Tips for SAFELY trapping kittens?

[moxiewild]

My experience trapping kittens is fairly limited because I usually have people to defer kitten situations to. I’ve only ever trapped 1-2 orphaned kittens at a time, or used kitten traps with orphaned kittens.

Right now I’m working on 4 kittens (~7 weeks old) and their mom.

I’m struggling with trapping the kittens safely. I’ve been going at dawn and dusk the past few days.

They go into pretty much everything I have set out - box traps, a drop trap, a pet carrier, and a wire dog crate. Mom will go into any and all of those things too so long as I’m far enough away. They are only semi-feral.

I’m getting frustrated because theoretically, this should be easy peasy lemon squeezy. But I’m running into several issues.

The primary issue is that all four kittens are almost constantly together. And whether it’s the drop trap, box trap, carrier, or crate, one of them is ALWAYS in the danger zone. Either half of their body or their entire tail is in danger of being crushed. (For this reason, I am reserving the box trap for mom only right now).

I could have had all four kittens - and in some cases with the drop trap and crate, all four AND Momma - about 20 times over already if not for this.

Once while I was setting up I came back from my car and noticed one of the black kittens (another issue all on its own when trapping at night!!!) was most of the way in the carrier.

I figured he’d run as I got closer so I didn’t really think anything if it, but suddenly I am right next to it and he doesn’t seem to notice me! So I silently wait until he looks all the way in.

Problem is, most of the kittens are solid black. I’m having trouble seeing them at night so I have to set up lanterns and flashlights that they luckily don’t seem to mind anymore.

But because I was still setting up, I hadn’t done that yet. So even though he looked to be completely inside, I wasn’t 100% confident his entire tail was clear, so when i shut the door, I hesitated/did it more weakly than I should.

He pushed his way out and I was like “dang it” and completely let go of the door....... AND THEN THE THREE OTHERS RAN OUT BEHIND HIM!!!

I had no idea they were in there!!! I thought it was just him since I hadn’t even been gone but for about 20 seconds! So mad at myself, but I was really afraid of hurting his tail.

I haven’t seen all four go completely all the way into anything ever since.

Any tips?

I can easily get one (it seems they stick to both extremes when they go in - just one, or all four. Had been hoping to trap at least two the first time, but it’s only ever one or four in there!) but I’m really not a fan of that because I have serious doubts that a lone kitten would do well with me if I can’t manage to trap at least one other sibling the same night.

And since the other kittens are always near, I’m also afraid I’ll scare them off since they WILL see it and only be a foot or two away when it happens. So I feel like my odds of being able to trap another one the same exact night would probably be low.

Am I being too paranoid?

Another issue is Mom. I’ve been keeping track of these kittens since they were a week old. Mom moves them constantly. She will even stop coming to any given food location if she perceives even the tiniest threat (the neighbor who feeds her has had to change the feeding location multiple times over the most minor incidences).

So mom is very protective (her entire litter this past spring apparently didn’t make it, and there were originally 5 in this current litter). And she’s always with the kittens when I’m trapping. So, like the kitten siblings, she WILL see when it happens (she is within 20 feet most of the time).

I was ideally trying to get all four kittens at one time so there wouldn’t be a risk of her moving any I didn’t manage to trap. Am I overreacting to that concern?

How does it usually work for you guys?

I know the basics of how to do everything. Aim for kittens first, then Mom, but if Mom is trapped first, you can use her for bait. Can also use kitten and siblings for bait, etc.

I am just so worried about hurting one of the kittens, and/or mom moving them.

I would appreciate any advice from those of you with more experience trapping kittens and their Mommas!!!

Summary of questions:

- What can I do better to ensure all kittens are out of the “danger zone” of the traps?

- How bad of an idea is it to trap just a single kitten first?

- How likely would it be that I could trap other kittens the same night if I only trap one initially right in front of them?

- How concerned should I be about Mom moving them and having more difficulty trapping them if she sees me trapping 1+ kitten?

- Any tips for trapping/being able to see tiny black kittens (all the way down to the tip of their tail) in the dark?

 

[moxiewild]

Welp, tonight did not go well.

I got there and within an hour I had two kittens all the way in the crate.

The two others were circling and I debated back and forth about waiting for them to go in too, but they’d already been putzing around for quite some time so I just decided to go for it with the two I already had in there.

Everything went fine until one of the kittens squeezed right through the bars. The other one was attempting to and i ultimately let him out because again, I didn’t just want one.

