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How To Catch Feral Kittens

What If I Find A Pregnant Cat

How to Trap a Feral Cat for TNR

You can have the cat safely spayed while she is pregnant. If you decide to let her have the kittens before spaying her then be prepared to tame the kittens and spay/neuter them before finding them homes. Keep in mind that much of the year shelters and adoption programs are full and somehave a waiting list to accept kittens.

How Do You Lure A Kitten Out

Leave out dry kitten food and clean water at all times. Place a transistor radio in the vicinity of the kittens, leaving it on low when you leave, so that the kittens acclimate to the sound of human voices. Allow the kittens to approach you, using the food as a lure, until you are able to reach out and pet one.

How To: Trapping Mom And Kittens

The good news is it can be easier to trap kittens than adult cats. Since kittens often stick together and are naturally curious, they will likely follow one another into the same humane trap. This is great, but remember that youll have to separate each kitten before bringing them to a veterinary clinic for spay or neuter.

Trapping kittens first can be helpful in trapping their mother. Once kittens are in the trap, mom will likely hear their meowing and come to see whats happening. Shell try to get close to her kittens, which can be the perfect incentive for her to enter another trap if you set it the way we describe below. You can also use a trapped mom cat to easier trap her kittens in the same way. They will want to stay close to mom and are more likely to wander into a nearby trap.

Remember: It’s ever a good idea to take mother cats or kittens to an animal shelter if you don’t have to. Young kittens are especially vulnerable and kittens can also easily get sick in a shelter environment. Shelter environments can be very stressful for cats and stress can equal sick cats.

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Feral Kittens Are Undersocialized To Humans

Did you know that kittens will hiss at the scent of a human when they are as young as one day old? All kittens are born unfamiliar with humans, but become socialized to us through early experiences of kittenhood. The more positive interactions they have with humans at a young age, the more quickly they will warm up and become social, friendly kittens.

Feral kittens are kittens who are not socialized to humans, because they have not had enough positive interactions with us at a young age. Feral kittens are typically found outdoors, where they are often born to community cats, but an indoor kitten can also exhibit feral behaviors if she is not handled by humans during the first weeks of life.

When feral kittens are in close quarters with a human, they may be hissy, avoidant, scared, or even aggressive. Thats because they find humans quite threatening!

With enough patience, persistence, and the right kind of care, feral kittens can often warm up and become friendly, loving companions through the process of socialization.

Distract Them Using A Toy Or Laser Pointer

How To Trap Feral Cats

Some kittens might be harder to catch than simply getting close enough to them to pick them up. Instead, you might need to distract them. Engage their hunting instincts and desire to play at such a young age. Use a laser pointer or a toy.

Take your time when you use this method. They might need to warm up to the idea of play because they can probably smell you. Lure them into a confined space or straight into the box. You need them to be entirely distracted by the toy to go somewhere that they dont feel comfortable without thinking about it.

It is best to use a laser pointer to do this because you can be farther away. It also allows you more flexibility in your movements because you wont have to steadily walk closer to the box for them to go into it. The more that they associate your presence with the box, the less likely that they will enter it.

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Take A Break From Trapping

If a cat will not go into a trap after repeated attempts, take a break for a week or two . The trap-shy cat needs to be reconditioned to not be afraid to go in the trap. It is important to stop trapping until you have trapped the trap-shy cat. Continuing will most likely result in the cat becoming increasingly reluctant.

Will A Feral Cat Abandon Her Kittens

A Mother cat will leave her kittens for hours at a time. She will NOT return if you are standing over her kittens. The mother cat offers her kittens best chance for survival, so wait and watch as long as you can. If mom returns and the area is relatively safe, leave the kittens alone with mom until they are weaned.

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Spring The Trap Yourself

The problem may be a particular cat is wily, or it could be that hes only one you want out of a crowd of others who keep going in ahead of him. In either case, the solution is to bypass the trigger/trip plate mechanism of the trap and go to manually spring the trap. You can do this by propping the trap door up with a full water or soda bottle and tying a pull string to it. Tie a long string around the neck of the bottle then stand some distance away. When your cat of choice finally goes in, yank the string, pulling the bottle away and shutting the trap door. Be sure to first practice the method at least once so you get the right feel for it, and wait until the cat is far enough in before you pull the string.

Watch these short videos demonstrating how the water bottle trick works:www.youtube.com/WATER BOTTLE TRICK IN ACTION

The Kitten Socialization Window

Catching Feral Kittens in My Backyard

Socialization, or the process of becoming friendly to humans, is most successfully achieved during the first 12 weeks of a kittens life. If youve encountered a feral kitten, one of the first things to do is to determine the kittens age and make sure that shes within the age range where socialization will be successful.

