02/23/2026
For better results, seek out other possible caretakers for their cooperation.
Confirm clinic availability.
Feed the cats every evening at the same time. Only feed kibble, never feed wet food, sardines, tuna or similar special treats, as this will be used later for bait in the trapping process.
The day before trapping, only give one-third of the regular amount of food, to ensure their eagerness the day of trapping.
ITEMS NEEDED FOR TRAPPING
Trip plate operated humane trap
We only recommend https://www.trucatchtraps.com/t-n-r/30-ltd-light-duty
Newspaper/cardboard or like kind to line the trap floor
Blanket or sheet large enough to cover the ENTIRE trap
Bait: kibble, wet food, seafood, fowl, water
Can opener
Spoon or fork
Binoculars
Flashlight
Exam gloves (preventing contamination)
Antibacterial hand sanitizer
Plastic table cloth/shower curtain (preparation for skunk)
Small garbage bag
Regular food and water for feeding the remainder of the colony after the trapping session
Record keeping materials/It is recommended that you keep track of TNR'd cats. Documenting their S*x, Age, Coloring and fur length (Domestic Short Hair - DSH, Domestic Medium Hair - DMH, Domestic Long Hair - DLH) and date TNR'd.
TRAPPING
Plan your trapping session 15 to 20 minutes prior to the regular feeding time, this will casually trap the cats as they show up for their meal. This also prevents other cats from observing and learning.
Have all traps prepped (except bait) prior to reaching colony location.
There are numerous ways to prep a trap, here are a couple:
Place newspaper/cardboard on the base of the trap, covering up to the trip-plate, then also again from beneath the trip-plate to the end, leaving the trip-plate exposed. This style works very well, but if the cat relieves it self, it can get messy. Placing a washcloth inside may alleviate a mess.
TRAPPING COLONIES
There is a progression for baiting. This progression has proven most successful and should be followed as described below. Only move on to the next option when trapping has slowed down/stopped with the current style of baiting. This progression will take place over multiple trapping events.
1. Starting with kibble. Take a few pieces and create a small trail to the back of the trap. Place trap, set and cover.
2. Next, kibble with wet food. Same directions as above, except at the end of the trap, place a tablespoon of wet food. Heated wet food works best, as its aroma will overwhelm the cats senses. Place trap, set and cover.
3. Then comes a small (half the size of a dime) trail (4-5 placements) of wet food to the back of the trap, as not to get the cat too full before it reaches the end. When covering the entire base, at the end of the set-plate place a teaspoon of food on each side of the trap. This will put the cat in a position of having to go from one side of the trap to the other. The greater majority of the time, it's that movement that will set off the trap. Just in case, put one more nibble at the end of the trap. Place trap, set and cover.
4. Rarely needed, but works well is placing a small amount of food under the trip plate. This causes the cat to paw at the plate, closing the trap. Place trap, set and cover.
5. If the above fails, you can try tuna, salmon, sardines, crab, etc. Don't be discouraged if this doesn't work, many cats don't care for seafood. You can also try chicken, turkey, etc. Warming the bait works well to fill the area with the aroma of the bait.
Wanting to start at the end of this progression is understandable, but not recommended for larger colonies. A better success rate will come by following these simple guidelines.
If your presence has disturbed their timing, ask the caretaker (if available, otherwise you) to pour some kibble in their regular feeding dish for sound effects. Take the bowl with you.
When trapping in pairs/teams, communication should be at a minimum. Although the cats may be familiar with sounds and voices, they're not familiar with your voice, this will raise a flag for them to become cautious.
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When cat is trapped, log description,
if you feel the need to take a picture, please remember the cat is extremely frightened. Remove the cover as little as possible, have camera ready (preferably without flash) and cover quickly. Rarely does it happen, but the whole experience can cause a heart attack. If you can wait for post-op, this would be better.
NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER open trap for any reason!
Unless, of course, it has an eartip.
SOME TRICKS TO TRY
~ Start your trail of food outside the trap.
~ Hang a KFC leg (original recipe) close to the top, at the back of the trap. The cats will try to use their paws to take off chunks, setting off the trap. Same idea works if you hang a cat ball covered in wet food. This also sets their sights high, rather than focusing on the trip-plate.
~ When using the recommended style of prepping a trap, aside from the trail, place the food underneath the trip plate, on top of the base. The cats will try to get to the food through the trip plate, setting off the trap.
