Tips for SAFELY trapping kittens?

[moxiewild]

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.

I discussed that with her this morning. She’s going to be gone over the weekend, so it wouldn’t happen for a few days anyway, and I offered to feed them since she didn’t have anyone else to do it. So I just figured, why not work on rebuilding trust and kill two birds with one stone?

My reservation with her trapping however, is that the only reason I haven’t been using a regular trap is because this kitten likes to hang around and lollygag near the entrance (without ever going fully in) and a spring loaded trap could certainly injure or kill her.

 

[fionasmom]

I am so sorry that this happened and had a very similar experience with a drop trap just as you described years ago with a feral, so I know how upsetting that is. Not trapping for a few days is probably a very good idea. Since these cats are not entirely feral and will at least be around you, it might rebuild trust or at the least confuse them enough to where they will forget last night's problem and return to the traps next week. Even if you have to make the drive, at least you can just hang out once you get there.

Years ago when a litter of ferals were born on my front lawn I was able to trap the mom and three babies almost immediately, but the two remaining girls were not trappable for quite a while longer. Now, these were true ferals who had absolutely nothing but fear regarding people, whereas yours are not that way. But when I started to retrap, it was as if they forgot and I trapped them within a couple of days...and none too soon as they were both pregnant.

I did want to ask that if you were trapping from 10 to 7, and you work, when are you sleeping? You have to be working on raw nerves and I think that relieving the stress of the trapping aspect of this story might be a good thing for you and the cats. Again, I am so sorry that this happened.

 

[moxiewild]

I am so sorry that this happened and had a very similar experience with a drop trap just as you described years ago with a feral, so I know how upsetting that is. Not trapping for a few days is probably a very good idea. Since these cats are not entirely feral and will at least be around you, it might rebuild trust or at the least confuse them enough to where they will forget last night's problem and return to the traps next week. Even if you have to make the drive, at least you can just hang out once you get there.

Years ago when a litter of ferals were born on my front lawn I was able to trap the mom and three babies almost immediately, but the two remaining girls were not trappable for quite a while longer. Now, these were true ferals who had absolutely nothing but fear regarding people, whereas yours are not that way. But when I started to retrap, it was as if they forgot and I trapped them within a couple of days...and none too soon as they were both pregnant.

I did want to ask that if you were trapping from 10 to 7, and you work, when are you sleeping? You have to be working on raw nerves and I think that relieving the stress of the trapping aspect of this story might be a good thing for you and the cats. Again, I am so sorry that this happened.

I’m sorry that happened to you too! It was so crushing in the moment, I couldn’t believe it had happened. I thought the bricks were far enough away to be clear of the trap, and I just couldn’t practice as i’d like to normally because I didn’t want to spook the kitten.

The neighbor texted around 7 tonight and said Momma is walking around meowing, so it sounds like she hasn’t found the kitten yet

My boyfriend said maybe she was just looking for the other kittens, but this is the first time the neighbor has seen her do anything like this, so I doubt it.

I was going to go by and feed and just hang out with them, but I figured I should just stay out of their way tonight (the neighbor will feed her, so I’m not leaving her without food!). That way Mom will be free to search and my presence won’t discourage kitten from returning.

But I’m honestly really worried. Could an ~8 week old kitten find her way back? I’m so surprised she would have actually run off, she never had before when she’s escaped or been scared. She’s always come back within 5 minutes.

I’m just going to be constantly sick over this until she shows up. I was considering going door to door tomorrow just in that neighborhood/street if she still hasn’t shown up by then to post flyers of her black and white sibling who looks just like her to see if anyone’s seen her.

I just feel so terrible and her being out there alone is all I can think about right now.

Last night I had only been planning to stay until around 3 am, but then I decided to try to use Mom as bait, so stayed longer.

Usually I am only there for 2-3 hours, either somewhere between 8 and midnight, or very early from 4-7 am. I ultimately went home early from work today, it was definitely rough!

Luckily I actually work in wildlife rescue, so my job is very accommodating, understanding, and supportive.

 

[fionasmom]

Your plan to hang back for a day is probably the best one. Your friend who feeds can take care of things and it might calm the kitten down if no one is around unnecessarily.

I have known of cases where kittens and cats who are lost have not actually gone that far, especially if they ran from something frightening. The kitten might be hiding and watching. Posting signs is also a good idea, or asking residents if they have seen the kitten. It is possible that someone might have seen it and put out food; unlikely they picked it up and brought it in their house but it might have a new food source. In my experience, kittens seem to remain in the vicinity of their mom, which does not mean that it is always the case.