I have MOST of the crate actually wrapped in chicken wire but didn’t bother with the two doors because I already felt I was overreacting about them getting through the bars - several people were telling me that and I already know i’m overly paranoid about this because I’ve had an adult feral escape a crate that had at least 30 zip ties on it. To this day I still have no clue how he did it and it haunts me!

I am just so upset.

I’d planned to stay a few hours, then head home because I have to take my parents to the airport around 5, and then after my partner was going to come with me back to the house (which is a family friends) to trap again.

However, since I’ve been using the crate the most when working with them because I feel it would be the least traumatic way to trap them, I decided to end trapping early to finish escape proofing it.

Gave the kitties some treats when I left to end on a good note.

Luckily, it seemed like everyone forgave me pretty immediately, including Mom! So that’s encouraging as far as some of my initial concerns go.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I can't really be of any help, but by responding to your post it will be 'bumped up' on the list and hopefully more members who are experienced with trapping will see your questions and offer some tips!!

 

[fionasmom]

You are doing a very good job and are showing a lot of concern for the cat family. I have had to trap whole families on a couple of occasions. It is never a set, step by step, scenario and I have had all variations happen. On two occasions, I did get two at once; two siblings and a mom and kitten. I have also used multiple traps out of necessity, figuring as you have that once one goes in the rest will have learned their lesson and I would not get anyone, but for some reason the experience never translated over and I continued to trap the rest of the litter. Last summer I worked with three Havahart traps and at one point they were all at the vet's with kittens in them.

I have found that sometimes you have to up the quality of bait. My go to choice is KFC or some supermarket variety but it has to be very similar. Healthy breaded chicken does not do it, they want the very aromatic greasy stuff. If you have been using the same bait, they might not be as attracted to it and might throw caution to the winds if you get something different. Some cats will go for mackerel or tuna.

I think that I am understanding that you are not using a Havahart trap. Certainly it is your choice and if you do not have access to them or do not want to purchase them, I get that. For myself, I own a custom made drop trap which I am a complete klutz with and have never trapped anything with it. In fact, one very hard to get feral escaped from it and was never trapped again. I have never used a box trap but I think that I know what you mean. I have used a dog carrier in one occasion where I needed a cat to continually eat inside the carrier until the day when I would close the door behind her. It worked, but it was a long process.

Havahart traps guarantee that there is no danger zone because of the design of the trap. As for the other traps, it is tricky and whether or not the cat would be hurt by the trap door closing on a part of their body or tail is relative to how it occurs. I did have to push a foot into a trap once when I needed to retrap a feral in a dog crate and no damage occurred.

I have always trapped what I can get. Single, multiple, whatever walks into the trap and can be trapped.

Whether all the remaining cats will be wary after seeing one trapped is something that cannot be guaranteed. In my experience, it did not seem to be much of a problem. Mother cats do move kittens...again, not guaranteed pattern. Usually feral moms do keep the near a food source and have a game plan, so if you are their only feeder they will probably stay around.

Having said all this, I am sure that others have varying experiences with ferals which might differ.

 

[moxiewild]

fionasmom Thank you so much for responding!

By box trap, I mean a traditional trap. I have two Havaharts (1099’s) and two Tomahawk traps zip tied and out at all times right now.

I’ve never had an issue using them with adults because only one goes in at a time.

With the kittens, one or two will go in and get to the trip plate while another is just entering the trap - so if it were actually set, it would close on that third kitten. They are spring loaded so the closing is forceful enough to severely injure or kill a kitten of their size.

This isn’t always the case though and sometimes only a single kitten will go in at a time, but I’ve already seen the multiple kitten scenario happen enough times while zip tied that I’m not willing to risk it.

I also have a Tomahawk drop trap (unset and propped up) at all times, and they eat and hang out under it regularly.

And like I said, I’m getting them used to the carrier and crate as well.

I normally don’t use all of these things at once, but this place is over an hour away so I’m trying to be as efficient as possible because trapping there and the commute are real time/gas sucks!

I have about 10 different baits with me for the same reason! Including Mackerel, sardines, and tuna. I try to save fried chicken for last if nothing else works!

They all go for the bait fine, it’s just making sure any given kittens are all the way in the trap at the same time so I can manually trigger the traps!!!

I am thinking perhaps I need to stop doing a bait trail and maybe that’s part of the problem?

