Lost Cat, seen not caught [similar to another]

Question
QUESTION: On Sunday June 17th at 2pm Ricki, our 13 yr old spayed/declawed/indoor only cat with a red collar jumped out of the car [AC failed 85F] [please don't bash me cuz she was uncrated].
We were coming home from an RV Campground after 11 days out.

The area is 18 miles from home; Rt 55 (45mph) LaGrange, NY small but dense wooded area with a residence on other side. Woods is probably .1 mile wide x 1/4 mile long.

I jumped ahead of your advise because I just discovered it Tuesday at noon.

Long story short, I've sighted her twice already. One time I sat making eye contact for about 5 minutes, she was in a thorny bramble & I couldn't get to her. Then she left. I got a trap like you talked about but it's used & I didn't wash it, I put food & water in it & it's set. I hand threw fistfuls of dry food as far as I could from where the trap is scattering it all over up to the trap. Both wet & dry food. I've tramped so much undergrowth already searching that it looks like a mess.

My wife tried sitting still in a campers chair in the woods for an hour this morning.

Odd idea, should I bring the camper on the roadside and park next to the woods & just sit a while. She got out a few times while we were at the campground & may know the camper?
or SHOULD I START OVER per your method which I already printed?


ANSWER: Hi Jere & Deb,

I'm so glad you found us at AllExperts!!!  No bashing here!  In a car traveling for a long distance, I also let my cats out of their carriers (locking the kid door locks), and open their crates behind a PetGuard so they can go potty and lay wherever.

I'm SO glad you have seen her already.  She desperately wants to be caught so is showing herself to you early.  Yes, I would take the camper she knows and park there to sit inside and watch and use this as part of the trapping setup.

For your situation, try putting the fresh food and tons of dry food down near your camper's steps just after sunset each night.  Put the trap next to it, but bungie cord the front open for now - do put dish towels inside to soften the bottom bars.  You'll need to get this all setup for a few days to get her used to seeing all this sitting outside (you know cats, move one chair and they think it's a NEW item in your home lol).  So we need to make everything "part of the landscape" she sees when coming to eat.

Good news is she will NOT go far, and will hang around right there until we can trap or capture her!

I would also tuck a pillow case in my pocket and wear strong gloves when out calling and looking for her - IF you think you can grab her, do NOT think - GRAB, TOSS into the pillowcase, then repair the scratches and bites later :-0  If you stop to think about how to grab her, you may miss the chance, so I tell people just DO IT but only if you know you can really get ahold of her - OR you may scare her away for a few days or longer.

When you saw her the first time (she was in the brambles), did you call to her?  Did she seem too scared to try to come to you, or did she just walk away like she didn't know you?

Your in a great spot being fairly close to home - go sit and watch the cat travels during the night but from inside your camper - This may not scare her as much as smelling "humans" outdoors.

Once you have your trap set OPEN next to the free fresh water and plenty of dry food - set out a small plate of her favorite treaty food - outside the trap, trail just a bit into the trap (trap is still locked OPEN) - This needs to be done for 3 days at least to make her not scared of seeing a "new" item outside.  You can put a big plate of this treaty just inside the door of the trap for now.

Every night put the fresh water outside, fresh dry food, treaty (a SMALL taste) outside the trap, trail the wet treaty toward the inside of the trap and move the big plate of treaty 1/3 of the way back in... On Saturday night, we'll do all the above only this night, Set the trap and put the big plate of treaty 1/2 way onto the trap plate and we'll pray!

Please email me if you have any questions at all before then or want clarification ok?  

Looking forward to a success story here ;-) for your sweet Ricki!

Debbie

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you so much for your response time! My only concern is the camper, this is an area that is 45 mph Speed Limit, the grass border along the woods is wide enough but right now the area she's in is just inside the woods and I don't think I can get away with sitting in the camper overnight without being investigated or told to get out. What I could do is use it for an observation post in the early evening into the early dark. So I don't think I can keep the trap there, right now it's in the woods about 10 feet deep. Besides it's too close to all the traffic. But everything else sounds doable.

Once again, thank you.
ANSWER: Hi JERE n DEB,

I hope you are able to leave that trap locked open in the woods overnight?  You can take your car and sit and watch the trap when you set it just as dark is falling.  If you feel unsafe leaving the trap there, chain it to a tree!

You can also - Cover the trap with a shower curtain the color of the surroundings (green, dirt brown or ???) - This will help cover it from prying people eyes, and make it "feel" safer for her to check out.

