Best way to lure/bait and trap feral cats.

[bah]

Hi all,

Just getting into some occupational shooting and have lined up my first contract. I was wondering if anyone has any advice on accessing a dual purpose suitable cat/fox trap (preferably longer in length to factor in the length of foxes over feral cats). Not looking for a cheap way out if it means sacrificing on quality.

Would also love some advice on appropriate baiting/lure advice. I’d like my first trip to be as successful as possible - I do not want to disappoint the client.

My apologies if there is already a thread that has been set up answering this question in the past, but after doing a quick search through the threads I didn’t find anything that answered my questions.

Cheers!

[Ziege]

normal ass cat trap, but in order to get best results its best to leave it locked open and leave food in there multiple days/feeds so that they get accustomed to waltzing straight in without hesitating, once they think its a free food drop arm the trap and profit. fish, meat, dead birds, best lures....

[NTSOG]

G'day bah, I use the cheapest canned dog food for my bait stations, but the last fox I took at one of the stations came for the offal from a hare I had shot. I did post a picture once of a cat eating the dog food with a fox looking on in the background. They're both departed now. I think someone - a recently 'departed' contributor of considerable opinion - mentioned fish oil is a strong attractant. I also got three one night on a chicken carcass I had dragged up the paddock and tied to a fence. I also got another three after a 'roo got tangled in a fence and died; once she became a little ripe the foxes came for the free meal.

Jim

[RoginaJack]

Hi Bah, I use Aldi tinned cat food, good selection so pussy gets a choice and 1 tin does 2 traps, put the food tin in a plastic tube with a bit of water to keep ants away.
I don't worry about setting blind baited traps, just give the traps a wash with soapy water to remove any oil, grease etc. , cover on top for shade and away you go. If the cats have been worked over a bit, try foot hold traps and bait (tin food, K.F.C. chicken leg (yep, works really good) in open and foxes find it finger looking good too - bait hole trap setup.
Don't skimp on the cat trap size; there are some big smart Toms out there. If one get out of a trap, darn near impossible to get again. For foxes, I'd use a heavier, larger trap - will get cats too. I got my cat traps ( larger size, 900mm L) from Ebay - came in a flat pack, foot trigger, worked great. You'll also need gloves, leather, towel to cover trap cat (settles 'em down) 22lr, subsonic, a few tent pegs AND patience. Good luck...
PS, I handle traps etc with gloves on...

[Noisydad]

Some toms are too cunning and go in traps.
Had an 18 month hunting and trap setting quest before I finally nailed the creeping, skulking, howling, stench spraying, dirty, filthy, ginger mongrel at my place. Disgusting bloody thing was backing up to doors around the house and spraying it’s filth.
Got it under the house with my trusty 30 yo Stirling 14P .22
If I’d caught it in a trap I’d have happily emptied my 1860 Henry .44-40 into it!
Maybe it had the last laugh as I had to crawl under the house to drag it out lol

[Ziege]

when i was suburb bound, furry intruders found themselves in the 44 gallon drum as a way to test their fortitude, none passed.

[scoot]

Ive found a bit of ammonia on a rag in the trap to work. I read somewhere the smell mimics their piss or something and catches their curiosity. I tried it and did catch one. Luck

[NTSOG]

Hi Bah, I forgot one rule with cats, depending where you are catching them: when close to suburbia the rule is shoot, shovel and shut-up.

Jim

[Blr243]

Looks like I need to buy cheap cat food, smackos. And whateverElse I can think off For my next trip. It would be nice to get a swag of cats n foxes

[marksman]

Hi Bah, I forgot one rule with cats, depending where you are catching them: when close to suburbia the rule is shoot, shovel and shut-up.

Jim

the old three S's l like it

[bah]

Hi all,

I’m overwhelmed by the advice and support the community has provided - thank you.

I ended up purchasing this cage on your advice @RoginaJack

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/142977133834

Hopefully I have some success with it. Bait ideas are fantastic - I’ll stop by Aldi and KFC on the way!

The three S rule is a must - wouldn’t want to hurt the snowflakes out there who don’t understand how much damage these ferals do to our ecosystem... what has the world come to!

[Die Judicii]

I find that a tin of either 223 or 308 works best.

