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#21
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"Wendy" wrote in message
... Any idea why some cats flip out in the trap and others just seem to resign themselves to their lot in life? W No idea. Individual temperament, probably. L. |
#22
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Good morning:
Animal Control is the biggest joke going! I have not come across a decent group in the last 3 towns I have lived in. Chelle. I flat out asked the guy at Animal Control if no one cared if these 4 cats just bred themselves into the hundreds, and he said no. (NOT kidding.) ============= "The day may come when the rest of the animal creation may acquire those rights which never could have been withholden from them but by the hand of tyranny. The question is not can they REASON, nor can they TALK, but can they SUFFER?" -- Jeremy Bentham |
#23
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just don't get it -- so I took the path of least resistance and am now the
"invisible caretaker" of their "colony." The only upside really is that they're very good about feeding. I put a feeding station near where I trap to keep them coming thru my yard, but the hoarders keep them fed on a daily basis pretty well. Here's a tip. If the cats are too well fed to be interested in your trap, try baiting with fresh catnip. Another benefit of catnip is that possoms and raccoons don't care for the stuff. For some reason, catnip is most successful with toms. We once caught two fighting toms the same night, both still bleeding from their wounds. (In separate traps, thank gawd.) Sharon Talbert Friends of Campus Cats |
#24
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Robyn wrote: Hi, This is more of a vent than anything else, and this group seems like the right place for it. Who knows, maybe you guys can offer suggestions. I've just spent my entire morning trying to get trapping and spay/neuter information for the 4 feral cats (all one litter) that came along with the house we just bought. I don't mind feeding the cats and having them around, but the females just had their first heat, and are most likely already pregnant. The mother of this group, after disappearing for a long time, has also reappeared and is obviously nursing a new litter. (Whole other problem, but one thing at a time.) Called the Humane Society, they said to call Wildlife Care, Wildlife Care said to call the Humane Society, who then said it just wasn't their problem because the cats weren't pets and to call Animal control. Animal Control said it wasn't their problem unless I wanted to trap the cats myself, which I can't do. They then offered to rent me a trap for a $100 deposit + rent, which I don't have. (Even if I did trap them, they just wanted to haul them off to be euthanized, which isn't an option.) I flat out asked the guy at Animal Control if no one cared if these 4 cats just bred themselves into the hundreds, and he said no. (NOT kidding.) So the long and short of it is, no one will even discuss the matter unless I pay a fee and deliver the cats to them. These things are totally wild. Even if I could afford the $250 or so the entire undertaking would cost, and manage to trap them, what do I do with them until the vet appointment? No one I've asked seems to have answers. I've already adopted the runt from this group. He's pretty wild, but likes living in the house and gets along well with my other 3 cats. I wish I could take them all in, but they're just too wild, and I don't have any more room. The 4 I have now are a bit much at times. :-) Anyway, thanks for letting me vent. I guess I need to get back on the phone and try a few more places. It's just unreal that all these organizations that talk about how much they want to help unwanted animals lose interest when you actually ask them for assistance. But there's got to be some place that helps with these things. Suggestions welcome. Wish me luck. :-) Robyn OK, I just wanted to follow up and let you guys know what was happening, since everyone was so helpful. :-) I was able to borrow a couple of traps from a *very* helpful person, and found a low cost vet that didn't require appointments for ferals. So I put the traps out Saturday morning, and as soon as I stepped away from the traps, there were cats in them. (yay!) So away they went, and they're playing in the yard today, a little more wary than before, but none the worse for the experience, the poor things. Of the remaining two females, I haven't seen one in several days now, I'm afraid something may have happened to her. :-( The other one will not go anywhere near the trap. She comes twice a day and cries to be fed, but will not go to the trap. We've tried wet food, dry food, catnip, you name it, she ignores it and just cries at the door for food as if the trap wasn't there. Any ideas would be helpful. I had only been seeing the nursing mother a couple times a week. She looked fed, so I thought someone was looking after her, but now all of a sudden she's here asking for food as well. At what point after she brings the kittens out can she be trapped and spayed to stop this damned cycle? (I have no idea what to do about the kittens. Hopefully she'll just have a couple...) Anyway, I just wanted to post a followup, since several people had asked. I'll post if anything else happens. I'd appreciate any suggestions on getting that female into the trap, as well as when I can trap the mother cat. Thanks! Robyn -- To avoid grizzlies, the Alaska Department of Fish & Game advises hikers to wear noisy little bells on clothes and carry pepper spray. Also watch for signs of activity: Black bear scat is smaller and contains berries; grizzly scat has little bells in it and smells like pepper. |
#25
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How to trap a cat that is trap-shy:
First, to ensure the cat doesn't get the food without springing the trap, when you set the trap, make sure to put a newspaper on the floor of the trap, folded lengthwise so it doesn't touch the sides and covers the trip plate. Often cats will step over the trip plate if they see it and will get the food, but not spring the trap. This is a good precaution to take that will greatly increase the odds that that won't happen. That said, this is what I did to catch a feral that had been caught once before, and was afraid of traps. It took a little over a week. I used canned mackeral (any canned food that is really smelly will do) and started by leaving the trap out, open with the door tied up using a bungee cord. I put the food about a foot away from the front entrance of the trap. I continued to do so until I was certain the cat was eating the food there. Each day I moved the food closer and then gradually inside the trap, making sure that the trap door was still tied up so it would not spring. Each day I moved the bowl a little farther into the trap. When I saw that the cat was always eating the food when it was far into the trap, I then moved the food all the way to the back of the trap, removed the bungee cord that was keeping the door up, and set the trap so it would spring. I got the cat that night. Hopefully this will work in your situation, but it may take a little time. Glad to hear things are working out. Megan "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." -Edmund Burke Learn The TRUTH About Declawing http://www.stopdeclaw.com Zuzu's Cats Photo Album: http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22 "Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way." - W.H. Murray |
#26
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CUTE BEAR STORY, SHOULD FEED FERALS TO BEARS!!!! END OF STORY
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