Tips To Re-trap A Feral In A Bedroom?

RadiantAR

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Aug 15, 2019
Messages
3
Purraise
1
I had trapped a pregnant feral outside, she was VERY hard to trap but I eventually got lucky.

For the past couple months I've had her and her kiddos in my foster room, just a spare bedroom set up for them.

Now it's time for her spay appointment. She's loosened up a lot with me after working with her all this time, but I still can't touch her or handle her.

The appt is tomorrow. Yesterday I put out a trap zip-tied open in their room just to get her used to seeing it, she's been watching her babies run through it and eat regular food in it but she hasn't gone in there herself at all.

I'm afraid tomorrow morning when I put some smelly treats in there and remove the zip ties (obv after taking her kids out of the room), what if she still doesn't go in? I have tuna, wet kitten food, one of those "broth with stuff in it" treats..

Any tips you guys can think of? If she doesn't go in no matter what I put in the trap?
 

KrisinOhio

Kristin
Adult Cat
Joined
Oct 28, 2018
Messages
154
Purraise
286
First off - well done to trap the mama and babies! And thank you for spaying her! Many on this forum have had great luck using Gapabentin to sedate less than tame cats... is that an option?
 

fionasmom

Moderator
Staff Member
Moderator
Joined
Jun 21, 2014
Messages
13,125
Purraise
17,370
Location
Los Angeles
Many cats will go into a trap for Kentucky Fried Chicken or even a market brand of a fried chicken type meal. It is by far the most successful bait I have ever used.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #5

RadiantAR

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Aug 15, 2019
Messages
3
Purraise
1
I tried tuna, catnip, even went to KFC and tried that.. she didn't go for any of it unfortunately.

The gabapentin I just don't know how I could get it into her, she's pretty picky with food (when I had added a little lysine powder to the food when she had a URI she barely ate til I replaced it with non-medicated food), plus even if I took her babies out of the room, there's another adult feral also in that room who I couldn't prevent from eating the gabapentin food if she wanted to.

I got the kittens spayed/neutered at least! But the mom I feel like it's gonna be a matter of luck.. I've had the trap zip-tied open in there for weeks now and have towels/blanket in there to make it just part of their room, the kittens nap in there all the time but I don't think mom has gone in there even once.

She does still occasionally go into the large carrier on her own accord. But yeah a matter of luck as in if I happen to see her in the carrier on a weekday morning before 8:30am, I could hopefully shut the door and then transfer her into the trap and bring her to a place that takes ferals without an appointment.

I wish there was like a painless tranquilizer dart option available but I'm pretty sure that doesn't exist!

I *was* able to get some Advantage II flea treatment on her though which is awesome, she happened to be laying down with her back to me and I just went for it, of course without being able to split the hair apart etc but it's a start.
 

moxiewild

Seniors, Special Needs, Ferals, and Wildlife
Super Cat
Joined
Aug 4, 2014
Messages
1,112
Purraise
1,520
If she tends to feel safe in a large carrier, have you tried covering the trap to make it look enclosed?

Have you tried temptations treats or Purebites freeze dried chicken treats? Bonita flakes? Fortiflora?

You said there are two adult ferals in this room?
 

Jcatbird

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 5, 2017
Messages
10,301
Purraise
58,378
Location
United States
I actually use a carrier as a safe haven and make it the place my kitties go to hide. I did that originally by doing all feeding and treats there. Maybe try making that her private retreat and favorite place? The all meat baby food by Gerber is something that helps me lure kitties. It’s the Gerber second foods.
You did great catching her and the babies! :yess::clap2:
Just keep working on it. You have her confined so that she cannot get pregnant again. Since she is allowing some closeness, you’ll get her! I know it can be frustrating but you are gaining her confidence. Bravo!
 

walli

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jan 31, 2017
Messages
1,246
Purraise
2,627
If you want to try the gabapentin, you could try cutting it in pieces instead of grinding it into a powder, my Feral won't eat anything that is mixed in her food as a powder, I had to capture my Feral after trapping, it was quite the ordeal, I did not know about gabapentin at the time.

I give my Feral a medicine/soft chew that I cut in pieces and put in her dry food
she eats it no problem. If your feral gobbles up canned food you can put the cut pieces in there.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #9

RadiantAR

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Aug 15, 2019
Messages
3
Purraise
1
I covered just the top of the trap so that I could see on camera whether she's in there or not, but I'll try covering the whole thing and just turn the camera volume up.

When I've tried temptations treats just randomly, she has eaten like literally ONE and then I guess gets sketched out. I'll keep trying though with those and the other treat ideas to get her used to something she likes, especially while her kids are playing elsewhere in the house.

So Amelia was part of the colony basically in my backyard that I found when I moved to this house like a year and a half ago. I think it was this March or April that I finally trapped her. The other feral in the room is Buddy/Eevee (Eevee is her "real name" but for a really long time I thought she was a boy and called her Brother so Buddy just comes more naturally to me as her name. But she deserves a "real name" too haha). Buddy was born either late last summer or early fall and she was pretty much my 100% back porch cat. Feral but she was on that porch/in my yard almost all the time, more than any of the others. I TNR'd her in March I believe. She had kitty friends out there and my husband wasn't really open to keeping another cat and she seemed to want to go back out.

