Need Advice Catching Injured Cat

[The Mother Dust]

For a few years my neighbor and I have been feeding this cat.  Even after all this time its still scared of us though, it always runs away when it sees us, but it comes back when we put out food.  We live in the midwest U.S., so we get cold winters.  We have tried using those little outdoor shelter houses that humane societies give out for stray animals in the winter, but this cat refuses to go inside them.   My neighbor, who was taking care of this cat before I moved into the area, told me that she thinks he was abused, as his mouth and teeth look damaged, but not enough to interfere with eating.  Anyway, she and I finally had enough when we saw him this morning, with a terribly injured paw.  He refuses to put weight on it and it looks badly swollen. 
We are finally trying to trap him.  But get a load of these photos....the two with the trap were taken this morning.   He just lays by it and wont go inside!   Because of our experience with him refusing to go into the little portable winter shelter house we tried getting for him, I'm afraid he'll refuse to go into that trap too.  I know most of the people here on FJ are smart animal lovers, and might have some experience with this.  Help!!  How do I trap this kitty if he wont go in that trap?  ??
P.S., even on 3 legs he's still too fast for me...I tried approaching him with a towel b4 getting the trap, and he just wont let me get close enough.

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Edited March 10, 2021 by Coconut Flan
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[Alisamer]

Awww... poor little guy!

I don't have any personal advice except I'd suggest looking to see if there are any groups that do TNR in your area (I think it means Trap, Neuter, Return). They should be very familiar with trapping feral cats and will probably also have vet recommendations who are also familiar with handling frightened human-shy cats in case you need that as well.

It looks like he's not been caught by a group like that before - they generally snip off a small bit of the tip of one ear while they are under anesthesia for neutering/spaying, so everyone can see at a glance that the cat has been fixed and doesn't need to be trapped again. 

I'd also say maybe try the trap in a quiet more secluded area - too close to the house and he probably suspects something is up with this strange new contraption.

Good luck!

Edited March 9, 2021 by Alisamer

[HerNameIsBuffy]

I love that you are trying to help him!  ❤️

I have no experience with this, but can you call a vet to see if there is maybe some kind of mild sedative they can give you to put in his food so you can catch him and get him treatment?  

That may not be something they do and for safety reasons I'd never do it except under the advice of a vet.

[The Mother Dust]

20 minutes ago, Alisamer said:

Awww... poor little guy!

I don't have any personal advice except I'd suggest looking to see if there are any groups that do TNR in your area (I think it means Trap, Neuter, Return). They should be very familiar with trapping feral cats and will probably also have vet recommendations who are also familiar with handling frightened human-shy cats in case you need that as well.

It looks like he's not been caught by a group like that before - they generally snip off a small bit of the tip of one ear while they are under anesthesia for neutering/spaying, so everyone can see at a glance that the cat has been fixed and doesn't need to be trapped again. 

I'd also say maybe try the trap in a quiet more secluded area - too close to the house and he probably suspects something is up with this strange new contraption.

Good luck!

Can confirm neither ear is snipped.    Hmm, hadnt thought of putting the trap somewhere else thats not my deck.  We have skunks around here, and i'm kind of afraid of catching a skunk though ?.  But I see your point.  I got the trap from the local humane society this morning.  I might call again and try to grill someone there.

2 minutes ago, HerNameIsBuffy said:

I love that you are trying to help him!  ❤️

I have no experience with this, but can you call a vet to see if there is maybe some kind of mild sedative they can give you to put in his food so you can catch him and get him treatment?  

That may not be something they do and for safety reasons I'd never do it except under the advice of a vet.

Oh wow, that is such a great idea.  I agree about checking with a vet first, but he's so skittish we might have to do that.  I just left a voicemail with the humane society's vet clinic about that.

[The Mother Dust]

22 minutes ago, The Mother Dust said:

Can confirm neither ear is snipped.    Hmm, hadnt thought of putting the trap somewhere else thats not my deck.  We have skunks around here, and i'm kind of afraid of catching a skunk though ?.  But I see your point.  I got the trap from the local humane society this morning.  I might call again and try to grill someone there.

Oh wow, that is such a great idea.  I agree about checking with a vet first, but he's so skittish we might have to do that.  I just left a voicemail with the humane society's vet clinic about that.

