Heidi Chronicles - Almost Spring 2010

KyWoods,

I have considered tossing one in the cage. When those things 1st come out of the container with the catnip still adhering to them, they don't have to be moving to entice cats. It must be the smell of the catnip. The kittens go crazy for the mice fresh from the catnip. After they get through killing them and the catnip wears off, they don't seem to notice the mice so much anymore. Then, on a sunny day when the mice are dry, I run around picking them up from the walkway and flower bed - thank goodness for the bright red color. I put the mice back in the catnip container as per the instructions, let them marinate for a few days, and bring them out again all covered in catnip again one day when the idea strikes me.

If you haven't tried those Spicy Micey before, I really recommend them highly.

http://www.wikihow.com/Get-a-Cat-Into-a-Pet-Carrier
http://www.ehow.com/how_4965170_cat-cage.html
These are links to a couple of different sites showing how to get a cat into a carrier. There are lots more out there. Since she is so close to you (for a feral), I think that you could do this.

Hmmm, the text is spilling out of it's borders again for me...anyone else?

Edit: When I came back, it was fixed!

This message was edited Mar 17, 2010 1:29 AM

I have heard of that happening lately, but I haven't seen it yet.

Weird, I wonder why things happen to some of us and not others.
Anyway, I will definitely look for those mice, thanks!

KyWoods,

I haven't experienced the exact same thing you showed in the DG forum with the post spilling out of the box, but the other day I did see something that seemed possibly similar and maybe connected to that same problem. I saw it here on this very thread. I've considered that one variable between the different people here is how we have our DG screens setup. If you haven't done any setup, then you have the default. There's a place somewhere in your account where you can choose the placement of some things on the screen. I have the DG Top 10 on the right of the screen when I open threads. I mention that because everyone may not. Another thing which may make a difference in what we see is screen size/dimensions. I'm using a 15.5in laptop. My screen is wider with respect to height than the 'normal' laptop or monitor dimensions. Because of this I often stretch the browser screen out really wide. That changes the way the screen gets laid out and may keep me from seeing what you are seeing.

When I 1st opened this thread the other day, the posts, box and all, extended all the way across the browser window such that the Top 10 Watchdog box which is supposed to be there on the right of my screen was missing. The words in the posts were not spilling out of the box as they were for you, the box was drawn all the way across the screen to accompany them. A moment or so later, the screen re-sized itself, the posts and their boxes went back to their normal size, and the Top 10 Watchdog box appeared on the right where it is supposed to be. To me this last event, the re-sizing seems analogous to what you keep reporting where you 1st see the words spilling across the screen and out of the boxes and then everything rights itself.

Another variable to consider is which OS and browser you are using (and others). I'm using Firefox 3.6 on a Mac running OsX Snow Leopard. I'm gathering that you are probably on Windows. Right? Are you using Firefox or IE? It sometimes makes a difference in how things are displayed especially if there is an error and/or if the code is not written to accommodate a particular browser.

As to those Spicy Micey, I posted a link to them before but am repeating it here in case you missed it. This is just to show you what they look like, so you will recognize them if you see them. In the store, they don't really 'wow' you like some toys. I passed them by many times before even noticing them. This shows both Spicy Micey (the red ones in ground catnip) and Marinated Mice (grey ones in some kind of solid catnip pellet, less messy). The cats like them both.
http://www.beastiebands.com/marinatedmice.html
They are not very expensive but do seem to be somewhat hard to find. I ran across them at a holistic pet shop near me. Here they are on a website shown for $5.99 (pkg of 4): http://letzkillthedog.com/spicy-micey.html
Maybe some of the others will know where to get them. I don't see them at the usual places like Petsmart or DrsFosterSmith online.

June,

Thanks for the links. That info might prove helpful with Kitty, but it's not going to work with the kitten. Although she will come to me to eat and will even let me pet her, and even though I even managed to pick her up briefly once (just lifted her a few inches in the air and put her back down), the day I tried to hold her by the body to keep her from leaving she ate me up. She went nuts, clawing and spitting like you wouldn't believe. She was deadly serious, too. The look in her eyes was as if she thought I were trying to kill her.

I had scratches, deep ones that drew blood, on both hands and both lower arms - and I never even picked her up that time. I just gently closed my hand around her mid back and kept her from leaving. After that event she has never been quite as comfortable around me. Now if I try to pick her or hold onto her to slide her in a carrier she's going to rip me to shreds. Sorry, I wish I could do that, but it just is not an option for that kitten. She will come to me and let me pet her as long as I don't try to restrain her or even pick her up again.

