Tnr - Homemade Trap Ideas?

[FourCuteCats]

there are a few feral cats that roam my subdivision and both me and my mother would like to eventually trap some of them - maybe even all of them, if we're lucky - and get them spayed/neutered before releasing them again. every once in a while we see a new batch of kittens and of course we'd like to stop them from reproducing again and again. we currently don't have the extra money to pay for their spays/neuters but when we do you can bet we're gonna be catching some kitties.
i have a question, though. does anyone have any ideas on how we could make homemade traps to save a bit of money that're still effective? i also would like to know if there's another way to make a trap so that it's set off by a trigger and not by you pulling a string attached to a stick while you sit outside and wait. it'll save us lots of work.
i've looked this up a few times but the homemade traps i see are all stick and string traps made using laundry baskets or milk crates which could both probably be easily flipped up if you don't move quickly.

 

[Norachan]

Hi FourCuteCats Thank you for thinking of these cats, getting them all TNR'd is the best way to help them. Have you tried Googling TNR groups in your area? You can often rent or borrow a trap from them and they will be able to recommend a low cost clinic for you. Some of them will even pay for the neuters and spays themselves.

You can make a trap yourself, but to be honest the cost of wood and wire to make something like a drop trap is going to be about as much as the cost of buying a humane trap. You can get them pretty cheaply at places like Tractor Supply. I'm not sure how you'd make a trigger device.



I think getting a TNR group to help you would be the cheapest and easiest option.

 

[FourCuteCats]

Hi FourCuteCats Thank you for thinking of these cats, getting them all TNR'd is the best way to help them. Have you tried Googling TNR groups in your area? You can often rent or borrow a trap from them and they will be able to recommend a low cost clinic for you. Some of them will even pay for the neuters and spays themselves.

You can make a trap yourself, but to be honest the cost of wood and wire to make something like a drop trap is going to be about as much as the cost of buying a humane trap. You can get them pretty cheaply at places like Tractor Supply. I'm not sure how you'd make a trigger device.



I think getting a TNR group to help you would be the cheapest and easiest option.

thanks for the help! i actually didn't even know TNR groups existed, but i'll have to see if there are any for my area. if i can find one that helps out with everything i need to worry about, then i suppose a DIY trap doesn't even need to be considered, nor do i have to bother with buying my own. hopefully there'll be one like that, and if not there'll be time for us to save money to make traps as well as pay for the spaying/neutering. at that point i'll start worrying about looking for a way to make a trigger system (if i even decide i would like to make traps myself).

 

[keeneland]

I went the Tractor Supply route but another you may wish to try is to borrow a trap from your local Humane Society. Mine was even so kind as to let me borrow a recovery cage. If you have true ferals having a area for them to recover in is every bit as important as the trap. We had to get a little male feral out of the ceiling after TNR ..... Twice! How he got up there is still a mystery!

 

[surya]

When I first started doing TNR I caught a lot of them by feeding them and slamming the door shut on a cat carrier. But the really feral one's will not come up when somebody is around. Most of the one's around here were tame or semi-feral.

 

[WaltS]

there are a few feral cats that roam my subdivision and both me and my mother would like to eventually trap some of them - maybe even all of them, if we're lucky - and get them spayed/neutered before releasing them again. every once in a while we see a new batch of kittens and of course we'd like to stop them from reproducing again and again. we currently don't have the extra money to pay for their spays/neuters but when we do you can bet we're gonna be catching some kitties.
i have a question, though. does anyone have any ideas on how we could make homemade traps to save a bit of money that're still effective? i also would like to know if there's another way to make a trap so that it's set off by a trigger and not by you pulling a string attached to a stick while you sit outside and wait. it'll save us lots of work.
i've looked this up a few times but the homemade traps i see are all stick and string traps made using laundry baskets or milk crates which could both probably be easily flipped up if you don't move quickly.

Check with your local human society, vets, and shelters. Feral cats are such a problem in all areas I'd be surprised if you didn't have a local TNR group close to you that is willing help. A town not so far from me has someone who TNR's ferals. He takes them to a vet school where they are vaccinated, dewormed, and spayed/neutered before being returned. The vet school funds everything. I know another woman who was lucky enough to adopt some ferals for her farm. The ferals came from a vet school and comes with their own vet. The vet will come to the farm to check on the cats periodically. If only I could be so lucky.

With that said, here are a few things to consider and some tips for dealing with ferals. First, don't put yourself in a position to have to handle a feral cat. They are wild and will bite and scratch to defend themselves. I've handled feral kittens as young as 4 weeks that bite. So be careful and use a proper trap like Have a Heart traps from Tractor Supply. They're designed so you don't have to touch the animal. Using a string and stick to drop a box or something on an feral will only piss it off and most likely set you back from gaining their trust not to mention it will probably require you to handle it in some way. So the thought of saving work by making a trap is probably not what you're envisioning. I speak from experience. My first trap was a 2' fishing net on a telescoping pool vacuum pole. Little kitten wasn't having it. If you can get to the kittens when they're young enough you can scruff them and put them in a carrier or tote with holes in it. I've done this many times but it's tricky and you have to get them to trust you to get close enough to them. The majority of our TNR's have been after the mother gave birth and the kittens were around 4-6 weeks. We catch the mother, and then the kittens. If the mother is still nursing we will keep them together after she is spayed until they can be fed solid food.

