Trapping Techniques Part 4

What areas of my area is my cat hiding?

The favorite place for a hiding cat is an area with no other animals, but with access to food and water.  Indoor cats are often found within a 5-house radius of their own home.  They might change locations if threatened by a dog or cat, but once they spend some time in an area, they’ll most likely stay put.  If your cat is a skittish outdoor car, there is a greater chance it will b e found within its territory which can range in size from several acres to a couple of yards or less for a city cat.  If you know the area your cat spends time, concentrate your search in this area, then move out from there.  

Is it ok to trap on a neighbor’s property?

Ask permission before trapping on anyone’s property.  On the day that you trap, remember to leave your contact information in case they need to reach you 

How can I get my neighbor to allow me to trap?

Some neighbors won’t be sympathetic to your dilemma.  Be respectful of your neighbor’s privacy.  Ask them which times are best to set up and pick up the trap.  Express appreciation for their cooperation.  If a family is resistant to trapping, they can still be helpful in other ways.  Some neighbors won’t allow trapping, but might allow searches on foot. 

How often should I check the trap?

If you leave your trap out overnight, check it early the next morning, especially if it’s in a hot area.  Set it late so any trapped animal is confined for only a short time.  When trapping on your own property, leave your windows open at night or try setting up a baby monitor so that you can hear if the trap closes. 

How often should I move the trap?

If you’re getting opossums or raccoons for 3 nights in a row inside your trap, keep trapping in the same spot until you catch nothing at all.  Then move your trap to a new spot and repeat the process.  Once you’ve completed trapping in the area of interest, you may have to retrap the came circuit, or decide to widen the search ara.  Early on, your cat will be less hungry and more careful about entering a trap.

Trapping Techniques Part 3

Where to place the trap?

Place the trap in places that appear to be a good hiding spot but also where an animal won’t feel boxed in, and don’t trap in places that are out in the open. Animals that are scared like the security of moving along edges of things. Primo places would be along fence lines, near sheds, or under decks. When the animal evaluates if something is good to approach, it will try to determine safety from far away. It will want to know that it can approach with some degree of camouflage and yet see enough open space so it won’t feel cornered. 

If there is a hole that might appear to be a good target, face the trap inwards towards the hole. Under decks, place the trap along a wall edge or something that faces towards the inside. If you’re using many traps, place each one out of sight of the other trap. Sometimes simply seeing a fellow trapped animal may cause an animal to think twice about entering a trap. 

Scared animals tend to stay away from houses, but in very bad weather, the distance an animals strays may be closer to home. You can place a trap close to a house as long as the animal has access to its perceived safety in the wild. There is one case of someone who was able to trap his cat under a picnic table on his neighbor’s porch. 

If you trap on the same property many times, try to create a safe area that would attract a scared animal to stick around. That means leaving containers of water in several protected areas, placing canned food out in the daytime (not in traps) in protected areas (then at night remove this food and put fresh food in the traps). Walk around the property barefoot and plan activities like weeding or yard work that would leave your scent in the area.

Trapping Techniques Part 2

How do I set the trap?

The trap should be set with about a cup of food on something like a paper plate.  The plate should be placed beyond the trip plate.  Get a piece of cardboard, place it underneath the trap, then make a food trail that leads into the trap and straight to the dish of.  If you use cardboard, the trail of food does not leave a mess when you’re trapping on someone else’s property and it also lets you control where and when you want to bait.  In hot weather make sure there’s a bowl of water in the trap.  If the pet is bonded to humans then place used clothing like socks near the opening of the trap. 

It’s sometimes recommended to cover the top and sides of the trap with a towel while leaving the front and back end open.  The idea here is to create a kind of “tunnel vision” and the animal will want to go through the tunnel.  If you know your pet is the type that enjoys jumping in a cardboard box or brown paper bag it might like the concealment that towels or sheets might offer.  It depends on the animal. Also, newspaper, grass, or dirt can be placed on the inside of the trap for animals that might not like to step on metal wires.

Practice with your trap before putting it to use.  Make sure you understand how the mechanisms work and think about your animal and how to apply the trap to get the best results. Set the rap at night and check on it in the morning.

What foods should I use to set the trap?

Use your pet’s favorite food and the more odor it has the better.  You want something to draw your animal out from hiding even if it’s hiding a few homes away.  If you’re unsure as to what to use try fried chicken strips, bacon, or tuna.

If you trap wild animals, set some food nearby the trap that a raccoon or an opossum might like but that your pet might not like.  Some examples of foods that are turn-offs to domesticated animals include whole grains like corn and oats, alfalfa pellets, or fruits and nuts.  The idea is to fill up the local wildlife with other foods which makes them less likely to eat the food in your trap!

As for insects, such as ants, draw a chalk line around the trap.  Ants will not try to cross the chalk dust to get to the food in the trap.

Trapping Techniques Part 1

How do traps work?

A  humane trap is designed to contain an animal without harming it. It’s basically a cage with a door held open lightly by means of a latch. Food is used to entice an animal inside and is placed on a trip plate. When the animal puts its weight an the trap it releases the latch causing the door to drop down behind the animal, trapping it inside. The trap you want should have a quiet mechanism so that the trapped animal is not frightened.

Where can I get a trap?

You can buy traps at hardware stores and they’re also available for loan or rent at certain animal shelters. In some places renting a trap for a week can equal the cost of simply buying a new trap. If you’re considering buying a new trap, remember that you might be using it for several weeks in order to retrieve your animal.   

How many traps do I need?

Get two traps, if possible. Two will allow you to place a trap in two areas at the same time and cuts down on the time and any inconveniences that only having one trap may cause. If you live in a country or forest area with many good hiding places, having two traps will allow you to cover twice as much ground in the same amount of time.

What kinds of preparations should I make before trapping?

• Get permission from neighbors to trap. Don’t assume they’re animals lovers!
• Create a map of the neighborhood and pinpoint areas that could be great hiding places as well as places a pet would avoid.
• Document the names and addresses of neighbors that you’ve obtained permission to trap in their yards.