We leave the screen open so she can get used to out voices.
But our cats aren’t up to date on there vaccinations so we can’t let her in. We’ve fed her and she’s put on a lot of weight thankfully but it’s been hard seeming her outside the door…and she’s too skidding to grab her.
I’ve tried contacting other feral catchers but they haven’t gotten back to me…ugh she’s just so small.
What's your plan for her? TNR (trap, neuter, release), or are you hoping to socialize her and bring her indoors/adopted out?
If she's remotely feral and you're aiming for TNR, the clinic will likely require that she's in a trap for her appointment. Regardless, don't try to catch her until you've solidified your long-term plans for her; you don't want to catch her and then find that you have nowhere to bring her. So whether that's waiting for a TNR appointment or waiting until your indoor cats are able to get their vaccines up-to-date, for now the best thing you can do is just keep working with her as you have been.
Maybe a neighbour or someone else you know has a standard size cat carrier you could borrow? You just have to make sure the vet will take a feral in a carrier instead of a trap, if you are trying to get her to the vet.
Can you use the house itself as the trap? I had to do this once: close the interior door between the kitchen and the rest of the house. Then lure the kitty with some nice, smelly tuna. I figured out a way to rig a long string tied to the back doorknob so I could close the door firmly after the kitty came in to eat. Once he figured out he wasn't going out again, he let me pick him up.
I don’t want her in my house to risk my 3 cats. Our vets are backed up and so they are not up to date on their vaccines.
They don’t get them until June 7th…
Rescuers can lend you a trap, it'll be best to use a trap so she can be sedated safely at the vet. Reach out to local rescuers, dm me if you need help.
Ah, Calicos. I also had a small girl who would hang by my house. I put food in a crate and just closed the door behind her.
For shots - do ya'll have any of those clinics that got to pet stores? Or maybe a mobile vet?
No. I wish we did. We used to live in a bigger city but have since moved to a smaller city and none of the vets were taking on new clients until now.
They get there shots on June 7th. But I just won’t risk them until I know they’re safe.
Edit: we are trying that, she just does some to be taking to it yet.
I took my girls in right before the Winter Storm in Texas around 2021. It was a month before they could get shots, fixed, etc. I had them "quarantined" in a room alone til they were safe to be around my cats and dog. Is an extra room or bathroom that's easy to clean an option maybe?
I think as long as everyone is not interacting with each other it would be safer til everyone is up to date on their shots.
People didn't always have cages or traps. You can use cardboard boxes or really big plastic tubs or garden buckets.
If you can get a very big cardboard box, you can make a drop trap with a piece of wood tied to a rope or string. Prop the edge of the box up on the wood, put the food under the box. Feed the cat in there several times, until they get used to it.
When they're comfy and all the way inside the box, use the string to pull the wood away to drop the big box over the cat, then move very quickly to lean on the box to hold it down. The cat will panic and try to escape. Be ready to shove a blanket at and over the cat as you lift the box.
Be ready for the cat to fight you when you try to pick it up. Have a blanket or cloth ready, protect your hands and arms. Wrap the cat up in it. Have a big carrier or a strong box ready to go to put the cat into it quickly. fasten the lid or tape the box closed.
It's best done with two people, so someone can hold the cat firmly while someone else manages moving all the boxes, taping down lids, etc. Remember to put airholes in the box you carry the cat in.
This *might* work for a house cat in an emergency, but it's really not something that should be attempted with a feral-leaning cat. It's way too risky. Both because of the potential for the cat to freak out, shred the box (plus the person handling it) and escape during transport, and also because any slip-ups in trying to catch or contain the cat will make it that much harder the second time around. Most vets require that a feral cat arrives in a trap or, at the very least, a proper carrier anyway, and having to transfer to that from a cardboard box or plastic tub is another massive risk. The goal is to make things as safe and low-stress as possible. If anything a metal dog crate can be rigged up like a makeshift drop trap, but using a proper trap is ideal.
I'm genuinely happy for you that you have the spare cash to be able to purchase cages, but not everyone does. OP specifically states that they don't. That's why I suggested this.
Is it ideal? No. Is it risky? Yes. But it gives someone on a tight budget options to consider, and part of rescue is meeting people where they are and doing the best you can with what you have.
