QSL and other rescuers......

[Laura's Babies]

Mike called me from wal mart tonight, there was a Mama and about a 3 month old baby in the garden center part outside that ran when he called to them. He came home and we took food, a kennel and some towels in case we should need those. He caught another flash of one as it ran. I took food and left food for them and checked around and they had plenty of nice places they could get shelter there.

Problem is, neither of us know jack about catching DUMPED cats. Please tell us how to do it... a trap, a can of sardines? At Wal-Mart? How do you catch a Mama and a baby? I need all the do's and don't's and all the advice we can get! PLEASE! I want to catch these two!

[Kater]

I found some good and detailed trapping instructions here:
http://www.feralcat.com/trapinst.html

I've done *some* trapping for TNR so I will try to answer questions, but I'm sure there are other PTers with more experience.

Do you have access to a humane trap?

[Laura's Babies]

Our local shelter loans them out and I think I could get one there..

I am printing all that out now!

[QueenScoopalot]

I have to dash out and get the car into the shop, but the best way to start is determine if there's more kittens! There's almost never just one with the mom cat. Leave food in a set location (away from nosy people if possible) at a set time. Have a predetermined call, be it kissy noises, or just call "kitties" when putting down the food. Then look for a trap to use, and one with just a trigger at the opposite end from the door. The one's with the trigger in the center (Havaharts) are awful to use, and potentially harmful to the trapped animals. I'll catch up here later....running late!

[moosmom]

Laura,

It's best to get 2 traps. If the Mama is trapped and the baby isn't going to go near a trap.

Put the traps out near where you've seen them with a can of sardines in it. Cover the trap with an old blanket or towl and make sure you cover the bottom of the trap with either grass shavings or leaves, so they can't feel the grates of the traps on their feet. Then just sit in your car (make sure you can see the traps) and wait. BTW, don't feed the cats for at least 24 hours so they'll be hungry when they go for the sardines. Once the cats are in the traps (they're going to thash about because chances are they're feral) keep it covered. They will settle down. Do NOT attempt to touch them without a pair of heavy duty gloves as a cat bite IS very dangerous (I've been bitten 3 times).

Now. the issue here is what are you going to do with the cats once you've trapped them?? If you take them to a shelter, they WILL be pts, as feral cats are deemed unplaceable.

If you take them in (they'd have to be checked out by a vet for diseases, etc.) you'll need to put them in a cage in a spare room and work with them. It's tedious because feral cats trust no one. The older the feral, the harder it is to socialize them.

Trapping feral cats takes alot of patience, love and understanding of why they are the way they are. It's because of people not spaying/neutering their cats.

I wish you alot of luck in getting these two off the streets. Please, if you need any more information, there are alot of us here that do rescue work that can give great advice. Leslie Flenner, Queenscoopalot, Jenluckenback, Kimlovescats and anyone else I have failed to mention here.

[QueenScoopalot]

It may take a few days (have patience) to determine if mom cat has more kitens, or just the one that you saw. I have most luck catching them either very early in the morning (I rarely go trapping at 6AM:rolleyes: ) or just as it's starting to get dark. You should really put food down for a few days to see how many you're dealing with, before setting about trapping them. Leslie and I did a trapping job some years back that entailed crawling around under a trailor (fun with the rocks under there..ughh) and checking inside every cinderblock hole. We scruffed, and grabbed up (6?) tiny kittens, and then got the mom cat. I got a call the next day that one more kitten was heard screaming from the marsh reeds the next morning! So it is crucial to determine the number of kittens first. If you have access to a large trap, tie it open for a few days, and put plenty of wet food at the far end. When the cat and kitten(s) are going in without hesitation, use a length of rope to control the door. Be sure the trap doesn't move as your holding open the door. Brace it against something, but not so you can't tell if they're all in yet. Sit in your car a distance back, and when all the cats are eating from the far end of the door, let the rope go, and cover the trap completely with a sheet, or blanket to calm them. Have a flashlight on hand to make sure no kitten butts are sticking out of the trap before you let the rope go. This can be time consuming, but it's a great way to get the whole family at once! ;) Put enough wet food into the dish past the trigger in case one goes in and backs out. Smoosh the food up also so mom cat doesn't grab a mouthful and take it to the kittens. I use car mats for the trap bottom (Walmart carries small ones) that can be bleached, and don't shift in the trap due to the nubs on the bottom. They sell grey ones for $2.00 around here, made for the backseat of cars. Cut to fit trap. Be sure if you are borrowing a trap, that it doesn't smell of other animals. Clean it with a bleach solution first. Then there's the next dilemma that Donna brought up...what if they're feral? Any age guess on the kitten seen? :confused:

[Laura's Babies]

Moonsmom, I am going to have to keep the kitties in a kennel or cage outside until I get them vetted.. Mike has a large wire cage that we could use to keep them in and I could wrap it in plastic or something and put a small light in there for heat. Right? (Mike is in this with me so I will plan to use that big cage. I do not think she is feral, just scared to death at finding herself in this delima. Mama is Siamese so I am sure she isn't feral.

