Cat Trapping Instructions & Pre/Post Surgery Guidelines
 PLAN AHEAD
- If the trapper coordinator does not provide covers, gather appropriate-sized blankets, sheets or large towels to cover the traps while trapping and during transport.
- Determine the time of day cats are being fed.
- Feed only half the usual amount of food the day before trapping so the cats become hungry.
- Alert other people who also feed the cats. No food also means no dry kibble.
- Never withhold water.
- Keep your own cats and dogs inside and away from the trapping area.
- Prepare an area to hold the cats after trapping. A garage, bathroom or other sheltered cool, protected area is vital.
- In summer, before placing the traps, spray the area with a cat-safe pest spray to discourage ants.
- If you are trapping cats daily and cannot catch all of the cats in one day, continue withholding food during the trapping period. Hungrier cats are more likely to enter traps.
- If you trap one or two days before the clinic, provide clean bedding, food and water every day. If you have nowhere to comfortably house the cats, trap only the day before the clinic.
- Each cat must have its own trap. Carriers and cardboard boxes are not accepted.
- Traps cannot be used for any purpose other than for spaying/neutering. They are not for relocating cats to another area or turning into the shelter.
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
- Free-roaming cats are neither mean nor vicious, but they are scared. They are similar to wild animals and can cause serious injury.
- Traps require care when setting. Use caution when working with traps.
- When you carry the cat in the trap, the plate handle serves as protection. Stabilize the trap with one hand on the handle and one on the back of the trap. If the cat shifts its weight, the trap could become vertical, causing harm to the cat or releasing it. Make sure the door is down and that the handle is closed and locked.
- Keep children and pets away from traps. Never stick your fingers into a trap.
- Once a cat is trapped, wear heavy gloves when opening a trap to slip in food or water or for anyother reason. Open the trap only far enough to slip in the dish. Only open the trap in a confined area.
- Never try to grab a free-roaming cat if it is escaping. The cat may lunge, bite and/or scratch to get away.
- A bite or scratch should be taken seriously. Seek medical attention immediately.
- Do not release a cat that has bitten. Call your trapping coordinator to discuss what to do with the cat.
- Traps cannot be left out and unattended, especially in an apartment complex, mobile home park or business – for safety issues and due to the potential for theft of traps.
- Never store traps in the set (door open) position because animals may wander into unbaited traps.
 SETTING THE TRAP
- There are many types of traps available, but all have a trip plate that triggers the door to drop when a cat enters to get food. HCWS prefers the brown traps. The silver traps are difficult to deal with and close with a very hard slam.
- If possible, set the traps just before or at the cats’ normal feeding time. Dusk is usually the best time, but will vary depending on when the cats are used to being fed.
- Use caution and common sense – trapped animals cannot be: left in the sun, placed in the path of sprinklers, accessible to wild animals (e.g., coyotes or dogs). Please keep the safety of the cats in mind.
- Place the traps on a level surface in the area where the cats usually feed or have been seen. Cats are less likely to enter a trap if it wobbles.
- Make sure the door will close and will not be blocked by anything.
- If trapping in a public area, try to place the traps where they will not be noticed. Passersby may misinterpret the purpose and assume you are trying to harm the cats. .
- Fold two sections of newspaper to fit the width of the trap to line the bottom. Cats don’t like walking on a wire surface, and the paper helps keep their feet from going through the wires when you pick up the trap. Too much newspaper can interfere with the trap mechanism or prevent the door from closing properly. Let the newspaper hang out a bit from the back to make it easier to slip out the soiled paper and replace with clean.
- Use cheaper, smelly canned food such as Friskies or Whiska’s to bait the trap. Smoosh a small amount into the newspaper far back in the trap. If they lick to get it off the paper, the jiggling action might trigger the door to drop down, if it doesn’t drop right away. Make sure there is no access to the food from outside the trap. Make the food difficult to reach so that the cat must enter the trap completely. You can use tiny bite-sized food to lead them into the trap (or kibble, if that is what they are usually fed).
- Placing food in a lid could create a problem if the lid gets caught in the door or the trip. Hanging the food on string is also a bad idea.
- Cover the trap with a large towel, blanket or sheet to keep the cat draft-free, warm and calm during transport. This helps preserve body temperature and helps minimize stress and self-inflicted tauma. Cats that can see out may become frantic and injure themselves. Trapped cats should remain covered at all times. A light cover for summer and heavy cover for winter. Fold the fabric to expose the opening while still covering the top, sides and back. .
