I need advice on TNR

Pumpkinseeds

boomerang wrote: »

What we do in a situation where there are a few cats about, but only one we want to catch:

Instead of using the lever in the trap to keep the door of the trap open, just prop it open with a 500ml bottle filled with water. Tie a long piece string around the bottle and when the right cat goes in the trap, pull the string. This only works on traps that have a door that swings outwards when set. (See piccy).

I think putting a blankie in there is a bad idea... It may well be putting him off. It's better with a wire-bottomed trap at least to set it in the grass and let the grass come up through the wire floor. It camouflages it a bit.

He sounds very savvy. I definitely think putting him on a feeding schedule is the way to go. If you can do that, I could call out to you in about a week with our drop trap, if you haven't succeeded between this and then. That's our plan B for cats that won't go in the regular traps. I suspect from the sounds of it that this lad may be finding food elsewhere, and that might be part of the reason why he's not going the whole way into the trap - insufficient tummy grumbles!

Thanks, but I think it's just the presence of the other 3 that's putting him off. Last night none of ours went into the trap, I think the novelty has worn off. Our garden is all concrete so that rules out grass. I'll take the blanket out. He was certainly someones at some point as he's nervous but def not feral.

He's come into the kitchen about a week ago while the door was open. Toby was asleep on the armchair and black puss was tucking into the applaws nuts. I heard the growling and got in before they could get him. He was cornered and looked at me as if to ask me what to do. I doubt he'd come up to me though. Since Toby arrived Felix is like my shadow, whenever he hears me talking he arrives to check who its to, you'd swear I was cheating on him with another cat:D Anyway the trap is set and Felix and Jazzy are asleep, Toby is out somewhere so if black puss is around he might go into the trap. I'll keep trying until I get him anyway.

DBB

boomerang wrote: »

Instead of using the lever in the trap to keep the door of the trap open, just prop it open with a 500ml bottle filled with water. Tie a long piece string around the bottle and when the right cat goes in the trap, pull the string. This only works on traps that have a door that swings outwards when set. (See piccy).

Heh heh!
Reminds me of watching Tome & Jerry. Or Catch the Pigeon. Or Roadrunner!

Pumpkinseeds

UPDATE

So we've been trying to catch puss all week with no success. Hadn't seen him since early last monday morning and I don't think he's been back since then. It was like a winters night here last night, lots of wind and heavy rain, so we taped up the door of the catflap so Toby would be able to come in if he came home during the night, which he did.

Felix got weird this morning and insisted on giving me a bed bath and using headboard as a scratching post, so Mr P decided to bring him downstairs to let me get some sleep. Didn't get that sleep as black puss was in our living room at 8.30 with Jazzy guarding the living room door to stop him getting out of the house. Mr P had to grab Felix while I had to put my leg in between Jazzy and black puss to stop Jazzy getting him.

Black puss escaped and he didn't go near the trap either:rolleyes:

Chinasea

<snip> No naming or giving info of individual charities.

Pumpkinseeds

Chinasea wrote: »

<snip>

I have the trap and I'm in Clare thanks. Mr P doesn't think it was the same black cat. He got a better look than me and he said there were no wounds on this cat and that it looked well groomed, so he's adamant that it's not the same cat. We've quite a few black cats in the area and they all have homes. I love the black ones, they always have the sweetest natures. So the plot thickens.

Pumpkinseeds

Am totally at a loss with this cat now. He is just ignoring the trap and trying to get into the house. I've tried sardines, whiskas pouches of chicken and fish varieties, cooked chicken and also applaws kibble. He doesn't even look at the trap. I've tried covering the trap and leaving it uncovered and moving it to different parts of the garden, but nothing. It's like he doesn't even see it he's so focused on getting in the cat flap.

His fighting wounds don't seem as bad today but that's just based on the quick glance we got of him on the outside of the flap while Jazzy was half out of the flap and they were howling at each other a few minutes ago. Toby must be fighting with him elsewhere as he is battered when he comes home.

The thing is this black cats presence is unsettling Felix and Jazzy and it's getting worse. He got in the flap last night and went upstairs briefly. He ran when he saw Felix and when I went upstairs to check if he'd sprayed anywhere Jazzy ran and hid under the bath. He then went and hid under the bed, he never does those things:( Obviously I can't have them being scared in their own home.

Whereas Jazzy is showing his stress by hiding Felix is showing it with misplaced aggression. He's trying to chase Toby off and when I brushed him yesterday he hissed at me and clawed my hand. He doesn't like being brushed but he usually just walks off. He's very edgy and out of sorts.

Pumpkinseeds

I'm so frustrated trying to trap this cat. He hadn't showed up for days and the charity I borrowed the trap from needed it back this morning so I put it at the front door. 10 minutes after I moved it I heard screeching from the kitchen. Puss was trying to come in the flap and Jazzy was half way out the flap screeching while puss howled.