QSL, I have car floor mats for that were to small to use in my car if I haven't thrown them away. Mike guesses tha age of the babu to be 3 months...... Glad you brought it up that we need to watch for more than one kitten, I hadn't thought of even the remote possiability that there would be more than one since all Mike saw was one with the Mama...

I think the situation is this... Family X got a cute kitten, it grew up and had kittens.. They couldn't give all of the kittens away so they kept one and dumped Mama and the one that they couldn't give away. (probably because it don't look Siamese) Soon as that one has kittens, they dump that one with babies they couldn't find homes for...and so on.... I saw that happen at the shelter a lot... "Here is a Mama cat and her kittens, we kept one and don't want the rest or the Mama." STUPID PEOPLE!!!

[moosmom]

Laura,

The cage in the garage with a light would do. I'd also put a tarp over it to cut down on the wind from blowing through it.

Does she let you go near her?? If she does, it could be she's a stray. But if she runs when you call her or try to approach her, chances are she's feral. Feralness knows no prejudice. Siamese cats can also be feral if left out to fend for themselves long enough. It's the nature of the beast (no pun intended)


" STUPID PEOPLE!!! My sentiments exactly!!!

Jan,

"I use car mats for the trap bottom" Great idea!! I never thought of that!!

[QueenScoopalot]

Laura, I've trapped plenty of Siamese ferals! So has Leslie (Simon who's picture popped up in Jods thread today) was feral born. It would be OK to keep them caged "outside" just so long as they don't bolt out to the big outdoors! Like Moosmom said, a garage or enclosed shed even. If you do get them (and hope there's just the two) never open the cage door unless they're contained in even a basement, or bathroom! Make sure you are locked in to wherever with them, as chances are they'll trash the cage looking for an escape route. Too risky that they'll dash out and be doubly confused by a new location.:eek: Maybe bring along some catnip, and put in down near enough to check under mom cats belly and see if more than one teat's being nursed on. Any signs of additional kittens? :confused:

[Laura's Babies]

Tonights report.... WE went and took canned food and dry. We talked to one of the ladies that worked there and she said they have a bunch of cats that hang around the back of the store where the compactor is, eating the scraps from the grocery dept.. Anyway, we found a good spot there and dumped a can of food onto the ground.

Now, back to where he saw them last night.. Mike saw the gray one make a dash around those lay-a-way things outside and dash in between one so I looked and that was a PERFECT spot. I put some food down (Envision, 2 of these large metal box containers, like the back of a 18 wheeler pulls... 2 are side by side, the front of them are touching but the back is apart about 18 to 24 inches.... A perfect spot to hide, Right? So, I dumped some food and went on to find a good spot to put some more down. I had just put that down and Mike yelled he saw the gray one.. I peeked inbetween the 2 containers and I indeed saw the baby..gobbeling up that food and we turned around and there was what Mike has called the Mama cat.. She was eating the food I had just dumped in the same spot as last night and she is FULL Siamese.. BEAUTIFUL!!! From the glimpses I caught of them, I tend to think they are close to the same size and neither look starved or malnourished .. I think we made progress..... Tonight we learned WHERE to put the food! They KNOW my voice now so hopefully, when they hear me, rather they show themselves or not, they will know there is food and I will know they are eating...... ALL the food I put down last night was gone and they know where to look for food! I call that PROGRESS! These are the only 2 we are going to work on for now...

[leslie]

oh for heavens sake, ya'all got a colony back there... even though you haven't seen them all yet, you may well see more in your trips out there! You better put blinders on!
I remember trapping a full grown pregnant Siamese years ago, (I was convinced she must be tame- NO- FERAL as all get go!!! If she could hit me she would, she stayed on the upper shelf of her cage to avoid me which caused me anx when her babies were crying for her!- some ferals are so upset they just ignore the babies....) she gave birth to a mix of babies, black and white, calico, and one snowshoe siamese. The snowshoe died after much effort and cost on my part and the autopsy revealed distemper. The calico was "dead" on my couch one day but I rushed her to my vet who detected a slight heart beat and basically brought her back to life! She thrived and was adopted out! My point is that yes, there are feral siamese out there!

[Laura's Babies]

Ok, ya'll have me convienced.... If she isn't friendly after me working with her for awhile at wal mart then I will leave her alone. like I told Mike, they are better off there running loose than at the kill shelter. Maybe trap, alter and release back there but NO WAY do I want them to end up being PTS! Leslie, did you empty your pm box? I tried to send you something last night and it was full.

