To control the feline population, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) officially has adopted a policy called Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), in which it's recommended that all stray pets be rounded up, spayed, or neutered to keep from reproducing. Whether you've got a scruffy-looking stray that sits and meows on your front porch, or a local tabby that frolics in your front yard by the long grass, you may need to round the animal up to help keep it healthy and safe. Whether it is a lost pet you can return to its owners or a feral kitty you can give a new home, when done right taking in a stray cat can be a boon to your community and a rewarding experience. Learn to trap a stray safely by preparing effectively, attracting the animal, and keeping it safe.
Part 1 of 3: Getting Prepared
1Observe the cat for a while. Before you catch or even approach a stray cat, you need to observe them for signs of disease and injury. For your own safety and the safety as a cat, it's important to evaluate the health of the animal and come up with a viable plan for determining when and how to help. If a cat has been coming around for a few days, spend some time watching it closely. If it's a friendly cat, your job will be a lot easier. If not, you've got some work to do.
- If a cat behaves erratically, breathes heavily, drools excessively, or generally acts lethargic and unusual, call animal control. Do not attempt to approach cats exhibiting signs of disease.
- Not every cat needs to be caught. Don't try to catch well-fed looking cats with collars. Call your neighbors and inquire about whether or not anyone’s missing a stray, instead.
2Get a live trap. Live traps are extremely safe and simple mechanisms that catch cats easily and humanely. You bait the trap with food, and then the doors of the cage will close when an animal wanders inside, trapping it safely. After trapping a stray cat, leave it in the live trap and transport it to the vet. Do not remove the animal from the trap until you’ve taken it to the vet.
- Local vets and animal shelters will lend you live traps for catching strays. You don’t have to buy one, though it might be a good tool to have on hand if you live in a rural area and commonly encounter strays and other animals in need of relocation.
- If you absolutely can't find or use a trap, use a cat carrier or a box to bait with food and trap the cat inside. A live trap is safer and more effective, but this can do in a pinch.
- Don’t attempt to catch a stray by picking it up or by using a pillowcase or other type of bag. These methods can anger and agitate strays, as well as injure them, and risk injuring yourself. Never, under any circumstances, should you handle a stray cat with your bare hands. Treat stray cats as you would a wild animal, even if you hope to domesticate the cat in the long run. Give it time.
3Prepare an area in which to keep the cat. You'll need to have a suitable place for keeping the cat, even if you just plan on taking it to the vet and then re-releasing it. Ideally, you want to catch the cat as soon as possible to the spay or neuter date, so you can take the cat immediately to the vet's office. If you need to house the cat for a little while before, though, you need to prepare a quiet room in the house for the cat to stay.
- Strays should be kept in out-of-the-way areas of your house that you can keep quiet so the cat will calm down and feel safe. Basements, spare bedrooms, and other temperature controlled areas that you can keep dark will help to calm cats and keep them feeling safe.
- If you're taking the cat to the vet in less than 12 hours, don't worry about feeding the animal. It'll be fine and it'll be much safer to avoid opening the cage and risking having to wrangle the cat again. Provide some clean water and let the cat stay in the live trap.
4Set up an appointment to have the cat neutered. The ASPCA now promotes a policy called Trap Neuter Return (TNR). Whatever you intend to do with the animal after you’ve caught it, this needs to be the first step after catching it.Ad
Part 2 of 3: Trapping a Stray
1Start feeding the cat, then withhold food. Leave out food or treats for several days to keep the cat coming back to the area. You want to make sure the cat will start having a reason to come around, and then will have a reason to take the food that you've set into the trap.
- After making an appointment to have the cat treated at the vet, withhold food for a day or two leading up to the appointment, before you set your trap for the cat.
- Use regular dry cat food from the store, or canned cat food to feed the cats. In a pinch, a small amount of tuna or other canned fish will also attract cats if you’d rather not buy cat food.
- Don’t feed cats milk. Contrary to pop culture and belief, cats have difficulty processing dairy, and you can end up with a mess on your hands by feeding cats milk. Feed strays solid cat food.
2Set up the trap and bait it. Use the same variety of cat food or treats that you’ve been using to feed the cat. Set down paper to smooth over the wire floor of the cage, and place food at the back of the cage so the cat has to walk all the way in to eat it, then set the spring on the trap.
- Each trap will be operated slightly differently, but all are fairly basic. For the most part, you only need to open the trap door and secure it in place with the wire release bar. When the door closes, the animal will be trapped inside.
- Cover the trap with a towel or cloth without obscuring the entrance, to help obscure the trap and make it look less conspicuous.
- Don't use a bowl to keep the food in. The cat might thrash around once caught and could hurt itself on any objects stuck inside the cage.
