Can't Tame Feral...i Am Near Tears...need Advice

[shadowsrescue]

How close can you get to her? I was able to get all 3 of mine into the house by using varied sizes of carriers. I started feeding them in the carriers and sitting next to them while they ate. I placed a large sturdy pillow next to the carriers from the beginning. I would use the pillows to block the exit before I securely closed the door.

 

[sweetblackpaws]

I can get within 3 or 4 feet of her before she starts to back away. She doesn't run from me anymore, so that is tremendous progress.

So when your ferals were trapped, they would run towards to back of the carrier rather than try to "fight" their way to the front where you had the pillow?

She is small but mighty, lol!

 

[sweetblackpaws]

oh, and yes - she will eat in my presence. As long as I don't exceed her 3 - 4 foot personal space!

 

[walli]

has she ever had anything like sardines or tuna in oil?
maybe you can lure her in with some smelly food.

 

[trudy1]

So how “handy” are you or anybody you know? If she sleeps in a box I assume three sides are closed and the one she goes in is open? Post a picture as I have an idea. What if you could , while she is gone, nail a small board on each side of the open door with a gap so something would slide down it. You could then make a door. When she goes in to sleep trigger the door to come down?
I hate trying to post pics on this site so they posted wrong. Look bottom to top. If you can see the track I made, middle pic has the door just inserted and top is with the door down.
Wish I was there I would build it for you.
Anyway just a thought Let me know if I can help.

 

[walli]

It sounds really similar to Walli eating at the door, had to keep distance for awhile.
can you scare her into the apartment somehow?
that might not work tho, just grasping
somehow I didn't see Trudy's post, good idea, your so nice Trudy!

 

[sweetblackpaws]

Walli, I did try sardines, I think they were in olive oil. I do have some wild salmon in the freezer. I will cook that up tomorrow and serve it to her hot and see how she does.

Trudy, that is a wonderful idea. Unfortunately, I live in an apartment. But I will bear it in mind for future reference, though!

 

[msaimee]

A professional trapper would use the same kind of humane trap that she will not enter into because she has been trapped in one before. You have only just begun feeding her in your doorway. It's going to take some time before she ventures into your apartment. How long do you have before you plan to move? If time runs out, and I mean days before your move, you may need to enlist the help of another person. Is there anyone at all in your apartment complex who she is at least a bit familiar with and who would be willing to help? With a second person, one drops a large towel or small blanket over her, and scoops her up in it while the other holds the cat carrier vertical with the door open. The person holding the cat in the blanket scoops the cat head first into the carrier and the person holding the carrier closes the door. This could be a last-ditch effort. But I think that if you have a few months left, you need to focus on socializing her and gaining her trust so you can lure her either into a cat carrier or into your apartment. You should spend time each day sitting on the floor within several, and then a few feet of her food bowl until she becomes comfortable eating in front of you. Once she would feel comfortable with you in close proximity to her while she's eating, you could lure her into a pet carrier with food and then close the door when she's in it. The important thing is to remain calm and patient. If she senses your anxiety, she will feel anxious and know something is up.

 

[maggiedemi]

The hard carrier doors aren't very hard to close quickly. The cat goes in head first and you just close it behind them. You might even be able to tie a string to the door and pull it closed from the other side.

 

[shadowsrescue]

I can get within 3 or 4 feet of her before she starts to back away. She doesn't run from me anymore, so that is tremendous progress.

So when your ferals were trapped, they would run towards to back of the carrier rather than try to "fight" their way to the front where you had the pillow?

She is small but mighty, lol!

All 3 of mine had been TNR'd years ago so they wouldn't go near the trap. I started getting them into my house by opening my sliding door and placing food there. I gradually got them further away from the door. Yet this took over a month. Once I had them wandering the house, I set up the carriers. I used medium sized dog carriers as they were much easier for the cat to get inside and seemed large like their outdoor feeding stations.

I would place bowls of stinky tuna in the back of the carrier that had a soft blanket that was sprinkled with catnip. I had the pillow beside the carriers so that on the day I needed to close them in, they were used to the pillow. I never touched the pillow on the days they would just come in.