I’ve found that these guys LOVE Fortiflora so I sprinkle it into any given trap toward the “real” bait. They were hesitant to enter the traps until I did this, but I’m thinking that’s why they keep getting stuck along perimeters/entries. They’re busy sniffing the ground there.

Maybe now that they’re a little more used to going in I just need to keep all bait at the very back. I’ll try that tonight.

It’s just soooo frustrating because there have been countless times now I could have easily had all four kittens or even the entire family in one fell swoop were it not for a kitten putzing around at the trap entry or under the perimeter of the drop trap!

 

[fionasmom]

Odd about the FortiFlora as I have a cat who absolutely adores it as well. But that is off the subject.

I misunderstood that you were already using Havahart/Tomahawk and yes, I do see the concern about it coming down on a kitten. If you are already manually triggering by using a remote trigger or pulling out the stick with a string then that avenue has already been investigated.

Do they always go into the same trap....like these guys travel in a group? If you put two traps close together would one possibly go into one and another into the other trap. The kittens I trapped last summer were 8 weeks old and were playmates, but did not stick together so it made trapping them much easier. Can anyone help you to sit and manually trigger the traps? You are making a long drive and have invested a lot of time. I am sure that you have already thought of that of course.

As for the perimeter of the trap, I have seen cats who will investigate the outside of a trap if there are left over smells from the previous bait, or cats who will pause halfway in because some bait fell off in the process of putting it in place. Definitely clean the ground or move the traps and try to keep all the bait in one place. FortiFlora certainly could travel a little ways given it is so powdery.

I don't usually do bait trails although I know that a lot of rescuers do. Your family sounds very used to what is going on by now and probably does not need to have a trail.

Do they have food out when you are not there? I assume that the food comes with you? They eat in the trap when you arrive and of course if you could get them they would be taken away from that site?

If this were going on in your back yard it would be stressful enough, but the drive has to be the clincher.

How semi feral? Any chance that they might become socialized enough to approach? Is the same kitten the putzer or does it change?

Please don't feel like you have to answer questions. I am just thinking "out loud." I have had to do some crazy things to trap kittens like rig a string through a window screen and pull from inside the house, but at least I was at home. I wish that I could think of anything else that would help you aside from you keep on doing this until at least one or two are trapped and that might speed things up.

 

[moxiewild]

No, no, no, I REALLY appreciate you taking he one to respond!!!

Yes, they stick together like glue!!! Once one picks up the scent, they’ll all stop doing what they’re doing (usually playing) and follow suit. Once one goes in, the others follow in a staggered, but close, formation.

Every one in a while if the play time is super intense, the other three won’t immediately notice when one wonders off. So occasionally I do have just a single kitten in a trap. But like I said, I hesitate to separate only one in case I don’t manage to trap another the same night. I’m trying to save that as a last resort if possible (or reasonable).

Unfortunately my partner has an odd school schedule this semester with classes very early, and then very late, so he hasn’t been able to accompany me.

He was supposed to come this weekend, but after the escape, I realized I also needed to kitten proof the XXL crate we intend to keep them in, as the spacing between the bars is the same as the small/medium crate they escaped from. So instead of trapping, I spent last night wrapping the giant thing in chicken wire and painstakingly taking care of sharp edges. It took all night!

He’ll come with me tonight, but won’t be available again until next weekend unless we go midday. I usually only trap at night, but I think we’ll try during the day at some point if I don’t get any tonight.

The neighbor feeds them, but I am coordinating with her. The Momma is definitely still nursing, so I only told the neighbor to reduce food. She’s been feeding her for a while now so I’m not sure how great Momma’s hunting skills are anymore.

I tell the woman to give half the usual serving at breakfast and then skip dinner. Then I show up a couple of hours after she normally would have been fed. Since I’ve been unsuccessful trapping her, I do feed her at the end by leaving food in the (unset) traps.

They are only semi feral. I’ve been working with the kittens while there and can now get very close to them, definitely within picking up distance, but can not touch them.

I fear picking them up would be traumatic for them and they would associate the experience too closely to humans. I worry that it could hinder their taming and socialization.

Momma stays within 20ft of me the whole time and has come as close as 5ft on two occasions.

They will all be easy to tame once I have them!

I honestly can’t tell who is brave and who is timid out of the kittens, because two are all black and the other two are black and white with (as far as I can tell) the same exact color pattern. I have an inkling there is one timid black one and one timid white one, but it’s impossible for me to confirm!