[QueenScoopalot]

Hope she's not feral Laura. ;) I think my most memorable Siamese capture was a kitten (one of four 12 week olds) that I trapped some years back. Stunning blue-point kitten in the litter! The rest were black, and tabbies. They socialized quite well, and I had a terrible time trying to sex the siamese kitten! When it was time to go to vets, they were stumped too, and declared the baby a hermaphrodite! Poor kitten had to be spayed & neutered. :( Try bringing some chicken, or coldcuts along soon, and see if any cats will approach you and take it from your hand. Catnip's always an icebreaker too. ;) Keep us posted!

[Laura's Babies]

Leslie, your pm box is full again. Empty out sent pm's too and that should help. I need to pm you.

[Laura's Babies]

Last night (Saturday), they seem to be waiting for us but we did not see them at all when we got there. We put out a large can of food (in 2 spots) for the "Mama" and "Baby", calling and talking to them the whole time. I took a old flannel sheet to put down because tonight it is suppose to get down in the 20's here. Mike had a few things to pick up so we went in wal mart and shopped a bit, then came out the garden center door and THERE they were, right ahead of us! The baby saw us and ran off but the Mama sat there on the light post a few minutes looking at us before she ran off. (Wished I'd had my camera with me, that would have been a beautiful shot of her on that lamp post) A quick check of where we put the food and all that was left was a wet spot so they ate it right away... GREAT!

[Gidgetgirl]

Laura,
Do you know of anyone with a barn home that would be willing to let these babies (those that are feral) live there once trapped and sp/n? If you do, please let me know. I have a trap and S.O.S. will have them vetted, but they have to have a safe place to live after this is done. Kitten season is near, so we need to get this done ASAP before these innocent angels multiply.:eek:

[Laura's Babies]

Hi Nellie!! Welcome back to PT!! I will have to ask around about anyone having a place to let them roam around freely after having them sp/n.. Mike also found a store near the insterstate that has about 50 of them hanging around out back that the mananger would like to have trapped before they get hurt or sick but we are only trying this on these two at WM before taking on anymore. I may take you up on that offer for that trap... we found one we can borrow but if we need another, I will let you know.

I agree about this needing to be done before kitten season.

Last nights report is, the "baby" was waiting for us on that old sheet I left for it and we watched "him" from the crack in the front of where the two containers joined (about a 1 inch space), I talked to him and he sat there and those ears were working hard to listen. I went around the back of the container and put his food down and it was gone 40 minutes later. We never caught a glimps of the "Mama" cat and she had not touched her food when we checked back later. I sure hope this don't mean something has happened to her.

Are you going to be at PetCo this coming week end?

[leslie]

Well for sure try to trap the baby as long as he/she no longer needs moms milk! sorry re:pms (they are all cheech and chong and I hate to delete them but I suppose I must!

[Laura's Babies]

Copy and paste pm addys to you documents and save!! I do that a lot for other things, then when I need them, I copy and paste to my search......

[Laura's Babies]

Todays update (12-22) Back to WM last night with brand new trap in hand. I had to meet Mike since he had a meeting to go to and while sitting in my car waiting for him. "Mama" cat walked right in front of my car where I got one great look at her and I can not tell you how beautiful she is. Turns out, she is a lot bigger than I first took her to be (as well as a lot prettier). She took her time walking by and I was just THRILLED to get such a good look at her.

We tied the door to the trap open, put the paper in the bottom and filled the bowl with food and took it behind the containers and place it in the spot where they stay, covered it with a towel and walked away.. This night, I wanted to watch so I stayed outside to observe.. An amazing discovery was made, there is ANOTHER KITTEN!! A little black looking one too! Neither of us had ever caught a glimps of this one until last night. The kittens are smaller than I had first thought too, looking to be at the most 3 months...They noticed there was something different and all went to check out the trap around the outside of it really good, before going in to eat. Mama cat was right there looking after her babies. They ate all the food..

I took on CCL's idea and made a shelter for them out of a storage container because the weather is suppose to get bad here sometime today, storm and turn really cold so I made them a place where they can get to stay dry and warm. After we put the trap back, I took that and placed it where they stay and walking back to my car, I saw them between some other containers there and I stopped and talked to them (The Mama and gray baby).. They did NOT run away from me so I stood there and talked to them for a long time and they sat there looking at me. I was THRILLED and about to jump for JOY!! I feel last night was progress in that they did not run away and sat there while I talked to them and found out there is at least 1 more kitten.

All of the store employess that we talk to after seeing us there messing around the containers are really nice and willing to help us.. We told them, just leave the cats and our stuff alone, that if we leave something there, we WILL be back to pick it up!