I hope I mentioned - if this trap is not yours - Disinfect it!  You can use a dilutes clorax solution and rinse very well, but most cats don't like this smell - there is also PetZyme (a disinfectant found at PetCo or PetSmart), that cats LOVE the smell of and will disinfect your trap from other kitty smells and potential left over diseases.

Stray, Feral and lost cats don't come out until after the sun goes down for their own safety.  Usually the timing, depending on how hungry they are is: First the strays, feral cats next, then yours will sneak out!  

Just go slow making sure she get's used to SEEING the trap next to the food and is comfortable eating next to the trap, before putting food in it - we do not want to scare her away from the trap - rather make it part of the territority, then put treats right by it, then slowly move the treats in it, 2 days later (or after you SEE her eating next to the trap without fear), move the treats back in 1/3, then 2 days later another 1/3 further back in and so forth to give her lots of time to adjust to the trap.  If she knows she can walk in and eat and walk right back out, you'll have her trapped in NO TIME!  If she become leery of the trap we will have a really rough time talking her into it!  So slow is better in this case, though not to your families heart I'm sure.

Please let me know what else you can think of, and of course - if you trap your good girl!

Thanks,

Debbie

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks. One other question, I've seen her 4 times now. It seems as though each time it's a little further away from where I found her. In other words she seems to be moving in a clockwise circle on the outer edge of this small woods. Could she be 'spooked' and relocating each time? If so, should stick with keeping the trap where it is? Or should a pick a centered area & just leave it there. The other question, I caught a opussum (let it go in another woods about a 1/3 mile away). Now I have to sanitize the trap & start over? Should that be in another location. Sorry for the sequence here, last night Deb & I have roast chicken & fries in the area of the trap, we walked & called for her from 5:30pm-8:45pm. No sighting. Someone else suggested a Pro Animal Control Service that for a fee $? will do the trapping. Is that worth it?

Thanks again...
ANSWER: Hi Jere and Deb,

How is it going out there with your trap and your little girl?

Where you able to get any more traps down?

What did the Pro Animal Control say they could do for you all?

Hope to hear you've seen her eating right next to a trap and she almost ready to go in!

Debbie

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Last night we set up the trap to catch Ricki. This morning at 10am we went out to see what if anything we caught. WE GOT RICKI! We drove her home & released her into the bedroom where her cat litter box is. We remove about 3 ticks. Her right rear & front left legs are injured. She limps. Since she jumped out at 45mph, she may have sprained or bruised; hopefully didn't break her legs. She also has a little sore on her lower lip. She was very thirsty & drank & drank water; she has eaten some of Deb's cereal pieces & now is sleeping all curled up on the couch. Her brother Randy I don't think is too happy with her return. Bottom line is that the method of baiting her with safe trap for a few days & then setting it up to trap worked in our case. The owner of the trap insists that method is wrong. They believe that the trap should be set to trap from day 1 & monitored. All I know is that we got her in 1 week. Thank you Deb for your guidance. I'll be sure to give you an excellent rating as an expert. The good thing about this is than I now have the knowledge to 'pay it forward' in case someone else who is going through comes to my attention. THe biggest lessons learned;
be patient; don't panic, don't be frantic searching; stay in the area where the cat disappeared [especially if it's wooded] and use the bait & trap method. I drove about 400+ miles throughout the week to do this and had lost sleep and went through high anxiety as well as lost concentration at work. Another thing I learned is that if it's expressed as important to us, friends & acquaintances will offer sympathy and advice, they care because they know how much we care.

I took pictures throughout...

Once again, thanks.

Ricki, Jere n Deb, Randy (Ricki's brother) & Phoebe (Ricki's step-sister) the Shih Tzu!

Answer
Jere n Deb, Ricki ((((((((((((((((((HUGS))))))), Randy and Phoebe!  You all have the MOST patience, and knowledgeabe kitty parents now - WOW I love a teary story to make my evening!  Thank you for listening for my serious hard learned advice, versus scaring the cat by dumping the trap down and sticking food in it LOL

All that counts is your hearts are full of love, and I'd appreciate the pay it forward message, however you can give.  That's why I do this, to read messages like yours SUCCESS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, it does take a toll on the normal "schedule" of life and work, but folks like you that care this much, and put in the time - we get around what we put into it - YOUR BABY!

I'm sure you'll have him checked out, but beaware that his personality may change for a while - sleeping more fearful, etc.  He will really needs his safety zones now and of course all your loving :-)

Congratulation for all your hard work - HUZZAH!!!!!!!!

Debbie :-)  The Crazy Cat Lady