 

[msaimee]

I used a small humane trap to trap young kittens, because the adult sized traps can harm a small kitten. It was one designed for small critters, it actually came as a set with the adult sized trap at Tractor Supply for 25 dollars.

 

[moxiewild]

msaimee I was considering using a squirrel trap actually, but I just wasn’t sure if it was safe for kittens or not. So that’s very good to know!

 

[moxiewild]

Update!!!

Nixing the bait trail worked brilliantly! We caught these two within 20 minutes tonight!!!

Sorry for the poor quality! They had a rough night so I didn’t want to bug them too much trying to get a good photo.

Unfortunately, the other two were nursing as we trapped these guys. So they just slept once they were done and they obviously weren’t interested in the bait once they woke up!

The upside is that because they were nursing (under the drop trap!) as it was going on, Momma didn’t even notice what happened! So hopefully there will be no associating if with us!

She did search for them for about 20-30 minutes once she realized they were gone though... that’s always so incredibly difficult to watch, I hate it.

 

[fionasmom]

Yah!!!! I am so happy for you that this trapping operation is now underway! I have also been in situations where the mother or other siblings did not really show awareness that others had been trapped. That is what saved me last summer when I had the kitten apocalypse around here. Of course she searched for them and that is hard to watch; you almost have to put this out of your mind as what you are doing is so much for the greater good.

They are adorable little kittens with their great big stuffed toy mama in the carrier. You really have thought of everything for them.

Hopefully, the rest will go more easily....if two walk into the trap together you will hopefully have a much clearer view of who is safe from the slamming door.

Glad to learn that you have a friendly neighbor who is on board. When a couple of us had a feral community at my workplace it was a neighbor who fed them on the weekends.

I also have a kitten trap, but an old one. It did not close as easily as it should and that was the trap that I had to rig from the window of my living room.

I hope that this comes to a very happy ending in a very few days and then you can get on with your life. Where will the cat family go?

 

[moxiewild]

The last time I had to separate a Momma and baby earlier in the summer, it was just awful! I think perhaps her litter was attacked and only one survived. Her leg had been severed and Mom brought her up to our porch shelter. We immediately took the kitten to the vet.

But Mom - a feral who had previously run clear across our yard if we even so much as made brief eye contact with her from inside the house - was just circling our home and vocalizing (not quite a meow) and searching for her baby for 24 hours straight until we could trap her.

She even came up to the window and looked at us while vocalizing as though she was pleading for us to help her or give her baby back. I was nearly in tears, I’ve never seen animal sustain such concern about another when they weren’t even around.

I was SO happy to finally reunite them. This is them now:

But I digress!

I know the kittens are better able to regulate their body temperature at this age, but I wanted to provide extra heat that would last longer than a snuggle safe so I wouldn’t have to disturb them as frequently in order to change it out. That’s partially what the stuffed animal is for - we placed a rechargeable hand warmer in there.

It also comes with a heart you can turn on to mimic Momma’s heartbeat, but I rarely use it with ferals/semi ferals because it seems to freak them out more than it does with socialized kitties.

I was both happy and felt bad to see the little black one burrow under it!

Isn’t it just the best when people are actually willing to help?! I am always dreading the possibility of confronting a cat hating attitude, total apathy, or anti-spay/neuter “just let them live” beliefs.

This woman has been so cooperative with us! I am pretty sure she secretly really wants to keep Momma because she keeps asking what we will do with her after she’s spayed and offers to allow us to return her if we can’t find anywhere (we have told her a couple times we already found her a home, so the persistence is very telling!).

Everyone has homes lined up! Momma has an offer to be something of a barn/outdoor cat. But if this neighbor wants to keep her, we’ll be considering that as well for her!

All the kittens will be going to indoor-only homes.

 

[moxiewild]

Trapped the other black one tonight!

I almost had both kittens and Mom but the black and white kitten just wouldn’t scoot all the way inside the crate!!!

I tried using the black one as bait for Mom and/or sibling, but neither seemed to notice. After an hour of waiting, I just couldn’t bring myself to keep the black one in that exposed position any longer, so I went ahead and packed up.

The black and white one will be tricky. He hasn’t been interested in the bait at all. He only ever even ends up remotely in the traps/crates by following his siblings around. So I don’t know how I’ll go about getting him now.

I’m hoping he’ll follow Mom but she only rarely goes for the bait when I’m there.