If the kitten is out there and hungry, do you think that it would walk into a set trap on its own? I don't know what the terrain is where you are trapping, so that might not be a valid question.

Having a job in wildlife rescue with supportive employers is definitely a plus.

I know that this is the worst case scenario, but follow your plan to give it a night off unless you get some information from the woman who feeds that changes that and then go back and try to get the mom and see if the kitten is around. Really worst case scenario, if the kitten is not found, but is the sole remaining one out there, the feeder could set a trap and see if she walks in on her own.

Keep reminding yourself of how much you have done so far for this cat family.

 

[moxiewild]

So I am really stuck right now.

A day or two after I posted, the neighbor spotted Mom and kitten where she feeds them -

I was elated and SO relieved. It was such a huge weight off my shoulders knowing the kitten was safe!!!

But... unfortunately no one has seen the kitten for a week now

I went over a couple nights and had initially seen Mom and kitten in the neighbors backyard, but they refused to come out front no matter what bait I set out... even completely outside any trap whatsoever.

So I decided to give a few more days off this week and just leave them alone. The past two nights I’ve gone out to just leave some stinky food, but haven’t seen mom or the kitten anywhere.

The neighbor reports that Mom is showing up in the morning but she hasn’t seen the kitten now in a week. My mom and her friend who owns the house also haven’t seen the kitten this past week, however, they haven’t seen Mom either who we know is still around, so it doesn’t necessarily mean anything.

Simultaneously, the weather has been colder this week, as well as rained twice with very strong winds. So it seems like Mom at least, is hunkering down more rather than being out and about like normal. Maybe the kitten is too?

I left a shelter out there a few weeks ago, but it appears unused.

I’m just so torn. The kittens will be about 9 weeks old this week. So I know they’re at the age of being more independent and sufficient... but I would think the kitten would still be with Mom at this point.

I just don’t know what to do or how long to wait.

I want to get Mom spayed ASAP and I want to reunite her with the kittens we already have trapped so she can finish raising them.

At the same time, I do NOT want to leave the last kitten alone if he/she is still out there. There are a lot of skunks and owls there at the very least - as I had said upthread, this Momma had a litter in the spring and apparently none made it, and one from this recent litter also didn’t make it.

I could just TNR Mom (neighbor is okay with this), just in case, but the downside would be that I wouldn’t be able to socialize Mom, and the kittens I trapped will essentially have been separated from her at 7 weeks old. Maybe that’s the best option at this point, though :/

I’ve asked the neighbor if we can place a game camera on her back porch where she feeds them, so I’m going to do that tonight. It’s the only place Momma still routinely shows up at right now that we know of, so if the kitten is still around, surely it will show up at some point?

Right now I am thinking that if there is no sign of the kitten by the end of this week, then I will go ahead and trap Mom so she can be spayed. Then I’ll figure out whether to return her right away or not.

Anyone have any ideas about what could be going on with the lack of kitten sightings? Could it just be the weather? Would an 8 week old kitten really go off on their own?

 

[fionasmom]

I think that most people who do TNR or work with ferals have been in this same position, if that is any comfort and it probably is not, really. It has certainly happened to me with ferals who were wily or harder to trap than siblings or others in general.

The idea of a camera is a good one. It will give you some idea of who is out there. If it could stay there for a few days, it might help. At the least it will help you to make a decision about trapping mom.

Having said that, I have lost track of adult ferals and also much younger kittens whom I assumed absolutely had to have gone missing permanently, only to find that they turn up. I have even shut down feeding stations only to see an irate and now hungry cat turn up demanding the next meal.

Nine weeks is young, but I have had 9 weeks ferals absolutely survive depending on the variables in their particular situation.

It is very likely that the kitten will show up for food at some point if it is out there and the camera should catch that; as for shelters, I have had shelters for sleeping and for protecting food from the elements all over my back property and no one seems to use them, so that is not always an indication.

So I think you are on the right track...this is Monday, start the trail cam and see what you get, and then if nothing trap the mom at the end of the week. Yes, the kitten could be out there and after all these years I still cannot predict cat behavior. The sister of Alice, my avatar, took off at about 11 weeks and returned a few weeks later no worse for wear. She had apparently been eating when I did not see her.

This is really the hard part.

 

[mailynsca]

I don't really have advice. Wish I could help somehow as I know this can be devastating. Just sending good vibes and hope it all works out.

 

[moxiewild]

Thank you both!

