Don’t know what to do - injured cat in drainage pipe

tabbytom

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This kitten is injured. Been in this drainage pipe about a week. It is 12 feet long and opens up inside a large fenced in parking lot.
:hangin: on please. Those with experience in this area will soon reply you.

If you are able to block up from the fence side by using a pole attached with a cardboard that is about the size of the hole and slowly push and close up the gap between the fence and the opening without injuring the kitten making the tunnel shorter so that the kitten is moved nearer to the opening.

A few things you can do when you attempt to get the kitten out at one try or two.
First, When you are about to do this, make sure you have a cage at the end of the opening with food in it.
Second, get ready a pole with something attached as mentioned above to gently push the kitten to the opening.
Third, either you push all the way from the back with a pole long enough to reach the opening or attach a pole with a string and tie the string to the dish and push it in nearer to the kitten and before that, block up the exit at the other end to the fence. Slowly pull the dish towards you and if the kitten advance, make the gap behind her smaller by closing up the gap behind her.

In other words, place a cage at the entrance of the hole with food in it and close up the gap behind her so that she gets closer to the cage or draw her nearer to the cage by pulling the dish nearer to you and each time she moves forward, close up the gap between her and the fence.
 

It'sA-ZsaZsaFitsyCat

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Not sure how accessible you think it is or not ... I've finagled into completely obscure places to get little babies, mine... fosters etc... I live in one of CT's biggest cities... So if it's 2:30am where you are also?... I'd just try to get in/reach the best you can... Times of the essence in helping that is hungry he'll definitely come to someone who's covered in tuna juice up their arm,!
 
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silent meowlook

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Epic fail. I did try everything I could think of. The drainage pipe is about 30 feet long, not 12 feet. Tried blocking the entrance and putting a carrier at the other side, tried using things to try to push him out, tried sound, freebreeze, everything imaginable. One of the ends He did of the drain pipe lets out inside a gaited apartment building. I stalked the entrance and snuck my car in after someone else then parked it by the gate to keep the gate open. I tried removing the carrier and hoping he would run out but he wouldn't. He traveled the entire length of the pipe but never close enough to get.
'
I finally had to leave because i have to work in the morning and it wouldn't be fair to the kitties I work with for me to go to work exhausted. I get home and Cheetah, my cat with lymphoma and asthma and hyperthyroid isn't feeling well.

I will probably never see that kitten again. Once I was gone, I am sure he bolted.
 

fionasmom

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You fought the good fight on that one. These situations are so precarious with so many possibilities or lack thereof. The kitten may still be there, depending on the extent of the injuries. There is no one who can investigate this like AC or a rescue? Around here, AC are not exactly crusaders, but it is their job to make the attempt or to help you.
 

tarasgirl06

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Epic fail. I did try everything I could think of. The drainage pipe is about 30 feet long, not 12 feet. Tried blocking the entrance and putting a carrier at the other side, tried using things to try to push him out, tried sound, freebreeze, everything imaginable. One of the ends He did of the drain pipe lets out inside a gaited apartment building. I stalked the entrance and snuck my car in after someone else then parked it by the gate to keep the gate open. I tried removing the carrier and hoping he would run out but he wouldn't. He traveled the entire length of the pipe but never close enough to get.
'
I finally had to leave because i have to work in the morning and it wouldn't be fair to the kitties I work with for me to go to work exhausted. I get home and Cheetah, my cat with lymphoma and asthma and hyperthyroid isn't feeling well.

I will probably never see that kitten again. Once I was gone, I am sure he bolted.
*PRAYERS* from the heart for sweet Cheetah! and also for this kitten. If you've been feeding him, and he is injured, he will know that there is a convenient and easy food source there and he will come back to it unless he gets scooped up by another good person and fostered or adopted. Hope you will keep an eye out and a dish full for this kitten, and keep us informed, won't you?
 

CatladyJan

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You might want to go back after the dust has settled and look for the kitten, do you have a trap? It was probably too much stress on both of you trying to get it. It should be much hungrier now and just push the issue. Prayers for Cheetah.
 

