theothersemioldfart
Unicorn Ninja
- Reaction score
- 4,071
- Points
- 93
The next door neighbor and I are trying to trap some cats. A beautiful but scrawny teen mom and her litter of four kittens. Kittens are on solid food now, but we have a few weeks before we could get an appointment with the local feral trapping program. There's also a 'community cat' who's been neutered but my neighbor sorta looks after him and he's due for some vaccinations. I have a trap, so I got a game camera to see what we could learn about the kittens age.
Besides the six cats there are not one but two possums that have been cleaning us out. We're not ready to trap the cats yet. It wouldn't hurt to trap the male and he is much braver than any of the others, but the worst thing to do would be trap kittens and not mom this far ahead of her date. Neither my wife nor our indoor cat would be happy about more cats (though me and the boy are hoping to make mom our outdoor 'side cat'. If she warms up enough to get her hooks into my wife she might have the option to move in some day.) But possums are omnivores, so we baited the trap with bread. Then fig newtons.
Well last night we got robbed by the pros. I'm sorry I ever complained about the possums. Yes, they eat much more than the cats. But this pair ate over half the heaping pile of food in ONE SITTING. (The possums would hit it a few times a night between cat visits) Not only that (and their hand washing makes the water bowl a filthy mess), but they took the fig newtons OFF THE TRIGGER. and left the slice of bread behind the trigger. Without setting off the trap.
I guess we're going to be feeding daytime only now. Mom and the male will visit during the daytime , but she hasn't ever brought the kittens in daytime. If we can get her bringing them around I think it'll make them much easier to trap as well as socialize. He's not scared of people, just shy. She's comfortable very close to houses and stuff, and we have seen her on the porch in daytime, but she's really good at staying out of sight. Only my neighbor has seen the kittens during daylight.
But this pair... maybe if I put a combination lock on the bait they'll have to fiddle with it long enough to get caught. Fig newtons in a box with a post it 32-17-22. Gotcha!
Besides the six cats there are not one but two possums that have been cleaning us out. We're not ready to trap the cats yet. It wouldn't hurt to trap the male and he is much braver than any of the others, but the worst thing to do would be trap kittens and not mom this far ahead of her date. Neither my wife nor our indoor cat would be happy about more cats (though me and the boy are hoping to make mom our outdoor 'side cat'. If she warms up enough to get her hooks into my wife she might have the option to move in some day.) But possums are omnivores, so we baited the trap with bread. Then fig newtons.
Well last night we got robbed by the pros. I'm sorry I ever complained about the possums. Yes, they eat much more than the cats. But this pair ate over half the heaping pile of food in ONE SITTING. (The possums would hit it a few times a night between cat visits) Not only that (and their hand washing makes the water bowl a filthy mess), but they took the fig newtons OFF THE TRIGGER. and left the slice of bread behind the trigger. Without setting off the trap.
I guess we're going to be feeding daytime only now. Mom and the male will visit during the daytime , but she hasn't ever brought the kittens in daytime. If we can get her bringing them around I think it'll make them much easier to trap as well as socialize. He's not scared of people, just shy. She's comfortable very close to houses and stuff, and we have seen her on the porch in daytime, but she's really good at staying out of sight. Only my neighbor has seen the kittens during daylight.
But this pair... maybe if I put a combination lock on the bait they'll have to fiddle with it long enough to get caught. Fig newtons in a box with a post it 32-17-22. Gotcha!
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