Cheryl, locking the trap open and feeding the kittens in it is an excellent idea, and your best bet at this point for catching the girl. I would do that for several days, then set it for real with NO food available outside the trap. And throwing in a catnip mouse is also a great idea. Trying to pick up the female kitten, even in a thick towel, is a risky idea at best; it didn't work well with Kitty, showing you how fast they are, and the kitten is MUCH less tame than her mother. You'd be highly likely to lose your grip on her, and to bleed a good bit in the process.

Hi Ruth,

Thanks for the input. If I don't have any luck tonight - and I don't expect any - I'll start working on feeding them in the [blocked open] cage, starting at the entrance and moving them in further over a few days. and hope for the best. My luck if I succeed in getting them desensitized to the trap, I'll end up catching the boy again, but I figure it's worth a try. In fact, since I have 2 traps, I think I may set one up for feeding them (blocked open) and the other up as a trap just in case and to cover all bases.

Actually, having experienced the speed of the mother cat, I figure I would be most likely to loose the battle with the kitten at the onset. Either she would 'fly' out from under the towel before I could get my hands around her (under the towel) or she would she would run out of the spot before I could even drop the towel on her. I could imagine the towel dropping behind her as she runs.

If I could actually get my hands around her under the towel, I wasn't thinking of doing anything like what I tried with the mother. I know that's not going to work with the kitten. I was thinking more along the lines of a modified version of the mummy wrap idea previously discussed, thinking if I could get my hands around her and the towel (and I think that's a BIG if), I could roll her up in the towel and stuff the both of them (her & towel) in the cage.

Lastly, it is very difficult to explain the towels I'm talking about. They are unlike anything I've ever seen even in stores like Sax. They are just so dense and thick. I actually think if I could get my hands around her in the towel, I'd have a decent chance of holding onto her through one of those things. They aren't just dense in terms of nap that would be brushed aside. I don't know how to explain it, but the underlying fabric "inside" the towel is dense and thick. They really are unbelievably fabulous towels.

I won't try that though. I'll start with the idea of trying to desensitize them to the trap. I'll save that one for the last, last, last resort if everything else fails. I'm just trying to think what to do if she never is willing to go in the trap.

Haven't you heard? There is actually evidence now that a certain amount of bloodletting is good for you. Not kidding. Men who donate blood on a regular basis have a significantly lower incidence of cardiovascular disease. This was actually 1st noted a decade or so ago. They believe it's due to the fact that loosing blood decreases the concentration of iron in the blood. A certain amount of iron is good. More than that appears to damage blood vessels via oxidation (rust). Because of this men's vitamins now have very little to no iron as apposed to those for women. Pre-menopausal women, it seems, already undergo their own form of bloodletting which minimizes excess iron. That's the current line of thinking anyhow. Bloodletting is good for you. The cats are just trying to help out. ;-)

***********************ALERT!!!*********************************

OMG! I got her!!! It's over. She's in the trap. I cannot believe it!

I think my instincts were right. I left Kitty out there because, despite all of the negatives, I thought her presence might help to calm the kitten. When the tabby was out there alone the other night, she was on such high alert that she wouldn't do anything, take any risks, etc. That's why I thought putting the whole group back together might help.

Continued...

The other things I tried - in desperation - which seemed to work were:

(1) I went out for a tiny can of that Medley stuff I mentioned before. They seem to love it. They love tuna, too, but this time she wasn't falling for the tuna. I thought I would try to change some things up to see if I could, in essence, throw her off. I thought maybe tuna had become synonymous with the bad trap.

(2) I put the 2nd trap in the flower bed and put the Medley cat food in there (after I brought Kitty inside temporarily and fed her 2/3 of the food from the tiny can and then let her back out). It just seemed like the kitten wouldn't go near that other trap. I was hoping against hope that part of the problem was that she had grown to think of that whole trap and spot it's in as "bad". I was hoping maybe she would go in a trap in a new location with different food.

(3) I put the 2nd trap in the flower bed and oriented it with one long side against the shrubs. I couldn't use the tip about covering the trap with anything (for fear of blocking the mechanism). This was my idea of a variation on that idea. I tried covering one side since the sides aren't involved in the closing mechanism.

It worked. I just went to check. As soon as I got to the door and looked out the little side window I saw Kitty and the black kitten but no tabby. I didn't dare hope. I walked out, saw that the trap was closed. In the dark I couldn't see what was in it over there in the flower bed except that it was too small to be a raccoon. Kitty and the black kitten were there on the walkway with no tabby kitten in sight. My heart leaped a beat. About that moment the tabby kitten started wailing at the top of her lungs. I put the towel over the trap. Assuming nothing goes wrong between now and 9AM, I've got her. It's over. In a few hours I'll take her to the SPCA.

