Trapping Tips

HOW TO TRAP A COMMUNITY CAT AND/OR KITTENS:

If you have never caught a cat or kitten in a humane live trap, ask for a demonstration and the “Feral Cat Humane Trapping Protocol” sheet when you purchase the Feral Cat Voucher and pick up the trap.

Copy this link to a new tab to view a short video which will show you the basics of Trap/Neuter/Return to help you have a successful trapping:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wF_omFE7Etc

Here are some more tips:

Use a Have-A-Heart style humane trap. This is safest and easiest for you, the cat and the veterinary staff. HPHS has certificates and traps available for loan at our Second Chance Thrift Store at 114 East First St. in Alturas from Wednesday to Friday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

If you are feeding a colony of cats in Alturas or within 25 miles of Alturas and would like us to provide assistance to help you trap them to be altered through our Community Cat Program, contact Karen Haines, TNR Program Manager, at modocspayandneuter@gmail.com. This programs return the cats to the location where they were trapped.

Community cat caretakers are encouraged to register online on our confidential database. Go to catstats.org/modoc to create an account. With your help, we can improve our TNR Program, track our impact, obtain funding, stay in touch with you and most important – protect the cats!

For best results, secure the trap open (on both ends if possible), and place food inside the traps at the same time every day to get the cat(s) used to going into the trap. Do not leave food in the trap at night or it will attract wildlife.

Prior to trapping, call 530-233-4156 to schedule the procedure with Modoc Veterinary Center. Set the trap(s) a day before your appointment.

Set the traps just before the time you normally feed or see them. Do not leave traps unattended! Cats are vulnerable when in a trap. They should immediately be completely covered with a large towel or sheet and put in a safe, quiet area.

Kittens require special treatment: Live traps can kill kittens, so they cannot be used in "automatic" mode (where the kitten's weight activates the trap) unless there is only ONE kitten in the area. Kittens tend to follow each other into the trap and if one is lagging when the other trips the trap, the door can crash down on the kitten in the entryway. So, if you have more than one kitten (as you usually will), you have to manually trip the trap. Do this by propping open the trap with a plastic bottle full of water, that is tied at the neck with a string. Run the string out to a location behind a tree, or into your house or vehicle where you can comfortably sit to watch the trap. When a kitten goes inside, and no kitten is in the way of the door, pull the string to trip the trap. Don't worry about scaring the other kittens that are outside the trap, they will come around again when the trap is reset. This is also an effective method when you want to target a specific cat and not catch others.

After trapping, keep the cat in a quiet, secure location. You may (very carefully, so the cat doesn’t escape or so you don’t get bitten or scratched) slide food and water into them by barely opening the trap door. Lining the trap floor with newspaper or a puppy pad prior to catching the cat will help in keeping the kitty clean while in the trap. Optionally, you can slide in a disposable litter tray (cardboard canned food trays work well.) Just be sure to remove it, along with any spilled litter before taking it to the vet clinic so it doesn’t make a mess for them.

To be extra safe, a forked trap divider (inserted horizontally) is the safest way to slide in food, water and litter trays. The night before the scheduled surgery remove all food by 6 pm. and water by 11 pm.

DO NOT transport cats in the back of a pickup! To keep their stress level down they should be transported inside a vehicle. You can put down a tarp or garbage bags and towels to protect your vehicle.

After surgery cats are unable to regulate their body temperature. For this reason it is important to keep them in a warm location (65 to 70 degrees) overnight following surgery. They need a secure space to recover for 24 hours away from loud noises, toxic fumes, pets and children. Some may take a little longer. The vast majority of cats have a speedy and healthy recovery with no complications. However, it is important to monitor them often to check their progress.

If you notice bleeding, swelling, lethargy, vomiting, labored breathing, or if a cat is not fully waking up, seek veterinary assistance immediately. Provide the cat with dry and wet food and water. Most cats will eat on the day following surgery, but some will not eat while in the trap.

Once the cat has recovered and doing well, return them to the area where they were trapped. Place the trap door away from people and towards the area they are familiar with and ideally where they can get undercover quickly.

HELPFUL TIPS:

Set a regular feeding schedule for a week or so by placing food (only for about one hour) inside a trap which has been secured open. Don’t free feed all day. This gets the cat used to going into the trap at a regular time to eat BEFORE the trap is set to capture the cat.

Wildlife is usually nocturnal so if you have skunks or other animals in your area who may enter the cage, don’t trap at night.

Place the trap against a building or some sort of structure instead of out in the open.

Bait the trap with two kinds of food. Strong smelling foods, such as tuna, sardines or chicken attract most cats. Don’t feed shellfish (clams, oysters, etc.) – it is toxic to cats. If you are regularly feeding the cat, its familiar food may bring the best response. Put a little trail of food beginning at the entrance of the trap that leads them to the back behind the trip plate.

If the trip plate on your trap is not wide enough, the cat may step over it. You can extend it by taping a piece of cardboard to it. Alturnatively, place a stick a couple of inches in front of the trip plate so the cat has to step over it and onto the trip plate.

If possible, set more than one trap. There will often be a “hot spot” where the cats tend to go more often.

Once you have caught the cat, immediately cover it completely with a towel or sheet. This will calm the cat. It can also help to have the trap covered while it is in the “set” mode. Some cats will feel more comfortable going into a sheltered area. To reduce stress, keep the cage covered the entire time the cat is in your care.

Trapping community cats is not an exact science. Every cat and situation is different. It may take some experimentation and PATIENCE to get the job done. Know however, that you are improving their health and quality of life tremendously by having them altered and vaccinated.