but maybe a temporarily sore muscle or something when it is over. For me, the two times I did this, the biggest part of the game was mental. I do agree that if you can hold her, you are at least a little bit of the way there.

Click to expand...

Fionasmom, thank you!
I appreciate your advice! Mentally we are almost ready ...but afraid we might fail again and she won't trust us again for many months...
We spoiled her with good food and she knows already our tricks (trap, carrier, towel).
We had an attempt to catch her when she was very young. Three people unable to get this little kitty in a soft carrier.
The fact that she was previously trapped complicates things.
Maybe she is one of the most difficult to catch kitties?!
I won't use any pills, too risky.
We are getting very depressed, as this winter is the coldest so far...impossible to try anything.
We have a small crate, so will try this option.
Thank you!
I admire all of you...being able to rescue kitties.
And we have here an adorable, sometimes affectionate girl, whom we can hold but cannot get into a carrier...

ParkBaby, now may not be a good time to try to catch her because if you fail, and she stays away in the awful cold weather, she will be without food and shelter. Also, I advise against withholding food from her to get her to go into a trap. Cats need a great deal of calories for their bodies to regulate heat to stay warm in cold weather. She would be hurt and confused and suffer if you withhold food to try to force her to do something she won't do.

I think you may need to resign yourself to the fact that you will likely need to continue to care for her as an outdoor cat, at least during the Winter. Try to make her shelter as warm as possible. If using an electric heating pad designed for outdoor cats isn't an option, you can cheaply purchase on Amazon a thermal self-warrming cushion to place under the straw. It has mylar inside it and reflects body heat. If she will tolerate it, drape a sleeping bag over the pet shelter,, allowing enough room for her to get in and out of one exit. Make sure she stays hydrated by giving her some canned food each day and adding water to it. Feral cats do manage to survive the bitter cold weather. Now is really not a good time to risk her running away.

Also consider that even in the bitter cold, most adult feral cats prefer to stay outside than be confined in a room or house. If confined, she may go nuts--literally climbing up walls and windows and yowling and being stressed and desperate to get out You did not mention how old she is, but generally speaking, it is very difficult to convert an adult feral cat over one year of age to being an indoor cat.

I've been in your situation in the past with a feral who would not be re-trapped, and in the end i had to respect his life choice and try to care for him as best I could outside.I'm in a slightly similar situation now with my semi-feral, who has actually come into my house willingly a handful of times and interacted with my other cats. After a half hour or so she panics and wants out, and I let her out. We will be having sub zero weather here in a few days and I worry about her, too, but I'm not going to force her to stay indoors because then the trust will be broken, and when she eventually gets out, will never come in again.

Also, I would not recommend using a net. It's not worth the risk in this weather unless she were sick or injured and in danger of dying.

sometimes you can get them to go inside a crate to eat if you are not nearby, it makes them suspicious. I have strung a string (50 foot long) through the back of the crate, attached to the door, and sat far away in back of it. (I was actually even just inside my house, you could be in a car) When the cat goes in I pulled the string and shut the door. I did this with a shed door too. it did work!