Also, not to discourage you but you could be fighting a losing battle if you can't dedicate enough funds and resources to trap as many as possible to stop the reproduction. A pair of ferals in my area can make up to 12 kittens a year but typically they only have 2 litters per year and average 3 kittens per litter. So it's essential to find help through a group if possible. Look for a clinic and be sure to let them know you're dealing with ferals. Some vets will discount if they know you're taking care of a colony. Unfortunately there are some that won't even work with you on the problem.

We have a great feral friendly clinic in our area that I have worked with for several years. With their help we've been able to TNR 30+ cats and stop (for now) reproduction in our colony that is currently around 20. They were all feral at one point but with patience and dedication we've been able to socialize all but 3-4 to the point we can pet them. The 3-4 we can't touch just come to enjoy a free meal.

If you do trap them, they should be kept at least 24 hours before releasing back into the wild. This opinion could vary on hear but this has worked well for us. We generally pick up the cats from the vet in the afternoon. We will let males go the following morning and females the following evening, weather permitting of course. Most of our TNR's take place in spring/summer/fall.

Good luck with your endeavors and thank you for helping them.

 

[FourCuteCats]

I went the Tractor Supply route but another you may wish to try is to borrow a trap from your local Humane Society. Mine was even so kind as to let me borrow a recovery cage. If you have true ferals having a area for them to recover in is every bit as important as the trap. We had to get a little male feral out of the ceiling after TNR ..... Twice! How he got up there is still a mystery!

that actually would be awesome! goodness, that little guy. i don't know how a cat could do that either, but i guess he found a way!

 

[FourCuteCats]

When I first started doing TNR I caught a lot of them by feeding them and slamming the door shut on a cat carrier. But the really feral one's will not come up when somebody is around. Most of the one's around here were tame or semi-feral.

that was how my brother caught one of my current cats, but they were very young. i'd imagine it would be different for adults, especially if they weren't like yours. if there are, for whatever reason, no TNR groups or other places that'll help me out we can always try that.

 

[FourCuteCats]

Check with your local human society, vets, and shelters. Feral cats are such a problem in all areas I'd be surprised if you didn't have a local TNR group close to you that is willing help. A town not so far from me has someone who TNR's ferals. He takes them to a vet school where they are vaccinated, dewormed, and spayed/neutered before being returned. The vet school funds everything. I know another woman who was lucky enough to adopt some ferals for her farm. The ferals came from a vet school and comes with their own vet. The vet will come to the farm to check on the cats periodically. If only I could be so lucky.

With that said, here are a few things to consider and some tips for dealing with ferals. First, don't put yourself in a position to have to handle a feral cat. They are wild and will bite and scratch to defend themselves. I've handled feral kittens as young as 4 weeks that bite. So be careful and use a proper trap like Have a Heart traps from Tractor Supply. They're designed so you don't have to touch the animal. Using a string and stick to drop a box or something on an feral will only piss it off and most likely set you back from gaining their trust not to mention it will probably require you to handle it in some way. So the thought of saving work by making a trap is probably not what you're envisioning. I speak from experience. My first trap was a 2' fishing net on a telescoping pool vacuum pole. Little kitten wasn't having it. If you can get to the kittens when they're young enough you can scruff them and put them in a carrier or tote with holes in it. I've done this many times but it's tricky and you have to get them to trust you to get close enough to them. The majority of our TNR's have been after the mother gave birth and the kittens were around 4-6 weeks. We catch the mother, and then the kittens. If the mother is still nursing we will keep them together after she is spayed until they can be fed solid food.

Also, not to discourage you but you could be fighting a losing battle if you can't dedicate enough funds and resources to trap as many as possible to stop the reproduction. A pair of ferals in my area can make up to 12 kittens a year but typically they only have 2 litters per year and average 3 kittens per litter. So it's essential to find help through a group if possible. Look for a clinic and be sure to let them know you're dealing with ferals. Some vets will discount if they know you're taking care of a colony. Unfortunately there are some that won't even work with you on the problem.

We have a great feral friendly clinic in our area that I have worked with for several years. With their help we've been able to TNR 30+ cats and stop (for now) reproduction in our colony that is currently around 20. They were all feral at one point but with patience and dedication we've been able to socialize all but 3-4 to the point we can pet them. The 3-4 we can't touch just come to enjoy a free meal.

If you do trap them, they should be kept at least 24 hours before releasing back into the wild. This opinion could vary on hear but this has worked well for us. We generally pick up the cats from the vet in the afternoon. We will let males go the following morning and females the following evening, weather permitting of course. Most of our TNR's take place in spring/summer/fall.