The plot thickens.

I was already back in bed to catch a wink or 2 before my trip to the SPCA, but I was worried that something might go wrong. I did not want to loose that kitten this time. As I was lying there thinking things through, looking for ways it could go wrong, I decided to go back out and move the trapped kitten from the flowerbed where she would be visible to early morning joggers and dog walkers (since it would be daylight for an hour or so before I got back out there) to the more secluded porch area where I had previously set the trap and kept the others until morning. This was a precaution against people seeing the cat there in the trap and, heaven forbid, setting it free before I got back out there.

Before I could get outside to take care of that, a 2nd idea occurred to me. In my haste, excitement, and sleepiness earlier, I had left the other trap still set with an ample supply of tuna inside. Not wanting to catch one of the other cats or a raccoon or opossum before morning, I figured I should go back out and close the trap. While out there, instead of wasting that tuna, I might as well give it to Kitty.

Imagine my complete surprise when I got back out there to find that while the trap was still set, the tuna was gone. I scratched my head. I had put quite a bit of tuna in there. It was the same tuna left from the night before, but I had kept it in the fridge all day, and it had still smelled fine. Now the tuna was gone and the dish was empty. But the trap was still set. How could this be? Was the trap damaged somehow? Was it broken? Could an animal have gone in there and stepped on the platform without springing the trap and causing the door to close?

As I was looking around at the trap trying to make sense of this, I noticed an unpleasant odor. Then I saw that there was pooh in the now wadded up newspaper in the trap. In the poor light out there I couldn't discern what type it might be. Then I noticed a few other oddities. The towel I had put over the caged kitten maybe 30min earlier was pulled off and lying on the ground in the flower bed. A metal ornament in the flowerbed near the caged cat was broken in half. It had not been broken when I was out there earlier. It was this item: http://www.gardeners.com/Cattail-Birdfeeder/20762,36-717,default,cp.html
In case you can't see it for some reason, it's the cattail bird feeder, a rustic colored metal cattail the top portion of which holds seed. It had been empty for well over a year, so there was no reason for any animal to mess with it. It was snapped in two just below the seed holding portion. Kitty and the black kitten were nowhere to be found nor did they return when called. I felt I needed Sherlock Homes and Agatha Cristie both to solve this one.

As I know w/o a doubt that I left tuna in that trap - and no pooh - there are only a few possibilities to explain where it went. Either:

(1) Whatever was in the trap managed to get out. This did not jive with the evidence because if a trapped animal had somehow managed to escape, the trap would not have been set (or reset).

(2) Someone let the caged animal out and reset the trap. This is possible but has some 'holes'. The person would have had to come up to my door to do so which would have required considerable bravery. Like the other night, the trap was positioned such that you could not open it to free the animal w/o standing in front of the door at close range. The only other option would be the one I chose the other day, that of standing at my front door in the middle of the night, lifting the cage out of that confined area, turning it around and putting it back down to free the animal - and then repeating the process to put it back as it was and, finally, resetting it. Not impossible but surely a stretch.

(3) The animal was too light to spring the trap. A mouse could have eaten the food without springing the trap, but that wasn't mouse pooh, and it would have to be an awfully brave mouse to do all that with the cats right there on the porch with him.

(4) The trap really is faulty such that it allowed an animal to go inside, eat the tuna, pooh, and leave without springing the trap. I'll have to check that tomorrow. And what sort of animal would pooh in the trap while eating (if it wasn't trapped)?

(5) The animal was large enough and/or had a long enough neck/snout to reach the food without stepping on the trip panel. This might be possible esp if I left the dish of food up against the panel instead of sliding it to the very back of the cage. Here again, what animal would pooh while in there eating?

The broken cattail and the towel pulled off the cage where the kitten was suggest to me that either a raccoon or opossum came out there in the 30 min or so between when I saw the cat, covered it, and came in to tell you and when I decided to go back out. Several mornings I've gone out there to find one of the items I gave the cats to sleep on dragged out across the walkway. It's always the same item, a thin, furry, white English saddle pad. Seeing that something keeps carrying it off (part way) always reminds me of that video of the raccoon stealing the doormat.

I think some animal, either a raccoon or an opossum came out there between my 2 visits, managed to eat the tuna w/o springing the trap, either by not stepping on the plate or because the trap is broken. The same animal, smelled the can of uneaten cat food in the trap with the kitten and tried to get it, yanking the towel off the cage and breaking the nearby cattail in the process before giving up - or I might have scared it off on my return trip. (If true, that's pretty scary because given time a raccoon could probably figure out how to lift the door freeing the cat in the process.) This scenario, if true, also explains the absence of Kitty and the black kitten both of whom were at the door earlier when I was out there and both of whom eventually came back while I was out there the 2nd time. They may have been frightened off by the animal.

