Feral cats – Step 4) Trap
Please review our trapping and make sure you trap safely according to these guidelines:
Key Highlights
Whether you’re a master trapper or just a beginner, here are the key highlights you’ll need to remember:
- Never leave a trap out unattended for any length of time, whatsoever.
- Do not trap cats after midnight the night before your appointment, due to the risk of the cat vomiting while undergoing anesthesia.
- Make sure the back of the trap is locked and kept locked.
- Line the bottom of the trap with newspaper.
- Bait the trap by putting the bait food on a square of aluminum foil, putting the foil on the ground and setting the trap down on top of it. This way when you pick the trap up, there is no food or dishes inside.
- Make sure the trap is partially covered while trapping and then fully covered as soon as a cat is trapped. Keep covered at ALL times.
- As soon as a cat is trapped, pull the trap from your trapping area immediately so the other cats don’t see their friend trapped and get savvy.
- Make sure you hold the cat the night before surgery in a safe, dry, indoor, secure location that is temperature controlled.
- If you catch a cat early in the afternoon, you can make food available to them up until midnight (using the aluminum foil trick). Kittens can have food available up until 6:00 a.m. the morning of surgery.
- Try to avoid trapping nursing mothers until her kittens are at least 5 weeks of age. If you do happen to trap a nursing mother, do not release her. Still bring her in to the clinic. We will prioritize her for the day.
- Do not transport any cats in the back of an open-bed pick up truck or an open Jeep to and from the clinic.
- Avoid using plastic during transport or as trap covers because it’s dangerous. The cats need to get plenty of ventilation while you’re holding them the night before/after surgery and during transport.
- Do not try and transfer a feral cat to any other container for any reason once they’re trapped.
- If you catch two cats in one trap, do not release one. Try to bring an extra empty trap in to the clinic with you. If you don’t have one, we’ll loan you one. Again, do not try and transfer one of the cats.
- Remember, feral cats need to be in traps. Tame cats can come in hard plastic carriers or traps. No cardboard boxes, cardboard carriers or pet bags of any kind.
- We do not allow Harbor Freight traps (collapsible traps) here at the clinic as we’ve witnessed these traps frequently failing and cats escaping from them.
- If you’re using the brown Tru-Catch traps, please make sure you use a plastic zip tie or other sturdy clasp on BOTH ends so the doors cannot accidentally come open.
Good luck trapping!
