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!
Thank you for this write up! I think yours is the best way to go about it. I hope it shows up tonight.
Also, avoid direct eye contact, and never ever stare into their eyes. This is the equivalent of an oath of blood and despair.
That’s something people who don’t own a cat don’t understand: the less you look at them, the more friendly they think you are (that’s why cats love allergic persons)
I mean I stare into my cats eyes all the time. The key is to long blink. You have to have built enough trust or the cat will try to attack you.
You can build trust by just being in the same space and ignoring it.
I’ve also done the 'sup head jerk with cats around the neighborhood, they start in surprise the first few times, then do it back.
It’s apparently an acknowledgement/greeting between cats.
And yes, heed the advice to “ignore” cats until they approach. Sit calmly, do your thing, let eachother know you’re there, and then wait. Often doesn’t take more than 15 minutes.
You’re right. The rules are not the same with your own cats. One of my cats likes long blinks (aka “eye kisses”), and for an other one it’s a call to play and cuddle on the rug.
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 😭
So happy for you! The world is better off for your empathy and care <3
Thank you for letting me help, and hope you both have a better life from your encounter!
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!
Glad to hear
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!
ok then it was for matted hair.
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
We’re like a kitty B&B.
I would be so mad at my cat if he did this 🤣
I had a similar situation last February, and succeeded.
I started by putting cat food out in a bowl every other night. I put it on the side of the street, at the edge of my property at first. Then every time I filled it, I moved the bowl closer to my front door.
Some raccoons, and even a groundhog would also come eat the cat food every now and then, watch out for other animals.
If I ever saw the cat eating, I would open my door and watch him without doing anything. After a few months, the cat was eating at my front door steps and was pretty friendly. My girlfriend let the cat inside one day, and we let him settle before finding who the real owner was.
Edge of the property is a good idea, I was thinking about how to get it to my protected porch area since it’s a ways away from the sidewalk where the kitty usually roams. Did you just put it on your grass?
I started with it at the end of my driveway and parked elsewhere, then moved the bowl up my driveway, then through the grass towards my front door.
It took a few days, maybe a week before the cat started eating from my bowl, I would try and put it out in as visually obvious of a spot as possible to start.
Also if it happens to rain, dump / replace the food
Start feeding it too, or get one of the neighbors who’s been feeding it to help out. Your best bet is a feral cat trap, which are kinda pricey, but if you call around to a few local rescues or “trap, neuter, release” programs, they may be able to lend you one. Then you can likely just use food to lure it into the trap.
Of course, if this cat used to be someone’s pet, you could even just try luring it into a garage or, hell, a big cardboard box, from which you could put some thick gloves on and transfer it into a pet carrier
I think it did used to be someone’s pet, it’s very friendly to everyone, so that’s why I’m trying to get it into my enclosed backyard without a trap. A cardboard box isn’t a bad idea either, maybe I can make a makeshift shelter for them.
Me and my gf way back in the day trapped a stray kitten once.
It was living under a car. We put little piles of dry food out for it for a few days, gradually moving the pile further and further away from his hiding place. Then one day we made a little trail of food leading to a carry box that we filled with food. Once we heard it chomping away inside, we crept up and slammed the door shut. It felt like a scene out of a cartoon lol
Little thing freaked out and clawed at the door and cried for a while. But once we took it into the house and out of the summer heat, it was very happy.
Note, I am neither an experienced pet owner nor a trapper. I just like telling this story hehe
Edit: …what pronouns do you use for a kitten from decades ago whose sex you don’t remember?
It’s a good story! Hopefully mine turns out a success like yours too lol
Be patient, and let the cat make the decisions. Food helps, but it’s not enough, if you feed the cat but are not present, you are just feeding the cat (and who knows what else). We have had a few main pets that were strays. They make great pets IMO, they really appreciate the life you are giving thaem
Food.
You already got some great tips, but i wanted to caution you about the bite. If it left a wound, particularly a deep puncture wound, maybe visit the doctor. Cat bites are notorious and can be very dangerous.
Already done, and yeah cat bites are DEEP, lol. I have my tetanus boosters already and low risk of rabies. Just got my wounds cleaned, some antibiotics, and sent on my way. Thanks though!
In my own experience, just existing is enough to get a cat to come up to me. Or a dog. Even some deer once.
I wish I was an animal whisperer like you, but most animals are scared of me 😞
Put out food, a cardboard box, and a blanket.
You may get more than one!
Having a makeshift shelter outdoors is not a bad idea, thanks!
havahart traps.
Will contact a shelter near me on Monday to see where I can get one.
A cat that goes outside more than 0.0% has a drastically-reduced lifespan. Feeding it encourages bad habits that may get it killed.
Ultimately it’s not yours and you have no idea its status, needs, allergies or history. There’s a risk to you (rabies, roundworms, heartstrings) but the risk to the cat is way more severe.
If it has a shaved patch then it’s seen a vet recently.
Leave it alone.
I don’t think you’ve read my entire post. My neighbour’s have already been feeding it, and not taking it to a vet/giving it a safe place to stay. Only feeding. I’m trying to catch it to take it to the vet see if it has an owner/microchip. Also animal control in my city won’t get a stray cat until it has been trapped.
And it doesn’t have a “shaved patch”, it’s entire body is shaved, something that our TNR teams wouldn’t do because it cold here. I think it is suffering from abuse and that’s why I want to trap it.
I’m sure you mean well, and thank you for the advice, but ultimately I’m asking because of the things you stated in your post (shorter life, disease, etc). Because it bit me, my doctor and the local CDC said it’s better to have it under observation, and to try to get it into a controlled area. I would also like that for my peace of mind, if I can get it in my closed yard then Animal Control can come pick it up.