Jcatbird

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Prayers for Cheetah. This is not an epic fail. You may not have gotten the cat but the kitty saw you did not harm it. May I suggest you google community cat rescuers, stray cat rescuers, feral cat rescuers in your area and appeal to any and all for help. This may be too time consuming for you but please don’t feel you failed. There is still hope for you or another to try again. I have had cats in pipes like that too. They do tend to come out for water, food, potty or just daylight eventually. It may be that this kitty lives somewhere nearby. You could post a notice that injured cat was seen and ask for info. There are still avenues to be taken. The info given by others of placing traps ( I would place one at each opening) and putting food there can work but it may take repeated attempts. The cat is hurt AND scared but seeing a person return regularly can gain trust. I have gotten ferals and injured cats through repeat tried. If you have help, maybe this can be accomplished. Thank you for making such a valiant attempt. That’s what that was, not epic failure.
 
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silent meowlook

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He was gone for about 12 hours but then was back in the drain pipe again last night but not tonight.

There is a lady that feeds the colony cats at that apartment building and she is the one that would have the best relationship with the kitten. She has tried traps but he won't go in them. She tried a drop trap as well but he wouldn't go in it. It is hard to get to the other opening of the drain pipe because it is behind a gaited fenced in property. The people in the complex don't appreciate her feeding the cats and often throw away her things she has for the cats. So getting any help from them wouldn't be possible.

The complex is about 35 minute drive from where I live and isn't the best area to be in at night. Although I did survive being there until around 2 am the other night. But there were a good amount of sleazy people wandering around.

I did feral cat rescue decades ago and had to stop because I couldn't handle it anymore. I still work with cats but in a hospital setting so fortunately all the cats I am helping are owned and loved. Of course it gets sad but it is a much different sad than working with feral cats.

My cat Cheetah was many generations feral trapped in a dried up 30 foot deep water well when she was 4 months old when I got her. She is a wonderful cat and very social to me and my boyfriend but of course if someone else comes in the house they won't see her. It was a long process to tame her and the other cat I had at the time, Rusty, was the nicest cat in the world and he helped allot with taming her. He sadly left in 2018 at 17 years old due to kidney failure. She was heartbroken and would sleep in his carrier for a long time after that.

My most recent cat is Omapaw who I saw on a post in Facebook with someone pleading for help for a stray with a mangled paw. I try to avoid looking at cat posts on Facebook but I still do get involved with the ones I see that I think I can help.

Feral cats have the saddest of all lives I think. People can be so cruel to them and they do live a good part of their life in fear and justly so.

Anyway, I am rambling now.

The lady that feeds the kitten will tell me if he shows up again and hopefully that can be coordinated with the animal rescue organization I have been talking to and maybe we will get him. i sure hope so. Feral cats don't do well out here in the shelters or humane society. They won't help and then turn over the kitten either. The fire departments in this area are busy with fires etc and don't help out with cats.

Thank you for all the advice. I will let you know if we get him.
 

tarasgirl06

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He was gone for about 12 hours but then was back in the drain pipe again last night but not tonight.

There is a lady that feeds the colony cats at that apartment building and she is the one that would have the best relationship with the kitten. She has tried traps but he won't go in them. She tried a drop trap as well but he wouldn't go in it. It is hard to get to the other opening of the drain pipe because it is behind a gaited fenced in property. The people in the complex don't appreciate her feeding the cats and often throw away her things she has for the cats. So getting any help from them wouldn't be possible.

The complex is about 35 minute drive from where I live and isn't the best area to be in at night. Although I did survive being there until around 2 am the other night. But there were a good amount of sleazy people wandering around.

I did feral cat rescue decades ago and had to stop because I couldn't handle it anymore. I still work with cats but in a hospital setting so fortunately all the cats I am helping are owned and loved. Of course it gets sad but it is a much different sad than working with feral cats.

My cat Cheetah was many generations feral trapped in a dried up 30 foot deep water well when she was 4 months old when I got her. She is a wonderful cat and very social to me and my boyfriend but of course if someone else comes in the house they won't see her. It was a long process to tame her and the other cat I had at the time, Rusty, was the nicest cat in the world and he helped allot with taming her. He sadly left in 2018 at 17 years old due to kidney failure. She was heartbroken and would sleep in his carrier for a long time after that.

My most recent cat is Omapaw who I saw on a post in Facebook with someone pleading for help for a stray with a mangled paw. I try to avoid looking at cat posts on Facebook but I still do get involved with the ones I see that I think I can help.

