Cat people, please help. Two feral males hanging around...

[Flaxbee]

Forgive me if I give a little backstory, I hope it won't be too long. My husband and I are in the small town from hell, renting a house, and we want to leave as soon as possible. It was a mistake for us to come here. We're hoping we can leave in 2-3 months. We tried and tried and tried to keep our cat number low, but a pregnant momma brought us her babies over a year ago and we succumbed (we had 3, then took her and her babies in and now have 7).

Of the 7 cats, 5 are indoor only, two are indoor/outdoor (indoor every night at dark, one of them is in most of the time anyway, but the BIG, neutered, 20lb male named Ivan who was born here and whom we adopted right after moving in freaks out if he can't pee outside. Weird, but there it is, so in and out he goes during the daylight hours, from about 11am to 6pm each day).

Because of the two who come and go during the day, I leave food and water out on the enclosed porch with the door propped open, and often will place the other cats' "leftovers" (moist food they don't entirely finish) outside.

As a consequence, two ferals - one definitely a boy, one maybe a female but s/he is almost as big as Ivan so I'm guessing male -- stop by to eat. They've gotten pretty used to the food, and as it's cold out, I'm not going to just stop feeding them, but there's no way we can take them with us when we move.

What I'd like to do is trap-neuter(or spay)-release. I of course will feel like I'm abandoning the cats after doing this, but there are a lot of mice/rats around (we're in a rural area) and I think they'd have plenty of food even without me. I just want to prevent an explosion of kitties in the coming months.

And this area has NO shelters - especially for semi-feral cats.

SO- what is the best way to lure a wary cat into a Havahart trap? Stop the food for a few days and hope s/he is hungry enough to venture in? All those experienced with using humane cat traps, PLEASE give me some advice. And maybe a little reassurance that I'm doing the right thing, if possible.

Thanks. I'm also posting this in the Pets forum.

[Kali]

1. Set the trap open and feed them in there until they get used to going in

for a while - then set it to catch.

[zanne]

2. The neuter/release method is wonderful...

I did that a few years ago to the ferals around here. Our stray population is down by about 80%. We found that the best way to lure a cat into a trap is to put some very smelly fish type food in there. The stinkier the better. It's best to keep the back of the trap up against a wall, because I've seen cats actually stick their paws in the back and drag food out. Anyway, I think you'll have good luck with that.
The other problem is not so easy. Leaving the cats won't kill them; it'll just make them hunt a little harder. There really isn't much "rescue" for ferals, because they can't be adopted. I know how you feel, but you'll feel better just knowing that you've helped decrease the size of the feral population in your area. Good luck.

[applegrove]

3. Yes - that sounds like the way to go!

[Flaxbee]

8. yes, I know it's the best thing to do....

but I have this almost uncontrollable urge to feed and care for and make sure they're warm and safe all kitties (or doggies, or birds) that it will be very hard for me to leave. And males almost always, if they're not totally wild, really mellow out after they've been neutered and turn into big lovable lumps.

But I really don't know how I could integrate one more (or two more) into my already large cat family.

Though knowing I've prevented many many many litters will make me feel better, you're right.

Thanks.

[Mz Pip]

4. One thing to remember

When you decide to set the trap for real you will need to be keeping an eye on the trap. If you trap the cat and don't cover up the trap with a blanket or towel and move it to a sheltered place the cat might die - especially if it's cold outside.

I've been volunteering for a neuter and release program for feral cats and that is one of the first things they tell us.

Another tasty treat that works well in gettin gthem into the traps is warn KFC. Nice and greasy and the kitties love it. :-)

Mz Pip
:dem:

[Flaxbee]

6. Can I put a blanket or towel over the trap before I set it?

Set it up so there's already some insulation? And perhaps keep it off the ground somehow - put a mat under it so the cat isn't sitting on cold concrete?