Humane society clinic called back and said that since they haven't seen him as a patient, they cant legally prescribe a sedative.  Mildly annoying, but I understand.  The lady did say to put towels or a blanket over the trap, as it hides it and makes it less scary.  I will try that, (although personally I would think it would make it more scary) but they are more experienced with this, so will try it.  
There aren't any over the counter pet sedatives are there?  

[HerNameIsBuffy]

1 minute ago, The Mother Dust said:

Humane society clinic called back and said that since they haven't seen him as a patient, they cant legally prescribe a sedative.  Mildly annoying, but I understand.  The lady did say to put towels or a blanket over the trap, as it hides it and makes it less scary.  I will try that, (although personally I would think it would make it more scary) but they are more experienced with this, so will try it.  
There aren't any over the counter pet sedatives are there?  

I've used Licks for my dogs - they are gummies that lessen anxiety and that's OTC but no idea if they work on cats or how to incorporate that into food.  

I think the towels are a great idea.  Cats love to hide and it could make it like a hiding place for him.  

[The Mother Dust]

I've got a towel over it now, so we will see.  Please god don't catch a skunk!  heh

[Giraffe]

Cats like dens and with some towels over the cage it will make it feel safer. It seems counter-intuitive but that might do the trick. They’re a bit like ostriches in that regard. 

[SoConfused]

Definitely cover the sides, but make sure the cat can see out the back (so it’s like a tunnel). Use some really stinky bait — sardine juice works well, get the juice all over the front and leading into the trap. Fried chicken or fish or other super stinky food for the bait in the trap — little pieces leading up to the trip plate and then more on the other side. Catnip can also help. For really tricky cats I’ve had to try all sorts of bait (pepperoni pizza, hamburgers, fried shrimp), but fried chicken works most of the time. At night you can also use a laser pointer TO get them interested. Also make sure the cat is hungry or they have no reason to go in! (Sorry for the long post, I spend a lot of time trapping cats!)

[The Mother Dust]

16 minutes ago, SoConfused said:

Definitely cover the sides, but make sure the cat can see out the back (so it’s like a tunnel). Use some really stinky bait — sardine juice works well, get the juice all over the front and leading into the trap. Fried chicken or fish or other super stinky food for the bait in the trap — little pieces leading up to the trip plate and then more on the other side. Catnip can also help. For really tricky cats I’ve had to try all sorts of bait (pepperoni pizza, hamburgers, fried shrimp), but fried chicken works most of the time. At night you can also use a laser pointer TO get them interested. Also make sure the cat is hungry or they have no reason to go in! (Sorry for the long post, I spend a lot of time trapping cats!)

@SoConfused   Ahhh.... this is so great!  I'm kind of face palming because some of the things you said, now that i've read it, seem so obvious, but I would not have thought of it, (never done this before, if its not obvious yet, haha) so thank you so much!  I'm going to go back out to the grocery and petstore in a minute to get some of those things you mentioned....catnip and sardine juice and actual canned tunafish as that is stinky......In your experience, have you ever used sedative in a food?  

[The Mother Dust]

Ok, here is the trap now, I have wet food inside at the moment, but I'm about to go out and get more of the bait that @SoConfused recommended.  @SoConfused regarding your bit about imitating a "tunnel" feature, unfortunately this trap that I was given has that piece of metal you see at the other end that kind of blocks view ?.  If you have any thoughts on that, I welcome them. 

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[PumaLover]

I have experience trapping cats. I second what some of the others above have said. I would also move the trap to a more neutral location since he's already seen it on the porch. I would use a larger towel and cover the sides completely, and use some stinky fishy wet cat food. My Blackie freaked out last fall and ran out the back door and wouldn't come back to me. It took him two days to be hungry and desperate enough to go into the trap. Cats can be very stubborn! But if he's hungry enough he will eventually go in.

Good luck and thank you so much for caring, from a fellow cat lover.

[Giraffe]

I second @PumaLover. I’d add another towel or two in order to fully cover the sides. 

[QuiverFullofBooks]

Thank you! I was also having this problem today.

[The Mother Dust]

3 minutes ago, QuiverFullofBooks said:

Thank you! I was also having this problem today.

I'm glad someone else is finding this useful ?