We will probably never know for sure what happened. Although I will dbl check the other evidence tomorrow. In an effort both to prevent anything or anyone from freeing the kitten and to prevent her from possibly falling prey to some other animal while in the cage, put her in the car (cage and all, of course) after taking a moment to line the seat with puppy pads. I then locked the car doors and set the car alarm. I will be pretty upset if anything spoils my efforts to get that cat to the vet.

This has happened to my trap also...a few times. Something knows how to do this w/o getting caught!

Cheryl -- congrats on getting little Kitty. Hopefully after she is back "home" it may take a while, but all will be well again.

and i was gonna say, ,looking at the time stamps... When do you sleep?

Great job of catching the last kitty. I knew you'd get it done one of these nights. Sounds like maybe a smart opossum has been visiting too. Always look forward to your animal adventures.

Yesterday, I was walking home from work and was shocked to see my black cat Sadie a couple houses down from me playing in the driveway. I could have sworn she had been in the house when I left for work. My cat rules have always been that they have to be in the house when I'm at work, sleeping or going to be gone for longer than 2 hours. Admittedly, once in awhile one of them will break the rules, but I normally know who's in and who's out when I go to work. I called Sadie and she started to come to me, but then took a turn and went under the car in the driveway. Imagine my surprise when I opened the front door and there Sadie was inside waiting for me! Now the question is who is Sadie #2? I went back outside, but could not find her. Admittedly, it was still not fully light, but it sure did look like my cat. Will be interesting to see if I ever spot her again.

Susan

This message was edited Mar 17, 2010 9:09 AM

ROTF, Susan

That is hilarious!

I had a somewhat similar experience once. Mine was quite embarrassing. Before Widget I had another Maltese dog, a female named Sassy. Maltese all look very much alike, small, solid white, long hair. Unlike most breeds they don't even have color variation. They are all solid white.

One day I was in the garage working, cleaning up. Sassy was in there with me. I had the garage door open. Sassy was very well behaved - much more so than Widget - but would sometimes run up to people hoping to get attention. I found this behavior very annoying but was never able to fully break her of it.

So there I was in the garage cleaning and organizing when I looked up and saw Sassy following along behind this man who was walking by on the sidewalk. Furious at her disobedience and frightened by the realization that she could have gotten run over in the street, I yelled out "Sassy! Bad dog! You get back in here right now!" (The distance from my garage door to the sidewalk is about 2 car lengths, maybe a little less.) The man turned to look at me standing there in the garage. He gave me such a strange look. Suddenly, I saw Sassy standing in the garage a short distance away from me. For an instant I was confused, but a second look revealed the leash between the man and the dog he was walking, the dog at which I had just yelled. I was so embarrassed.

As you see, I can relate to your story. It's lucky that Sadie #2 didn't come to you that day as I suppose you would have 'stolen' the neighbor's cat and taken her back 'home' to your house at least until you realized your error. I can see you explaining your actions to the owner.

Linda,

You, too? That was so bizarre. It's actually comforting to know it's not just me.

Yayyy!! I'm so glad you caught the little tabby! ^_^

Terese,

I'm not sure I know what normal is anymore assuming I ever did.

I've become nocturnal recently. I think it's my hormones. It's quite problematic. The shift to daylight savings time only exacerbates the problem since it's officially an hour later than my body thinks it is. I don't usually stay up quite so late as I did last night, but I do have difficulty sleeping at night lately. Looks like it was probably 7:30 or so when I got to sleep - some time shortly after my last post. Then I had to get up at 8:30 to take the cat to the SPCA. Oh, that was painful. I'm only barely awake now.

Thanks, Marylyn!

I am too. I was so shocked and so happy. She was so smart, so cautious, and so unwilling to get in that trap. I was afraid I would never catch her. I figured the boy would stumble into the trap a few more times, but not that one.

I could tell she was so on edge, eying me like she knew I was up to something. That's why I decided to let Kitty stay out with them last night hoping the little tabby would let her guard down a bit. When I went to bed the 3 of them were curled up on the corner of the porch on the rugs I gave them. Looks like the tabby got up for a late night snack.

I will be so glad to get this cat project over with!

