Feral in my garage

Jcatbird

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Put a tiny plate on the far side of the trip plate. I used a half of a tiny paper plate. I bent one side up a little so they had to go closer for the food. Licking something takes longer. I used Gerber 2nd foods all meat baby food. No onions or any other ingredient. If you need to put stinky fish or whatever he likes, do that. If he is so involved in yummy food he loses track of what he is doing, it’s easier to get him. As I said, try practicing with the filled water bottle inside the house first. See if you can do it. If he is only halfway in, you may have him get out. Be calm. Patient. Wait and watch. I know it’s hard but if he is all the way in but dodges the trip plate, the water bottle trick can be better. Even if the Trip plate is not set ( you won’t set it if the other door is open and you are triggering closing with the bottle) he can avoid the trip plate but still be caught. Practice this! You must place the bottle so it does not get caught in the door. You must be amble to snatch it clear and this is why I say to practice. It really isn’t hard, you just have to know where to place the bottle. You may have to tip it a bit. Practice outside too on uneven ground and get the feel for doing this. This is exactly why I love the Trucatch traps! You can do this! :yess:
 
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Bitsy's Mom

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Put a tiny plate on the far side of the trip plate. I used a half of a tiny paper plate. I bent one side up a little so they had to go closer for the food. Licking something takes longer. I used Gerber 2nd foods all meat baby food. No onions or any other ingredient. If you need to put stinky fish or whatever he likes, do that. If he is so involved in yummy food he loses track of what he is doing, it’s easier to get him. As I said, try practicing with the filled water bottle inside the house first. See if you can do it. If he is only halfway in, you may have him get out. Be calm. Patient. Wait and watch. I know it’s hard but if he is all the way in but dodges the trip plate, the water bottle trick can be better. Even if the Trip plate is not set ( you won’t set it if the other door is open and you are triggering closing with the bottle) he can avoid the trip plate but still be caught. Practice this! You must place the bottle so it does not get caught in the door. You must be amble to snatch it clear and this is why I say to practice. It really isn’t hard, you just have to know where to place the bottle. You may have to tip it a bit. Practice outside too on uneven ground and get the feel for doing this. This is exactly why I love the Trucatch traps! You can do this! :yess:
Has I known - I would not have bought my second try catch trap or would have bought the 36” one so he’d be in farther. Dang it! I had no idea. But I will try to practice witb the water bottle. I have to be pretty far away but will do my best. He NEVER goes all the way in - that’s the problem. And if the trap is covered - he won’t step foot in it at all.
 

Jcatbird

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The nice thing about the water bottle trick is that you can go are far away as you need to. As long as you have plenty of string. I have stayed inside my car, gotten under a tarp, gone behind bushes, etc. and as long as the string is clear of anything it could get caught on, you’re good!
Actually, the new trap is a good back up! I think it being talker and wider will make a big difference. It’s the close sides and top that I found kept cats from going in. Besides, thise are in high demand. If you don’t end up loving it and keeping it (I kept mine) for possible future needs then you can probably seek it easily. You can also donate to a 501 and get a tax write off. Any rescue group would be grateful to have it. Mine is the smaller one and I can’t tell you how many times I thought about getting a larger one! I would not get rid of it for awhile. Let’s get Oscar and get him socialized first.
 

Norachan

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I recommend the bottle trick. I used this method a lot when I was trying to catch a very smart feral girl and all her brothers had already been neutered. The boys would keep going into the trap and eating all the food before she got there. I'm sure they knew they were going to be released as soon as they'd eaten and I didn't have enough spare traps to keep them contained while I caught their sister.

With the bottle trick I could leave loads of food in the trap, let the boys come in and out without the trap door closing and finally caught the girl too.

I suggest you have a few dry runs with the bottle before you move the trap outside and try to get Oscar. It works better with a full bottle and a long length of rope tied close to the base. But try a couple of times so you know where is the best place to put the bottle, how hard you need to pull the rope etc.
 
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Bitsy's Mom

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I am going to try without the bottle first I think. I will set both traps up close to each other. Does that make sense to try that first? I get the new trap Saturday and will drive down on Tuesday. He will be hungry for sure.
 
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Bitsy's Mom

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Sadly the trap is outside at the house I’m selling. It’s where he is and where I feed him. I’m two hours away! I’ve been driving down every 2-3 days and can’t do it much longer since it’s killing me. I have to get him!
 

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I was wondering why a net hasn't been suggested or considered?
It's not a good idea to attempt to net a cat unless A. You're very experienced and B. It's an absolute last resort.

Netting could so easily go wrong. The cat could be injured, if you don't get it exactly right first time the cat will thrash around and escape If you don't get them seated exactly right and are left with a feral cat half out of the net somehow tangled up in it you are going to get very badly hurt trying to get them out.

I've done it once with a very sick semi-feral cat, but he was inside of my house at the time and was tame enough to be petted. I still ended up with some nasty scratches though and needed to go to A&E to get them cleaned and get antibiotics.

I really don't recommend netting.
 
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Bitsy's Mom

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Yes; netting would not be a good idea and also, he is in the bushes until I am a good distance away.

Question: Tomorrow the fat cat trap will be delivered. When I go down on Wednesday - should I set up both traps? First, the one he has been eating 3/4 of the way in? And then 5 feet away - the fat cat trap? Is it better to set two up at once or just one? He is used to the one that is there 24/7 (not set.)

I NEVER leave the traps unattended. THe one that is there now is zip-tied closed but parked where he hangs out. After I set the traps, I go into the house and watch from a window. Then, after a couple of hours - I go remove the food since flys and ants are all over it and it's disgusting.

So on Wed, should I set two traps in the same area - and give him an option for either, or just replace the one he knows with the fat cat trap?

Thanks.
 

tarasgirl06

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Yes; netting would not be a good idea and also, he is in the bushes until I am a good distance away.

Question: Tomorrow the fat cat trap will be delivered. When I go down on Wednesday - should I set up both traps? First, the one he has been eating 3/4 of the way in? And then 5 feet away - the fat cat trap? Is it better to set two up at once or just one? He is used to the one that is there 24/7 (not set.)

I NEVER leave the traps unattended. THe one that is there now is zip-tied closed but parked where he hangs out. After I set the traps, I go into the house and watch from a window. Then, after a couple of hours - I go remove the food since flys and ants are all over it and it's disgusting.

So on Wed, should I set two traps in the same area - and give him an option for either, or just replace the one he knows with the fat cat trap?

Thanks.
It's your call, Bitsy's Mom Bitsy's Mom --I've not heard of this being done before, but as long as the traps are monitored, it shouldn't make a difference whether one or two is available.
 

shadowsrescue

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I would go ahead and set both. It can't hurt having both of them. If you find it's upsetting him, then you can just take the old one away. Maybe if you put one in a slightly different location he might find it interesting and be more inclined to go inside.
 
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Bitsy's Mom

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I would go ahead and set both. It can't hurt having both of them. If you find it's upsetting him, then you can just take the old one away. Maybe if you put one in a slightly different location he might find it interesting and be more inclined to go inside.
Yes - that is what my hope is. That perhaps since it's new and roomier than the trap he is used to ..curiosity and the smell of food will get him to walk to the end. It is the same depth ..just 3 inches wider and 3 inches taller.
 

tarasgirl06

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So the fat cat trap got here and it’s defective!! I put my 18 lb cat in and she didn’t trip it. I called the company and they are sending me a new one. Ugh. So I am still going down tomorrow and will try with the one I have down there.
That's too bad about the new one but good that they are making good on sending another. *PRAYERS* and hope, hope, hope for Oscar to come in TOMORROW!
 
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