~ Those of us in the desert have also been successful using water as bait.
~ Take the base and cover and rub them in the dirt. This will cover them with a familiar scent, rather than possibly soap.
~ Some cats are uncomfortable in confined spaces, try a larger trap.
~ Set the trap and wait. Do not leave visual range, but watch at a distance that is not disturbing to the cats. Never leave a trap unattended.
~ Covering all but the door opening to the trap often gets the best results, (make sure that the cover will not obstruct the door closing, also from any debris that may also obstruct its closing). Cats not entering maybe claustrophobic, uncover the backend, as they will see it as an escape. Next step in covering would be to uncover one side of the trap, usually the side next to the building, car, or shrubbery. Lastly, completely uncovered (not recommended until you are down to your last cat), but be close with a cover as to calm and quiet the cat, preventing the cat from hurting itself trying to escape.
~ Traps should be on level ground to assure security when the cat steps inside.
~ Careful not to tip the trap or to allow it to be overturned, as the door may open. Always best to secure doors before moving.
PLACEMENT OF TRAPS
Placement of traps is vitally important. Of course, traps can be set at the feeding station, which will catch some cats. But also watch for trails. This tells you where they are coming from/going to (which can lead you to another caretaker) and another option as where to set traps. These trails will often go from neighbor to neighbor, under fences, around vehicles, under homes, into bushes, etc.
Feral cats don't make it a habit of being out in the open. It's best to take a few minutes to search for trails.
Placing a trap by bushes, allowing some small, soft branches to be inside of the trap, seems to give it a secure feeling.
Be sure trap is level and check the closure of the trap door. Checking for any plants, rocks etc. that might prevent it from closing all the way.
The least amount of commotion will reap the rewards.
Feed, water before leaving trapping area.
THE LAST CAT . . .
This is a very tricky situation. Trying to catch the last cat without re-trapping the others is almost impossible. What we have found to work is to secure the trap open (both ends if an option) and feed ONLY in the trap for a few days. The night of trapping, instead of setting the trap, tie a sturdy twine to the base of a stick that is the appropriate height to prop the trap door open. The twine must be long enough for you to operate the trap from a distance, preferably from inside of a car, where your presence is least likely to be noticed. This is where binoculars come in handy.
Be sure the twine is taut. Wait patiently for the cat to be completely inside. That split second while the door closes is very important. If their backside is even partially able to stop the door from closing all the way, the cat will get out.
WHAT TO DO IF THE CAT WON'T GO IN THE TRAP
Vary the way that you are covering the trap. Some cats prefer to be covered, but some will only go in if they can see out the far end. Other cats prefer to be uncovered, but you'll want to be nearby to cover the trap quickly to calm the trapped cat. The uncovered trap should be a last resort to catch the last cat of the colony.
Try using different bait. If possible, heating the bait will increase the aroma and attract the cat.
Trapping within the same colony, try to use the same base and cover as used on previous cats, provided they're not soiled. When using fresh bases and covers, prior to putting them in the trap, rub them through the dirt in the area to make it smell familiar.
Trapping in a new colony, rinsing down the trap with extremely HOT water 30:1 bleach dilution to disinfect, rinse thoroughly. Since you can't over rinse, please be thorough as to avoid an overwhelming odor to the cats senses and possibly cause nausea. When using fresh bases and covers, prior to putting them in the trap, rub them through the dirt in the area to make it smell familiar.
The size of a trap is very important. The larger the cat, the larger the trap. Also cats can be claustrophobic and will be more apt to go in a larger trap and some just don't care, they want the food.
IF, AND ONLY IF, you are trapping in a secure area (your own backyard, inside a building, etc.), you can rig the trap to have both ends open for a few days with the food in the center of the trap. On the day of trapping, simply set as required for trapping.
There may be times when you are unable to see the trap, by placing a small bell on the trap door, not obstructing the closure, you will be able to hear the door shut.
If you're going after one specific cat and others are entering, prop the door open with a stick and a string attached to pull when the right cat is in. Just make sure the cat is far enough in for the door to close.
If you're fortunate to have two traps. Open and secure the non-setting doors and secure the traps together. Open both setting doors and secure for daily feeding inside. On day of trapping, set doors as usual, leaving non-setting doors open while non-setting doors are still open and both traps securely attached to each other.