When I got home I shared my Egg McMuffin with Kitty who came in the door with me as she often does lately. This time she prowled around the house quite a bit (before we ate), and I noticed her sniffing my jacket and such. I think she was looking for her missing kitten. After she finished her search, convinced herself that the kitten wasn't in here, and gathered what info she could, we sat on the rug and shared the sandwich. I tore off little pieces of cheese and egg for her. Eventually, I gave her a piece with everything including the bread. She ate that, too, because it had cheese stuck to it I guess. McD's may be happy to hear that Kitty gave Egg McMuffin her seal of approval.

My visit to the SPCA today was a somewhat disturbing eye opener. I know there is a serious problem with homeless animals, but I think you have to see it to fully comprehend the severity. The other day the animal control officer told me that a number of regular citizens are helping out with the TNR on their own much like I am. I like to think that I'm doing a good an altruistic thing, and I am, but today I learned that my efforts are small compared to some.

When I got there, trap in hand, a guy was standing outside, another trapped cat on the sidewalk near him. They had closed the place momentarily for an emergency meeting he told me. While we waited, he told me that he lived small rural community near Charleston & that his place was overrun with feral cats people kept dropping off. He was doing his own personal TNR program. This was his 12th cat. The county he lives in does have a TNR program or a decent shelter, so he traps the cats, drives 50miles to bring them to Charleston, pays to have them spayed/neutered (as a non-resident of the county, he isn't eligible for the service otherwise), releases them back onto his rural property AND feeds them all. Like me he has to come back tomorrow to pick the cat up (as with the other 11), except that for him it's a long drive. He said it is getting more difficult now because he just lost his job. (The Pet Food Bank program isn't available to him either as a non-resident). I was touched and amazed at the extent to which this man was going out of his way for the animals. I feel good about what I'm doing, but my efforts pale by comparison to his.

He had barely gotten the major points of his story out when a young woman came up to the door holding a what appeared to be a trap like mine. Hers was completely covered by a bed sheet. She said she had to go back to her car for another one. We agreed to watch this one while she did so. She returned somehow carrying two small crates and another trap all covered. She had 5 cats in all, all feral. They recognized her inside, saying, "You're with the TNR program, right?" She, too, was trapping feral cats, and clearly, like the man before her, she was overrun with them. She was a resident, however, so unlike the guy she didn't have to pay.

I was just amazed at the numbers of 'ordinary' people who were investing their own time and even money to round up strays this way and at the number of cats I'd seen and heard about in a brief 10min wait. The officer the other day had mentioned that with so many people helping out the program was quickly getting depleted of funds. I could see why. It's sad, but from what I saw today the problem seems almost too big to even make a dent in. It is heartwarming, on the other hand, to see how many people care enough to try to help. Still, I don't know if the 'helper' types will ever be able to keep up with the work of the careless individuals who cause the problem.

LOL, funny you should mention it, it just happened again! I'm in Windows XP, the newest version of Firefox, and this is the only site where I experience it.

KY -- that is weird... i've never seen that, I use FF and XP.

I think a lot of funky things have been going on since this 'merge' thing they just did.

I also have Esetnod32 antivirus, Spybot Search and Destroy anti-spyware and Malwarebytes anti-malware, and run them regularly. Oh, well. That's okay, I can think 'outside the box', lol.

KyWoods,

Oh, that is funny because what you captured in your picture (above) which shows posts spilling out of boxes is my post talking about posts spilling out of boxes. LOL.

I agree with Terese. Earlier when I mentioned some things that differ between individual users, I wasn't trying to say those were the only variables just some that I can think of. Seems like DG probably should have heeded the 'not broke, don't fix it' mantra issued by so many users. I suspect it will take them a while not to chase all of the bugs away.

ROTF, KyWoods!

For thinking 'out of the box'.

My eyes are all bleary from sitting here for hours on end reading and catching up on everything. Had been waiting for the time when Heidi and the gang would come back. Been popping in and out, but haven't said anything.

I so happy to here that Heidi is back again for another year!!!!!!! Was doing happy dance when I got to that part. Wonder " whose your daddy" the kits are going to look like this year. So glad the other kits are showing up.

My first thought s when I read that were, are they asking where's the strawberry frosting and yogurt cups and don't forget the watermelon. LOL

Looks like it time to start asking for extra jelly packets with them egg mcmuffins. : )

Don't forget to to go the kitty food sites and download coupons for the food too.