Neonatal kittens should be handled at least twice a day to help them become comfortable with humans.

0-5 weeks: Dependent Kittens

Kittens under 5 weeks of age will be dependent on mama for nursing. You can foster a feral mama with her babies, and any interactions you have with the kittens during the first five weeks of life will greatly increase their level of socialization. Feral kittens raised with a feral mama should be handled at least 1-2 times daily for monitoring and light socialization. Orphaned kittens under 5 weeks old will receive plenty of hands-on care through bottle feeding and will generally become socialized within hours to days.

Use mealtime to help weaning kittens gradually accept humans!

5-12 weeks: Transitional Kittens

Older kittens may have a better outcome through TNR.

12+ Weeks: Independent Kittens

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Preparing The Traps To Be Set

  • Line each trap with newspaper. Three sheets of the daily paper folded in thirds make a perfect trap liner. This keeps the cats from walking on the wire and will help absorb any mess the cats make while in the traps.

  • Each trap must be covered with a sheet or other piece of fabric large enough to completely cover the trap. Keep traps covered at all times.

Easy Steps To Get A Feral Cat Into A Carrier

CAUTION: this process can be dangerous!! You can seriously injure both yourself and the animal in this process if you are not careful. Please consult a professional if you are unsure about any of the following steps.

Getting a stray into a carrier will be a lot easier than trying to get a feral cat in one, but it can be done. Youll need:

  • To be calm and confident
  • With the blanket in two hands, calmly approach the cat from behind. As quickly as you can, place the blanket over its head, making sure their entire head and body are covered.
  • Keeping your wits about you, firmly place your hands over the towel and the cats shoulders. As you scoop up the cat, make sure the blanket is folded underneath it.
  • As soon as you can, place the cat in the carrier with the blanket. Trust us, hell find his own way out of it.
  • Grab the towel and cover the carrier to help keep the cat calm.
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    How Do You Break A Feral Kitten

    Set up two dishes a foot apart and gently lift/scoot a kitten the short distance from one dish to the other, very close to the ground. If the kitten is engrossed in eating s/he wont mind being lifted briefly if it goes smoothly. If they run off, lure em back with a special treat, back up and start over.

    What To Do With A Stray Cat

    How To Catch And Tame Feral Kittens

    Before you attempt to trap the cat, try to contact a no-kill shelter and find out about trap, neuter, return programs in your area. While the TNR do not find homes for the cats, they neuter or spay the cats and return them to where they were found. This will not only stop them from producing more unwanted cats, but can also reduce their need to mark a territory or fight — giving them longer, healthier lives.

    Most states also have humane societies. They are dedicated to handle situations just like this, and will have a website that can provide tips for bringing in a stray cat to the proper authorities. Some may even have suggestions on how to best integrate a homeless cat into your life.

    What if you would like to bring a local stray to the veterinarian? There are safe and humane ways to trap a feral cat, and the best way is to get a special cage. Research the organizations in your area that practice TNR they will often let you borrow one of their traps. These places, however, run on donations and usually operate beyond their means, so be generous. These organizations will also have vets who will neuter or spay the cats for a reduced fee.

    Now, if you would like to adopt a cat from the streets, be aware that feral cats do not make for friendly house pets. These chances do improve if it is a kitten or a young cat.

    Image: Victor Bezrukov / via Flickr

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    Feral Cats When Trapped

    One thing you may notice is that they actually do have their own set of actions that come about when they are trapped. Usually, there are barriers when you trap them, and with feral kittens, along with the mom, its the same thing. Some of the factors include the following:

    • They wont be touched and are refused to be touched, even when youre giving care
    • Unlike stray cats who come to the front of where the cage is, a feral cat will try to stay as far back as possible and will retreat to the back of the cage
    • They tend to not actually touch the cage, except if theyre frightened and jolted, where they may start to climb, rattle, and shake the cage
    • They will be unsocial and tend to not actually relax over time
    • They will ignore people, and toys, possibly even food if theyre older
    • They wont be interested in sounds within the household, except in the case of if youve been feeding the cat and they respond
    • They will be aggressive
    • Will tend to lash out when theyre cornered or threatened, usually having the ears back and the eyes dilated

    When handling feral kittens you may see this too, especially if youre looking to trap them and socialize them.

    Some of them may not be inclined to socializing. If thats the case, thats a sign that it may be a bit more feral than you expected, and in that case, it might be best to return them to the colony.

    How To Trap A Feral Cat

    This article was co-authored by Pippa Elliott, MRCVS. Dr. Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS is a veterinarian with over 30 years of experience in veterinary surgery and companion animal practice. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 with a degree in veterinary medicine and surgery. She has worked at the same animal clinic in her hometown for over 20 years.There are 8 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 41,314 times.

