Tomahawk TNR Drop Trap & Transfer Cage?

movinintime

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Anyone use these? I may have to do this re my feral as he's too wily & smart/wary of humane trap. Are they alot better than the regular trap I have? TY everyone for info.
 
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movinintime

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I will try both foods, one at a time. He just goes into it under the open trap door (humane regular trap) but won't go too far in. I put food in a little plastic dish that makes him dig into it, & thus it slides a bit further away from him a little forward & so into it deeper. However, if it moves too fast & deep he'll back off & walk away. This is the main prob I have, I think.
 
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movinintime

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I never thought of that. It is wet food too but I can try kibble if needed. Also, some chicken bites may work. The only reason I thought the dish slide, was when watching him I saw it move, & thought maybe he'll be distracted & go in deeper to catch it. But the trail of food may be a great idea too! TY:)
 

kittychick

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I’ve got far more experience w/the regular Tomahawk Humane traps —- & in all my years have only had a few that eventually I had to switch to something else (drop, etc).

You’ve gotten good suggestions already from some very knowledgeable members. :) With a wily, more fearful guy, a trail of something irresistible helps alot. A trail of KFC is a BIG draw in my experience too (obviously no bones, & not too much skin, bc the “herbs & spices” include spices kitties shouldn’t have—-but the skin’s the part that’s the most aromatic). You can also do a little trail of canned mackerel.

If he’s reaching in from the closed end to paw at the food, is the trap anywhere where you can slightly block (w/o scaring or alarming him by changing much) at least one side, giving him fewer angles to reach into? I also don’t use any kind of paper plate or dish w/the really fearful/trap smart guys — they quickly realize they can pull the plate over & pull out some yummies w/o going in (anyone who says cats aren’t smart should try TNRing for a few days!). We feed IN the trap (& use the food trail if necessary) with the trap wired open (so it won’t drop & scare them) for as long as it takes till you feel fairly confident he’s comfortable going in & out. Only then do we actually “set” it.

Keep us posted—-we’ll all help! Surely putting all our brains together we can outsmart this guy! (Famous last words!:lol:)
 

moxiewild

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We use the Tomahawk drop trap.

I absolutely love having it for when I need it, but it’s not necessary for most trapping.

I like using it for litters to get all the kittens or mom+kittens in one go.

And, of course, for trap savvy cats, it definitely comes in handy.

I probably use it the most for target trapping, though.

I’ve used the transfer cage with it before, but you really don’t need one. Most traps will work with it with just a few adjustments.

You just need to make sure there isn’t too big of a gap between the drop trap exit and the entry to the regular trap - most of the time, other traps line up well, otherwise, it’s very easy to use cardboard to essentially make the hole “smaller”.

The regular trap also must have a door that opens straight up and down rather than “out” if that makes sense. So all of the Tomahawk and TruCatch traps work, but I think at least some versions of Havahart traps and raccoon traps don’t, because some only have doors that open outward.

Just be sure to secure the regular trap to the drop trap for transfer. I use 4 small spring clips that Tomahawk sells, plus two bungee cords on either side out of an abundance of caution.

Transferring can take quite a while with some cats and you have to be patient, but the process is easy for most.

We invested in the remote control attachment and love that as well. Makes trapping even easier. We just purchased the other door attachment too - the one where you don’t need to prop up the drop trap. It hasn’t come in yet so I haven’t used it, but I’m very excited to try it out!

I will warn you, we just made a large order with Tomahawk a few weeks ago, and virtually everything was back ordered. They didn’t even know when some stuff would be in, but they “think” the end of July.

So if you need this now, you may want to contact them about inventory first. If it’s backordered, it may not be worth it to you if you mostly only need it for this one cat.

There are instructions for DIY drop traps online too that you might consider as an alternative, though.

We also try our best to feed in the trap beforehand, like kittychick mentioned. Most cats only need a few days, but we often do this for weeks in advance with stubborn cats like you describe.

We start by feeding outside the trap, and day by day push the food closer to the trap, then right inside if it.

After that, every 1-3 days (depending on the individual cats hesitancy) we push it just a little further inside until they’re finally comfortable eating at the back. Then we use real bait (tuna, sardines, etc) but still don’t set the trap. We do that at least a few times, because some of those cats are very clever and become suspicious when it’s not their regular food at the back!

Basically, we bring their guard down as much as we can so that trapping them will be “guaranteed” when it’s time. It works most of the time, but there are just some cats once in a blue moon who will just not set foot into a trap no matter what.

For cats we need to trap more quickly, we use other methods -

Have you tried covering the trap with a blanket in different ways? What about camouflaging it in shrubbery and/or using leaves/dirt/sticks on the flooring of the trap? (Sometimes straw works too!).

Bait trails (as mentioned) can work sometimes too. We use tiny pieces of bait for the trails, but also things like tuna juice, Fortiflora, PureBites chicken treats crumbles, temptation treats, and even catnip.