It's hind quarters are very hollowly prominent and it's ribcage seems very big from the few seconds I saw it. It's either getting emaciated or is pregnant:( The trap is gone now so I've to keep track of when puss shows up so I can borrow the trap again. Funds are very tight at the moment so it'll be a while before I can buy 1. Still I can't hold on to the trap for ever, there are more urgent cases and puss often disappears for ages. I'll keep putting food out, it wouldn't be an issue if my 3 weren't so territorial.

They're working as a double act this week to drive Toby off and I'm half thinking of just putting Toby in a safe rooom for a couple of weeks to calm things down and get them used to him. I'm just worried that Toby will get freaked out since he's spent his life roaming wherever and whenever he likes

loveisdivine

I don't really have too much to add but just thought I would say when we trapped our feral/stray we used ham and she pretty much went straight in.

Then again I'm pretty sure it was her first time being trapped as she was very young. Your boy may have been trapped before and is wise to the game!

Pumpkinseeds

Yeah am at a total loss now on getting puss trapped. I haven't the trap at the moment so there's nothing I can do about the tnr for now. I'm still putting food out for him/her. I can't get a good look as it knows my cats are never far behind when it sees me, so it runs off. It seems very petite with a thick coat that looks like it spends it's life outdoors.

I've put chicken, tuna, salmon, cat food pouches of every variety and applaws nuts in the trap. I've never let the food get stale. I've tried covering the trap, leaving it uncovered and moving it to different parts of the garden. But nothing has worked, puss has just ignored it, but hasn't been around much. All I can do for now is leave food in the shed so that it gets some whenever mine aren't around:(

boomerang

Pumpkinseeds why don't we go with plan B and I come out to you with our drop trap and a transfer cage? The drop trap usually works where all other traps have failed! It's in use this week but I could possibly bring it Wednesday or Thursday of next week?

Pumpkinseeds

boomerang wrote: »

Pumpkinseeds why don't we go with plan B and I come out to you with our drop trap and a transfer cage? The drop trap usually works where all other traps have failed! It's in use this week but I could possibly bring it Wednesday or Thursday of next week?

That would be great. Most of the visible wounds puss had seem to have healed a good bit. It's hard to get a good look as he/she is usually in a stand off with or running from my 3. I can't PM you here for some reason so I'll email the facebook page.

Pumpkinseeds

Well I just had a visit from my little black stray cat and he, I think he is a he definitely isn't feral. I was sitting watching Eastenders in the livingroom and a black head popped round the door and had a look at me. He made his way straight to a catnip toy on the floor and rubbed his head on it. He had just gone into the kitchen for some food when Jazzy came in the front door and chased him off.

He hasn't had food here for the past 2 days as Toby's been sleeping in the back garden in the mornings. I think he might've got some of the dry food in the shed and I'll leave the wet stuff out over night. At least he's looking better with the extra food he's been getting and his war wounds are healing up. Still missing the odd patch of fur but am delighted to know he's safe. I worry about them in this heat.

mymo

That's great he's looking better, this heat is a worry, our lot are all panned out, freezy pops for dogs and I put the wet food in the fridge, dishing out a little at a time with cold water added.
Rats are getting frozen broccoli and peas in a paddling pool (little plastic box)!

He may have had an owner at one time and gone stray?

Pumpkinseeds

mymo wrote: »

That's great he's looking better, this heat is a worry, our lot are all panned out, freezy pops for dogs and I put the wet food in the fridge, dishing out a little at a time with cold water added.
Rats are getting frozen broccoli and peas in a paddling pool (little plastic box)!

He may have had an owner at one time and gone stray?

I'd say he had a home once. A few times when they've sneaked up on him he looks at me as if to say help. We always save him from them if we get to him in time and get Toby away from him if he's gone for him. So I think he knows we aren't going to hurt him. They all love the catnip. Thankfully he and Toby haven't come into contact for a while now so they're both healing up nicely and Jazzy is more of a chaser than a fighter.

irelandspurs

if he's coming through the cat flap can you put the trap up to flap so when he goes through he'll go straight into trap?

Pumpkinseeds

irelandspurs wrote: »

if he's coming through the cat flap can you put the trap up to flap so when he goes through he'll go straight into trap?

He can't actually get in the flap, he just looks in. He's come in the open back door a few times, past the trap:rolleyes:. There's only about a 1 foot gap between the catflap and the side of our cooker. Just lately there hasn't been much contact between him and our other 3 and he's managing to get food most days. I got to him at 7am today as he was on his way out after breakfast as Toby was arriving home and it was just howling not fighting.

We're going to see how things go. As long as he's able to get food here regularly and not get savaged by our 3 we'll continue to feed him with the intention of keeping him ourselves. If the others will accept him eventually, even just enough to let him come into the garden for food we'll hold on to him. If not we'll try and trap him and get him to a rescue I know will take him.