Since domestic cats are typically cuddly and cute animals, it's all too easy to think the same about wild cats that roam your neighborhood. Unfortunately, wild cats can be harmful to themselves and others if left in the wild. Wild populations can multiply rapidly, leading to dangerous overpopulation, frequent competition between cats for food and territory, and other annoyances such as loud meowing, stinking male cat urine and much more. To combat the problems caused by feral cats in your neighborhood, it is recommended that you trap them and take them to a vet to spay or neuter them.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Prepare to Trap a Cat
Step 1. Ask your neighbors not to leave food outside
Trapping a feral cat should be a community commitment. You will have a better chance of success if you can get them used to coming to your home (and nowhere else) to look for food. That way, when the time comes to catch them, they'll feel safe near your home and won't suspect anything. Ask neighbors to help you, avoiding leaving food for feral cats; you certainly do not want that, when you have set the trap, the animals roam unaware around a house that is not yours.
Warn your vet that you intend to trap a feral cat (or more than one) and bring him to him for examination. Since you don't know exactly when you will be able to catch him, however, do not make an appointment for a specific date
Step 2. Start leaving food out of the house every night
Leave a bowl of food in an easy-to-reach spot each night. Wash the dish every morning, then repeat the next evening. To encourage cats to get used to coming to your home, place the food at approximately the same time and in the same place every night.
In terms of food it is advisable to use something that is palatable to all cats and has a strong smell. Fish in oil will do just fine: tuna, salmon, mackerel and sardines are an excellent choice. Chicken, liver and other types of meat will also be suitable, as well as cans of cat food
Step 3. Place an open trap near the area where the food is, for a few consecutive days
Cats, in general, are not stupid animals: they will be suspicious if food suddenly appears in the middle of a metal cage. To get the animal accustomed to the trap and its smell, expose it for several nights next to food. After a while, you can try placing the food inside an open trap.
- Be patient; taking the time to get the cat accustomed to the presence of the cage will make it easier to trap it.
- Remember to use a standard, box-type live animal trap. Check out the section below for more information on the appropriate trap types (and which ones are not).
Step 4. If possible, check when the cats arrive to feed, for one or more nights
If you have the opportunity, wait about 6 meters away from the trap (or, if possible, behind a nearby window). Take note of the time the cats arrive to eat; give each of them a name or a number, so you can recognize them. Find out if the various cats were born wild or abandoned. In fact, an abandoned cat may have a better chance of finding a new home.
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The abandoned cats, generally:
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- They feel more comfortable getting closer to humans
- They will more likely be alone
- They will most likely assume a friendly and open posture (tail up, eye contact, etc.)
- They will meow more
- They may appear dirty and unkempt (as they are not used to cleaning themselves)
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Wild cats, instead:
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- They will generally keep away from humans
- They will likely live in groups or colonies
- They are more likely to assume a defensive and tense attitude (tail down, posture lowered, etc.)
- They are generally silent
- They will often have fairly clean coats
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Step 5. The night before the trap, do not expose the food
Even if the wild cat has gotten used to coming to eat near your house, it may still be suspicious if it finds food inside a trap. To give him more incentive to bite, don't feed him for a day. Doing so will make him very hungry the next night, which will make him more willing to take risks (such as getting into the trap).
Method 2 of 3: Human Trapping a Cat
Step 1. If you don't already own one, buy a live animal trap
Those used for skunks, raccoons and other small parasites will do. The trap should resemble a long, rectangular iron cage, with a small inclined door at one end. The door will close automatically when the cat climbs onto a pad placed on the back of the trap to eat. This type of device is commonly sold in hardware stores and in those that deal with hunting material; be sure to buy one that fits an adult cat.
Depending on their size, live animal traps can cost between € 20 and € 100. Remember that it is worth investing more money to get a reliable trap. Don't try to save money by improvising one, unless you are an expert; you could make the cat run away or hurt him
Step 2. Place the trap with the bait in a flat and safe area
The evening following the night you haven't fed the cat, place some food on a saucer or piece of paper inside the trap, just behind the pressure plate. The place where you will place the trap should ideally be perfectly flat, so that it does not tilt or move if the cat enters, frightening it and causing it to flee.
- You could place something heavy (such as a rock) on top of the trap to hold it steady and keep it from moving when the cat enters.
- Even if it is not necessary, it is advisable to place a sheet of newspaper on the floor inside the trap, to make the cold metal floor more inviting. You will also make it harder for the cat to escape through the bars when you raise the trap. It permeates the newspaper with the liquid from the food to increase the scent.
Step 3. Prepare a short food trail leading to the trap
Take four or five handfuls of food and arrange them so that they lead from the outside of the trap to the inside. This tempting arrangement will convince the cat to voluntarily enter the container.