- If it is windy, tuck the cover under the trap or use clothespins to secure. In the summer a lighter weight sheet can be used or in winter a heavier towel or flannel sheet. Make sure the cover is weighted down and doesn’t get in the way of the door. If it is a light weight sheet, a heavier weight towel could be used over night so that the cat doesn’t pull in the sheet and be left with no cover.
HARD-TO-TRAP CATS
Some cats won’t come at the first or second invitation. Some trappers recommend people food: tuna, salmon, mackerel, KFC Original Chicken, cheeseburgers or fried bacon. If there are six cats in the colony and you have only five, it is critical that you get the sixth! So be persistent – and PATIENT.
NURSING MOTHERS & KITTENS
A lactating female (one producing milk for kittens) will continue to make milk after being spayed and can return to nurse her kittens, if necessary. If the kittens are not also trapped or if there is a possibility any kittens remain, she must be released to care for them when she is completely awake from anesthesia, usually in 24 hours.
WAITING FOR TRAPPING SUCCESS
- Never leave traps unattended in an unprotected area, but don’t hang around within sight of the cats. A trapped animal is vulnerable and could get injured inside a trap.
- Ideally, have the trap positioned so you can see it outside of your window. The more you check the traps from inside the house, the less distraction for the cats.
- Do not put the trap on top of a block wall. If the cat gets in and shifts weight, it can fall over, open up and/or hurt the cat.
- Check the traps frequently. If you’re nearby, you can usually hear the trap door snap shut.
- As soon as a cat is trapped, remain quiet and remove it from the area.
- Always use the handle and wear heavy gloves. If you are trapping multiple cats, consider putting another trap in the same spot.
- When the captured animal is in a quiet area, check to make sure you have the correct cat, not a wild animal, pet or previously neutered cat (look for a tipped ear.)
- If you trap a cat, unless you are sure it has been fixed, do not release it. Contact your sponsor group contact.
WAITING FOR THE CLINIC DAY
- If the trapped cats have to be held, place them in your prepared protected area and keep the trap covered, but make sure the cats get air, especially in the summer.
- Cats should not eat after midnight the evening prior to surgery. Small kittens should have canned food until 7 a.m.
- Water can be available up to the time of surgery and is necessary if the cat is held in the trap for more than 8 hours after capture.
 DAY OF SURGERY
- When dropping off, a volunteer will assist you to unload. Each trap should be identified with your name, phone number and your sponsor group point of contact.
- You will sign an authorization form stating that these are homeless, unowned feral cats. The form will also authorize the veterinarian, at their discretion, to euthanize a very sick cat
- Please provide medical information on cats, such as problems, pregnancy, lactating mothers, etc.
- Make sure your traps are securely latched.
- Please make sure there are no food/water bowls in the traps to avoid injury of cats.
- One cat per trap.
- No carriers allowed.
- Please do not linger in the check-in area. We need to keep the area clear to expedite check-in. Space is limited for cats and volunteers.
AFTER SURGERY
- After surgery, males should be kept for 24 hours; females for 36 hours, unless pregnant, then 48 hours. If the females are lactating, they may be released after 24 hours so she can get back to her kittens. If the cat has recently delivered, enlist everyone to go out and find the kittens, especially in bad weather or if there are tomcats in the area.
- You will be called when your cats are ready to be picked up or assigned a time window for pick-up.
- All cats go home the same day.
RELEASING THE CATS
- When cats are ready for release, return them to the area in which they were captured. If you are trapping multiple sites, make sure each trap is identified by site location, along with a description of the cat.
- Make sure there is no nearby danger, such as a busy street.
- Roll back the covers and allow them to observe their surroundings for 5 minutes, so they get a sense that they are where they belong.
- Plan the release according to the weather. If really warm, release in the morning when it’s cooler and keep cats in a cool protected place overnight.
- Stand in the opposite direction of where you want the cat to go, and let the cat observe where you are before releasing it. It will run away from you, so face it in the direction of its home.
- When ready, place the trap with the door facing away from you and open the door. Raise up the back door (from behind). Angle it up and it will remain open.
- Most likely the cat will bolt immediately out of the trap.
- If the cat is confused, tilt the trap so the back is slightly elevated and tap on the back of the trap. If the cat still will not leave, prop the door open with a brick or stone without blocking the entrance and leave for awhile.
- The cats may disappear for a day or two and hole up to heal on their own and get their sense of security back.
Tru-Catch Trap Instructions
To set the (preferred) brown trap, raise both ‘O’ rings, take a finger and open the door to clear the little bar on the side, then just pull out toward the center which will raise the trip. Then start lowering the door and when the two little bars touch on your finger, let it go. The tension will hold it open.
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