Advice appreciated with trapping stray cat that has stopped/slowed eating

[yolin_art]

Greetings,

I appreciate any advice on trapping a stray cat that has stopped eating the past two days.

The background (sorry too long and apologies for grammar and runoff sentences):

I fed a spayed cat, Sandy, in the backyard for a minute. During the winter, she came inside and I have kept her inside. I am introducing her to my two other indoor cats.

Because I fed her outside, another cat I named Justo would also visit and wait by the backdoor for breakfast and dinner. He started coming around last year. Other cats sporadically came (fixed and some not fixed). Justo chased one away permanently, but others came to a mutual understanding (after being chased away one time) and still visited though erratically. I got distracted with another cat, Timoteo, that was not doing as well as he on the streets (see my only other thread) but I did start feeding Justo close to a trap and then time ran away from me and the heat came. Justo has long fur, really full hair, so I paused on trapping attempts. I live in Texas, and it gets really hot. Then the cold came. Sometimes it gets really cold (temps will drop fast and sometimes it will stay cold, other times they will change to the next day like spring time). I set some straw bedding near the door and Justo made good use of it during the winter. I wanted to trap Justo just around this time March/April when the weather is not too cold or too hot. Aside from some rain that prevented my first trapping (my trap started to rust), I was now ready and waiting to time it just right.

Just my luck, another cat started visiting. He was ravenous for food, and it took a couple of weeks for him to learn the feeding schedule and to trust me. I call him Cirilo. He chased away the other cats that came sporadically. He got scratches on his head and body. Cirilo would wait by the shed and Justo would wait by my door. I fed them a distance from each other. As we were crossing the month and a half mark, Cirilo and Justo started prefighting after eating. I always hung around their mealtimes and intervened until one time they prefighted/fought before eating. This occurred recently about a week and a half ago. I got to them before it escalated to full fledged fighting but they each swiped and hurt each other (Cirilo got a deeper head wound and Justo appears to have just gotten scratches). They both ate during this visit. Cirilo first and then Justo after Cirilo left. Afterwards, I did not see them in the morning or evening for several days. Cirilo has just started coming for breakfast and dinner. The past three days, he now waits for me as the prefight schedule. Justo has not returned.

Cirilo always ate everything (about a can of Friskies and one of Fancy Feast, he always left behind some of the can(s) though). He always ate as he had not been fed. He has some nose scratches and his head wound is healing slowly.

I contacted a vet to see if he would treat Cirilo given that Cirilo is injured. I don’t want the city to euthanize him (my city runs a TNR program) or for the other option, the Texas Coalition for Animal Protection, a low cost alternative, to deny him treatment due to injury. Thankfully, the vet will help, and I want to trap Cirilo as soon as possible. I set a trap for him and started feeding him near it as soon as he came back for feedings. Cirilo started slowing down on his food intake starting about a day and a half ago. This morning, he got near the food and just smelled it and licked his lips. I tried to temp him with chicken, beef, and smelly fishy food. I offered him different textures, pate/shreds. He finally had a couple of dried cat pet food in a different flavor than usual this morning. He did not take any bites of wet or dry cat food for dinner .

He may have found another food source or he may be sick from his injury or he may be sick from something he ate. He appears alert and has calm breathing. His eyes are clear and focused.

I am worried and frustrated. I also so wish for my Justo to come back. I hope and pray that he is okay. I am worried about trapping Cirilo without a food incentive. I can't open my house to him as I am full of cats now. I have Sandy in the only available room for cats as I am introducing her to my other two cats. The other two inhabit the rest of the house. I can't keep Cirilo in a garage either.

I have taken a minute and typed my predicament here in this community. I know I have made mistakes (waiting too long to TNR Justo, then waiting too long to trap Cirilo). I am open to learning and doing better.

Any advice for how to help him is appreciated.

 

[yolin_art]

Hello,

Cirilo was waiting for me this morning. I offered him two different flavors of wet food and two different flavors of dry food. He is a nice calm fellow when he is not being territorial (but I hesitate to manually handle him even though I do have some specialty gloves). He licked his lips when he smelled the food, and he approached and sniffed all offerings. He did not eat anything. He let me pet him and I had to step aside quickly so that he would not mark me. Sitting here at the keyboard, I am realizing that he did get to me (ugh ). I have a good cleaning homemade peroxide solution so I will get that ready.

He walked away after a few seconds, and then he went over and munched on some grass. He marked some other areas in the backyard and walked away completely. I think he may have an upset stomach. This is the only thing that is giving me hope right now. He only had some dry cat food yesterday so this will mark about 24 hours since he ate something in my presence. He may be eating somewhere else too. I know cats don't do as well as other animals with not eating. I know appetite stimulants exist, but I am quite limited in how to treat him/help him given his free status.