Oh...one thing about the trap I have...might be a clue about what can steal the food put in it. It's designed for a certain range of weights. If a critter of lesser weight gets in it, it might not spring closed. Also, they need to get on that metal plate in the middle on the bottom. If the critter finds a way to access the food without touching that plate, it probably won't spring shut. The first time I tried to trap one of the kittens, it wasn't just in order to get it fixed. The kittens were smaller then. One of them had somehow got its head stuck in the top of a water bottle. You know those little bottles of water people use...this one had for whatever reason been cut in half and the kitten's head was really stuck into the upper half of the bottle. After I saw the kitten's problem, I tried to get ahold of it, but it would run away and hide. It was terrified, pure panic! And wouldn't be able to eat or drink...it could breathe because the cap was not on the bottle neck. So I put food in the trap. At first one of the other kittens entered the trap, ate the food and left. So I realized it was not set up for that size of kittens. I looked at the part that "catches" and tried to set up so it just barely was holding the trap open. Eventually the kitten with the half bottle entered the trap because it was hungry (not realizing it couldn't eat) and I found a tool that could be pushed into the cage and hold the end of the bottle. Almost immediately, it backed away and the bottle came off! And I let the kitten go...she was still very scared being in the trap and was jumping back and forth and probably hurting herself. BTW, that was the same black kitten I took in today to be spayed. She's always been the one that's most scared of people...and most everything. She's locked in a large crate cage back in my large shed. It's big enough for a small blanket in the back, then a small litterbox in one side of the front and food and water on the other side of the front.

This message was edited Mar 17, 2010 11:35 PM

Hi Linda,

How horrible for the poor kitten to have the bottle stuck on its head that way. I'm so glad you were able to get it free from the bottle. Very good thinking, BTW.

Yes, I did realize that it was possible for an animal to be too light to spring the trap. That was actually on my list above. Aside from small kittens, it's quite possible for a mouse or rat to go in there, eat the food, and leave w/o setting off the trap. In my particular situation, I know that it wasn't a mouse, for instance, due to the size and type of poop left behind in the trap. Also, I know it wasn't a kitten because there are no tiny kittens here, no other feral cats out there except Kitty's 2 kittens and Tom. (So except for Tom, I'm done. Yay!)

I also realize that it might be possible for an animal to reach the food w/o stepping on the plate that springs the trap. I had actually been concerned about this all along. The plate is only about 6-8" long, if the food were placed up against the plate, the animal need only stand on one side of the plate and reach it's head/neck that 6-8" over the plate to eat. For this reason, I usually take care to slide the food to the very end of the trap to make it harder for the animal to reach w/o stepping on the plate. That night, however, I'm not certain if I did dbl check that the food dish was at the back of the trap.

From your description, it sounds like our 2 traps have minor differences in the mechanism that sets them. Mine doesn't have two pieces that I mate or lock together to set the trap. Mine is the Hav-a-hart Easy Set raccoon trap which has a very simple design with a handle on top that you flip down in a certain direction to open the door and set the trap all in one movement. That handle is attached to a cable that pulls the proper parts into place to set the lock. I don't have the option to change the weight setting or to put the pieces together so that they are easier to trip. Here is a picture. Note the pics in the 'bubbles' up top which show the easy set handle up close: http://www.havahart.com/store/live-animal-traps/1085/thumbnail?img=1085_l.jpg

In my case, I think the culprit was either a raccoon who managed to reach over the plate with its hands to grab the food from the dish or an opossum whose snout was long enough to reach. That's also consistent with the idea that the same raccoon or opossum, smelling the uneaten food in the trap with the tabby kitten, pulled the towel off that cage in an effort to get to that food, too, and somehow managed to accidentally break the cattail feeder ornament in the process of trying to get into that 2nd trap to get the food - all of which must have been unbearably terrifying for the poor kitten trapped inside the cage with the other animal trying to get in.

The very possible and even likely scenario of some animal trying to get into the cage with a trapped kitten/cat either to steal the uneaten food (and none of my cats eat the food once they realize they are trapped) or even a predator trying to get in to eat the cat/kitten is something I hadn't considered before last night. It must be quite horrifying for the trapped animal. In addition, due to the way my trap works (and this could be true of others), it would be possible, I think, for a raccoon to open the door freeing the trapped cat/kitten in its efforts to get to the food inside. (That wasn't the case with my trap last night because the mechanism wasn't sprung, but I think it could be done.)

Just realized the scenarios described above may be the real reason why wild animals like opossums and raccoons go ahead and eat the food after finding themselves trapped. Wild animals who are subject to predation would realize food left sitting around would attract predators to them.

Glad we were both able to get our kitties trapped and problems solved.

Hi starlight!

It's so nice to see you again. Actually, I do have some frosting, cookies, marshmallow fluff and other supplies along with a few toys and some practice golf ball left from prior years, not tons of the stuff but some. Over winter while I was cleaning and organizing around the house, I stacked all 'raccoon' items on the baker shelf by the back door in preparation for the coming season.