It was a long process. I started doing this the end of October and the day I brought them in for good was Dec. 26 so 2 full months.

 

[alphakitty]

I was looking at drop traps, just out of curiousity, but they are HUGE (36 x 36) and don't even have bottoms, so she would have to into a transfer cage, which she probably would not even do.

Plus, in an apartment, I need to have some level of discretion. The neighbors had already seen the trap, fortunately no one complained to management. But a drop trap combined with a transfer cage would take up most of the walkway.

Will continue with the trail-and-lure method into living room.

Hi, you can buy a drop-trap, for around $75 as I recall, from FixNation, a non-profit neutoring clinic (has funding from ASPCA, Humane Society, etc) here in the Los Angeles California area. The drop-trap is a fold-up metal cage with a gulliotine trap-door in the rear. If you decide to make one, PLEASE, be certain to allow clearance of at 1inch around the bottom, so as to not catch their tails underneath the trap which can cause significant long term spine problems...like a crack in your in spine kinda problem.

If the plan is to take the kitty to be vet neutored, and if the kitty being trapped is truly feral, the 'transfer cage' need be a metal wire cage and not a plastic cat carrier, as the vet can't stick the kitty in the butt with anesthesia through the plastic wall. The moment the drop-trap drops, cover the entire cage, but not the transfer cage. The transfer cage **MUST** be securely attached to the drop-trap, and not covered as the feral cat will see through the metal-wire of the transfer cage, which tricks the kitty into the belief that its an escape route. I have seen feral cats barrel at high speed into the transfer cage, so fast that the transfer cage seperated from the drop-trap with the door open...it was a wild event. Fortunately I was able to close the transfer-cage before the kitty got out. Always wear gloves and eye-protection, just in case. Got'm neutored and released back where I trapped'm.

Of course the other type trap that is very successful are the Tomahawk live traps which were co-designed by FixNation, here the trap that I use for doing TNR (Trap-Neutor-Release)..
Traps :: Feral Cat Traps & Accessories :: Feral Cat Traps :: 608NC - 36" Cat Trap Designed by Neighborhood Cats Organization

The FixNation drop-traps fold up nicely and fit well into an average size closet. I suspect that other FREE neutoring clinics will also offer these traps, so look around. You might consider contacting FixNation for a possible referral. The person to talk to is Ivy at: [email protected]

I am not affiliated with FixNation other than that I use their services for my kitty TNR activities. FixNation provides neutoring/spaying services + all the meds for feral kitties, and for non-feral kitties they charge a whopping $75/kitty (compare that to vets who charge $450 ~ $700 for exactly the same service, and who only do it once in awhile unlike the FixNation Drs who do 150 cats a day every day, type experience.)

They are good people.

AlphaKitty

 

[sweetblackpaws]

This is the hard carrier I have:

Doskocil Two-Door Top-Load Kennels | Dog Travel Crate at DrsFosterSmith.com

Maggiedemi, you have to kind of pinch the piece down and slide it into the lock. It does take a few seconds, but maybe I can do it fast enough. This would be ideal, it is cozy and she does like boxes.

ShadowRescue, you are very creative! I think 2 months is quite fast, actually! I have been trying to catch my girl for so long. But we have only been trailing for a few days. I don't really want her to have the run of the house until I can get her tested because of my other kitties, but if I have to in order to get her inside, I will.

Alphakitty, she has been spayed by someone. I do have a Tru-Catch 30LTD which is not a drop trap, though. I did look at drop traps and they were just too large. I live in an apartment with a small walkway and there is just no room to set up a drop trap with a transfer cage and then bring her inside. I need to be somewhat discreet, too. I am fortunate no one has complained to management yet about me feeding a feral. She did go in the 30LTD, but I let her out (so stupid of me) because I freaked out seeing her go nuts. This was several weeks ago.

 

[sweetblackpaws]

Her breakfast had to get delayed because neighbor's dog startled her and now she won't come eat (he was on a leash). This is the kind of thing that really annoys me and makes me so worried and anxious to get her inside.

With so many neighbors in my building (12), it is impossible to know everyone's schedule.

I probably won't see her until lunchtime. Sweet little girl....