[Die Judicii]

Or,,,,,,,,,, that nasty creature that's got a Thousand Balls and F@cks Cats,,,,,,,,, 12g

[RoginaJack]

Yea, NoisyDad, I had the same problem with a big black tom. He was well educate with traps. The pest would come up to the house and spray the outside bedroom A/C unit . I'd clean it off, next night he sprayed it again. Trail Cameras didn't worry B,C, would come up sniff and spray!
B.C. would stretch out full length into the trap and steal the food but kept one foot firmly outside. I got the neighbor's pussy and rubbed it all over but still didn't work. Tried cat pellets, different brands of tinned stuff, K.F.C., but would not go into the trap.
Tried setting up the traps not loaded, laid a trial of cat pellets at entrance but still no luck. If B.C. heard a door latch click of a creak, it was gone in a flash. Even raised the trap floor to the same level as the top of the trigger plate with carpet but no luck.
Dunno what happened, we had the odd Brown turn up around the house and B.C. stopped dropping around. This went on for about 2 years.

Bah. looks familiar, I use a couple of clips on the back door when I move the traps - don't want the cargo getting out in the vehicle. Keep as posted...

AnomalPest - Struth, can you still get Hook Traps? I find them a pain to load and just too fiddley. Good point about the trap floor; I use carpet off cut or black car mats, just the right size and don't forget a roof shade cove. Also a few tent pegs to anchor the trap.

[animalpest]

Having personally trapped over 3500 feral cats I think I can speak with some authority on this subject.

Honestly I could talk on this subject for 2 weeks

Fresh food is always best. Change it daily. Ammonia smells come from decaying foods, which cats do not prefer as they will eat live food over anything else unless really food stressed.

Cover the trap floor with sand. They often will baulk at standing on the wire.

Trap type (hook or plate) is dependent on whether there are mature cats or kittens. It is easier to catch kittens in plate traps. Hook traps have more visual appeal, plate have a better smell at distance from the food. I use both.

Food differs between trap types. Canned cat food is fine for plate traps but hook traps need meat that will stay on the hook.

For meat, feed them what they are eating or hunting.

Trap sizes are different for foxes and cats. For foxes you need the biggest trap you can buy.

The suggestion that you can drown cats in a 44 drum or wheely bin does not belong on this site. Encouraging animal cruelty is detrimental to this forum and all it's members.

[Ziege]

thats ok, cats are detrimental to everything else so I guess it fits.

[Skinna]

I have found a wide (a metre or so diameter) sprinkling of dry cat food on ground not trafficed by humans will keep them interested....give them a good taste/nibble--not a feed--sparce enough to have to search for the next bit 6 inches away--not a pile of it in one spot.
I buy it in the sachets so dont touch it with my hands, just tear open the sachet & sprinkle from max reach.
If theyre in the area it might take a bit for them to find it depending on how often they walk that section--try find their runs & place it off the side a metre or 2 off of their tracks--when they find it, they casually nibble on it. Ive got footage of cat regularly coming back to the same place looking for more in the one night, but it took 2 nights to find it.
It actually kept coming back to same spot looking for more for over a week.
If you have trail camera & time its A good way to shoot one if you have the patience to sit & wait once youve located their trail--they will take the same route just like a fox does, but they will move on once food source is depleted.
I found wet cat food made them more cautious & on edge, they dont seem as threatened by dry food, & the dry also lasts longer on the ground. Wet food attracts ants--leave an open can out during dry months in the mallee region down here & youll need a dozer & bomb suit to get through all the angry bull ants that attack you--not something a cat is likely to stand in & lick away at.

Also a with most successful baits, give them 2 or more regular feeds so they get a little comfortable...if you have the time, you can always leave the trap locked open on site & put a feed in there couple times, then set for lights out on the third entry.

Get to know the cat first if you can...hehe...sounds weird i know, but ask the farmer if they've noticed it being cagey when/if they've thried to bait it...if its a smart fukr you want to know first or you'll give yourself away...some are smart & hunt around you, others real dumb & will pose infront of the muzzle waiting for the flash like marksmans old avatar...