Thanks for the reminder. I will check for those cat food coupons and sales. I'm also going to go to the feed store to see if they have any good buys although the guy I spoke with at the SPCA today, the one who had driven in from 50mi out of town, said he hadn't found any better prices at local feed stores. That same guy said that the SPCA sometimes has coupons for free bags of cat food - but not now.

Good to see you!

Wish me luck, it's time for me to round up all our kitties to get them to the vet!

After being up much of the night last night, his afternoon/evening I fell soundly asleep. It was 10:40 (so 9:40 old time which is the same as 'raccoon time' since they don't know about the time switch). Fearing I might be too late to feed the raccoons, I rushed to the back door and turned on the light to find Heidi and 2 of the yearlings there waiting for me.I hadn't seen Heidi for days since the time change. I had been running out there to sit from 9-9:30 or so, the same time as always according to the clock, while the raccoons who don't observe daylight savings time were [now] arriving at 10-10:30.

I turned the outside and inside lights on allowing the raccoons to see me more easily standing there on the other side of the glass. As I stood there hopping around on one foot while putting my boots on, they stayed there right up at the glass watching me impatiently. I was surprised my movements didn't scare them. I spoke to Heidi through the glass, and she turned and put her face up to the glass showing that she apparently heard me call her name. They followed me out to the buffet Heidi talking a bit as usual.

At the buffet I put Heidi's food down in front of my seat and, still standing and waiting, allowed the yearlings to choose their own spots before tossing them food. Even as I stood there tossing food over her head, Heidi began eating. She's clearly pregnant. She's noticeably plump with a huge appetite and refuses the piece of cookie I've offered her twice now. As you know, Heidi LOVES frosting and sandwich cookies, but ONLY when she is not pregnant. She will never touch junk food when she is expecting. I don't think she eats it when she's nursing either, at least not early on. Not absolutely sure about the nursing, but for her not eating empty calories while pregnant is a hard rule which she never breaks.

Heidi fussed (gently but firmly) with one of the yearlings as she did on another night recently. Apparently, she will not permit them to eat within a certain distance of her. I can't imagine that she things they are a threat, so I figure she does this to instill in them the rules of proper social behavior for adult raccoons. By setting a limit on how close they can eat by her, she teaches them how to behave around other adult members of the group so as to avoid conflict and maintain harmony.

I only took out the one small bag of food (refilled from the larger bag). I had put 4 vanilla s/w cookies in the bag so that I would have them on hand if needed but would also be forced to observe strict limits on qty. The yearlings finished their meals 1st and started 'messing around' a bit, wading in the pool and such. I usually toss them some food in the pool when they do this. Realizing this, they will actually get in the pool and then look back at me as if to say, "Ok, I'm ready. Where's the food?" Once they get full they will often wander around nibbling and playing in the pool esp if Heidi is still there.

Both yearlings were in the pool fishing for kibble when I took out one cookie, broke it in half and tossed a piece to each of them. Both grabbed their respective piece and ate it. When she had finished her piece of cookie, one looked back at me clearly hoping for another. I reached into the bag and took out a 2nd cookie planning to repeat the process of breaking it in half and tossing the 2 parts to the yearlings when the one yearling, seeing the cookie, hopped out of the pool and came right up to me. I hadn't made any attempt either to offer her the cookie or to call her over. I was so touched by her behavior, the fact that she had remembered all this and initiated it on her own here at the start of the season. When she reached my side, I handed her the cookie which she took gently.

Good luck with that KyWoods!

It's not always easy, not with the smart ones, and the critters you don't want to catch are bound to get in the way from time to time, but I know you can do it. I had the best success with canned, oil packed tuna. You can catch quite a few with just one small can. The lady at the SPCA said 'the cheaper the better' because the cheaper stuff tends to have a stronger more irresistible (to them) odor. The other night when I didn't catch anything all night I had run out of can tuna and, having nothing else around, used the water packed stuff in the foil pouch. That stuff isn't as strong and doesn't seem to work quite as well. Sardines didn't work as well for me, BTW. The night I put out 2 traps, one with oil packed sardines and one with oil packed tuna, I caught 2 kittens, a raccoon, an opossum, and Kitty, too, I think (it's been a while now) all in the tuna cage but nothing in the sardine cage. That's not to say that your critters won't have different preferences, but that's what I found around here.

When all else failed with the tabby kitten, I managed to catch her with one of those tiny containers of Fancy Feast Medleys. Considering the amount I put in there, you could even catch 4 or 5, maybe more, with one of those tiny cans.

Good luck! As people have been telling me, I wouldn't wait. The SPCA said almost all of the kittens they are seeing here now are already pregnant, so hurry.

