Rajah
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 17, 1999
We've been worried about the little stray girl the past few nights. She was starting to get more trusting and everything, even with other people, and we noticed that cans of tuna started randomly appearing at various points in the parking lot.
We've been trying to lure her into a big open-sided carrier (that is, 5 of the 6 sides are the wire mesh, only the bottom is solid) for the past two or three weeks (not every night, but about 4 times). But she was too smart. She'd get part-way in, then turn and run before we could close the door on her.
After an hour and a half attempt Sunday night in which neither food nor toy would coerce her to go into the carrier yet *again*, I decided to give up with the "gentle" way. Each of the carriers we've been trying would make it very hard for her to hurt herself, but they were easy to escape between getting her in and latching the door.
So, Monday, I brought home the live trap my parents have.
Last night (Monday), we weren't able to try for her, so she just got food last night. No attention, just food. Usually I stay with her while she eats, then we (the other couple and I) play with her with either a toy on a rope (like a mousie toy) or the laser pointer.
Tonight when I got home from work, I found two young boys (10-ish age) who were crawling around on the ground and running around parked cars and yelling "MEOW! MEOW! Here it is! I lost it!" and so on. Generally being noisy little boys.
They'd essentially trapped our little stray girl up under the carriage of a car and, in their attempts to get a better look and try and catch her, were scaring her.
I walked inside and called the other couple and said we're getting her tonight and told them why. They agreed.
So I took the food in the live trap, set it up, and took it down where I met the other couple. At first we tried staying down "ignoring" the trap and giving the girl a chance to go in on her own and set off the trap. No luck. So we tried coaxing her into the trap. No luck. She went three paces in, then turned and ran.
The next 30 minutes or so were spent with this stray kitten rubbing up on my legs and feet purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrring and meowing and trying to convince me to take the food out of the trap so she could eat it. Then when I wouldn't do it, she moved her attention to the girl of the couple. Then when *she* wouldn't do it, the kitten tried the guy. When he wouldn't comply, it was back to me.
So I went upstairs, leaving them down with the kitten since she seemed to think I was most likely the one who would bring the food out for her. I went back inside for about 5 minutes, then saw that the flashlight wasn't on any more out by the trap, so went back outside.
There was a cat by the trap, but not inside. It disappeared before I could get a really good look, but I thought it was "our" kitten.
That is, until I saw the other couple coming down the stairs from their apartment and pointing at the kitten over by them, well on the opposite side of the parking lot.
Okay, so that wasn't our kitten. Turns out our kitten followed that couple all the way up the stairs and almost to the door of their apartment! She's never followed me that far -- I don't know if she understood me telling her to "stay" or what, but she never followed me.
When we got back to the trap (kitten following) we discovered that the food was half-eaten -- the orange shadow (the other cat I'd seen) had actually gotten inside and eaten half the food *without* setting off the trap.
Well, the kitten still wouldn't go in the cage, and she kept laying down in the middle of the street and playing with us, so I brought out the laser pointer and lured her into the cage two or three times with it. Never very far, her back feet were always still out, but her front end was inside.
I decided to try something that would either work, or be very stupid -- one of the times she was sticking her nose well into the cage chasing the laser pointer. I stepped up behind her (she's used to me doing that by now) and tapped her backside just enough to startle her so that the only way she could run was farther into the cage, then I tripped the door since she still didn't trip it.
WE CAUGHT HER!
She did do what I was afraid she'd do if we used the trap, which is run nose-first into the corner where she scratched up her nose and gave herself a bloody nose, but it wasn't bad -- 5 minutes later (if that) it stopped bleeding.
We took her up to the other couple's apartment porch (where she'll have to spend the night since they have two other cats they need to keep separate from her until we know it's safe) and by the time I left about 10 minutes later she wasn't looking terrified any more (scared, yes, but not terrified) and she even ate her food!
We've got her set up in the trap for the night with a towel over most of the trap so she has a nice cave where she can feel safe, but with one side partially exposed so she can still see out if she wants. She'll be going to the vet first thing tomorrow morning.
I can't believe this is over -- we finally caught her. I've been going downstairs every night for what, a month now? Two? More? Taking care of this girl. Now she's in a home.
I just pray that she returns from the vet tomorrow with a clean or easily-clearable bill of health, and that she doesn't succeed in escaping from that other couple. If they can hold onto her, they'll give her a very good home -- I've seen how their other two cats are cared for, and they really will do their best for her. And, now that we've become friends even *outside* of this kitten, I'll be able to see her again too
So, the saga of the stray kitten has come to an end, and the saga of a once-stray-kitten is now beginning.