I think maybe I’ll try a laser pointer, too.

Anyway, here are some photos of the other black and black/white set of kittens from earlier in the day!

 

[tnrmakessense]

msaimee I was considering using a squirrel trap actually, but I just wasn’t sure if it was safe for kittens or not. So that’s very good to know!

I tried it on one (squirrel trap, rigged with a string I could pull to close it )- it was too small. And I agree -the large trap door could really hurt a kitten. For adults and kittens I remove the step plate and have a string tied to the trigger so I can be sure all tails etc. are in. If they're like the kittens I'm encountering, you can probably get them all to go in a large dog crate. Just tie a string to the crate door and wrap it around the crate in such a way that you can close the door when they're all in. You may need to weight the carrier but do it in such a way that nothing can fall on the kittens (like a brick on the top might.)

 

[fionasmom]

This is all wonderful news! So if I am counting correctly, there is the mom and one more kitten. You will get them absolutely and knowing that this is the last round must give you something like hope or extra energy. They are all adorable and have that look as if they are considering becoming friendly...they are not cowering anywhere and are looking directly at you. This has taken such a turn for the better. The woman who is helping you is few and far between...I was lucky last summer as my neighbor who owned the house under which the kittens were born just wanted them to move to my house but did not want to hurt them.

Possibly the dog crate would work at this point if the remaining kitten decides to stick with the mom. I did trap a mom and kitten that way years ago but this kitten was like velcro with the mom.

The previous rescues are just precious. It is so hard to separate the mom from the baby but she had apparently figured out on some level that you would help her even if it took all her courage to come up to you. Years ago we had an untrappable feral mom in the neighborhood. I could never trap her and finally hired a professional with the intention that I would of course take her and have her TNRed, but they could not get her either. Neighbors were helpful and all her litters were raised in my neighbor's wash house. One litter was born in my husband's car. He had washed the car and left the doors open to air it out and she apparently had the kittens. Hours later when she must have gone for some food, he shut the doors. Now, this cat hated me and had seemingly never made the connection that I was the one who had fed her and all her litters and found them homes, but she came up to me crying and wailing to get those kittens. I can still see the moment I opened the car door and she grabbed them and whisked them to her nest.

It is easy to see that those little kittens have been well fed and cared for and will be a delight for their new owners. I hope that the next time you go you are able to round up the rest of the family.

 

[moxiewild]

I tried it on one (squirrel trap, rigged with a string I could pull to close it )- it was too small. And I agree -the large trap door could really hurt a kitten. For adults and kittens I remove the step plate and have a string tied to the trigger so I can be sure all tails etc. are in. If they're like the kittens I'm encountering, you can probably get them all to go in a large dog crate. Just tie a string to the crate door and wrap it around the crate in such a way that you can close the door when they're all in. You may need to weight the carrier but do it in such a way that nothing can fall on the kittens (like a brick on the top might.)

That is what I was doing. I have traditional box traps, a drop trap, a carrier, and a wire crate all set up.

But I couldn’t trigger/pull the string for the latter options because someone was always hanging around the entrance.

I have managed to get three that way so far though!

 

[moxiewild]

fionasmom - yes, the kittens are doing very well! Luckily they weren’t totally feral!

They will look at me, but they also break eye contact! The original black one blinked at me a couple times. No more spitting, only hissing. And one of the black ones and the black and white one played (by themselves) in front of me very briefly while I was tending to crate duties!

And this afternoon all three ate in front of me!

These guys will be super simple to tame! I can’t wait!

Yes, there is Mom and one kitten left. If I can get both at the same time, that would be great!

Both were unfortunately only a foot of two away when I trapped the black one last night, and they watched me carry away the crate. Mom was definitely more suspicious/hesitant to go into ANYTHING after that, which is another reason I left early.

But if I can at least get the kitten, then Mom will be a breeze to trap in a regular trap. She has no fear of it at this point, and I don’t have to be nearby, so she really won’t have any reservations about going in.

I was hoping to get over there earlier in the evening today because I’m just so anxious to reunite everyone, but it has been POURING since around 4pm. Very frustrating.

I don’t work tomorrow though, so if it clears up, I’ll go as late as 1 AM if I have to!

Were you ever able to trap that Momma cat? I cant believe I’ve never thought to hire a professional trapper before! I’ll have to keep that in mind for the “last resort arsenal”!

