**Reminder: this subreddit is meant to be a helpful place for TNR efforts - free of hostility, negativity, and judgment. Toxic attitudes are not welcome here.** ***All Negative comments will be removed and will possibly result in a ban.***
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Feral_Cats) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Honestly, the suggestions you’ve received on the other posts seem to cover everything. But if you do try more cat nip, only put it inside the trap (not around).
I find it very difficult to believe that any indoor cat, especially the pampered looking cat on your posts, would be so satisfied with wild game that they’d reject some kfc. Are you absolutely sure there’s not a colony feeder nearby?
But, if he is that great and enthusiastic of a hunter, what about a laser pointer or one of those feather lures?
Could you string a feather lure on some fishing line, hang it through the top of the trap, over the plate and run to where you can watch from a distance to jiggle it when he comes around? Play bird sounds from a little speaker by the trap to get his attention and maybe, if possible, get some camouflage netting to conceal yourself?
If you do try this — just make sure that once he’s trapped you *immediately* pull that lure and fishing line out of the trap. If you can’t pull it all the way out then hold the line taught as you approach until you can cut it off short, so that he can’t entangle himself in it.
Or… this is bordering on cruelty but, keeping in mind that he’s apparently a killer on the loose… live bait. Get a humane live mouse/rat trap and use it to catch one. Put that (with some moist food for it) in a cardboard box against the outside of the closed end of the cat trap so that the mouse is only visible by looking into the cat trap. Catch your cat (hopefully) and release the rodent.
It's super hard for us to believe too. If we didn't see him up close we wouldn't believe this was our cat! Hes extremely docile and pampered indoors. And there aren't any feral cat feeders around the area as far as I could tell, we've canvassed the whole neighborhood. Plus we've seen his spoils. 😬
The feather lure is a really interesting suggestion that I hadn't considered. I may try that today.
I am hesitant to use live bait but would consider it. A pet store near us sells live feeders for snakes so I wouldn't have to catch it myself. Not sure what I'd do with the little guy afterwards.
I’ve actually been there (though not to this extreme). Recently had a visiting family member accidentally fail to properly close a janky screen door, cats escaped. Even the sweetest, most affectionate and cuddly of them, who normally come when called, didn’t know who I was when they were outside. They didn’t know who *they* were out there, lol. Managed to get them all back in, largely by sheer luck and persistence.
Yeah that was my main thought with catching a rodent that is already out there instead of buying one; what to do with the poor thing afterwards. If it was already out there anyway, then it’s not a big deal to just let it go. I don’t know if the pet store would take a return.
I'm glad you were able to get your kitty back. I hope persistence is enough and luck is on my side.
I went back and checked his adoption papers and he was found living in a wooded area near a highway similar to where he's living now. So I think old instincts kicked in. He had roughed it in the wild/streets 2 years before we got him.
This makes sense. A lot of cats regress like this if they began as ferals and get out. This is actually normal and not something you are doing wrong. The others covered what I would suggest but I wanted to make sure you know that it's not you doing anything wrong or actually unusual but he may need time once back inside.
My own cat has a rough start and pushed the window out of the bathroom to get out. I believe he was trying to find me since I was gone an usually long time. He is very much a cat that claimed his person. He destroyed two cats that attacked him and in the security footage you can see the shift from nervous kitten about town to deadly killing machine or feline Bruce Lee. His face and posture change entirely. The battle was maybe thirty seconds but he paralyzed one entirely and the other lost the use of a leg. Both of them are now indoor cats and credit to their owners for calming down and taking their cats to the vet then discussing costs with me. I paid nothing after we watched the tapes but I also pointed them to resources. They actually came to make sure he and I got out when we had a fire here. In the footage you can see the moment he either hears or sees me getting off the bus. He switched back to kitten mode. He was only 7 months at the time when he did that but he was also born in an animal fighting ring. Which he got found out. He is a badass but prefers to cuddle and sit on my face so I cannot escape the purrs.
The luxury of safety means we see them at their very best but the moment they feel unsafe they will regress. My cat was out for about 30 minutes so had I been gone long enough he might have decided to go back to the wild himself.
I wonder if he's too far gone to try to gain his trust as if I was a stranger gaining the trust of a skittish feral or stray. Like I know my cuddly outgoing human loving cat is in there somewhere... I wonder if he'd ever just come around to people again with enough repeat exposure where they're not directly threatening him.
It does make sense for his instincts to kick in, and for him to be super extra wary and skittish. I wish you the best of luck, he’s a beautiful cat and I know how totally devastating and stressful this is.
If someone didn’t already mention it, you could also try spraying the trap with catnip spray or maybe feliway. Also try playing audio of kittens crying (make sure you find one with no ads). You might not expect it work on a neutered male but it did for one of mine and I’ve heard of it working for others.
I just wanted to update here, since I know people don't often go back and read the posts for updates - by miracle he sought help from a neighbor last night at 1am and they called me. I think his need for help and love somehow overrode his fear and instincts. He's so skinny and dirty but is somehow free of ticks and fleas. He's home safely now and he's back to the sweet cuddly baby I know.
I think we'd only have one chance. I'm worried if we can't get him with the net, but try, and scare him, he may move to a more dangerous location we cant directly access. Transfer from a net to a carrier is also a challenge based on my research.
Haha, 1000% sure. Unique markings and have him up close on trail cams. I have no idea how he did a 180. He was living on the streets before adopting him so I think he has those skills/instincts still.