(and yes, those other clothes the kitten touched are in the wash, and I took a shower before allowing Blaze and Skye to touch me)
We've been trying to lure her into a big open-sided carrier (that is, 5 of the 6 sides are the wire mesh, only the bottom is solid) for the past two or three weeks (not every night, but about 4 times). But she was too smart. She'd get part-way in, then turn and run before we could close the door on her.
After an hour and a half attempt Sunday night in which neither food nor toy would coerce her to go into the carrier yet *again*, I decided to give up with the "gentle" way. Each of the carriers we've been trying would make it very hard for her to hurt herself, but they were easy to escape between getting her in and latching the door.
So, Monday, I brought home the live trap my parents have.
Last night (Monday), we weren't able to try for her, so she just got food last night. No attention, just food. Usually I stay with her while she eats, then we (the other couple and I) play with her with either a toy on a rope (like a mousie toy) or the laser pointer.
Tonight when I got home from work, I found two young boys (10-ish age) who were crawling around on the ground and running around parked cars and yelling "MEOW! MEOW! Here it is! I lost it!" and so on. Generally being noisy little boys.
They'd essentially trapped our little stray girl up under the carriage of a car and, in their attempts to get a better look and try and catch her, were scaring her.
I walked inside and called the other couple and said we're getting her tonight and told them why. They agreed.
So I took the food in the live trap, set it up, and took it down where I met the other couple. At first we tried staying down "ignoring" the trap and giving the girl a chance to go in on her own and set off the trap. No luck. So we tried coaxing her into the trap. No luck. She went three paces in, then turned and ran.
The next 30 minutes or so were spent with this stray kitten rubbing up on my legs and feet purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrring and meowing and trying to convince me to take the food out of the trap so she could eat it. Then when I wouldn't do it, she moved her attention to the girl of the couple. Then when *she* wouldn't do it, the kitten tried the guy. When he wouldn't comply, it was back to me.
So I went upstairs, leaving them down with the kitten since she seemed to think I was most likely the one who would bring the food out for her. I went back inside for about 5 minutes, then saw that the flashlight wasn't on any more out by the trap, so went back outside.
There was a cat by the trap, but not inside. It disappeared before I could get a really good look, but I thought it was "our" kitten.
That is, until I saw the other couple coming down the stairs from their apartment and pointing at the kitten over by them, well on the opposite side of the parking lot.
Okay, so that wasn't our kitten. Turns out our kitten followed that couple all the way up the stairs and almost to the door of their apartment! She's never followed me that far -- I don't know if she understood me telling her to "stay" or what, but she never followed me.
When we got back to the trap (kitten following) we discovered that the food was half-eaten -- the orange shadow (the other cat I'd seen) had actually gotten inside and eaten half the food *without* setting off the trap.
Well, the kitten still wouldn't go in the cage, and she kept laying down in the middle of the street and playing with us, so I brought out the laser pointer and lured her into the cage two or three times with it. Never very far, her back feet were always still out, but her front end was inside.
I decided to try something that would either work, or be very stupid -- one of the times she was sticking her nose well into the cage chasing the laser pointer. I stepped up behind her (she's used to me doing that by now) and tapped her backside just enough to startle her so that the only way she could run was farther into the cage, then I tripped the door since she still didn't trip it.
WE CAUGHT HER!
She did do what I was afraid she'd do if we used the trap, which is run nose-first into the corner where she scratched up her nose and gave herself a bloody nose, but it wasn't bad -- 5 minutes later (if that) it stopped bleeding.
We took her up to the other couple's apartment porch (where she'll have to spend the night since they have two other cats they need to keep separate from her until we know it's safe) and by the time I left about 10 minutes later she wasn't looking terrified any more (scared, yes, but not terrified) and she even ate her food!
We've got her set up in the trap for the night with a towel over most of the trap so she has a nice cave where she can feel safe, but with one side partially exposed so she can still see out if she wants. She'll be going to the vet first thing tomorrow morning.
I can't believe this is over -- we finally caught her. I've been going downstairs every night for what, a month now? Two? More? Taking care of this girl. Now she's in a home.
I just pray that she returns from the vet tomorrow with a clean or easily-clearable bill of health, and that she doesn't succeed in escaping from that other couple. If they can hold onto her, they'll give her a very good home -- I've seen how their other two cats are cared for, and they really will do their best for her. And, now that we've become friends even *outside* of this kitten, I'll be able to see her again too
So, the saga of the stray kitten has come to an end, and the saga of a once-stray-kitten is now beginning.
(and yes, those other clothes the kitten touched are in the wash, and I took a shower before allowing Blaze and Skye to touch me)
I brought the trap home on SUNDAY and we couldn't try for her then, but did catch her on MONDAY.
