Can't yet retrap feral & traveling by air advice/separating cats in new apt w/ him?

[movinintime]

Ok, well he's on to me. I tried the trap w/ sardines, KFC, etc. I put it in patio of apt under us & still he looks it over but not yet in. I can't reset it too often as it is hard to get to. But I'm wondering how else I can trap him? He'll need completion of his partial neuter from Dec. yet & then directly in a Sherpa carrier for the 6hr flight back east from here.

I have til end of July on lease here, but would like to trap near this month's end/early July as don't want to chance it too late & so will move asap when I get him back from neuter completion & directly in his carrier (from them putting him in to carrier & to airport. Therefore, no messing around trying to socialize him here prior to flight day. I can't keep him in this apt tho, as too messy & small for 2 cats, & can't well guarantee I can separate them safely. He is FiV thus I need see how he does in the new 2 bed apt. There I'm told to put him in entire apt -- & completely for awhile, cordon our senior girl in the master bedroom w/ the bathroom for her box, etc.

This only if I can catch him. He would then explore for 1st time ever, an indoor home -- from ALL he's ever known -- his current outdoor apt backyard. He has never been inside other than the trap & taking him overnite to vet back in Dec., where he stayed overnite in a cage til I got him next morn.

Ok, sorry for double questions yet I need get him as will not leave him. I'm worried that I'm not sure how to guarantee he doesn't go into our girl's bedroom & thus bite/infect her. I don't know how he'll be as seems tame & never saw him aggressive, & even let female cats jump in his way to eat from his bowl (they're feral too & have long since gone) tho he's a big Tom. Also, can I use any kind of temporar/removable screen/dog-type door to maybe block the bedroom, so as if I go into master bed that my girl cat can't escape & he can't follow me in?

TY for advice on either part of this. I also worry how TSA & a feral will work? he's going to need harness & lead on him thru ziiper opening of carrier & if they allow a separate request to screening room, I will do it. But if he need come out of carrrier, good luck to me, as he's wild & then would be hard to contain or get back into carrier?

Very complex prob I have. If anyone is going to help make it happen it is you all here!

Ok, alot of worry here.

 

[fionasmom]

Can you get him to go into a carrier of some sort and then shut the door? I did this with a feral years ago. Got her accustomed to eating in the carrier, way in the back, and finally shut the door on the last day as the moving company was coming, but it did work where a trap did not.

I have never flown with a cat, but possibly sedation might be necessary? Sorry that I don't have anything more constructive to say. In 2007 my GSD puppy was basically waved through once they saw his medical release to fly. In fact, it documented that he had had mange, treated for it, and they never even took a good look at the certificate.

 

[movinintime]

TY for this. I'm going to still try the trap inside the apt underneath us, if I can. I think that this way I may be able to lure him in & have the door shut rather than trying to approach him. He sees me & moves away fast even after 3 yrs of daily feedings. Thus he isn't yet even able to socialize in the least.

I am going to need to straight out trap him, & I think if hungry enough (hard for me to do as I can look down from 2nd floor at him & he looks up, & awaits me in morn & nite for his food) he'll eventually try to get it in trap & be trapped. I know this sounds crazy but I think him being hungry enough is the ONLY thing I've not had the heart to do yet. It may be time to do that.

As far as the med cert. I think it is a good idea & maybe the vet can give me something to show them he is special needs FiV. Also, sedation is poss. tho ppl warn of respiratory depression & they won't allow O2 to be used on a pet should it go into respiratory distress. So that alone worries me re meds for sedation as even Gabapentin can do this.

 

[Jcatbird]

I get that you feel the current apartment is a hard place to do anything but I really wish you could do a bit of socializing before flying. Having surgery that, I assume, is a bit more invasive than the usual Neuter, may mean he is more sedated. You mentioned the worry if oxyegen for him, you do know that you can do mouth to mouth on a cat? CPR for animals is done. If you are worried about the flight and health during flying, socializing and surgery first are the only way to avoid that. Flip side is that being drugged may make him sleep for much of the flight. We had a member here who had a feral and was leaving her home country. She did not want to leave the feral. Socializing left her nervous because the cat cried inside and begged to go out at first. They both got through it. The flight was from India to Canada! Very long. She ended up giving the cat calming meds during the flight but they survived fine. The cat then had to meet new family and two dogs. During this entire process everyone here acted as support. The cat and family are now settled and very happy. The dogs accepted kitty and kitty now owns the dogs. Lol Call the airline, the vet and get all the details hammered out about the flight. You need the accepted type of carrier, knowledge about possible medications, rules about medicated cat, FIV cat and rules about screening. Get this behind you early and confirm it with every part of the flight system. Then you know more about the timeline for trapping and surgery.
I know we have talked about getting closer to him. Seeing you from a distance means he knows you. Getting a step closer each day should not make him run at first. Very gradually reduce the distance and start doing it now. Keep your scent on a shirt or something under his food dish. He can’t miss it there. Lol Once you can get closer, trapping becomes much easier. You will have the option of just shutting the door on a carrier as suggested by fionasmom . I caught far more kitties that way than with traditional traps. You don’t have to fully socialize him now to establish a bit higher level of trust. One step closer is a bit more trust. Kitten steps.

 

[movinintime]

Well just another fast update for wk's end.

I went down & got near him this morn (rather than lower his food down to him from my patio above him) & he only moved a few feet away. I did not approach fast nor too close. I held his food bowl & he saw it. He reacted slower re moving away so a positive. I know he knows me well after 3 yrs feeding but still anyone near him makes him wary, even me. This is good tho as no one else hopefully can ever get near him nor lure him to them.

Ok, on flight info: I called TSA yest. & they'll work w/ me on him being feral. Thus I won't need remove him from carrier, my big worry when we board flight. So I'm relieved re this & now know as soon as I catch/trap him, that I only need get him to the vet. But then they'll put him in Sherpa carrier & I need pickup him only & take him home a day or so before the flight, as jcatbird said, to let him heal a bit from the neuter surg.


The shirt & my scent to him is the BEST idea yet. TY for that & the idea to hold him a day or so prior to flight after his surg. to make sure he's up to par & not so sedated/groggy. Both are things I never thought of til I heard it here. This is WHY I come on here as wonderful ideas help me plan & make my work easier.

Ok, more as I know.