Good luck! I guess we're all trying to do the same thing! Oh, I also talk to the people who show up there at the clinic...one lady from that town said there are dozens of stray or feral cats in her neighborhood and in spite of all she's gotten spayed or neutered she was afraid they'd never be able to catch up to the expanding cat population! The clinic at first offered free spay or neuter services, but only for the people from that particular area at that time. Even though they charge now, it's still cheaper than I've found elsewhere. It's only 3 days a week and I have to get there by 8:30 a.m. with the cat or cats on those days...it is hard for me to do that, but I have to.

I had put a few sheets of newspaper on the floor of the trap BTW. By morning the tabby had shredded every bit of it.

When I got her to the SPCA they asked if I knew if she was male of female. "Female", I said. It was only then that I realized that I don't actually know what sex 'she'. I had assigned her as female a while back after reading that only 1 of 400 cats that color are male; however, unlike the little black one, I never actually saw the 'goods' to confirm 'her' sex. I'm sure they will tell me for sure tomorrow though. (They did confirm that the black one is male.) I still firmly believe she's a 'female', but until they confirm it, we may have been worrying about a male coming into heat.

Linda,

Thankfully, while they prefer I get there by 10AM (and I do), they will take the ferals regardless because they realize how hard it is to plan things when trapping. Ours, thankfully, is open M-F for such things. The guy who had come from another municipality 50mi away said he does so because his is only open M-W-F, will only take them by appointment (which is crazy with ferals), and doesn't do the free TNR anyhow. I've been lucky, but from what the animal control guy told me, with so many citizens working to get the cats in and fixed, the county is going through the year's TNR funds very fast. It sounds like they may run out of funds and have to make changes in time making it all the more lucky that I got these guys in there when I did.

I feel for you because the process of trapping and chauffeuring them to and from the center was hard enough for me even with the more accommodating circumstances. I don't know if I mentioned it, incidentally, but the animal officer told me they would come for the cats and return them if I called the police station and said, "I have a cat in a trap." He said while he was sorry they didn't return my calls the other times, if I said this he was sure they would spring into action and come for the cats immediately. I decided to go ahead and handle it myself though since I know they are very busy, and this way I could be sure the animals never had to wait around in traps any longer than absolutely necessary.

Kitty is much calmer now even with the girl missing than she was the other night when the boy disappeared. She does slip in the door every time it opens though. She prowls about the entire house and then returns to the door to go out again. I figure she's looking for that kitten. Still she doesn't seem as stressed as she did with the boy missing.

Another thing, as you may recall, I got up early this morning and put the covered and caged cat in the car. I was worried about her, about whether she would have enough air in there, but I knew that early in the morning I didn't have to worry about heat buildup which can make a car deadly. Putting her away like that instead of leaving her in the yard turned out to be best for all concerned. While in the yard she was screaming constantly. When I got out to the car this morning, she was so quiet in there I had to peek under the towel to be sure she was still alive. She appeared to feel safer when covered and put away like that. I guess the car was like a second level of 'cave' to help her feel protected.

Congratulations, Cheryl; I'm so glad you were able to catch the girl and get her to the SPCA today. And yes, the feral cat problem is simply huge; no one knows exactly how many there are in this country, but estimates run in the millions. They wreak havoc with wildlife, small mammals and songbirds, and for the most part have a very short and pretty miserable life. I once worked to trap a feral colony who spent their entire lives in a multi-story parking garage; talk about a wretched life. It's truly tragic, and all due to human irresponsibility.

An animal who has been trapped before often learns to step over the trip plate to get the food without triggering the trap; and raccoons excel at this, even if they've never been trapped. Skunks are also quite adept; possums are actually very unlikely since they are low to the ground and not very graceful. I am surprised about the defecation in the trap; perhaps the scent of previously trapped cats and raccoons startled the new arrival, who defecated either from fear or to editorialize....

It would be really funny, and quite ironic, if the tabby kitten turned out to be male; but that seems quite unlikely.

Hi Ruth,

Well, as it turns out...

...I appear to have the ONE!

ROTF. Believe it or not, the tabby girl is actually a boy. The irony is there were no girls. If we had known that, you guys wouldn't have pressed me [repeatedly] to hurry to get 'her' fixed before she became pregnant, and I would not have pushed so hard to get that tabby to the vet. In fact, knowing me as I do, I think I can safely say that rather than being essentially through with my TNR job (except for Tom who is less of a priority), if I had known they were all boys, that task would be on my todo list for weeks, months, maybe even years to come. I'm glad it turned out the way that it did. : D