Feral cats have the saddest of all lives I think. People can be so cruel to them and they do live a good part of their life in fear and justly so.

Anyway, I am rambling now.

The lady that feeds the kitten will tell me if he shows up again and hopefully that can be coordinated with the animal rescue organization I have been talking to and maybe we will get him. i sure hope so. Feral cats don't do well out here in the shelters or humane society. They won't help and then turn over the kitten either. The fire departments in this area are busy with fires etc and don't help out with cats.

Thank you for all the advice. I will let you know if we get him.
Keep trying. Please don't give up. Yes, I know it can be very exhausting, draining and demoralizing because of how people can be, but that's all the more reason we need every one of us to stay in there fighting for them and working with them. You sound like a "stayer" and I hope you will be.

Excuse me if I've already suggested this, but Alley Cat Allies is the global database for cats, especially feral/outdoor cats, and they have a wealth of suggestions, information and sources for anyone advocating for cats. alleycat.org is where they can be found.
 

Whenallhellbreakslose

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Hello. I read you thread last week and was going to answer it, but saw that you got some very good replies.

I think since you tried to trap th8s kitty who is too trap savvy, you may need to find a more experienced trapper who knows how to trap "difficult to trap cats." One thing I did to trap a difficult to trap cat was camouflage the drop trap and have the kitty eating under it for a few days, so he didn't see it as a threat. This takes time and patience. I know you said the area is not great, so that is why I suggested finding a very experienced trapper. Ally Cat Allies is a good place to start. Anyway, it took me 3 days to trap that male cat. He was like a Bucking Bronco underneath the drop trap, but we finally got him tnred. I know your situation is more complicated, but this technique does work. Here are some more tips on trapping difficult to trap cats, just in case you can't find anyone to help you. Best of luck.🙂

TNR Scenarios: Hard to Trap Cats

P.S. One other tip I can give you is using a tape recording of a Mama cat calling for her kittens placed near a covered trap as a way to entice the kitten to go into the trap. It is worth a try.
 

Jcatbird

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We do understand about how tough it can be to work with ferals. It certainly has pulled on my heart strings. I also know about working in risky areas do fo be careful. I have had some cats take a very long time deciding that it was safe to come out. Those cats were trap shy and I found that just simple cardboard boxes or clear Rubbermaid containers were more appealing to them. An old blanket draped over part of the containers helped in some cases. Maybe locals would leave an old box alone. The other tact I took recently was to harness one of my cats and he managed to draw out the cat. It was a new approach for me but the old guy turned out to be a search and rescue cat. He was once a feral himself and this was an unusual case but you never know what might work. I guess my point here is that I hope that lady does not give up or that any rescue group you can appeal to will find a way. I think you are amazing that you found another route to continue helping cats of all kinds. :clap2:
 
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silent meowlook

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Hi
Yes I had talked to the lady trying to trap him about concealing the trap etc. It is not the kind of area you can just leave the trap set up. You have to watch it. I also talked to her about making sure the trap is clean and doesn't have other cats fear smells on it.

Apparently before he got injured he was the target of other feral cats in the neighborhood. He is a loner and the woman saw a couple of the older cats go after him and run him off multiple times. The cats that did that are neutered. But you know territory is of great value too.

She had the animal rescue person come out a couple of times and they couldn't get him. They brought a net, but of course it was way to short and to big to get into the pipe. I am handy with a net as a last resort, but you have to be able to see what you are doing or you can seriously injure the cat. Either way they get traumatized but life or death situations you do what you must. I wouldn't attempt to net a cat I couldn't see. Also had a rabies pole which I cant even start talking about how I feel about rabies or catch poles on cats. They are fantastic pieces of equipment if you want the cat to break his neck. Other suggestions were to get something around his neck. So, that is also a stupid idea.

Anyway, kitten is back. I just talked to the lady that feeds him. She hasn't fed him since 10pmlast night so at least he is hungry. He is in the pipe now. I am going to use s bunch of flexible pool noodles taped together and a carrier on the other end and give it my best shot again. I will let every one know what happens.

I also have no idea what I am going to do when I get him. I can't have another cat at home and the last time I tried to train a feral cat at work it was a disaster. For some reason people just can't do as they are asked and leave cats alone. It is frustrating.

Uh Oh....sounds like I am in a bad mood.
 
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