I had 2 cats--twins--on a property...first one was easy peasy...dry food in same place 3 nights running & got on camera...on third night i drove past bait point & the little fukr launched into cover of the mallee...i pulled up 100 yds down the track, set up 204 on sand bag on bonnet as i gave fox whistle a toot,...i thought it would take a minute for it to emerge but it was 60 yds away from car by ime i had the light on...it got a case of the trotts when it heard me chambering a round, but i still had button whistle in my mouth so turned out light & gave whistle another toot...turned light on to see it pull up as i squeezed a 32 grainer into its chest at a great rate of knots from bout 90 yds... ...hit in shoulder & spun the cat 90 degrees--gees those little 32's hit like a truck at light speed out to 130 odd yds--phew'...fukn yea baby...!!!!

The whole excercise i described took about 2 mins...had a beatiful fur but i ripped the tail off damit...

After that, its twin wouldnt go to the cat food bait or come to the whistle...only ever saw it once at the farmers tip after that & never got the bastard...it wiped out my bunny patch & moved on...as they do the little fukrs...

Good luck & let us know how you go.

[pomemax]

I was tasked with catching a few at work last year I had two traps set up
1 I caught a magpie in and was in the process of emptying it out when got a call to go elsewhere so I sat the cage with maggie in on top of other cage.
When I returned cat in lower trap 2 weeks I had maggie in the top box ,stupid cats were in the bottom box every second day

[RoginaJack]

Was looking back over a few Cam. trail videos and it was surprising the number of food I put out just to see what's around the place. Best video was 4, possibly 5 (could only see eyes) cats plus a couple of Bush Turkeys. All I used was a tin of Aldi cat food tied to a brick; got sick of the crows nicking the tins. Then I'd set the traps.

Hey Pomemax... Keeping native birds etc in traps is not a good idea and the RSPCA, Animal Welfare mobs get very upset. Any native bird or animal must be released ASAP and uninjured etc. and any ferals must be dispatched humanly, Just a note.

[pomemax]

It was a pet maggie for 2 weeks

[Blr243]

My new factory loads in 22250 have a 50 grain vmax travelling at 3800 FPS. If I hit the cat square in the chest at 75 metres can anyone tell me if the cat will live or die?

[Grandadbushy]

Well BLr that depends on whether or not it was dead when you shot it

[NTSOG]

Blr243: "If I hit the cat square in the chest at 75 metres can anyone tell me if the cat will live or die?"

To quote an eminent shooter, bladeracer, "I never take shots straight into the breastbone, too easy to miss everything vital."

If the cat has the fortitude [and luck] of his mother's chihuahua, then it will survive for years more.

Jim

[Grandadbushy]

BLr mate i've used a 22-250 for many , many years and it's still my go to rifle for small to medium pests and i can tell you, hit that cat with a 22-250 doing that speed and that projectile there is no chance of it not dying with a center chest shot no matter what angle it enters providing it is a deep shot and not a graze or shallow shot even then i doubt it would live, those Vmax when they do their job are devastating for small pests .

[Blr243]

I will film it I reckon it’s prob 9 months since I shot a cat A new bull barrelled howa. I won’t be missing

[Die Judicii]

I will film it I reckon it’s prob 9 months since I shot a cat A new bull barrelled howa. I won’t be missing

Mate, as you well know, I have just recently started to use .223 more often,, because they are cheaper to feed than 22/250

However, that being said I,, and along with Grandad,, am a big fan of the 22/250

In particular, the Winchester factory ammo with JHPs that move along at a claimed 4,000 fps were devastating.
Hit a fox in the boiler room with one of those,,, and they rattle when you pick them up.

A cat would have no chance.

[Oldbloke]

This may be of interest.

https://www.easypestsupplies.com.au/feral-cat-trap

[Bugman]

Used trap ferals around factories etc. Best bait was fresh skinned leather jackets. Stayed on the release hook really well, so it allowed the trap to be set a bit heavier thus limiting the "spook" factor.

[Oldbloke]

I just found this pdf. Hope the link works


https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source= ... NQMOsCKykc

[NTSOG]

G'day All,

On the subject of cats have you read the article about cats and toxoplasmosis in the latest Sporting Shooter magazine? I knew of the problem, but it added to my limited knowledge and reinforces my practice of always wearing disposable gloves when touching dead cats or foxes. [I always carry a few gloves in my back pocket.]

Jim