Daily Kitten Chat Forum » General Chat

1. 

   hi everyone, as some know my rescue Endymion had to be put down less than a week ago, but I found a couple of days previous that he has a sibling who appears to be healthy and happy besides the fact that he is a stray.

   Mr. Kindman and I are currently trying to catch him so I can take him home and get him out of the cold since he has nobody to take care of him.

   He lives across the street from Mr. Kindman under Mr. Meanman's house. Mr. Meanman HATES cats and I'm afraid will soon do something to the multitude of cats around the neighborhood. He also wants NOTHING to do with this kitten and is not helping at all, so we're stuck there. I have tried the sob story on him but it didn't really affect him, so I'm mainly relying on Mr. Kindman.

   Our biggest problem is catching the kitten. Any suggestions?

   The kitten is:
   -street smart, and moves away by the bushes when cars come by
   -goes under the gate when a human comes by
   -only comes out at dawn and dusk.
   -he is not completely feral either, he's let Mr. Kindman pick him up and come near him.

   What we've tried:
   -sitting out in the cold freezing to death waiting to see him.
   -leaving food out while we're outside
   -trying to entice him with a toy, and wetfood

   Mr. Kindman was able to pick him up the other day but because the kitten freaked out he couldn't get it to a carrier fast enough. We are using a carrier that opens from the top so he can be dropped in.

   We do have a trap accessible to us, but Mr. Kindman wants it as a last resort. Besides the obvious fact of catching his other cats and lack of area to really conceal it, I'm not too sure on why he wants it as a last resort.

   If anyone has any suggestions, I'd be willing to try it.

   Posted 1 year ago by Duchess&&Gabriel #

2. 

   DM, I'm sure someone does have some good suggestions, but I'm afraid I don't. Stay tuned for others who can advise you. I'm wishing you the very best of luck!

   Posted 1 year ago by katthays #

3. 

   Try tempting him by putting food/water in or near a box/shelter in MR. K's yard. Maybe he'll start hanging around there so it will be easier to catch & coax him into the carrier. Good luck for your potential newbie!

   Posted 1 year ago by jeankit #

4. 

   Try warming up the food so it's extra stinkey and alluring to Kittenface or try some plain yogurt. I'm not sure what else you can do but hopefully someone else has better suggestions. Hope you catch Kittenface soon!

   Posted 1 year ago by roxysmommy #

5. 

   Not sure what the animal laws are in your area but if he does something to the stray cats he can be brought up on charges of animal cruelty. Might be useful to brush up on it just in case.

   The trap would seem to be the kindest way to catch him, or if you are able to grab him again, scruffing him so he won't fight or run. If done properly it will not hurt him. I know some don't agree with it as a form of discipline but if it keeps you from getting scratched and lets you get him into a crate and out of danger it's a good thing. I've used it to get ferals myself and it keeps them from fighting you long enough to get them crated at least.

   Posted 1 year ago by Kit #

6. 

   Mr. KindMan sounds like he's pretty well attuned to this little guy. I'd recommend that Mr. KindMan set up a carrier with the door open, in a corner somewhere in his backyard. He should start feeding stinky food in a shallow dish in the carrier, at a particular time daily when he can stick around and check it.

   I'd recommend setting up the carrier so that the opening faces wherever he can safely see it, from a distance of 20-30 feet away. The carrier's door should be propped open using something small, squashy and easily collapsed, like a little wad of crumpled up newspaper underneath the edge of the door.

   A piece of yarn or string can be attached to the center of the carrier's door, near the latch. It should then be strung through the carrier and exit at the back of the carrier, toward the top. At some point behind the carrier, Mr. KindMan can find something to use as a pivot point, to wrap the string behind and then run the string back up to his safe spotting distance. He should also have something at his spotting point to wrap the string around, like a piece of rebar sticking straight up out of the ground.

   (This makes the carrier into a kind of trap, with a way for KindMan to quickly shut the door on the carrier at a distance, and hold it shut until he's able to walk up to the carrier and fasten the latch.)

   Feeding daily at the same time is key, at a time when KittenFace is likely to be around. Getting KittenFace accustomed to the food in the back of the carrier is key.

   Good luck!

   Posted 1 year ago by anncetera2 #

7. 

   Or, if he's able to pick up the kitten again, have him just bring the kitty inside and confine the kitten to a small room with a bowl of food until you're able to get there. Good luck!

   Posted 1 year ago by anncetera2 #

8. 

   Actually, we are trying the carrier thing today except the carrier we are using is not an ordinary carrier meaning the door is harder to latch than others, you have to pull up to release the locking mechanism.

   I've decided to give the kitten a name for now so I don't have to keep calling it kitten. If it's a boy, it's name will be Helios after the sun god, and Mizuki if it's a girl. Mizuki means beautiful moon in japanese. I'm hoping it's a boy though, so for now we'll call him Helios.