Have you tried the pet carrier or dog crate with a string tied to the door? This can work really well for some trap savvy cats.

The drop trap is kind of expensive, so if cost is an issue for you at all, I would really try to exhaust all other options (aside from nets) first!

Good luck!
 
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movinintime

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Hey TY all very much! Well again this morn I set a bowl of his fav can, Weruva. It was about a ft. inside the regular safe-trap. So, he may go a bit further tomorrow morn. He's about 25% in today (over 1/2 his body, minus the tail which was hanging out) but needs go all way to back to spring the door. If I can move it a bit deeper in next time, then I may be able to lure him deeper into the trap.

I have a couple wks yet but the Tomahawk may be too much & not needed $-wise. I used his regular Weruva canned today. He likes it the best but KFC & a trail of food may help too. He didn't like Trader Joe's oily sardines. Maybe he does not like fish. It was used last wk & outside the trap, yet no go. He would not eat any of it.

Ok, more as I come up w/ it. TY again everyone for this support & help. Monday I'll try more & see if progress is made. Today was THE best so far. I think if it is a bit deeper daily, he may go for it. My worry is my lease expires July 31, & I need to fly east by then from AZ, thus I cannot make a mistake as wouldn't be able to get him & no way can I leave him.

I'm a bit pressured & worried due to this but trying to keep positive. Last resort is to use Gabapentin from the vet. But if he disappears one morn after eating it, I may lose him or make him vulnerable. Ok, that is a last resort but will keep trying to desensitize him to this trap.
 

moxiewild

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Hey TY all very much! Well again this morn I set a bowl of his fav can, Weruva. It was about a ft. inside the regular safe-trap. So, he may go a bit further tomorrow morn. He's about 25% in today (over 1/2 his body, minus the tail which was hanging out) but needs go all way to back to spring the door. If I can move it a bit deeper in next time, then I may be able to lure him deeper into the trap.

I have a couple wks yet but the Tomahawk may be too much & not needed $-wise. I used his regular Weruva canned today. He likes it the best but KFC & a trail of food may help too. He didn't like Trader Joe's oily sardines. Maybe he does not like fish. It was used last wk & outside the trap, yet no go. He would not eat any of it.

Ok, more as I come up w/ it. TY again everyone for this support & help. Monday I'll try more & see if progress is made. Today was THE best so far. I think if it is a bit deeper daily, he may go for it. My worry is my lease expires July 31, & I need to fly east by then from AZ, thus I cannot make a mistake as wouldn't be able to get him & no way can I leave him.

I'm a bit pressured & worried due to this but trying to keep positive. Last resort is to use Gabapentin from the vet. But if he disappears one morn after eating it, I may lose him or make him vulnerable. Ok, that is a last resort but will keep trying to desensitize him to this trap.
July 31st is plenty of time! Please take things slow!!!

The absolute worse thing that can happen right now is that your effort to trap him somehow fails and he won’t go near a trap again any time soon.

You’re acclimating him well ahead of time which is the best possible thing right now! Slow and steady - make trapping a guarantee!

Have you seen if he’s willing to go into a regular plastic pet carrier? Try to see how he reacts to that. Some cats who won’t go anywhere near a trap will walk right into a carrier!

How close can you get to him?

In addition to fried chicken, I would try mackerel, temptations treats, and PureBites chicken treats.

You’re right, some cats do not like fish! If you start getting desperate, don’t be afraid to get even more creative here - try hot dogs, hamburgers, raw meat (liver and tripe can’t be especially stinky!), etc. I’ve trapped a couple of cats with warm French fries before when desperate!

Whatever you use, just try to get it as plain as possible and rinse/wipe off any salt, oil, etc. Most things won’t hurt him in very small amounts, you just gotta find that thing that’s completely irresistible to him!

I’d strongly advise against Gabapentin, even as a last resort. Gabapentin generally isn’t strong enough to make a cat like this docile enough to handle or approach or even trick. He’s far more likely to just wander off in a slightly more relaxed state. It’s just not strong enough to be truly tranquilizing in a way that would likely help, and the risk is quite significant :(

Thank you for refusing to leave him behind! How fortunate he is to have you!!!
 
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movinintime

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I'm laughing at his 'menu'. LOL

Nope, I cannot leave him! I've been feeding at least 2x/day for over 3 yrs now -- Allover these apts. Now he lives daily under my balcony on the patio below, that is an empty apt over a yr now. I know Gaba's a risk tho :( you're right.

I think the chicken can get him. He ate some roast chicken from Albertson's about a wk or so ago. He ate a good bowl of it, but it wasn't near the trap then. He's sorta fine somedays, & was so easy the 1st time he went in the trap in Dec. on 1st try (w/in mins of me setting it in Dec.) but is fearful now.

More on Monday!
 
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