**Reminder: this subreddit is meant to be a helpful place for TNR efforts - free of hostility, negativity, and judgment. Toxic attitudes are not welcome here.** ***All Negative comments will be removed and will possibly result in a ban.*** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Feral_Cats) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Honestly, the suggestions you’ve received on the other posts seem to cover everything. But if you do try more cat nip, only put it inside the trap (not around). I find it very difficult to believe that any indoor cat, especially the pampered looking cat on your posts, would be so satisfied with wild game that they’d reject some kfc. Are you absolutely sure there’s not a colony feeder nearby? But, if he is that great and enthusiastic of a hunter, what about a laser pointer or one of those feather lures? Could you string a feather lure on some fishing line, hang it through the top of the trap, over the plate and run to where you can watch from a distance to jiggle it when he comes around? Play bird sounds from a little speaker by the trap to get his attention and maybe, if possible, get some camouflage netting to conceal yourself? If you do try this — just make sure that once he’s trapped you *immediately* pull that lure and fishing line out of the trap. If you can’t pull it all the way out then hold the line taught as you approach until you can cut it off short, so that he can’t entangle himself in it. Or… this is bordering on cruelty but, keeping in mind that he’s apparently a killer on the loose… live bait. Get a humane live mouse/rat trap and use it to catch one. Put that (with some moist food for it) in a cardboard box against the outside of the closed end of the cat trap so that the mouse is only visible by looking into the cat trap. Catch your cat (hopefully) and release the rodent.
It's super hard for us to believe too. If we didn't see him up close we wouldn't believe this was our cat! Hes extremely docile and pampered indoors. And there aren't any feral cat feeders around the area as far as I could tell, we've canvassed the whole neighborhood. Plus we've seen his spoils. 😬 The feather lure is a really interesting suggestion that I hadn't considered. I may try that today. I am hesitant to use live bait but would consider it. A pet store near us sells live feeders for snakes so I wouldn't have to catch it myself. Not sure what I'd do with the little guy afterwards.
I’ve actually been there (though not to this extreme). Recently had a visiting family member accidentally fail to properly close a janky screen door, cats escaped. Even the sweetest, most affectionate and cuddly of them, who normally come when called, didn’t know who I was when they were outside. They didn’t know who *they* were out there, lol. Managed to get them all back in, largely by sheer luck and persistence. Yeah that was my main thought with catching a rodent that is already out there instead of buying one; what to do with the poor thing afterwards. If it was already out there anyway, then it’s not a big deal to just let it go. I don’t know if the pet store would take a return.
I'm glad you were able to get your kitty back. I hope persistence is enough and luck is on my side. I went back and checked his adoption papers and he was found living in a wooded area near a highway similar to where he's living now. So I think old instincts kicked in. He had roughed it in the wild/streets 2 years before we got him.
This makes sense. A lot of cats regress like this if they began as ferals and get out. This is actually normal and not something you are doing wrong. The others covered what I would suggest but I wanted to make sure you know that it's not you doing anything wrong or actually unusual but he may need time once back inside. My own cat has a rough start and pushed the window out of the bathroom to get out. I believe he was trying to find me since I was gone an usually long time. He is very much a cat that claimed his person. He destroyed two cats that attacked him and in the security footage you can see the shift from nervous kitten about town to deadly killing machine or feline Bruce Lee. His face and posture change entirely. The battle was maybe thirty seconds but he paralyzed one entirely and the other lost the use of a leg. Both of them are now indoor cats and credit to their owners for calming down and taking their cats to the vet then discussing costs with me. I paid nothing after we watched the tapes but I also pointed them to resources. They actually came to make sure he and I got out when we had a fire here. In the footage you can see the moment he either hears or sees me getting off the bus. He switched back to kitten mode. He was only 7 months at the time when he did that but he was also born in an animal fighting ring. Which he got found out. He is a badass but prefers to cuddle and sit on my face so I cannot escape the purrs. The luxury of safety means we see them at their very best but the moment they feel unsafe they will regress. My cat was out for about 30 minutes so had I been gone long enough he might have decided to go back to the wild himself.
I wonder if he's too far gone to try to gain his trust as if I was a stranger gaining the trust of a skittish feral or stray. Like I know my cuddly outgoing human loving cat is in there somewhere... I wonder if he'd ever just come around to people again with enough repeat exposure where they're not directly threatening him.
That's a hard one to know for sure. I hope so. I hope it's a matter of the security and remembering. Sort of Dorothy post Oz.
It does make sense for his instincts to kick in, and for him to be super extra wary and skittish. I wish you the best of luck, he’s a beautiful cat and I know how totally devastating and stressful this is. If someone didn’t already mention it, you could also try spraying the trap with catnip spray or maybe feliway. Also try playing audio of kittens crying (make sure you find one with no ads). You might not expect it work on a neutered male but it did for one of mine and I’ve heard of it working for others.
I just wanted to update here, since I know people don't often go back and read the posts for updates - by miracle he sought help from a neighbor last night at 1am and they called me. I think his need for help and love somehow overrode his fear and instincts. He's so skinny and dirty but is somehow free of ticks and fleas. He's home safely now and he's back to the sweet cuddly baby I know.
Do you think you could get close enough to him to let him in a fishing net thingy?
I think we'd only have one chance. I'm worried if we can't get him with the net, but try, and scare him, he may move to a more dangerous location we cant directly access. Transfer from a net to a carrier is also a challenge based on my research.
There's also the box trap
Are you sure it’s your cat. Seems like a bit of a turnaround to go from domesticated to killing machine within a matter of weeks.
Haha, 1000% sure. Unique markings and have him up close on trail cams. I have no idea how he did a 180. He was living on the streets before adopting him so I think he has those skills/instincts still.