I have definitely had a good number of adults pull the disappearing act, especially when trapping or anything out of the ordinary precipitates it. And while I WILL ALWAYS WORRY I at least know they having a decent chance of surviving on their own most of the time so long as they don’t run into predators or cars.

But a small kitten... I’m just looking at this kitten’s three siblings every day here at my house and I just cannot even imagine them fending for themselves in any way.

The weather has been so terrible the past few days that I haven’t been able to go out there to set the camera. It’s pretty late right now, but I might still go out since it’s finally stopped raining.

I’m thinking I’ll give it until Sunday or Monday to see if the kitten is a no show or not (camera will essentially be set out very late Wednesday night). Does that sound like a decent amount of time?

I’m thinking I’ll leave some stinky food too, and do the same every time I go out to check the camera. Hopefully that will increase the odds of then kitten showing up if he/she is still around. I’m going to leave a few cans of fishy wet food for the neighbor to feed in the morning as well.

And yes, I know the shelter being unused isn’t necessarily an indication of anything! I have unused shelters all around my property too Would have felt a little better if it was used though with the rain and lower temperatures we’ve been having lately!

 

[fionasmom]

I think that is a reasonable amount of time to see if the kitten shows up.

It is probably warmer here than where you are, but I have unused shelters all over my property, the samsonite kind with the bedding and also heated beds in the garage for the ferals who are "friendly". They all know the location of the beds and nothing threatening is happening to prevent them from using them, but every morning I hear them running from someplace, jumping the fence, and waiting for food. One will sleep on an outdoor lawn chair for some reason.

I do find it worrying about a small kitten going missing, but I think that your plan of action is the best one at this point.

 

[tnrmakessense]

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.

You have my complete sympathy. Trying to trap feral cats can be the most frustrating, heartbreaking thing in the world. They absolutely won't play by any rules. I'd been trying to trap a kitten for a looooooooooong time and today at noon I saw him/her right by the road. Even though it was the worst time traffic wise, I decided to go for it. She/he is now in my bedroom, terrified but safe.

For your own safety and sanity I wouldn't recommend sitting for hours trying to trap. I'd allot an hour at the most. Chances are the cat sees you and just refuses to come forward while you're there if you haven't seen them in an hour. I'm working on 16 and it seems as though it takes 5-10 minutes after they're scared away for them to come back.

 

[fionasmom]

I remember one young ER veterinarian who saw my very sick cat Pangur Ban said very kindly that one issue with cats was that they haven't read the same medical textbooks as the doctors have, and that applies to so many situations with cats.

This might sound harsh, but it is not meant to and it often comforts me in situations where there is a very difficult trapping or even a sad ending to a feral story. The vet who always TNRs for me, who lets me walk in at any hour of the day with a cat in a trap no matter how wildly insane the cat is, told me that often with ferals it is like "the road to hell is paved with good intentions" or "no good deed goes unpunished." No matter how hard you try with ferals, you don't win every time, and sometimes you don't win in the long run either.

I agree about not sitting by the trap for hours and try to remember all the successes that you have created.

 

[moxiewild]

fionasmom tnrmakessense Thank you both.

It is just very difficult to accept this loss since I had this kitten on various occasions but either misjudged something or otherwise made a mistake that allowed him/her to escape. It’s very difficult not to replay those exact moments in my head right now.

I definitely leave pretty quickly when Mom/kitten don’t come out within about half an hour.

Before I was down to these last two I was staying for hours to trap because 1. I am traveling over an hour away to get to them and wanted to make the most of my time there, and 2. They are only semi feral and all stayed within 20 feet of me the entire time. The kittens in particular would continually go entirely or partially in traps and within grabbing distance of me multiple times the whole way through. So it was really just a matter of patience and waiting for the right moment.

But like I said, since the last incidence and Momma now keeping her distance, I really don’t stay too long at all.

Unfortunately the neighbors husband, for whatever reason, moved he camera. He should have known what it was and it was completely out of the way so I don’t know why he did that (he is on board with all of this and loves Momma cat so it’s not a hostility or sabotage thing). So I basically don’t have footage of the last two days, but the kitten didn’t show up in the day or so before the camera was moved, either.

I’m trying to plan on what to do with Momma when I trap her more. These are the options as I see them:

- TNR and release her after 24 hours on the off chance she is still taking care of the final kitten somehow

- TNR her but hold her for the full 2-3 days to allow her to fully recover.

- Spay her, reunite her with the kittens, and spend a few weeks trying to help tame Momma a bit more for when I return her to the neighbor, which will hopefully make Momma easier to handle for the neighbor so she is more likely to take her to the vet when needed.