Some people prefer to place a piece of cardboard on the bottom of the trap for easier cleaning. It is not essential, but you could avoid getting food traces on the floor
Step 4. If you prefer, cover the trap
Some experts are in favor of the idea of covering the trap with a cloth before placing it, while others are against it. Those in favor believe that the cloth helps to disguise the trap and that it also serves to calm the captured animal. On the other hand, however, the opposites believe that keeping the visibility inside the trap intact helps to prevent the cat from perceiving it as a danger. It's up to you to decide: if you follow the next steps, either way, it won't make a big difference.
If you decide to cover the trap, make sure the tarp does not interfere with the mechanism
Step 5. Check the trap quite frequently
All you have to do is wait. If you want to stay in the vicinity of the trap, be sure to keep far enough away not to scare the cat. Assuming you have set the trap at dusk, it is advisable to check it "at least" once before going to bed. After that, you will need to check it as soon as you wake up the next morning, to see if you have caught anything or not. Keep in mind that some animal rights activists recommend checking the trap even more frequently.
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Remember:
it is inhumane to leave a cat (or any other animal) trapped for prolonged periods. Inside, in fact, the animal will not have access to food or water (unless you offer it to it), it will not be able to move and it will not be able to get away from urine and feces. Furthermore, in very hot or very cold climates, being trapped for prolonged periods can be dangerous and lead to the death of the animal, so it is extremely important to check the trap as often as possible.
Step 6. Don't use inhuman traps
In this article, for the moment, we have recommended using only standard traps for live animals. Even if you could use alternatives, do not for any reason use a trap that risks harming or crippling the animal. Among the traps you have to absolutely avoid remember:
- Traps with steel teeth (such as those for bears)
- Traps with ropes or cables
- Traps that crush the animal's body
- Any trap that hangs the animal by a limb
Method 3 of 3: Dealing with the Trapped Cat
Step 1. Check the condition of the cat
When you realize that you have caught it, remove any cloth present on the surface of the trap and check the health of the cat. Be warned: some animals may be docile, but feral cats, who are not used to people, may fidget. Look for any signs of injury or malnutrition and contact a veterinarian right away. Cover the cage containing the cat as soon as possible: you will calm him down and prevent him from fidgeting and meowing to complain.
- If you find that the cat is a lactating female, take her to the vet and let her loose as soon as possible. It means that that cat has kittens that may not survive on their own for an extended period of time.
- Should you catch a neighbor's cat or a wild animal, free it by following the instructions below.
Step 2. Move the trap to a safe area until you can take the cat to the vet
If you can't take it right away, place the animal in a safe but sheltered place, away from children and other animals, such as a garage or cellar. Keep the trap covered, in order to keep the animal calm. Most importantly, wear hand protection (especially if it is a wild cat) to protect you from scratches and microorganisms that may be present on the cat.
- You could try placing the trap on a piece of wood or bricks, lifting it off the ground, so as to allow the feces to fall on the ground and not remain inside the cage. Place newspaper on the floor under the trap.
- If you have more than one trap and plan to catch other animals, replace the first one with the new one as well, placing it in the same spot.
- Do not feed the cat. If you were to open the trap door, the cat could jump out and run away, or scratch you. In addition, if the veterinarian were to recommend an operation (such as spaying or neutering) the procedure will be easier if the cat is on an empty stomach.
Step 3. Take your cat to a vet at the earliest opportunity
Even if the trapped cat appears to be perfectly healthy, it will be important to take him to the vet as soon as possible. Wild cats can sometimes be carriers of diseases, so there is a risk that even an apparently healthy animal has an extremely dangerous disease such as rabies. It is also very likely that the cat will reproduce if you release it without having it checked by a vet. As previously mentioned, too large populations of feral cats can become harmful to the neighborhood you live in, so it is advisable to spay or neuter animals before they multiply.
- Remember that some vets offer discounts for spaying or neutering feral cats for the welfare of the community.
- If your cat appears to be sick or needs serious medical attention, be prepared to decide with your vet whether or not to put it down. For a feral cat, a serious illness can mean a slow and painful death.
Step 4. Free the cat
After having him examined by a veterinarian, take him to where you caught him and open the trap. Use hand protectors. Let the cat go out on its own; do not caress him to greet him.
- Do not take the cat to an unfamiliar place when you free it. The cat may feel disoriented, get lost and die.
- After freeing the cat, wash the trap and hands with soap and water.
Advice
- If you will be trying to trap cats at night, bring a flashlight with you to avoid slipping or falling over unseen obstacles. It may also help keep traps in check from afar.
- If you were to trap a female who is producing milk for her puppies, it is important to find them and understand if they are old enough to be weaned (4-6 weeks). If not, you'll need to catch them and feed them a breast milk substitute.
- After trapping a feral cat, don't try to get it out of the cage - it may bite you.
Warnings
- Change your clothes before having contact with your pets: you risk spreading the diseases brought by wild cats. Wash clothes separately to avoid contaminating other clothing. If possible, use bleach.
- Some diseases, at first, are asymptomatic. Make sure you keep cats and kittens away from your pets and have them checked by your vet.
