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Most traps don't close hard enough to do any damage. In most cases it would just surprise them and jolt them forward a bit. Plus, there's space at the bottom of the door that the tail can slip through fairly easily when they do move forward. I think bending the door might give them a small space they might try to push through once it closes and so do a little more damage to their nose/face. That said, there's always some inventive person out there who may have solved the problem and if I find anything about it I'll certainly post it here. - Tech Tabby

That is a fantastic tip! We'll make sure to send it on to Bryan and Suzi. Thanks for sharing!

Are they indoor pet cats or are they community cats? What prompted you to get them tested? Are you getting all the information you need or do you have questions? Feel free to reach out - you can reach us at support@communitycatspodcast.com - if we don't have an answer we can certainly point you towards someone who does! :)

Aww - that's a cute name. :) Janice's company has really come up with an interesting (and I think, pretty) solution. I hope you like yours!

You are so welcome!

Have you used a drop trap before? They are AWESOME for picking out a particular cat. If you've never seen/used one there's a recording of a webinar we did on it here - czcams.com/video/kyKv0D1aVrs/video.html - and we're also doing an updated one live this weekend if you want to join in. (It's totally free. :)) The registration is here - register.gotowebinar.com/register/4676636804079928662 - and Bryan and Suzi will be available for questions. If you don't want to get super into the details on the drop trap though you can always do the bottle and string trick on a box trap to keep the door open if the wrong cat goes in but drop it once the right one heads in. I think they go over the finer points at 27:30 on this video.

It's one of my favorite phrases. Their hearts usually in the right place but it *is* less-than-helpful.

That's fantastic! It takes a lot of patience to work with adult community cats but, oh my gosh, is it not one of the best feelings in the world when they get curious and start to look forward to the extra attention? Nice work!

@@communitycatspodcast Thanks! I do my best. 😀😀

You so welcome - and thank YOU for everything you do!

Aww yay! I'm glad you're finding the content useful and thank you so much for being out there helping the cats! It sounds like it's rough out there. Do you know if there any MASH-style clinics happening at all for TNR in the area? (Or, if not, do you or someone else in the neighborhood have the bandwidth to organize one? It might be a good way to increase the spay/neuter availability for at least the unowned kitties.)

You're welcome! I hope you catch that queen!

If you're referring to culling here just to get a rise out of folks I'd rather you didn't answer - but - if you're serious and you'd like to talk about it, please say more to about what specific technique you're talking about and why it's a good solution for local communities we'd be interested to hear. If you could refer us to any actual data-backed articles or studies that support your opinion - even better! Also - if you're interested in Australian cat-issues in particular, you might want to check out this just-released research paper about the effects free spay/neuter services have had on the cat population - www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/14/11/1615

Thanks for pointing this out. That picture is more to show the trap model so you can see what it looks like. Generally, Neighborhood Cats uses trap matts made from coin grip material to cover the bottom of the cage and make it easier for the trip plate to do it's thing - plus it's easy to clean and reusable! :)

I got to go to Dr. Morrow's HQHVSN training recently to do a little photo essay so people could see what it's like. It'll be on the blog soon and I'm very excited about it!

Interesting. That must be super frustrating. Have the shelters receiving the dogs said why they are continuing to accept transports? I recently went to a talk about the stats connected to trends in live outcomes for animals in shelters. Dogs appear to be less likely to have live outcomes now than they did in the past but it appears to be large dogs who are really having a tough time getting adopted as opposed to small dogs for a whole host of socioeconomic reasons. I'm curious if that plays a roll in the transport you're seeing.

Are you referring to the bottom of the trap? I believe they are covered in trap mats made of coin grip - it helps by making it more comfortable for the cats to walk on and to assure the trip plate works as it should.

Have you had a chance to talk to them about it? How are they related to the cats and for what reason are they feeding them if you're already doing it? You both have the same goal - keeping the cats healthy and well fed - maybe it might be worth looking at how you can work together so things will stay tidy?

You can certainly try to trap them again but if you're finding your escape artist has gotten trap savvy, maybe consider trying a drop trap? They are great because cats aren't usually wary of going under them because it doesn't seem like a trap. Bryan does a whole video on it here if you want to see what using one is like - czcams.com/video/tZEbMCG04GE/video.html

I'm so sorry to hear that. I've been there. We've got our fingers and paws crossed for your little one here.

@@communitycatspodcast thank you so much. She has made rapid improvement since the 5th treatment. She was in critical condition but is now doing much better. 🌸

@@Sunnysidestoriesandmusic I'm so glad to hear this!!! Please give her some head scritches from us when she's up for it. :)

@@communitycatspodcast sure thing. She’s balancing on all fours today. She will be walking well soon 🌸

Well you're in luck! The recording with all of the slides and videos (which were cut from the audio version) can be found right here - czcams.com/video/Oht2pkNEck4/video.html - hopefully that helps! (I'm a visual person too so I get it!)