The initial plan was the last option. But I’m not sure if it is beneficial, worth it, or will make things worse to reunite the family after having been separated for ~3 weeks already?

I believe Mom is tameable with relatively little time since she’s only semi-feral; however, keeping her contained is still going to stress her, the kittens may back pedal with their socialization, and I will probably always have that “what if” about that last kitten still being around and needing protection from Mom.

I generally advocate keeping Mom and babies together the full 12-14 weeks if at all possible, but I’m just not sure what to do in this case. There are pros, cons, and risks to both options.

 

[fionasmom]

You never know with ferals. I just spotted an adult female I TNRed last summer today. Before this, she had been missing for 3 weeks, but I guess is it not missing if you are a feral who knows what you are doing. The unpredictability of cats is what really drives us crazy.

I have certainly had cats remember each other as family members beyond three weeks. I trapped Milo on January 1, 2000 and his sister Katya on February 14 of the same year....both are passed on now but were long lived, just to wrap up the story. Katya was beside herself when I brought her to my house which was the only option as they were part of a feral colony which had to move. I more or less gave up and just let her live in a closet until she decided what to do. Well, Milo walked in that closet one day and that changed everything once she knew that her brother was there as well.

I don't think any of your options are wrong...I usually do hold females for three days, or I should say I leave them with the vet for that time. Since you planned on releasing her, I don't think that you are going to have an issue with any of your choices. The kitten, if it is out there, is old enough to eat on its own despite the fact that I think you said it is about 9 weeks. That does seem very little and fragile and certainly is, but they can eat on their own at least. I have stupidly trapped mother cats who, unbeknowst to me were caring for litters, and all the kittens survived because they knew where the food was.

As hard as it is, I think that going ahead with the rehab plans for the mom is probably sensible. As I see it, she will still be out there for some time, which gives you more time to see if the kitten is just an Houdini cat, and then you can make a final decision to remove the mom to a home. If I misunderstood anything, I apologize.

It is very hard not to think about the missing kitten. Set the trail cam back up, certainly accidents happen and people are clumsy, and see if you spot anything.

 

[tnrmakessense]

fionasmom tnrmakessense Thank you both.

It is just very difficult to accept this loss since I had this kitten on various occasions but either misjudged something or otherwise made a mistake that allowed him/her to escape. It’s very difficult not to replay those exact moments in my head right now.

I definitely leave pretty quickly when Mom/kitten don’t come out within about half an hour.

Before I was down to these last two I was staying for hours to trap because 1. I am traveling over an hour away to get to them and wanted to make the most of my time there, and 2. They are only semi feral and all stayed within 20 feet of me the entire time. The kittens in particular would continually go entirely or partially in traps and within grabbing distance of me multiple times the whole way through. So it was really just a matter of patience and waiting for the right moment.

But like I said, since the last incidence and Momma now keeping her distance, I really don’t stay too long at all.

Unfortunately the neighbors husband, for whatever reason, moved he camera. He should have known what it was and it was completely out of the way so I don’t know why he did that (he is on board with all of this and loves Momma cat so it’s not a hostility or sabotage thing). So I basically don’t have footage of the last two days, but the kitten didn’t show up in the day or so before the camera was moved, either.

I’m trying to plan on what to do with Momma when I trap her more. These are the options as I see them:

- TNR and release her after 24 hours on the off chance she is still taking care of the final kitten somehow

- TNR her but hold her for the full 2-3 days to allow her to fully recover.

- Spay her, reunite her with the kittens, and spend a few weeks trying to help tame Momma a bit more for when I return her to the neighbor, which will hopefully make Momma easier to handle for the neighbor so she is more likely to take her to the vet when needed.

The initial plan was the last option. But I’m not sure if it is beneficial, worth it, or will make things worse to reunite the family after having been separated for ~3 weeks already?

I believe Mom is tameable with relatively little time since she’s only semi-feral; however, keeping her contained is still going to stress her, the kittens may back pedal with their socialization, and I will probably always have that “what if” about that last kitten still being around and needing protection from Mom.

I generally advocate keeping Mom and babies together the full 12-14 weeks if at all possible, but I’m just not sure what to do in this case. There are pros, cons, and risks to both options.

 

[tnrmakessense]

I completely sympathize. I make plans obsessively, go over them in my mind obsessively, but in the moment act on the situation in front of me. It's really the only choice since the cat entirely dictates the next step by being there and being willing to get in the trap.