Thank you @PumaLover and @Giraffe   I got a couple more towels and made sure they were fully covering the sides.  I just got back from getting some supplies and got cat nip, tuna fillets in juice,  wet beef cat food, and tuna paste in a tube.  I used all of this and made a trail up the steps of my deck and into the back of the trap.  @PumaLover unfortunately I had done that before I saw your comment to move the trap.....so I might leave it for the next 24 hrs and see what happens.  But I will move it if I get no luck.   Ugh fingers crossed.......c'mon Kitty!  I will let you all know what happens. ?

[The Mother Dust]

So I just heard the trap go off, he ate the food leading to the trap, but he must have still been able to muscle his way out.  DAMMIT!!    Should I rebait the trap now or would it be pointless tonight?

[Giraffe]

I would wait until morning so it won’t be in the cage for several hours. Predators can potentially still get to the cat through the cage. 

[The Mother Dust]

6 minutes ago, Giraffe said:

I would wait until morning so it won’t be in the cage for several hours. Predators can potentially still get to the cat through the cage. 

thats a good point, thanks ?

[Maggie Mae]

I've found that those packets of wet food are smelly and popular. Delectable, if you can find them, then stuff with gravy or fancy feast broths. If he has mouth injuries, he might prefer more liquid calories. I give my cat gabapentin for his pain, but it's normally used as an anti- anxiety medication in cats. 

Did he actually muscle out or did it go off early and scare him? I hope you can get him soon! 

[The Mother Dust]

2 hours ago, Maggie Mae said:

I've found that those packets of wet food are smelly and popular. Delectable, if you can find them, then stuff with gravy or fancy feast broths. If he has mouth injuries, he might prefer more liquid calories. I give my cat gabapentin for his pain, but it's normally used as an anti- anxiety medication in cats. 

Did he actually muscle out or did it go off early and scare him? I hope you can get him soon! 

I didnt see it actually happen but I heard the trap get triggered.  And just a couple of minutes before that I heard him meowing on my deck.  Because it did "go off" and the cat wasn't in there, I'm just speculating.  He must have hit it just right, or stretched his body way out, maybe so his butt was still blocking the door that falls?  And that was enough for him to get out.  But yeah, I need a cam out there, heh.

[The Mother Dust]

I just caught a possum.  Jesus fucking christ i'm shook.  To be clear, I didn't hurt it and I wouldnt, but I hate how they look. It's 3am here and my heart is racing.  The horror when I raised that towel!   FUCK!!  

[SoConfused]

Ah so sorry! They hiss and spit a lot and unfortunately REALLY like cat food, but generally only come out at night. I hope you’ve recovered and will continue trying to get the hurt fellow. 

[The Mother Dust]

2 hours ago, SoConfused said:

Ah so sorry! They hiss and spit a lot and unfortunately REALLY like cat food, but generally only come out at night. I hope you’ve recovered and will continue trying to get the hurt fellow. 

lol I admit that in those heart stopping moments (i'm one of those squeamish people about certain animals...i cant help it) I was kind of re-thinking my bleeding heart nature lol.  But yes I will keep working with my neighbor to try and get the hurt cat.  Right now I've moved the trap over to her deck (we are in a HOA, and share the same public back yard space....so her back deck and mine face each other across the yard.....you might be able to tell from some of the pics above.)  Anyway, the cat had been equally going between her deck and mine, and I figure since he got a scare on my deck when the trap failed, we'll try hers next.  She had actually been feeding him longer than I have, so I'm hoping he'll be even more trusting on hers.  We haven't seen the cat again since the trap fail, but thats not unusual....we normally don't see him everyday anyway. So this could be a few days or longer.   I'll keep you guys posted, and I'll post more pics for you too when we catch him, as a thank you for all of your help.  I really appreciate all of you here....I knew this is where the smart, animal loving people are.  (In addition to fundie snark ?) 

[Scrabblemaster]

okay this was very exciting. I hope you will catch him and that the vet can help him. This was so much more interesting to read than the Jana courtship assumptions. I can't give you tips, but I will keep my fingers crossed for a happy ending.

[PennySycamore]

I found a document from Alley Cat Allies and ASPCA about trapping cats.  There'a lot you can ignore since it is mostly about TNR but there might be some useful information there.

TNR workshop handbook PDF