I am so, so very sorry that you're going through this. It's a heavy thing to go through health issues with a kitty you care for. I will pass this message on to Margaret but do you mind if I ask how this turned out? Did your kitten test positive? Did your vet get to the bottom of what brought on paralysis? (I completely understand if you don't want to talk about it and don't feel any pressure to, but it's unusual for FeLV to be transmitted to a cat vaccinated for it, so I'm curious and thought I'd ask.)

Thank you! We hope you learned a lot - it's a great presentation!

Well, if you trust us, we trust the advice of Margret Tompkins! Check out Mixed FeLV Households - czcams.com/video/yi1jAptf9xg/video.html - it's got a ton of info that'll probably help you decide what to do. It also might be worth giving a read to this paper out of the University of Wisconsin-Madison's School of Veterinary Medicine about testing - sheltermedicine.wisc.edu/library/resources/why-are-some-shelters-no-longer-testing-all-cats-for-felv-and-fiv

@@communitycatspodcast Thank you so, so much!... There seems to be so many nuances to what is safe to do for all my boys... I shall be checking out the link.... Thanks again so much and kudos to you guys for all you do for FeLV kids, and owners, everywhere... 👍🏻🙏☺️

I'll add it to our list of topics to discuss. (I've had several FIV+ cats in my household with FIV- cats without issue - I'm lucky I started with a shelter that never made a big deal out of it!) What is the policy in Wichita (or on the organizational level) for FIV+ cats? Do they TNR, adopt out, or do they still euthanize?

Aww I'm sorry she's missing her friend. Desensitizing her is an awesome place to start. I would also suggest is to vary your bait. If she's not too excited about food, maybe try cat nip or a laser pointer for her to chase under it? You can also try using a recording of kittens meowing. Sometimes that can be a pretty powerful draw. Also, we actually have a Trapper Tips & Tricks webinar coming up on Saturday which addresses just this sort of thing. It's free to attend (visit register.gotowebinar.com/register/6471415813586960991 for all the details) but I'm also going to post it on CZcams sometime next week too so you can review. (If I don't see your name in the attendance list I'll see if I can get the question in to be answered either way and report back. :)) In the meantime - I hope you catch her!

@@communitycatspodcast Thank you so much! I will try to attend. I volunteer at a shelter during the seminar (where I am trying to get them to adopt Marshmallow :)), but let me see if I can still attend. I like the nonfood suggestions! She is two years old. Do you think that she would be lured by crying kittens? I will also try the laser and the catnip--great ideas.

@@acurran123 You can always gather the shelter and watch together. :) And on the crying kittens - it doesn't work on every cat but I've been surprised how often it does work so it's worth giving a try.

@@communitycatspodcast Thank you! I am not following what you mean by gatehr the shelter and watch together. Were there any new tips that came up on the most recent workshop on how to trap a cat who has been trapped before using the drop trap--and won't go under it because she recognizes it? She also recognizes the box trap. She is smarter than I am. But she's now got an infection on her behidn and needs to be trapped. Thanks so much for this wonderful resource!

¿A qué te refieres específicamente?

Nope! You’re doing it right. Feral cats in general tend to move from light places to dark places so if you want the to go from the drop trap to the transfer trap you’d cover the transfer one and uncover the drop trap. That said, you may have just trapped the one cat who doesn’t prefer the dark. ;) How did you eventually get the kitty to the transfer trap?

@@communitycatspodcast I have trapped two cats using the drop trap. When we connected it, one cat sought out the transfer trap, probably because we had covered it. The other cat was freaked out and would not enter the transfer trap. My trapping partner went to the side of the drop trap where the scared kitty was. She had a small stick (!) and put it in the cage to direct her to the drop trap. I am trapping the scared cat again-she is due for her yearly shots and exam, along with her calmer sister, who easily goes into a box trap. . After feeding them 2x a day for 1.5 years, these two sisters more or less trust me. I dread trapping them because I know it will affect my relationship with them--at least for a while. But it has got to be done. Thank you so much for this video!

@@communitycatspodcastHow long will wet food snd tuna in oil or water stay fresh? My porch girls have a two hour range for when they come for supper. Thank you!!

@@acurran123 A couple hours should be fine, but if you're nervous about it or it gets really hot in your area, throwing an ice pack underneath the dish can't hurt.

It might be worth checking out this episode of the show - czcams.com/video/kC_uecHYup0/video.html - it's a conversation with Bob Sallinger, Conservation Director at the Audubon Society of Portland and Karen Kraus, of the Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon. It talks about how "bird people" and "cat people" have teamed up to conduct studies, start TNR and low-cost spay/neuter projects, and campaigns that encourage people to keep their cats indoors or build catios so that they can reach the common goal of reducing the feral cat population. I think it will help you understand if you'd like to.

Yes! The purpose of this webinar is meant to share tips and tricks for trappers and not necessarily to get into the details and best practices of the trapping process. We do cover that sort of info in a TNR certification workshop that is held every month. If you want to learn a little more about it you can go here: www.communitycatspodcast.com/community-cat-care-training-education/. One of the things they cover in it is how to use a bottle and string method - do you know about this? It works similarly to a drop trap so you have control over the door closing so you can make sure the cat is fully in the trap. It's especially helpful if you've got more than one cat/kitten that enter the trap together.