Trapping FAQs

I have a very smart feral cat who won't go in a trap, no matter what I do.  What can I do?

Some feral cats, especially those that have been trapped before, can be very trap-savvy.  We have seen feral cats carefully avoid touching the trip plate while they ate the food from a set trap.  

Here are some ideas for dealing with the smartest of cats:

• Start by taking the path of least resistance:   get the cat used to eating in the trap first.   Use a twist-tie or cable to secure the trap door in an upright position.   Start by placing food at the trap's entrance.  Each day, move the food back a couple of inches.  Before long, the food will be positioned in the rear of the trap behind the trip plate.  The change has been gradual, so hopefully it has not aroused kitty's suspicions.   When you're ready to trap, simply remove the twist-ties or cables and set the trap.

• Insure that nobody else is feeding the cats while you're actively trapping.    Be sure not to go more than 3 days without feeding a cat, and always provide water.

• Be patient.  Some cats take months to trap.  Try to trap for a couple of weeks, take a break, then start over.

• Cover the trap with a sheet or towel so that cats cannot pry morsels from the "bait" with their claws.  If they're able to get food through the bars from the outside, they have no incentive to go inside the trap.

• Drizzle small pieces of canned fish & its juices in a zig-zag pattern from the entrance of the trap to the "bait".   

• Camouflage the trap.  We've heard of success using an empty vacuum cleaner box -- just the right size for a trap!    A 33+ gallon garbage receptacle can also completely cover a trap.  Stuff leaves or crumpled newspaper around and underneath it. 

• Consider building or using a drop trap.   Instructions are available from our friends at:

  • Neighborhood Cats in New York City

  • Alley Cat Allies  (direct link to an Adobe Acrobat .pdf file)

Some people have asked PACT if they should get a tranquilizer pill from their veterinarian and leave it in the cat's food.    We discourage this practice in almost all cases because the cat will be defenseless and at risk of being injured or killed once sedated.