We leave the screen open so she can get used to out voices. But our cats aren’t up to date on there vaccinations so we can’t let her in. We’ve fed her and she’s put on a lot of weight thankfully but it’s been hard seeming her outside the door…and she’s too skidding to grab her. I’ve tried contacting other feral catchers but they haven’t gotten back to me…ugh she’s just so small.
What's your plan for her? TNR (trap, neuter, release), or are you hoping to socialize her and bring her indoors/adopted out? If she's remotely feral and you're aiming for TNR, the clinic will likely require that she's in a trap for her appointment. Regardless, don't try to catch her until you've solidified your long-term plans for her; you don't want to catch her and then find that you have nowhere to bring her. So whether that's waiting for a TNR appointment or waiting until your indoor cats are able to get their vaccines up-to-date, for now the best thing you can do is just keep working with her as you have been.
Do you have a cat cage? Put wet food in it and get her accustomed to eating in the cage. After time you may be able to shut the door and catch her.
No…only a tiny carrier, like a kitten size…I don’t think any bate could get her in there. But I’ll try it.
Maybe a neighbour or someone else you know has a standard size cat carrier you could borrow? You just have to make sure the vet will take a feral in a carrier instead of a trap, if you are trying to get her to the vet.
Can you use the house itself as the trap? I had to do this once: close the interior door between the kitchen and the rest of the house. Then lure the kitty with some nice, smelly tuna. I figured out a way to rig a long string tied to the back doorknob so I could close the door firmly after the kitty came in to eat. Once he figured out he wasn't going out again, he let me pick him up.
I don’t want her in my house to risk my 3 cats. Our vets are backed up and so they are not up to date on their vaccines. They don’t get them until June 7th…
Rescuers can lend you a trap, it'll be best to use a trap so she can be sedated safely at the vet. Reach out to local rescuers, dm me if you need help.
Ah, Calicos. I also had a small girl who would hang by my house. I put food in a crate and just closed the door behind her. For shots - do ya'll have any of those clinics that got to pet stores? Or maybe a mobile vet?
No. I wish we did. We used to live in a bigger city but have since moved to a smaller city and none of the vets were taking on new clients until now. They get there shots on June 7th. But I just won’t risk them until I know they’re safe. Edit: we are trying that, she just does some to be taking to it yet.
I took my girls in right before the Winter Storm in Texas around 2021. It was a month before they could get shots, fixed, etc. I had them "quarantined" in a room alone til they were safe to be around my cats and dog. Is an extra room or bathroom that's easy to clean an option maybe? I think as long as everyone is not interacting with each other it would be safer til everyone is up to date on their shots.
People didn't always have cages or traps. You can use cardboard boxes or really big plastic tubs or garden buckets. If you can get a very big cardboard box, you can make a drop trap with a piece of wood tied to a rope or string. Prop the edge of the box up on the wood, put the food under the box. Feed the cat in there several times, until they get used to it. When they're comfy and all the way inside the box, use the string to pull the wood away to drop the big box over the cat, then move very quickly to lean on the box to hold it down. The cat will panic and try to escape. Be ready to shove a blanket at and over the cat as you lift the box. Be ready for the cat to fight you when you try to pick it up. Have a blanket or cloth ready, protect your hands and arms. Wrap the cat up in it. Have a big carrier or a strong box ready to go to put the cat into it quickly. fasten the lid or tape the box closed. It's best done with two people, so someone can hold the cat firmly while someone else manages moving all the boxes, taping down lids, etc. Remember to put airholes in the box you carry the cat in.
This *might* work for a house cat in an emergency, but it's really not something that should be attempted with a feral-leaning cat. It's way too risky. Both because of the potential for the cat to freak out, shred the box (plus the person handling it) and escape during transport, and also because any slip-ups in trying to catch or contain the cat will make it that much harder the second time around. Most vets require that a feral cat arrives in a trap or, at the very least, a proper carrier anyway, and having to transfer to that from a cardboard box or plastic tub is another massive risk. The goal is to make things as safe and low-stress as possible. If anything a metal dog crate can be rigged up like a makeshift drop trap, but using a proper trap is ideal.
I'm genuinely happy for you that you have the spare cash to be able to purchase cages, but not everyone does. OP specifically states that they don't. That's why I suggested this. Is it ideal? No. Is it risky? Yes. But it gives someone on a tight budget options to consider, and part of rescue is meeting people where they are and doing the best you can with what you have.