If these tips fail, as a last resort you may want to try a drop trap.
Not recommend until you are down to your last 2-3 that refuse to enter a trap. But again, if the other non-trapped cats see the cat being trapped, they will avoid this trap as well. Don’t be in a hurry! The more cats that go under the trap and back out again, will gain the confidence of those needing trapping.
Why not use drop trap from the beginning? Much like regular traps, if cats are watching and see the trapping experience, they’ll avoid the traps, making it harder to catch the remaining few. Cats are EXTREMELY smart.
RELEASE
In good weather most males and females can be released the following day. As feral cats experience stress while in captivity, they should not be held longer than necessary.
In extreme cold weather or if there have been any surgical complications they may need to be kept for a few days before release. Please note, the longer cats are held in colder tempers, their body will respond by shedding their fur as they do naturally in Spring.
When you're ready to release at the same location as where trapped, face the carrier towards an area recognizable to the cat. Uncover the carrier and point carrier so door opens into a hole in a fence, shelter, bushes, etc. so cat will not "fly" around and possibly run into traffic.
Release the cat gently, giving him or her time to come out without shaking or agitation which causes extra stress and possibly a bad decision. Back up and quietly wait for them to exit. Watch for street traffic.
YOU SHOULD NEVER LEAVE TRAPS UNATTENDED
Unattended trapped cats can injure themselves trying to escape from the trap. Quickly cover the trap.
They may also be injured or traumatized by dogs, raccoons, coyotes or other animals who may be drawn to the smell of food.
There is not only the possibility of cruel humans injuring a trapped cat, someone may also release the cat, which will make it more difficult to re-trap the now trap-shy cat.
Traps may be stolen or vandalized.
SMART, FRIENDLY STRAY
Won't go in a trap. If you can pet it, hold it and love on it, don't take it for granted you can place it in a trap. Depending on the size of the cat, the opening of the trap, your confidence and experience in doing so matter greatly. You'll need to stay calm, pet and scruff for a week and see how the cat reacts to scruffing (have trap nearby). A greater percentage of the time, when the cat is scruffed with nothing holding it but your one hand, they tend to go limp, much like kittens being carried by their mother. If this is the case, great! If not, rethink. Once you're comfortable scruffing, have the trap ready for placing cat inside (On end works best). Place the cat in tail first, as to avoid it seeing what is going on. Do not let go of the cat until the door is as closed as possible to prevent escaping. Let go and QUICKLY slip hand out from trap. Cover trap. Practicing this maneuver is helpful.
TRAPPING A GROUP OF KITTENS
To get multiple kittens at once, or a mom with kittens, you can use a conventional trap like a pull trap. Preferably a larger sized trap to have room for multiple kittens.
Bait the trap as usual, the only difference is that you might want to use a little more food. This will keep the original kittens in longer and give the cautious kittens time to get a sense of safety before entering.
Tie a sturdy string/rope/twine to a stick that is the appropriate height to prop the trap door open. The twine must be long enough for you to operate the trap from a distance, preferably from inside of a car, where your presence is least likely to be noticed. Remember, the kittens (depending on age) eyesight is minimal, but they do detect movement.
Watch patiently until several kittens are inside and pull the twine to close the door. Patience is needed here, wait for the kittens to be fully in the trap. Cover trap quickly.
It may be worthwhile to do a test run to see that you have the stick positioned in such a way that trap will close properly.
What to watch out for . . .
IF a kitten is leaving the trap, LET IT GO. It now knows the trap is a safe place. Setting the trap off may only scare and more possibly injure the kitten. Most likely the kitten will get out anyways, at which point it will be very cautious around traps.
ALSO, if the trap is set in the sight of the remaining kittens, they WILL learn from this.
IF YOU TRAP A RACOON, SKUNK, ETC.
Because most other small animals have hand-like paws, be sure trap is covered completely, preferrably very thick. For the skunk use the plastic shower curtain/plastic tablecloth to hold in front of you as you approach. Slowly cover trap completely, over the material cover already in place. Locate a large enough hole in a fence to release it, allowing safety for yourself. Do not remove trap from hole until it has run off.
Many suggestions were repeated purposefully. 👍🏻
These techniques were founded over 25+ years of not just trapping, but strict observation as to what works best and in a timely manner.
If you have safe tips, do tell.
Never underestimate the intelligence of a cat.
