Getting Ready To Trap A Stray - He Appears To Have An Eye Infection

[elizabeth k]

It does sound like the trap may be faulty. I would advise that when you set the trap the next time, please watch from the inside of your house to see what happens. This is the way you should do it anyway, because as soon as the cat is trapped, you want to cover the trap with a towel and bring the cat inside or to the vet (not sure what your plan is) . But you don't want to leave the cat panicking in the trap outside for hours or overnight. That is very stressful to a cat, a cat can really injure their face trying to get out and also he would be vulnerable to predators. I know it is time consuming to sit inside a house and watch out the window sometimes for a few hours, but that really is the best way to do the process. In the meantime, continue to get food with the antibiotics inside of him every day, especially since the eye is beginning to heal. If the eye infection can clear up, then you will have more time to relax in the trapping process.

Yes I do think the trap is faulty. I will watch the trap tonight and bring it inside if he gets in it. I can't take him to the vet right away because he only comes after dark. Tomorrow I am returning the trap and I will either borrow one that is not faulty or go to the downtown HS. What a process. I just hope he goes for it tonight. Poor kitty.

 

[elizabeth k]

Kitty is outside. I am sitting at a window watching him. Fingers crossed. He is sitting on the porch looking into the house through the sidelight window on the door. I went out there and he was meowing at me like crazy (he's a talker), but he backs away from me. He is curious about the food in the trap, but very leery. His eye looks so much better. msaimee-thank you so much for telling me about Fish Mox. Hopefully he and I will be on our way to the HS in the morning. I have decided to name him Stormy. He is a mottled grey with a few tan swirls here and there and he has a tabby-striped tail. He looks like a Stormy . I am guessing he is around 18 mos. old. I am happy that he came around while he is young. Once he is neutered he will have a better quality of life.

 

[elizabeth k]

Stormy did not go for the food in the trap. I watched until 1 am then closed the trap up and went to bed. The food was still in the trap when I closed it up (I forgot to remove it). This morning Stormy and a large raccoon were both sitting on the porch. I prepared new food for Stormy, adding the Fish Mox to it. The good news is that as I write this, he is eating the food I prepared for him. I am bringing the trap back to my local HS today and then heading over to the larger HS to borrow one of their traps. I am going to ask for one with a back door. Hopefully they have them.

 

[Sarthur2]

It's a relief to hear that his eye is getting better!

 

[msaimee]

Some cats are very trap savvy, and if he sprang it the other day but didn't get trapped because the trap was faulty, it may have scared him enough that he won't go back into a trap. It really depends on the cat, some will enter it a second time some won't. Are you making any progress in your ability to approach him or touch him? Are you able to sit beside him while he eats? It's great that he is eating the food with the antibiotics in and that his eye is healing, that is the most important thing to focus on right now. Maybe you should hold off on the trapping attempt until his eye is completely healed, hopefully within a week? I would hate for him to get spooked and then hide for several days and the infection returns. If you are making progress in being able to be near him or touch him, then even if the trapping doesn't work right now, maybe you can handle him enough to get him into a pet carrier in time.

 

[elizabeth k]

His eye looks very good! The last two nights he ate some of the food with the antibiotic, not all of it. But, it is definitely working. He looks good. As far as getting closer to him, it is just about the same. Two-three feet seems to be the boundary when I am standing. I cannot sit next to him when he eats. I can sit about 5 feet from him when he eats. He still sits right at my front door and peeks in the window until I come out...then he runs. If my dog runs to the window and barks at him, he doesn't move--no fear of the dog on the other side of the window.

I had to return the trap on Friday. I am off from work on Wednesday, so that will be my first opportunity to head downtown to the larger HS. I may take your advice and hold off on the trap for a bit until his eye is completely healed. I am also going to call or email the HS to ask if they have traps with back-escape doors. I know the local rescues have them because I have borrowed them in the past. I may check again with the rescues to see if they have any traps available now. Last week and the week before they did not have any available.

 

[elizabeth k]

Not much new to report since I last posted. Kitty showed up this past Wednesday and Thursday night. He ate all the food with the Fish Mox those two days. But, I have not seen him since -- no show Friday, Saturday or Sunday night.

 

[Sarthur2]

Oh dear! I hope he returns soon!