I am going to try to disguise the trap as a large paper bag. An idea I got from a different post here when I was looking through some other threads. Other cats walk through here. I just want to trap the right cat. I am limited on time as I work and study part time. I may not have time to really stake out until the second week of May. In my other post, when I mentioned I can't open my house to him, I meant I can't just let him walk in and then take my time to trap him from inside the house. If I can get him trapped, I can have him isolated in a room and help him.

 

[yolin_art]

Greetings,

There is some good news at the end of this post.

Cirilo visited yesterday evening. I approached him with food as he did not come near it. I swiped some broth near his mouth two times. He only licked it away, and I failed to tempt him to at least have some bites. I left and went back inside the house. I could see him out the window sleeping in the same location I left him until darkness came. Sick cats hide, right? He could not be too sick if he was sleeping alfresco for the whole backyard to see.

I was very distraught. A person braver than me would scruff him or use one of those blankets over the cat tricks to get him in the trap I've seen on Youtube. But I don't have that skill set, and these are dangerous maneuvers.

I googled for professional animal trappers or if they exist professional cat trappers. I am trying to think outside the box. I reached out to a rescue group on Facebook that really seems to be active and helpful with trapping assistance. It was late evening so I have not heard a reply yet. I know the chances of help are low. Last time I tried to help an injured cat, I was even reaching out to rescue groups in surrounding cities. I already had the cat trapped and under medical care, but outside from kind responses (links and advice) from a couple of them, aid did not really materialize. I understand rescue groups are overwhelmingly busy. As time has passed, I am just trying to expand my skill set so that I can rise to the occasion.

Anyways, excuse my ramblings.

This morning, Cirilo was waiting for me. I approached with some fish. He got down from his spot and approached me. He had not done this the past few days. He had a few bites of the fishy meal I offered! I was so happy!!!! He only had a couple of bites but it appear like he was still hungry. I offered him some dry food. He ate some of it too. I observed closely to see if he had any teeth/mouth issues that would be evident to my untrained eyes. None appear to exist. He ate a little bit of the dry food then smelled a different cat food flavor I had offered him. It appears he is not too partial to Friskies Turkey flavor (at least not right now). After this, he walked away. I can work with him eating a little bit. I can work with this just fine.

I hope to update next time with news of me having him trapped, cared for, and TNR.

Thank you for listening to me. You all have a nice day.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hello - I apologize that we missed your thread and haven't given you a reply. It sounds as though whatever his issue is, hopefully it isn't too bad since he ate on Thursday.

I'm looking forward to hearing that he is better and that the other cat you're watching out for returns

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Yes, please update us on this. As an unofficial caretaker of a handful of local feral cats, I am aware of how they enter your heart when they enter your yard for food. You watch for them, wait for them, and worry about them.

 

[yolin_art]

Hello,

Thank you very much for the good wishes. Sorry for length. Writing through this cat journey helps me.

Summary: Justo returned, Cirilo TNRed, box cat trapping link at end

I have good news!

I saw Justo in the backyard on April 30. I rushed outside with his food and inspected him. He has a small bald spot on his back that may have healed from a fight scratch, or he may be developing mange. My heart was full of relief and joy as I saw him walk away with a good gait and no other deep injuries/infections. Since that day, he has stopped by about 5 more times. I struggled to keep Cirilo at a distance from him during the times they both coincided in the yard. Cirilo was a little territorial beast. My methods varied at different times and included luring Cirilo to the front of the house, preemptively feeding Cirilo at the front, offering Cirilo Temptations treats, and using a broom as a deterrent/separation tool. I hated the last one because my experience has been that outside cats fear the broom already because of other people, and I never want to lose earned trust. I would never hit an animal, and I told him. But if I am menacing him with a broom, it is hard for him to believe me.

On Monday, I arrived early from work and did not have to go to class because of finals. I went to the backyard a few minutes earlier for the usual cat dinner activities, and Cirilo and Justo were not there. This was a chance. I placed stinky tuna in the trap (the trap had been outside already), set it, and retreated inside. It was not more than 15 minutes that I had Cirilo trapped. Some fixed house cats swing by too and create trapping complications for me. I took a risk and won this time. Just recently trapping has made me nervous. The will I be successful, or not? plays with my nerves. It is a little silly as I was trapping cats left and right before I knew good sense and learned the mistakes that one can make. With stakes high, trapping wrings my nerves a lot.

I did not want Justo and/or Cirilo to see me trapping the other and then grow wary of the cage (they are smart little buggers). I had a plan worked out. I work in retail, and I secured a large, huge sturdy box. I was going to place the trap inside the box right at the corner, cut slits low enough so that light shined through its end, and set it with a bit of food too. When the right cat arrived, I would go near it with him, throw some Temptations treats inside, gently nudge him inside if needed (natural curiosity on my side), and close the flaps. I did a similar method when I had to transfer my Timoteo from a crate to the trap (box connected to crate and trap inside, no nudging needed, just released of door) when I was getting him TNRed. With him, I did not have to use the slits, but I was going to use the slits here to fool Cirilo or Justo into thinking the only escape was at the end of the trap. Just to assure myself for sure that the cat would go into the trap and that he was also screened from other cats’ eyes. Timoteo has always been very food motivated and with him I had the benefit of time. Though in the end time was not needed as he was trapped within 1 minute.

