You can read about my feral cat story here.
Since I had basically begun to feed him, I knew he had become my responsibility, and part of that responsibility is to do the right social thing and have him fixed. As he got closer and closer to us over the months, we saw that he was a male.
Check with the Local Humane Society for a Feral Cat Rescue in Your Area
This is the first step. I contacted them and they said they could come and trap him, but they were swamped and said if I could do it, they could take him and get him neutered. I was given steps to take to catch him.
Humane Feral Cat Trap
Make Arrangements with the Feral Cat Rescue First Before Trapping
Let them know you are attempting to catch him/her and find out where to take them. Make these arrangements first. Most humane societies do not deal with feral cats, so get the right organization before you start.
Step 1 - Watch Their Daily Living Habits and see where they go. So you can figure out a good place for the live trap.
Step 2 - Purchase or rent a good quality live feral cat trap.
Step 3 - Purchase a can of cat food meat. Feral cats are totally attracted to the smell of the canned food when opened, compared to dried kibble. If you want to get them quickly, canned food works best. Open it and place in a bowl in the trap in the area they tend to hang out.
Step 4 - Make sure you do this on a day you are around, you don't want a cat trapped in a cage in the blaring sun or snow storm for hours or days.
Step 5 - Place a blanket or sheet or the cover that is included in the feral cat trap over the cage to keep them calm. Where gloves when picking up the cage. They may be freaking or totally calm, it depends on the cat.
Step 6 - Take to your prearranged place so they can be properly taken care of and spayed or neutered. This is the right social thing to do to stop unwanted kitties showing up again.
If you are catching feral cats to simply stop them reproducing, many organizations suggest the cat be returned after the operation to the exact same spot. They are marked as being a "fixed feral cat" just in case they are trapped again with a clip to their ear.
If the cat is in your yard and you don't want it there, make sure they know this. Our local cat rescue has a feral section where a community of cats is housed to keep them safe and happy in cat enclosures.
Please don't simply trap it and take to the woods. They need to be neutered there are way too many stray and suffering cats around.
Training a Feral Cat for Yourself
I was about to go down this road and about to follow the 6 steps above, but my little feral had come on the scene while he was quite young but was starving. After a lot of work moving his feeding station closer and closer and giving him shelter outdoors and a routine, he eventually got close enough to eat just inside the door of my house with my own 2 cats.
Since I was not doing a "catch and release" I called my own Veterinarian to ask if she could neuter a "semi feral cat" and she agreed. So I had to get him in the house as if to eat one morning as per usual, and I had my cat carrier ready, my team assembled and I simply grabbed him by the scruff and quickly placed him in the carrier with a towel over his head. Hubby got the door closed before he could figure out what happened.
He was actually quite calm!
After the surgery he was sent home still sedated as they didn't want him freaking out there, and was told to keep him inside as long as possible. That was about 6 hours when the sedation and drugged look faded. I had no choice but to let him out as he was freaking at this point.
For the Love of a Feral Kitty
I thought that was it as I saw him run at high speed. I thought "great I spent all this money and now he has run away" but the next morning he was on the patio door step looking for breakfast!
Now he is becoming much easier to train. Getting him neutered was the right decision. He is calmer, and coming in the door for food and comfort and I can pick him up. So my feral cat story has a happy ending!
This picture is of a Stoned Moo (his name is MOO) not quite sure about this sedation. He was batting at make belief bugs and trying to get out. Held off as long as I could and then out he went, but now at least there will not be any unwanted kitties or cat fights on my watch!
If you get to them when they are young enough, it is possible to train them to love humans again, but if they are adults it is probably best to have them live trapped, fixed and released to enjoy life on their own terms.
Owning a life animal trap for feral cats can also be used for other animals that need moving. A good investment to have on hand, good for injured animals too.
Take the Steps to Phone or Contact a Feral Cat Rescue to Get More Advice
I live in a subdivision and we have a feral cat problem, so many of the neighbours have started to take steps to help them. Most are hungry and injured from cat fights. Getting them neutered will at least stop the reproduction and many of the cat fights.
Make the decision right up front as to whether you wish to let him stay in your yard or you want him removed.
Since cats are great at keeping down the mice population, you may want to give your feral cats a nice outdoor house to live in rather than your shed once they are fixed!
This at least gives them a decent place to live if they love your yard instead of making their own home in your shrubs, or shed or garage or roof. A feral cat will get used to you but simply won't live inside. I love the idea of these specialized houses. Right now Moo lives in a garage tent that we need to get rid of, so I will get this feral cat house and let him get used to it by putting some treats inside.Specialized feral cat houses, have an escape back door just in case preditors come looking. You don't want him feeling trapped. But this will keep the weather off of them too. I call Moo my "outdoor cat" . I am responsible for his feeding and health care and he will come in the house to eat, but it is too ingrained in him to live outdoors, so keep harmony in the yard with his very own house instead of under your shrubs or messing up the shed.
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