I've got it so that the one I see most regularly shows up around 5:30 - 6pm or so for his 'leftovers', once I've got Ivan in (Ivan is extremely territorial and stands sentry as long as he's outside). So I should be able to set it up and watch it for many hours - I don't usually go to bed until 2am or so.

Thanks for your advice. As you've been doing this for a while, do you think this is the right thing for me to do?

Hmmm. KFC. There's one right down the road. I'll try several things - tuna, KFC, and our cats go CRAZY for duck that the local Chinese place offers on weekends.

[Mz Pip]

10. You can do that

if the towel or blanket doesn't make the kitty too wary.

I put a strip of cardboard on the bottom of the trap and put a few tidbits on it to lure the cat to that back of the trap where I put most of the food. Once the cat trips the trap it should release immediately.

When I have the trap in the house I put it on a layer of newspapers. As long as the kitty is in a warm place he can stay in the trap for several days. IT should remain covered at all times so he won't freak out. Recovery after neutering takes a couple of days so you'll have to give him food and water while he's in the trap.The vet will put him back in while he's still under anesthetic. If he's really wild, you can put an empty bowl in the trap - sort of sliding it through the door of the trap, then use a spoon or baster to put water in through the wire.

And yes, it's the right thing to do. Feral kittens have about a 70% mortality rate so getting these cats fixed, even if you have to leave them, is a humane thing to do.

Good luck. Let me know how it turns out.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

5. Stop putting food outside?

Just a guess, but the feral cats might be coming around because you feed them.

OR

Adopt them. Then they're not feral, they're pets.

[Flaxbee]

7. so did you not read my post at all??

Duh. Of course they come around because I feed them. But perhaps catching a few of them, and having them spayed and/or neutered, would be a good thing to reduce the local feral population. So the continued feeding is necessary for a while until I can catch one or both of them. I was looking for feedback from those who have done TNR before.

Have you ever actually dealt with a feral cat? If so, I doubt you'd be saying "adopt them". Ever had your hand shredded by a frightened, wild cat? Probably not. And I already have 7 cats which is damn near more than I can handle.

Thanks for your helpful input. Not.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

9. Apologies for not solving your problem.

I'm still trying to figure out how neutering some male cats does anything to affect the feral population. Reproductive limits would seem to be in the female of the species. But as you say, I'm no expert.

[Flaxbee]

11. well, if some males are neutered, at least they can't

impregnate every single female that comes into heat. Neutering the males is also a MUCH easier operation, much easier for the animal to recover from, than spaying. If the males can't impregnate, the females won't bear kittens. Pretty simple. Males can impregnate many females in any given breeding cycle, whereas the female only carries one litter to term every 3 months or so. In that time a male can have impregnated multiple females. I have no idea why you can't understand that doing something, anything, to reduce feral reproduction is beneficial.

I didn't want you to solve my problem. Just perhaps offer a comment or two, if you were so inclined, that didn't disregard my original post.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

13. Here's my thinking on neutering males

If the female is in heat / estrus / whatever it's called, and she mates with a neutered male, then no pregnancy. So, the female remains in heat and mates again, most likely with a different male. That's assuming the neutered male has interest in mating, which I don't know. I just think the female is the key, not the male.

I'm thinking that neutering males is more of a "feel good" action, rather than really being effective. Vets might push neutering males because it's good income.

[femmedem]

16. Leaving males intact makes them vulnerable to communicable diseases

because they're always fighting. Also, other people would be more likely to feed them because they wouldn't spray. So although I see your point, it's still humane.

[Kali]

15. think the point is that it only takes one intact male to breed MANY

females so it is more effective, long term, to spay the females. Not judgeing what you are doing just commenting on the sub-thread.

[Tess49]

12. I adopted a feral kitten a few years back. It took several weeks

and I think I still carry scars from the deep gashes inflicted by the little guy. He eventually grew to trust me, but damn! it was not a
pleasant experience.

[Elidor]

14. Uh-oh

They don't look like THIS, do they?



They like to mangle and claw things, and they're ruthless.