Advice on trapping injured stray cat

[Lindsayj014]

Hello,

I feed a few stray/feral cats in the neighborhood, all of whom are fixed. A few weeks ago, a new cat started coming around. He is limping pretty badly on his back leg, his front leg on the same side looks pretty deformed, his eyes have gray discharge coming out of them, one of the eyes he can barely open and hes very skinny. I am able to pet him with one finger when hes eating and he is very bony.

I have a contact at a TNR rescue and they are letting me borrow a trap and have given me a little advice on how to trap him but i havent had any luck yet and this poor cat seems to be in
a lot of pain. He is still able to run a little and is pretty jumpy so i am unable to pick him up. The TNR place said to keep moving the bowls closer to the trap each day and i did that but he wont go in the trap at all. He will eat right beside it, but wont step inside.

Does anyone have any tricks to catching a stray? I feel terrible for this guy and really just want to get him help as soon as possible.

 

[Norachan]

What kind of trap are you using? Is it one with a wire mesh bottom? Do you have a drop trap?

 

[bfmay]

Hello,

I feed a few stray/feral cats in the neighborhood, all of whom are fixed. A few weeks ago, a new cat started coming around. He is limping pretty badly on his back leg, his front leg on the same side looks pretty deformed, his eyes have gray discharge coming out of them, one of the eyes he can barely open and hes very skinny. I am able to pet him with one finger when hes eating and he is very bony.

I have a contact at a TNR rescue and they are letting me borrow a trap and have given me a little advice on how to trap him but i havent had any luck yet and this poor cat seems to be in
a lot of pain. He is still able to run a little and is pretty jumpy so i am unable to pick him up. The TNR place said to keep moving the bowls closer to the trap each day and i did that but he wont go in the trap at all. He will eat right beside it, but wont step inside.

Does anyone have any tricks to catching a stray? I feel terrible for this guy and really just want to get him help as soon as possible.

I would say you definitely need a drop trap, one that sits up like a wire box propped up on one side, and you pull the support out from under it when the cat goes under it to eat. The cat never even suspects it's a trap. You can buy these online. I've trapped many stray/feral cats using this type trap, especially when the cat is partially socialized so that you can wait for the cat to go under the trap. This is not a trap you set and forget. But it has worked every time for me. Good luck!

 

[Lindsayj014]

What kind of trap are you using? Is it one with a wire mesh bottom? Do you have a drop trap?

Yes, it is the trap with a wire mesh bottom. I dont have a drop trap, although i know the tnr rescue does. They have used it to trap other cats, mostly females in my area, but they are currently very busy with kitten season so im not sure if they have one available. Is the drop trap going to be the easiest way to catch him?

 

[Lindsayj014]

I would say you definitely need a drop trap, one that sits up like a wire box propped up on one side, and you pull the support out from under it when the cat goes under it to eat. The cat never even suspects it's a trap. You can buy these online. I've trapped many stray/feral cats using this type trap, especially when the cat is partially socialized so that you can wait for the cat to go under the trap. This is not a trap you set and forget. But it has worked every time for me. Good luck!

Do you know where i can get one on the cheaper side? I do see some doing a simple google search but they are pretty expensive. I might just have to ask the TNR place if i can borrow one, but i know they are busy with kitten season right now so im not sure they have one available

This cat is at least partially socialized. Hes comes around at different times throughout the day and he gets really close to me when i give him food. I have pet him as well, although only with one finger since he is still pretty jumpy around me.

 

[Norachan]

If you check Making a Drop Trap on YouTube there are quite a few videos that show you how to make one with some wood and wire mesh. You can make one that with a sliding panel that will fit your humane trap door exactly, so it's easy to move him from the drop trap to get him to the vet.

If you're not particularly handy and the TNR group don't have one free, try asking other shelters or vets that spay or neuter feral cats. I started off with a trap I borrowed from my vet.