    Feral cat populations can grow to unhealthy and dangerous proportions if not regulated. Because of this, the ASPCA promotes a policy called Trap Neuter Return , to help manage the population.XTrustworthy SourceAmerican Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to AnimalsLeading organization dedicated to the prevention of animal crueltyGo to source It shrinks feral cat colonies over time, as well as cutting down on the fighting and vocalizing that can occur in these colonies. If you’re a pet owner yourself, or just a conscientious animal lover, you may want to help get your neighborhood strays spayed or neutered. Trapping feral cats to get them fixed is an important service to your community and the animals that live there.

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    Common Feral Kitten Behavior And How To Socialize Them

    • Time to read: 13 min.

    Affiliate Disclaimer

    As an Amazon associate and affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. We get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

    You may have a litter of feral kittens near your home. Lots of times, you may think that theyre like ordinary kittens, but thats not the case. Theyre actually a bit different. This post will discuss feral kitten behavior, and what it means for someone who discovers that they have feral kittens living nearby.

    Expectations For Raising A Feral Kitten

    How To Trap Feral Cats – Cat Man Chris

    Catching a feral kitten is only a small portion of the work that lies ahead. Raising a feral kitten can be extremely hard, and it requires a lot of patience. You have to be able to accept the fact that you might not be able to pet your feral kitten for the first couple of months while it becomes acclimated to you and your home.

    You should take small steps, as you dont want to scare you feral cat into running away. Over time, your feral cat will begin to build more trust in you, and they will begin to relax more and accept you.

    It is also essential that you take the feral kitten to the vet as soon as possibly. You should get the feral kitten all the proper vaccinations, and we strongly recommend spaying or neutering the cat.

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    What About Feral Kittens

    Kittens are generally much easier to adopt and socialize, as they are still learning about the world and quickly adjust to new surroundings.

    Therefore, if you encounter a feral kitten thats old enough , you can begin the above steps to bring them into your home.

    Caring for a feral kitten takes lots of patience and gentle handling to teach them about being a pet, so be slow and steady with your socialization process. You could even read our full Kitten Care Guide to get you started.

    How Do You Trap A Feral Cat And A Kitten

    6 Tips for Successfully Trap a Mother Cat and KittensThink of the cat and kittens first. Act in their best interests always.Have enough traps. Set out at least one baited trap for each cat and kitten in the family. Think like a cat. Disguise your trap. It works the other way around, too. Be adaptable.

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    Youve Discovered A Stray Catnow What

    The first step is to identify what she may need. Maybe youre her owner, but she wont come to you because shes scared. If your cat is not familiar with the outdoors, all of the new stimulants can make her confused or nervous. In other cases, there could be a stray or feral cat in the area that requires medical attention, such as spaying or neutering before shes released back into the community. But because you need to be cautious with any unknown felines that could have contagious diseases, this method wont require you to pick up or handle the cat in any way.

    What Is The Difference Between A Feral Cat And A Stray Cat

    How To Catch Feral Kittens

    Stray and feral cats look no different from one another, in fact, they dont look any different to your pet cat. But theyre all different in terms of how they interact with people. Being able to tell the stray or pet cats from a feral cat is the first step in knowing what needs to be done when you come into contact with them.

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    How Do You Trap A Feral Cat Family

    Set out at least one baited trap for each cat and kitten in the family. See if you can catch them all in separate traps first. Think like a cat. If youre able to trap one kitten, immediately set the back of a second trap of a similar size end-to-end against the front of the trap holding the kitten.

    Feeding Schedule For Kittens By Weight And Age

    Determining the age of the stray kitten right away is imperative. His age will mandate what hell eat as well as how much and how often.

    Using a postal scale, heres a quick guide:

    • Under 1 week old: kitten weighs less than 4 ounces. Feed formula: every two to three hours.
    • 7 to10 days old: kitten weighs 4 to 6 ounces. Feed formula: every two to three hours.
    • 10 to14 days old: kitten weighs 6 to 8 ounces. Feed formula: every three hours.
    • 14 to21 days old: kitten weighs 8 to 12 ounces. Feed formula: every four hours.
    • 4 to5 weeks old: kitten weighs 12 ounces to 1 pound. Feed mix of gruel/formula/kitten kibble: every four hours.
    • 6 to7 weeks old: kitten weighs 1 pound to 1 pound and 8 ounces. Feed mix of kitten kibble and wet food four times a day.
    • 8 weeks old: kitten weighs one and a half to 2 pounds. Fully weaned.

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