 

[maggiedemi]

Yeah, my carrier has that same pinch thing. But don't worry about that, once you close the door, she's not going to be able to get back out while you're latching it, you're stronger than her, just hold it closed while latching, she won't be able to push it open. Wear gloves though, since she might turn around and try to smack you through the bars while you're latching it, like my little devil Maggie does.

 

[shadowsrescue]

I have the same carrier you do for one of my inside cats. I opted for this carrier ,
and this one IRIS Deluxe Pet Travel Carrier They are nice and tall which my kitties really preferred.

I have seen videos and instructions where you can make your own drop trap. You then transfer her to the carrier and then into her room.

Also if you do get her into the house and into a room, I had an issue at first with the cats wanting to get out of the room. I had to have a baby gate in the door jam so I could open the door and then open the gate. I actually bought an extra tall walk through gate.

Here is also a neat idea.

 

[catman925]

I totally missed the part where you said she sleeps in a box. is that often? This might be your best solution! not to mention probably the easiest as she's already in the box. sleeping no less

as trudy1 suggested above, if you are able and assuming the box is substantial enough to carry a freaking out feral in just to get her inside, when she isn't around, add a 4th wall to the box with a door you can shut very quickly and securely.

If you build a door, you could use hinges with a strong spring that can slam the door shut and if possible a latch like you see on screen doors. something that can shut and remain shut on its own. Then wedge a stick (or long bolt) with a string tied to it to hold the door open. Attach the spring so the when you open the door the spring is trying to pull it closed again. when she goes to sleep, just pull the stick or bolt away and let the spring and latch do the rest! btw, if you go this route, it is very beneficial to practice this often. better to make adjustments ahead of time then have it fail when you're trying to catch her. I've foung it helps to use eyelets (screws with circles on top you can run line or rope through) to help get the right angles and fastest pull sometimes.

The easiest idea though I think would be to simply find a board or something similarly strong that is big enough to cover the open end of the box and when she's sleeping in the box, just quickly slam the board over the open end and then take everything inside.
If her box isn't in a spot where doing it this way would be easy, move the box to somewhere where it will be. somewhere that will allow you to get close enough to close her in without her waking up first.
it may help to have a friend helping. also helpful is long-sleave shirts and oven mits! trust me, they work great. nothing quite helps catching a cat when you've know if she bites, you won't feel it

all other mannerisms, mellow behavior, take your time, keep reassuring her etc etc still apply. If you do need to move her box to a more advantageous spot, allow extra time (few days, a week) for her to get used to the new location.

I really think this may be your best option and fastest, easiest. just, when you do it, you gotta hold that covering on for dear life no matter what. this is where having a friend help might be crucial, like to open doors etc. Dont let her out! as with all these things, if you almost get her, it will be a longer battle next time. make it count!

-Art

 

[catman925]

oh yeah I forgot to mention, if her current box isn't something substantial enough, you can always find something that it and put that box out for her to sleep in instead of the old one. allow extra time for her to get used to the change of course

 

[sweetblackpaws]

For now, I am trying to get her into the hard-sided carrier which she likes. She is eating out of it. If I can't close the door fast enough and she gets out, she will never trust me again. I hate feeling like I am betraying her trust. I wish she would just run inside the door! I have not given up on that option, either. But I am trying the carrier for now since she seems unafraid of it.

The homemade trap is a thought, although I have never built anything before. I am looking at drop traps online, but I need to watch some videos as I am not sure how they work since they have no bottom, how you get them in a transfer cage.

I worry about her every day, all alone outside. But she is the smartest cat I have ever known.

 

[maggiedemi]

Is she all the way inside the carrier when she's eating? It's really easy to close, I promise! What about taking a long stick and shutting it, then run up and latch it?

 

[sweetblackpaws]

Is she all the way inside the carrier when she's eating? It's really easy to close, I promise! What about taking a long stick and shutting it, then run up and latch it?

She is almost to the back, not quite. I don't want to rush her. The stick is a great idea...I could use a long broom handle, close the door with the broom handle while being out of view, then quickly latch it.

My sweet, smart little feral....I promise sweet girl, it is all for your own good! Soon, you will be inside safe and sound.