Around the time I trapped Amelia, they finished building this giant apartment complex just a stone's throw from my block. I'm pretty sure the colony cats spent a lot of time there cause once the construction finished, the colony basically disappeared. Buddy had no friends coming by anymore and every time I'd walk by the glass doors to the porch, she'd run up to me and start meowing and rubbing against the glass. For weeks and weeks she did this. Til even my husband was like "well get her inside" so I re-trapped her. I used those Tespo panels to split the foster bedroom into two sides, one side Amelia and kiddos and other side Buddy. But within a couple days Buddy was jumping over the border to get up in the cat tree on the other side, so I just took down the wall. She and Amelia knew each other outside Buddy's whole life so it wasn't weird to have them in the same room, they barely interact with each other even still. Just chill. Buddy's been playing with the babies lately though which is adorable and great.

I could use some tips on socializing Amelia better though, not sure if I should make a separate thread about that? I'm pretty sure she is at LEAST a few years old but possibly older, it's so hard to tell without a vet's frame of reference. It's been like almost 5 months, it's been a couple months now since she stopped hissing when I come into the room.. She got her heats back when the babies were about 4 months old, and when in heat she's way more curious about me and comes closer than ever to me. There have been a couple times when she stared at me sweeping the floor with a little hand broom, then came over and booped the hand broom with her paw to see what it is.. a couple times when she did this I set down the hand broom and kept my hand somewhat extended with a loosely closed fist and she booped my hand a couple times with her paw.. like two times she was just staring at my knee (sitting cross-legged on the floor) and just came over and booped my knee.. I never really react when she does this, I mean she doesn't do it hard or maliciously but like today her claw got stuck in my hand accidentally so I just licked my hand while looking at her and slow blinking.

I just don't know how to take it further in a positive way? Are there things I could be doing better? I had read that we should do things on their terms and on their time, so I haven't really been pushing her. But when she's in heat she's all rubbing her face on everything and I wish she'd let me pet her and see that I'm not harmful! She sees her babies interact with me all the time, she sees me pet them and hold them and they sit on my lap etc..

Idk I just could use some advice on crossing the "letting me touch her" barrier. Well, getting her to WANT to let me touch her.
 

moxiewild

Seniors, Special Needs, Ferals, and Wildlife
Super Cat
Joined
Aug 4, 2014
Messages
1,112
Purraise
1,520
Try what jcatbird suggested with the carrier. Since you have a camera, you might be able to tie a string to the door, run it under the door, wait outside the room and watch to see if she goes in; if she does, then pull the carrier door shut with the string.

You could also try a wire dog crate. Sometimes cats are just picky about what they will and won't go into.

I've trapped a cat in a little cat house/condo before. When I knew he was in there, I covered the entrance and had two people help me to tilt the cat house and transfer kitty to a carrier.

This will most likely work if you can get her to go in something - it's just a matter of finding out what that something could be. We've literally done this with a plain old box before too, but it was with our one tame/pet cat who cannot be handled whatsoever.

Does the place you're taking her require her to be in a trap?

Does Amelia play at all? Do you know if she responds to a laser? You might be able to lead her to where you want her to go by using one of those if she will respond to it.

How socialized is Buddy? What is the extent you're able to handle her? Does she go in any traps or carriers ever?

Re: socializing -

While you do want to respect their timeline, you also do need to push them. But in this case, pushing could simply mean spending a lot of time with them. I usually make strides or breakthroughs by simply sleeping in the room with them, even if just a nap.

Otherwise, read to them, sing to them, do your own thing and ignore them. Time around them is the best thing.

It's easier if they are food motivated. Since Amelia's not, try playing with her if you haven't already. Play therapy can be just as good as food, it just might take a bit longer for her to realize what a toy is, what to do with it, and that it's nothing to fear.

It also may take the right toy. I have the best luck with all cats across the board with the Go Cat wand toys (Da bird, Da mouse, Da bee, etc), or the Cat Dancer wand toy for those more inclined toward strings/ribbons. Both can be found on Amazon.

My mostly tamed feral did the curious batting thing too. Contact like that is usually a very positive sign!

Your response to it is good, as well! Likewise, when you're hanging out with her, just generally "speak cat". Not just the slow blink, but yawn in front of her, stretch like a cat (and human) in front of her, "groom" yourself (especially simulating licking your hand and rubbing your face like a cat).

I just try to copy everything a cat does when I know they're observing me. I'll find a sun ray and lie in it, haha. Or I'll just lay there with my head up "looking around" but with my eyes closed like a cat does.

One thing I did with Socks (current feral-in-taming) that I did not expect to work and had never tried with a feral before, was mimicking the best kitten mews and meows I could muster. Socks was also a mother (and her kitten was with her when I did this) and it was the first time she ever stepped out of her carrier in front of me. She walked toward me a bit, looked directly at me, and meowed a few times. It was a really cool moment.

Since Amelia is also a mother, she might respond to something similar too. (We've also found some cats respond to an app called "Cat Piano").

Does she ever rub on you when she's in heat?

It takes time, but you do have to push them. Respecting their timeline isn't the same as basically being around them and leaving them alone. That's good for the beginning stages, but you have to move on from that to make further progress.

For example, we're trying to work on getting Socks used to being picked up. So we started for a week of just placing our hands around her in the way we would if we were to pick her up. The next week, we did the same, but with a slightly upward motion - but not enough to lift her off the ground.

Then every week since we just pick her up a tiny bit more and place her right back where she is, and act like it's no big deal and nothing just happened. If by the end of the week, she still isn't handling it very well, then we go another week doing the same thing, or however long it takes for her to be comfortable with that step - this is respecting her timeline/boundaries while also pushing her enough to make progress.

We've had Socks for just short of four months now and we're still not there. She still swats and gets spooked while petting her sometimes. But most ferals can be tamed with the appropriate amount of time, effort, and patience. :)
 
Top