 

[elizabeth k]

After being gone for 8 or 9 days (I have lost count), kitty came back tonight. He was very hungry and his eyes look really bad again. I am going to the HS on Monday to borrow a trap and try again. I have got to get this poor guy. I thought about not feeding him tonight so that maybe he would be so hungry tomorrow night that he would get in the trap. But, I fed him -- he needed more Fish Mox and I figured he would go wherever he has been for the last 8-9 days and eat.

 

[ashade1]

Oh no! I hope you are able to get him soon! I think an antibiotic shot would be good for him! Could you post a picture of him so we can see his eye?

 

[orange&white]

I sure hope you can successfully catch him early this week. It is good news that he's turned back up.

 

[elizabeth k]

I got another trap. He has been back for three straight days and he is not going for it. I think I will remove the dry food I put out for him. Hopefully if he is good and hungry he will go for the trap. I am still putting Fish Mox in his food. The problem with borrowing traps is that you only get them for 7 days.

The good news is that I got very close twice. I got down very low and put my hand out. He got within 6 inches of my hand and swatted it. The bad part of getting so close is that I got a close look at his eyes. Lots of crust and goo.
The second time, I got down low again and he sniffed my hand and ran back a few feet. I think I am getting very close and hopefully soon I will be able to pick him up and put him into a carrier.

 

[elizabeth k]

Oh no! I hope you are able to get him soon! I think an antibiotic shot would be good for him! Could you post a picture of him so we can see his eye?

I will take a photo of his eyes tonight (if I can) and I will post it. And I completely agree with you; he needs an antibiotic shot badly.

 

[orange&white]

If he swatted at you when he had freedom to run away, I wouldn't try to pick him up. At least not without welding gloves, a heavy coat, and eye protection.

Are you putting his kibble outside the trap? If so, I'd lock the trap so it does not spring and put the kibble inside it so he goes in to eat without being trapped for a few meals. Then set it to spring.

If the trap doesn't work, you may need to get a net like @lavishsqualor did with one of his ferals. That would be a lot safer than trying to pick him up.

 

[Sarthur2]

I agree. Feed him in the trap without setting it. This is your best bet for trapping him. Poor boy sounds like he really needs treatment for his eyes, including prescription eye meds.

 

[elizabeth k]

Thank you for the suggestions--good ideas. I will try putting kibble into the trap for a few days without having it set to spring. I really wish the HS would let people borrow the traps for more than a week. What is the title of @lavishsqualor's thread about using a net to trap a feral? I can't find it. Kitty has been back visiting for 5-6 straight days so I have managed to get the Fish Mox into him consistently. His eyes look really good now. Because he disappears after showing up for several days in a row, I have not been able to treat him with Fish Mox for 10 consecutive days and once he returns, his eyes look bad again. He really needs an antibiotic shot. He has been sleeping curled up on the mat outside my front door. I won't pick him up without gloves- I learned that the hard way (infection in hand). In fact, he is running away again when I approach him (no more swatting). I just hope I get him soon.

 

[orange&white]

Happy to hear his eye looks better! Hope you get him soon.

 

[orange&white]

What is the title of @lavishsqualor's thread about using a net to trap a feral? I can't find it. .

Here is a link to the post when he caught the cat. The net was a fishing net from a sporting goods store:

WE CAUGHT HIM! YAY! YAY! YAY! YAY!

It was embarrassing how easy it was with the net.

He screamed bloody murder all the way back to Orlando. No matter what I did he just wouldn't quieten down. The poor cat was totally horse by the time we got to my vet's office.

She's going to give him the once over and then hopefully neuter him and take care of his injured ear. I didn't realize how emaciated this poor cat actually was until I picked him up in the net. He's nothing but a bag of bones.

When I took over this property as regional and the residents told me about how someone had poured hot grease on this cat . . . well, my heart just went out to him. The residents said he laid under a bush for weeks crying and that you could smell burned hair and flesh every time you walked by. This is a low income property so no one had any money to help him but they did what they could by feeding him. I've tried numerous times to trap him since then but like I said earlier he's very trap savvy.

My vet said he is probably close to fifteen years old. My goal is to buff him up and then relocate him to my house. I don't know that I'd ever be able to put him inside the house but I could try. I can't imagine the pain and suffering this animal has gone through and I'd like him to live out the remainder of his life in comfort and security.

Thank you to everyone who contributed on this thread! I'll update with a few photos once I get him back from the vet tomorrow.