 

[fionasmom]

They are too precious and are already considering you a friend. They must associate food with you at the least. They will make great pets and I hope that you can get the last kitten and the mom as soon as possible.

The cat story goes back about 20 years. Now, at least out here, there are pest control companies who will help you humanely trap with the intention of TNR or just the intention of giving you the cat. I googled a few last summer and some seemed very on the up and up. The only one I could find then was not as high tech and it never worked. They tried, all hours of the day and night, but we never got her. Because she had kittens as often as possible, she finally died having the last litter, along with the kittens. My neighbors found her when I was at work and put her in a carrier with the kittens and took them to the humane society. Apparently it was a massive complication with the birth despite all her previous healthy deliveries. Most of my feral experiences have been happy, but that one was not which is one reason I believe so strongly in TNR....or in your case, even better that everyone will get a home and not be forced to live a feral life.

Waiting for the next installment.

 

[moxiewild]

Y’all, I don’t know what to do, I am so devastated and defeated right now.

I went out last night around 10:30 or so, and I was determined to get the kitten. This commute is killing me financially and time wise, and I afraid of losing their spot at the rescue/with the foster because this is taking so long. My own cats and fosters are also being neglected because of all of this, and it tears me up.

So, went out at about 10:30, and by 2 I had not been able to get the kitten to go into ANYTHING. No matter what I did, no matter what bait I used. She would follow Mom but briefly stop at the entrance, that was it.

So I deciddd I needed to stop second guessing and make an executive decision. I needed to use Mom as bait. So I trapped her in the crate, as easily as I imagined.

Then I set up the regular box trap up next to the crate. I used blankets every which way to convince kitten to go in the trap.

But she would not. Eventually, she jumped on top of the trap, set it off, then wouldn’t go near it.

So I turned to the drop trap. While I was getting that ready, the kitten took some of the bait from the carrier, but ran into or stepped on the stringir something, causing it to close and freaking her out (she escaped, obviously). Wouldn’t go near it again.

So I continue with the drop trap. I have the Tomahawk remote set up. I didn’t want to scare her off more, so I didn’t practice. Pull the trigger once she’s under, and nothing.

End up scaring her off again to see what’s going on. The baggie we had to protect the receiver had been punctured by little kitten claws and got wet in the rain. $150 down the drain.

I set it up with the string. I wait and wait and wait. Kitten tries everything to get around it or get on top of it to reach mom.

Finally she’s under, I pull the string and I’ve got her! I felt the most immense weight lifted off my shoulders, I was so happy I could cry!

I grab the blanket to cover the trap, and once I’m a few steps away... she escapes.

I was absolutely stunned.

I checked to see how. We’d had the trap propped up on bricks to get the cat’s used to it. I removed them and stacked them on top of each other. I eventually moved hem to the side of the trap to block the kitten from going around the drop trap to get to Mom.

When I pulled, I pulled at an angle, and the trap dropped/moved in that direction.

This caused the spring clip on the release/transfer door that was keeping it securely shut to get caught on the edge of the bricks. Then the door itself was held up just enough by the same brick edge to allow kitten to escape.

I was crying at this point, honestly.

The kitten ran off. I fixed the trap and waited perfectly still and silently waiting for kitten to come back. She never did.

She’s NEVER been away for remotely that long before. She normally bounces back pretty quickly (this is basically her 4th escape ag this point).

So I released Mom. I was and am sick with worry about the kitten being off on her own. I just need Mom to find her ASAP.

I informed the neighbor of what happened, and asked her to call or text me the very second she sees the kitten again. I am going to be a complete and obsessive mess until I know she’s alright. I feel so sick to my stomach right now.

I do t know where to go fro here. If this was a more accessible place, I’d take the necessary steps back to rebuild trust. But it’s just not realistic when they live over an hour away from me.

Maybe I should just take some steps back just over the weekend? Feed, hang around, but no trapping or doing anything threatening whatsoever? Then try again with the drop trap for both?

I’m just at a complete loss right now, and I have no idea where to go from here.

I trapped from 10:30 pm to about 7:30 am and I have absolutely nothing to show for it, I only made things so much worse. Ughh, I haven’t felt this defeated trapping in a very long time.

Sorry for any errors, i obviously haven’t had any sleep yet.

 

[Talien]

Can you show the neighbor how to use the traps and let her handle it? At least that way you wouldn't have to keep going back and forth and could just go pick them up when she's got them.