Advice for catching Gary...failed

[Emeraldgreen]

I think your idea of trying to get him to eat the food inside is good. Maybe you could start with some food outside the door and then put some more closer to the door and then just inside the door and then inside and then inside the cage maybe. But if you think that is too long for him to spend in there, if the cage is small, maybe you could carry the cage into the bathroom as others have suggested and let him sleep in there tonight. And hopefully you can get him in the cage tomorrow morning without getting too scratched up.

Hope it all works out.

p.s. is there anyone you can borrow a large crate from? That way you could have litter box inside the cage and once you get him in there tonight, you could just leave him in there.

[StarandBratsmom]

I have personally used to live traps, putting food in it. We used to be apart of this Alley Cats organization, the members chose neighborhood, and we'd feed, and care for the homeless cats. We had to also catch them so we could get them fixed, to help with the population of feral cats. We used the live traps, at night time, after they've been caught, by morning they have calmed down a little.

[AbbyMom]

p.s. is there anyone you can borrow a large crate from? That way you could have litter box inside the cage and once you get him in there tonight, you could just leave him in there.

Recently I nabbed a friendly feral using a portable dog kennel and placing his favorite food inside. He wasn't happy when I shut the door behind him.

He returned in the kennel and we kept him there over night like Emeraldgreen suggests and let him loose in the morning. We used a kitten litter box inside the kennel.

Good luck!

[Moesha]

I've had the humane trap out there, not set of course, for several weeks. That just isn't going to work. Gary is a kitty with definite habits and will only eat from one place. I also have Juliet and Jose out there at the same time and there's no way to make sure neither of them go in the trap instead of Gary. I tried bringing them inside to start with and luring him in. That was a DISASTER! My pet carrier is large. It is for a medium sized dog because Morgan won't fit in anything smaller. He'd have plenty of room and I would cover it with a sheet or towel to help him be calmer. I don't see him being able to be inside anywhere. Once he gets in the carrier, he is going to have to stay there. I think I'll wait to feed them as late as I can and then put him in there tonight. I'm not sure what the organization that is fixing him is called. I know there was a number at the library for vouchers to be used at the local vet's office. When we called they were out of money for that program and gave this other number to us. I'm not sure if they will give him shots or not. If they don't, I'm going to have my mom stop at our vet's office on her way home and have them vaccinate him. I have no idea how this is going to work out. Gary is definitely a wild cat. I'll be sure to post an update if and when I can capture him. Thanks for the suggestions so far.

[Moesha]

It didn't work. I grabbed him and had him in the carrier but my sister couldn't get the door shut quick enough and out he went. Now he's scared to death and so are Julie and Jose. Gary is just sitting in the wooded area sulking. I have the humane trap set just incase.

ETA: I just looked out and I almost had Juliet trapped. She was half way in. I didn't want her in there so I went out there and had her get out before it was set.

[Medusa]

Oh drat, that quick little bugger! We'll keep prayers going that you catch him easily and are able to keep him confined til the big moment.

[Emeraldgreen]

Is there anyway you could re-lure him into your house? If you could just get him in the door and close it behind him, then you'd have the rest of the night to try and catch him inside your house. But I know he is scared now and probably doesn't want much to do with you or the house. But maybe he would go after a moving rope. His predator drive might kick in and he might go after it like a moving snake through the grass. If you drag it behind you slowly from where he is and walk towards your house and then into your house, maybe he'd run after it. Then you could shut the door and then go from there. I can imagine that it would be tough to wrangle him once he's inside the house but at least you could approach it slowly and maybe with treats, you could then get him close to the carrier and then push him into it?
I think it would take a miracle but PT prayers are strong, so it might just happen!

[Moesha]

He hasn't come back on the porch if he sees anyone inside. Even Juliet and Jose won't come over to me at the moment. I thought he might be around tonight for some more food, but there was no sign of him. We called to let the people know to cancel the appointment for him. I guess I'll just try to catch him sometime and then bring him in to my vet. They'll take him anytime I can get him. The place that I was taking him would have been close to 100 miles round trip so I wouldn't really be saving much having to spend gas to drive him there and then pick him up the next day. Oh well. This is so hard.