Help with ferals

[wolcar]

I'm not sure we have chosen perfect trap placement. We've gotten very lucky with catching but it was mostly kittens that aren't as smart as the adult cats. I'm trying to get them off the ground a little to prevent any ants from getting in my food. Some days the ants get to the wet food quick and some days they don't at all. I've found that if I raise the trap even one inch off the ground then there are no bugs.

Cleaning the traps is a good idea. You just wipe them down? I will do that this morning.

Al is a good looking grey cat. He does look a bit cross eyed, though, and walks a little bow legged. I can't wait to trap him to get him fixed and checked out overall.

I'm going on vacation next week and have to get my peeps to take care of the cats while I'm gone. There will be no trapping while I'm gone. I guess I will rig all the traps to stay open and have them feed in there still to trick the little stinkers. Haha

 

[wolcar]

UPDATE:  Already caught Al, the big grey boss.  I'm so excited.

 

[dahlia]

Congratulations!  It is always nice to get the big toms taken care of because it cuts down on the fighting.  Let us know what the vet says when you take him in.

 

[ondine]

Wonderful!  He'll still be the boss cat - he just won't need to boss everyone around.  I am so happy for you.  Let us know how he is ...

About cleaning the traps - I just spray them with Clorox Cleanup , let them sit for a bit, then hose them off.  If there are remnants of poop, I use a scrub brush to get rid of them.

Then I spray them with the Enzyme cleaner to get rid of all the other cat's smells.  Let them dry in the sun and you're good to go!

 

[ritz]

Congratulations on getting big Al!  You GO girl! (or boy)

Not sure if this has been mentioned yet, but before trapping, you can spray the traps with a calming agent; Feliway comes in a spray version (as well as a plug in).

For really hard to trap cats, I've mixed some organic cat nip in with the bait (I use canned wet food).

 

[shadowsrescue]

Congrats!  What a great accomplishment.  It's always great when you catch the big guys!   You are doing such a wonderful job!
 

 

[wolcar]

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• wolcar
• Jul 18, 2013

Here is a pic. The vet said he probably has a neurological problem with the crossed eyes and strange walk involving his back legs. She said she will check him out and make sure he's good to go. He's over 12 lbs so whatever his issue may be it doesn't interfere with his eating, lol

He also didn't seem nasty or anything. He just sat in the trap calmly event when the vet tech was checking to confirm that he was male.

 

[wolcar]

Video of Al's release.

 

[ondine]

That's wonderful!  He will be so much healthier now.  I'm so glad you got him.

 

[wolcar]

I just wanted to update. Forgotten cats recently came out to help me trap more of the cats. We got another five more and we ended up catching big al again. We released him because he was already fixed and he wouldn't leave. He eventually started doing figure eights around my legs but I was too afraid to pick him up. The next day he was in my trap again so I took him to the vet and it turns out he is nice as pie and healthy aside from the cross eyes. The rescue I volunteer for is going to intake him and get him a home. Here is a video of him at the vet. Very short but you can see how nice he is. It makes me sad that I didn't know this in July when I initially trapped him.

 

[wolcar]

Forgot the Clip

 

[catwoman707]

Aww! Love the clip! What a big sweetheart!

Awesome job you are doing.

 

[ondine]

Aww.  I am so happy he's going to find a forever home.  Vibes!!!!

 

[wolcar]

Yea, I feel like it was a victory. I've stopped in to see him a few times and he is super friendly.

I also have a woman I'm meeting tomorrow who is going to help me with my colony. She going to tell me specifically what I need to do to properly take care of thir needs

image.jpg

• wolcar
• Jan 11, 2014

 

[shadowsrescue]

I am so happy that he will have a home where he can be loved and cared for.  You have done such a great job!  Kudos to you for all your hard work.  Thanks so much for the update too.