   Helios is fed in the front yard and doesn't enter the back since Mr. Kindman already has about 7 cats he feeds regularly, it's a family of cats and then one stray and another cat he'll let it since she got spayed. he does have some bushes but it's hard to hid the carrier and I'm sure once Helios sees it he'll run.

   I'm hoping that Helios lets Mr. Kindman pick him up again by the scruff soon. Mr. Kindman is going to use gloves this time around so he can hold him longer since Helios was scratching him to get out of his grip.

   Thank you for your suggestions jeankit, roxysmommy, and anncetera2 and thank you for your support katthays and kit

   Posted 1 year ago by Duchess&&Gabriel #

9. 

   Actually, if you prop the door open so it will not accidentally close for a while and cover the carrier with something to insulate it (say a cardboard box with some straw stuffed around it) to keep it warm inside, an inviting safe warm place with food and water may be just the bribe Helios/Mizuki will be seeking in the cold of winter.

   After the cozy cave becomes home the trap part can be set.

   Posted 1 year ago by ailuromaniac #

10. 

    Bump for more help...

    Posted 1 year ago by nawlins catmom #

11. 

    I've caught a handful of cats in carriers like Ann described. I would sit outside while feeding them to get them used to me and eventually move their dish of food inside the carrier which I would sit next to. I'd spend a day or two just sitting next to the carrier and not attempting to trap Kitty so he would get used to going into the carrier for food. Then a couple of days later, I was abl to close the door while Kitty was eating and trap him.

    I'm wondering if maybe you could add some Bach's Rescue Remedy for Pets to Helios' food to calm him down a bit so he's easier to trap.

    Posted 1 year ago by GreatDane #

12. 

    oooh, keep this bumped up...I have no ideas, but Feral has plenty of experience in this. Hope you catch him!

    Posted 1 year ago by linda #

13. 

    hahahaha. Laughing @ Linda. I was just getting ready to post that Anncetera & GD's ideas were very close to how I finally caught Ms.Hissy. With Hopper(even tho it took me 6 yrs. to catch that street-smart bugger),once I had a brand new trap he couldn't get out of,he was easy(maybe he was ready to be caught). Hissy took me 3 yrs. to catch w/many litters along the way. She was so smart & skittish that it took me drastic measures.
    I set up my lg.metal dog crate in the back w/everything a cat would need. With food they were use to eating & water & a blankie. Left the door open all the time until they(Hissy & Naughtyboy) got use to going into it & eating. At the time of setting it up I had tied a rope to the bottom of the door & ran it into the crate & then back out thru the side so when the rope was pulled,it would pull the door shut. I made the rope long enuf to go around the side of the house where I could approach it w/out Hissy seeing or hearing me.
    After several days of watching them go in & eat,while Hissy was inside it,I scrambled(quietly) to the rope's end. when I went as far as I could w/out her seeing me,I made sure she was still inside.I then yanked the rope,pulling the door shut. At that point(w/my butt on the grnd)had to crawl along the grnd. keeping the rope tight as I got closer to the cage. She was so strong that she almost got away a couple times. I suddenly got 1 last burst of strength & screamed out loud that she was not going to have anymore litters. When I finally got to the crate,I locked it tighter than a deadbolt.
    I ended up having to take the dog crate & all to the vet. I was in no way going to open that door to allow her a chance to escape. In order to put food & water in the crate till her spa day,I put boards thru the slats of the crate to seperate her from me & the door. My only regret was that I didn't come up w/the idea sooner. It was such a simple idea.

    Posted 1 year ago by feral #

14. 

    Excellent!

    Posted 1 year ago by Sheba's Mom in Raleigh, NC #

15. 

    thank you for your advice Feral...I wish it could apply more to my situation

    We have a live trap going and today he went in! But he was so focused on the other food that he hopped over the trigger and ate the other food.

    Mr. Kindman feeds many different cats so it's hard to keep the food separated but Helios thought it was for him and while he went by the trap he didn't go in again. I don't think he is scared of the cage more obvlious to it. So we're hoping for tomorrow maybe.

    He has a home [not a real home, just a place to stay] across the street so he's not ready to settle in another home he'd rather stay in a home he knows and eat where he knows. I'm hoping tomorrow he'll be caught, he's definitely bigger and healthier looking, but he's so much smarter...it's harder. But he is just like Endymion but healthier.

    Posted 1 year ago by Duchess&&Gabriel #

16. 

    Keeping fingers and pawa crossed... Helios/Minuki, be good little kitty and walk into the trap and let DM give you a nice safe, warm and loving home with a big sister for you to play with!!! Good luck DM and Mr. Kindman!

    Posted 1 year ago by nawlins catmom #

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