Good luck with your endeavors and thank you for helping them.

wow, those people WERE lucky. sounds like you've had a lot of luck yourself, though.
i did guess that making/buying and using a drop trap might be more difficult than buying a trap, but i did discover some that were built in with a way to get the cats into a carrier fairly easily. sadly no one in my family is handy and so we either wouldn't have that ability with our traps or we'd end up having to buy a drop trap ourselves, but what's the point of that when you could just buy some traps with trigger systems? i definitely won't be wanting to handle any of them, and i knew constructing one would require me to think more and be tons more cautious (though i'd probably end up struggling anyways, it seems).
i also thought about the trapping of all of them - i knew that if you don't catch even one male or female or a pair, you'll end up having to do it all again. we'll probably spend a lot of time trying to trap them to ensure we've caught a good portion.
i don't know about the socialization thing, but when i set food out for the ferals it's usually gone by the next day, which is a good sign. i think the vet who spays/neuters our cats is actually feral friendly, but i'll have to check with my mom to be sure.
i'll be sure to keep that last part in mind, and thank you for the huge message! it's very helpful.

 

[WaltS]

wow, those people WERE lucky. sounds like you've had a lot of luck yourself, though.
i did guess that making/buying and using a drop trap might be more difficult than buying a trap, but i did discover some that were built in with a way to get the cats into a carrier fairly easily. sadly no one in my family is handy and so we either wouldn't have that ability with our traps or we'd end up having to buy a drop trap ourselves, but what's the point of that when you could just buy some traps with trigger systems? i definitely won't be wanting to handle any of them, and i knew constructing one would require me to think more and be tons more cautious (though i'd probably end up struggling anyways, it seems).
i also thought about the trapping of all of them - i knew that if you don't catch even one male or female or a pair, you'll end up having to do it all again. we'll probably spend a lot of time trying to trap them to ensure we've caught a good portion.
i don't know about the socialization thing, but when i set food out for the ferals it's usually gone by the next day, which is a good sign. i think the vet who spays/neuters our cats is actually feral friendly, but i'll have to check with my mom to be sure.
i'll be sure to keep that last part in mind, and thank you for the huge message! it's very helpful.

A TNR person whom I met a few years ago and got me started on my own has a homemade drop trap. It's about 6'x6' and it uses a leg to prop it up with a very long string. He breaks it out when all else has failed. Baits it with deli meat and sits and waits until cats go under then drops the box. Possibility of injury is high. The box can fall on the cat or the cat will run into the sides trying to escape. Even if made out of chicken wire it will cause some damage to their face. With that said, I've never seen it used.

You may be feeding more than cats. We have possums, raccoons, and foxes eating our cat food. The cats only fight with the foxes if kitty season, otherwise they leave them alone. The cats will eat alongside possums and generally don't mess with the raccoons.

As far as baiting traps, lunch meat or boiled chicken works the best for us. We generally toss it around and will let them have a taste before we're ready to trap. I've also set traps out but wired the released so they don't actually trap. Let the cat eat inside the trap a few nights to get used to it. Although, if you hold food for a night or two it's usually not an issue to get them in the trap since they're hungry.

Just when I thought we had all females taken care of we spotted 3 young kittens poking out the woods on our street last night. Going away for a week. Back at it when I return. Need to catch that momma asap.

 

[FourCuteCats]

A TNR person whom I met a few years ago and got me started on my own has a homemade drop trap. It's about 6'x6' and it uses a leg to prop it up with a very long string. He breaks it out when all else has failed. Baits it with deli meat and sits and waits until cats go under then drops the box. Possibility of injury is high. The box can fall on the cat or the cat will run into the sides trying to escape. Even if made out of chicken wire it will cause some damage to their face. With that said, I've never seen it used.

You may be feeding more than cats. We have possums, raccoons, and foxes eating our cat food. The cats only fight with the foxes if kitty season, otherwise they leave them alone. The cats will eat alongside possums and generally don't mess with the raccoons.

As far as baiting traps, lunch meat or boiled chicken works the best for us. We generally toss it around and will let them have a taste before we're ready to trap. I've also set traps out but wired the released so they don't actually trap. Let the cat eat inside the trap a few nights to get used to it. Although, if you hold food for a night or two it's usually not an issue to get them in the trap since they're hungry.

Just when I thought we had all females taken care of we spotted 3 young kittens poking out the woods on our street last night. Going away for a week. Back at it when I return. Need to catch that momma asap.

i've thought about the possibility of injury while using drop traps as well. they don't sound like they'd be nearly as effective or safe as a humane trap with a trigger system is what i've learned!

i haven't considered that there are other animals that could be eating the food we set out, but i'm not sure that's the case. this is based purely on the fact that i haven't seen any carnivores besides the cats in my area, but that doesn't mean there aren't any. i've caught some of the cats eating the food in the past but the food typically isn't gone before the sun sets.

i could probably continue to use lunch meat as well as the canned pate since we almost always have some in our fridge. i've been (mentally) preparing to get them used to the traps first since it leads them to believe they're a safe place to eat until one day the door shuts behind them or the trap drops over them and they can't move anywhere.

good luck on catching the momma and her kittens!