I digress.

I called the vet that evening and the wonderful vet saw me the next day, Tuesday. I am so thankful for this A+ vet practice. If anyone wishes, I can share the name (I don’t know if we do that here on the forums). Cirilo had his vaccines, tested negative for feline leukemia (will need the booster, gotta plan for that step), and was neutered. He did not have his ear clipped, which I wanted, but he did get a tattoo on his belly. I am beyond thankful for the vet. The vet told me to keep him inside for 10 days. I was counting on releasing him after one, maximum two days. That is what happened with Thomas and Timoteo. Thomas took it like a champ due to his youth and strength, but Timoteo struggled. He struggled with the heat and other cats beating him up as he was recuperating and his hormones calming down. I had to make him an indoor house cat. I want to follow the vet’s advice but also, may this be overkill? I mention this because he would stay in a crate and would not be free roaming in the house. I don’t want to harm him psychologically with a longer imprisonment as he is not a regular house cat nor will he be one for me. Opinions and advice are welcome regarding this (please, I would be so appreciative)

I am also split because with Cirilo inside, I can trap Justo and then TNR him too, Have one cat released and replaced in the recovery room with the other one. I hesitate a little bit because as Justo has healed from his superficial injuries, I may be able to take him through the City’s TNR program. This would be very cost effective for me (free!). A great bonus is that the program gauges cat adoptability and may find him a welcoming home (he is a very good cat). If he is deemed unadoptable, he would be released to my same neighborhood. I don’t want to lose Justo since he just came back to me. I also don’t want him to lose the chance of a good home. I can watch over him, but I know this care does not replace a true owner. I am being selfish if I don’t provide him with a adoption chance as I am not bringing him inside anytime soon. I am at full capacity. He tried to poke his head inside once or twice very respectfully a long time ago. It was very honorable, and heartbreaking. Heartbreaking for me because I denied him entrance. With him TNRed, I can offer him occasional respite, or a neighbor might open up their home to him (I can hope).

I need to decide and act quickly. I am going to work full time for a minute now that school is over. I won’t have the flexibility that I have due to my part time work/study schedule.

Thank you for listening to me and for the words of encouragement. I know I write a lot. Writing it out has helped me think things through. The possibility of advice (always appreciate it) and encouragement is also very helpful. Thank you, thank you. I think things have been going absolutely well for me thanks to the good thoughts and prayers of good cat people.

I attached pictures of the kitties. Justo is the dark haired baby and Cirilo is the black and white baby. Sorry for the quality and weeds,
Here is a video of using my box technique on Timoteo:

New video by Yolin Arteaga

photos.app.goo.gl

 

[DeesCats]

Congrats on getting Cirilo trapped and neutered! I'm not sure why the vet didn't ear tip him or wants him inside for 10 days unless he has some other issues going on. In my area, neutered TNR's are released immediately (I've done 3 so far).

How large is the crate you plan on using?

 

[yolin_art]

Hello D DeesCats and thank you

Most of the literature and youtube videos I've seen also do like one day of rest before release. I only talked to the vet tech as I picked Cirilo up, and she kept referring to him as her. I corrected her on the gender and then inquired about still waiting 10 days even though he is a boy. She still insisted 10 days because of stitches. I was like what ? He was neutered not spayed. I did not wish to make waves on such issue and just moved on. He does have some scrapes and scratches. He was tattooed so maybe that factors in? I don't know. Otherwise, really excellent vet experience.

The crate is about 2 ft wide by 3 ft long and about 2 ft tall, give or take a few inches.

Attached is a picture of the set up I have for him.

I have him in a room that is normally used for storage (please excuse the mess). I have the top covered with some sheer curtains and black cloth pieces that I found (what I could hobbled together on short notice). He peed on the nice clean cover I had been using on the trap.

 

[DeesCats]

I think that size crate can work well. Do you have a cardboard box or small cat carrier that he can hide in? I found that helps them feel more secure.

The crate I use is 42" long x 28.5" wide x 30" high and it was just large enough for a small litter box, small cat carrier with door bungeed open and food and water bowl attached to the cage wall directly opposite cat carrier. I've used it to house stray cats I've adopted as well as 1 extremely feral cat I took to ER for leg wound, vaccines and neuter that I only kept caged for 4 days before releasing him.

Oh and I used some old black bed sheets to cover the crate completely to give them privacy, maybe leaving the door area uncovered.