How do you lure a stray cat to your yard/house?
How do you lure a stray cat to your yard/house?
There's a cat that has been loose on my street since May apparently, but only came into my yard Thursday night. I tried to catch it, but it bit me and ran away. Someone has also shaved it for some reason, and I want to catch since it's getting colder in the evenings. I saw the cat last night too was and was friendly to me, but it had a bit of a cough, so I'm worried. Didn't see it tonight, and it's really cold and windy.
A couple of my neighbours have been feeding it, but no real effort in trying to trap it or check to see if it's microchipped. I want to take it to the vet and see if it has an owner/check for diseases. Apparently the cat likes dry food over wet, so I don't think leaving cans of wet food will work.
Any advice given from experienced pet owners/ trappers would be helpful.
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Getting a cat to come to you is easy, you give it food and pets, and then stay calm when it's eating/enjoying.
Repeat until you've built trust, a sick or hurt cat will typically take longer to trust. Count on several days of repeating this without hitches (no sudden loud noise while you're doing it, etc).
Sometimes cats are desperate and everything turns up in a magical, calm way without bloodshed. But more commonly the next part is trickier, the cat will resist you picking it up (especially if hurt) or shutting it in.
Trick here is to be decisive and clear in your body language. Prepare a cat carry box with hard sides, feel free to prepare it with some textile smelling of you, be mindful that it will almost certainly be pissed on. Also bring a towel.
You will have to, in a calm manner, put the folded towel over the cat, and with it lift the cat into the carry. The towel is to trap legs so you won't be scratched, and if you manage to have it snugly around the cat, there's also a way to calm cats by gently pressing them down.
If you are unsure, slow, nervous, or hesitate in your movement, the cat will bolt. If you're too fast, loud, or big in movements, it will as well. Relax and do it in a deliberate motion.
If you release the cat from the carry, it will take considerable time to rebuild trust. Consider either going with it to the vet at once, or let it out in a quiet spare room with food, water, and litter box, and giving it a day or three to get accustomed to the room before letting it explore the rest of the place.
Don't get scratched by the cat, they can have some pretty nasty stuff on the paws, and some transmittable pathogens if anything draws blood or gets in your face/eyes.
Good luck!
Thank you for this write up! I think yours is the best way to go about it. I hope it shows up tonight.
Also, avoid direct eye contact, and never ever stare into their eyes. This is the equivalent of an oath of blood and despair.
That's something people who don't own a cat don't understand: the less you look at them, the more friendly they think you are (that's why cats love allergic persons)
I mean I stare into my cats eyes all the time. The key is to long blink. You have to have built enough trust or the cat will try to attack you.
You can build trust by just being in the same space and ignoring it.
I've also done the 'sup head jerk with cats around the neighborhood, they start in surprise the first few times, then do it back.
It's apparently an acknowledgement/greeting between cats.
And yes, heed the advice to "ignore" cats until they approach. Sit calmly, do your thing, let eachother know you're there, and then wait. Often doesn't take more than 15 minutes.
You're right. The rules are not the same with your own cats. One of my cats likes long blinks (aka "eye kisses"), and for an other one it's a call to play and cuddle on the rug.
I followed your advice to the last detail and 48h later, it worked!
Thank you so much for writing this up, I cannot emphasize how much it helped with my confidence to get this done. You were right about the desperation too. The little guy has a missing bottom fang and a potential injured/broken-and-healing jaw, he can barely chew his food. He just wanted some help 😭
So happy for you! The world is better off for your empathy and care <3
Thank you for letting me help, and hope you both have a better life from your encounter!