There’s a cat that has been loose on my street since May apparently, but only came into my yard Thursday night. I tried to catch it, but it bit me and ran away. Someone has also shaved it for some reason, and I want to catch since it’s getting colder in the evenings. I saw the cat last night too was and was friendly to me, but it had a bit of a cough, so I’m worried. Didn’t see it tonight, and it’s really cold and windy.
A couple of my neighbours have been feeding it, but no real effort in trying to trap it or check to see if it’s microchipped. I want to take it to the vet and see if it has an owner/check for diseases. Apparently the cat likes dry food over wet, so I don’t think leaving cans of wet food will work.
Any advice given from experienced pet owners/ trappers would be helpful.
Getting a cat to come to you is easy, you give it food and pets, and then stay calm when it’s eating/enjoying.
Repeat until you’ve built trust, a sick or hurt cat will typically take longer to trust. Count on several days of repeating this without hitches (no sudden loud noise while you’re doing it, etc).
Sometimes cats are desperate and everything turns up in a magical, calm way without bloodshed. But more commonly the next part is trickier, the cat will resist you picking it up (especially if hurt) or shutting it in.
Trick here is to be decisive and clear in your body language. Prepare a cat carry box with hard sides, feel free to prepare it with some textile smelling of you, be mindful that it will almost certainly be pissed on. Also bring a towel.
You will have to, in a calm manner, put the folded towel over the cat, and with it lift the cat into the carry. The towel is to trap legs so you won’t be scratched, and if you manage to have it snugly around the cat, there’s also a way to calm cats by gently pressing them down.
If you are unsure, slow, nervous, or hesitate in your movement, the cat will bolt. If you’re too fast, loud, or big in movements, it will as well. Relax and do it in a deliberate motion.
If you release the cat from the carry, it will take considerable time to rebuild trust. Consider either going with it to the vet at once, or let it out in a quiet spare room with food, water, and litter box, and giving it a day or three to get accustomed to the room before letting it explore the rest of the place.
Don’t get scratched by the cat, they can have some pretty nasty stuff on the paws, and some transmittable pathogens if anything draws blood or gets in your face/eyes.
Good luck!
I followed your advice to the last detail and 48h later, it worked!
Thank you so much for writing this up, I cannot emphasize how much it helped with my confidence to get this done. You were right about the desperation too. The little guy has a missing bottom fang and a potential injured/broken-and-healing jaw, he can barely chew his food. He just wanted some help 😭
If the cat bit you then get that shit checked by a doctor asap.
Already done, have my tetanus boosters and low risk of rabies in my city from cats. Just got my wounds cleaned, some antibiotics, and sent on my way. Thanks though!
was the shaving on the belly? means it might have already been fixed. if it has one ear tip missing, it’s definitely been fixed
local rescues and hardware stores usually have live traps for rental. you have to leave like a $75 refundable deposit but you get it back as long as you don’t break this trap.
also a lot of pet shops tend to have scanners available, you can call around to see if there’s one closer
No, it’s entire body was shaved. No tips of ears missing. I think it might have been a house cat before, and has been unable to reunite with it’s owners for whatever reasons.
I’ll call the rescues first thing Monday (since they’re closed over the weekend) and see if I can get any more advice on how to trap the cat. Thanks!
Ask a local vet or shelter if you can borrow a cat trap. Else it takes a long time and patience to get the cat to trust you.
This is Todd. He’s our porch kitty. He’s not our cat, but we know where he lives, and we let him come inside for food, water, and a place to nap.
You don’t “lure in” porch kitties. They either feel comfortable at your house or they don’t.
I’m sure you want what’s best for the little guy, but if he doesn’t want to have anything to do with you, it’s best to just leave it at that.
You can leave a little bit of food and water out for him so you at least know that he has access to some when he needs it, but don’t try to engage with him too much. When you try to pick him up, it scares him and teaches him not to let you get near him again. If he starts to feel safe around you, he’ll come closer, if not, he won’t. Some outside cats are just completely feral and will never be comfortable around people, you can’t change that.
Thank you for the cat tax 😭 Todd is adorable. Do you have any shelter setup for colder days/nights for Todd, or does he sleep somewhere else?
Your advice is sound, I think I’ll start by leaving food on my porch and letting the cat approach the property. The problem is that the cat was waaaay too friendly to be a feral, and was neutered too. The only reason it bit me was because it was startled by a motorcycle starting, otherwise it was all over me (I didn’t try to pick it up or anything). I think it is a lost pet.
Oh, that sounds promising then. The way you worded the post made it sound like he wanted nothing to do with you at all.
Todd usually sleeps in my bed. 😂 If he’s out there at bedtime, we let him come in for the night, and he heads back out in the morning.
It’s so funny to me that someones outdoor cat will come for sleep overs lmao
