This article is about how to live-trap feral cats so that they can be taken to the vet for spaying and neutering. Trapping feral cats is an act of compassion that can lead to a healthier, smaller feral cat colony. Most examinations of feral cat populations have shown that the best practice for reducing population size and improving health is to live-trap, spay/neuter and then release feral cats back to the colony. Cat-haters disagree, of course, and they have the attention of media in general. But you already know this is the right thing to do so we're not going to rehash cat-hater pseudoscience.
What you’ll need:
- A live trap big enough for a feral cat. There are several types and I will show you two, here. Just have a decent trap and learn how to use it before trapping day.
- A tarp or blanket to cover each trap.
- An old towel or two for each trap to put on its floor to keep the cats from being injured by the wire. Alternatively, newspapers.
- Some smelly cat food.
Presumably, you know where the feral cats hang out in your area. It's important to set your trap in an area with heavy feral cat traffic and few other animals if possible. I have to make regular veterinarian appointments where I live, so I plan my trapping activities for the afternoon before the appointment. This is important because once the cat is in the trap, it’s there to stay until after its appointment.
Trap types and setup.
You need a trap that's big enough for feral cats. There are several brands, the big ones are Tomahawk and Havahart. Tomahawk makes some of the nicest double-door traps (one trap door, one release door) but I can't afford them. So I've never used anything but single-door live traps specifically sized for feral cats. Even though I'm on a tight budget, though, I've avoided off brands because people seem to have a lot of complaints about them (like, missing parts, broken parts when new, etc). So I suggest sticking with traps from the big manufacturers, purchased from a reputable source.
I got this trap from our local feed store co-op. This trap has an easy to set-up spring door. The lift bar that goes under the foot pressure pad just slips through a little ring and hook mechanism as you can see here…
This trap is one piece and does not collapse. It has only one door. One point of caution for this particular design: this trap has a lock-open lever shown here which must be turned or the trap will not lock shut. It will still BE shut, as you can see, but a cat can push it open from the inside.
This shows the lock-open mechanism released so that the trap locks shut. To open it anyway, you just push in the middle of the vertical bar you see here. But it can no longer be opened from the inside.
Here is another kind of live trap: The Havahart feral rescue kit includes a nifty feral cat trap that has some nice features, including a divider you can use when you want to give the cat water or clean its cage. The Havahart trap mechanism is shown here:
This trap is also collapsible so you can fold it up for storage if needed. The whole collapsing process is clunky and annoying but if you need it, it's a good thing.
Like all traps you will want to hold the mechanism in place while you bait the trap, then you want to set the trap latch close to its trip position. I usually do this while setting the trap on a step or other elevated surface so I can reach in to put the food in. Then I set the mechanism and carefully move the trap to my pre-chosen location.
If there are feral cats around, you won’t have to wait long. Although I’m not showing it here, I usually use a tarp or blanket to partially cover the closed sides of the trap. This increases trapping speed and also keeps the cat from hurting itself in a panic when the door closes… and the WILL panic!
A cat in a trap is very scared, especially if it is a feral. Try to look quickly for ear markings and to make sure it isn’t just a neighbor’s pet, then cover the trap and move it to its overnight storage location for the night. One nice thing about the Havahart traps is the divider that allows me to isolate the feral temporarily at the back of the cage so I can put some old towels in for cushioning. An alternative is newspaper – your vet may specify the conditions and you should follow whatever he/she says.
Two traps lightly covered with a tarp for the night… If it is going to be windy, just put a heavy piece of wood on top of the tarp. There is plenty of room for air circulation at the bottom – the tarp is not tucked in:
