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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This is Todd. He's our porch kitty. He's not our cat, but we know where he lives, and we let him come inside for food, water, and a place to nap.
You don't "lure in" porch kitties. They either feel comfortable at your house or they don't.
I'm sure you want what's best for the little guy, but if he doesn't want to have anything to do with you, it's best to just leave it at that.
You can leave a little bit of food and water out for him so you at least know that he has access to some when he needs it, but don't try to engage with him too much. When you try to pick him up, it scares him and teaches him not to let you get near him again. If he starts to feel safe around you, he'll come closer, if not, he won't. Some outside cats are just completely feral and will never be comfortable around people, you can't change that.
Thank you for the cat tax 😭 Todd is adorable. Do you have any shelter setup for colder days/nights for Todd, or does he sleep somewhere else?
Your advice is sound, I think I'll start by leaving food on my porch and letting the cat approach the property. The problem is that the cat was waaaay too friendly to be a feral, and was neutered too. The only reason it bit me was because it was startled by a motorcycle starting, otherwise it was all over me (I didn't try to pick it up or anything). I think it is a lost pet.
Oh, that sounds promising then. The way you worded the post made it sound like he wanted nothing to do with you at all.
Todd usually sleeps in my bed. 😂 If he's out there at bedtime, we let him come in for the night, and he heads back out in the morning.
It's so funny to me that someones outdoor cat will come for sleep overs lmao
We're like a kitty B&B.
I would be so mad at my cat if he did this 🤣