3Check on the trap regularly. Live traps are very safe, but you don't want to leave a cat outdoors and exposed in a trap for a long period of time, unattended. This makes it important to check up on it regularly and see whether or not you've made the catch. If so, bring it indoors to your prepared area, or take it to the vet immediately if it's time.
4Take the cat indoors. Once the cat is trapped, cover the trap with the cloth and promptly move it to the holding area. The cat will be more calm if kept in the dark when you are moving it, so lower the light and keep a cover over the cage.
- Leave the cat in the trap. Don't let the cat out of the trap or try to transfer it to a cat carrier, or you're just going to have to start the whole process over again. After being caught and moved around, cats will want to hide in a small, cramped space, anyway, making the cage the ideal location for them at this time. The cat will be fine.
Part 3 of 3: Finding the Stray a New Home
1Have the cat neutered and treated if necessary. If you haven't already, make an appointment at the local veterinarian's office and arrange to have the cat spayed or neutered. In many places, these services are offered for free as a general animal control policy. Call and ask, if you're just planning on re-releasing the cat.
2Re-release the cat. After having the cat looked after and treated, you can return it back to the habitat from which it came, or take it elsewhere. In general, this policy is promoted by the ASPCA as a way of helping to control the cat population. If the cat seemed to be getting on well in the environment, re-release it and put out food occasionally.
- If you don’t want the cat coming around anymore, release it elsewhere. Ask at the vet for advice about possible courses of action, good spots for drop-offs, or find somewhere else to take the animal.
3Contact a local cat rescue organization or non-kill animal shelter. If you live in an urban area, releasing a stray might be irresponsible. Cat rescue and no-kill shelters are a much better option. They will likely be happy to do the work of finding the cat a good home.
- Many rescues will pay the cost of a stray cat's veterinary bills for you. Save your receipts.
- If you can, offer to foster the cat until a home is found. Some organizations have more cats than they have foster homes. Just don't take offense if they prefer to foster with someone who has experience with cats.
4Try to find the cat a new home, if necessary. If you're sure the cat is owned by nobody and you're uncomfortable or unable to take the cat elsewhere, find a suitable home for the cat yourself. You can advertise, ask around, and find a suitable candidate for keeping the cat for a pet.
- Ask around informally to see if any of your friends or relatives might be interested in looking after the cat. Start by asking trusted friends and acquaintances. This way the cat gets a good home, and you can visit it sometimes.
- Advertise the cat locally. Put the cat on Petfinder.com. Make sure the profile is honest about the cat's situation. You can also put an ad online or in the local classifieds.
5Consider keeping the cat. Some stray cats make great pets once they adjust to life in a human home. Think carefully about whether you have the time, money and a good environment to take on a pet. If you plan on keeping the animal, make sure that it gets looked after thoroughly at the vet and that it's a safe animal to be around before letting it into your home.Ad
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- Wear thick clothing in case the cat tries to claw you.
- Do not take the cat to a pet store or kill shelter. Research any organization before turning the cat over to them.
- Some rescues and animal welfare organizations will lend you a live trap for free.
- Cats can be picky about people. If the cat doesn't seem to warm up to you, ask a friend to try instead.
- Domesticating feral cats can be tough. If the cat is a part of a feral cat colony, the ASPCA recommends the Trap-Neuter-Return method. Capture it, take it to the vet, and then return it to the colony to live out the rest of its life.
- Determine if the cat is a stray or feral. You may need help from a cat rescue group to do this. One tip - Feral cats are almost never vocal.
- Strays can carry diseases such as Feline leukemia, so wash your hands and clothing thoroughly before handling your own pets. Keep it away from your pets and their things, including their carrier, until you have had a chance to take it to a vet.
- Be careful about separating kittens and mothers. Kittens shouldn't be weaned from their mothers before 4-6 weeks. If you capture a nursing mother, on the other hand, her kittens might die if left on their own.
- Animal bites are serious! If you get bit, seek medical attention and keep the cat quarantined in case it has rabies or some other communicable disease.
- It's okay to pick up kittens by the scruff of their neck, but doing so on an adult cat will choke them.
- Never feed an owned cat unless you have permission from their owner. It could have dietary issues like diabetes. Or the cat might get used to being fed outside and abandon its owner.
Categories: Animal Rescue
In other languages:
Español: atrapar un gato callejero, Italiano: Catturare un Gatto Randagio, Português: Capturar um Gato Perdido, Русский: поймать бездомного кота, Deutsch: Eine Streunerkatze einfangen, Čeština: Jak odchytit toulavou kočku, Nederlands: Een straatkat vangen
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