Who knows CAT behaviour (when trapped)

[Die Judicii]

I'm sure there are members here that have caught either feral or pet cats in a wire cage (possum trap)

What is the general reaction by a cat when the trapdoor is sprung ?

I'm presuming there to be a vast difference between feral and pet.

What are your observations or experiences ?

[bladeracer]

I'm sure there are members here that have caught either feral or pet cats in a wire cage (possum trap)

What is the general reaction by a cat when the trapdoor is sprung ?

I'm presuming there to be a vast difference between feral and pet.

What are your observations or experiences ?

I trapped a few live feral cats when I was a kid. From memory they were relatively calm but they wouldn't take their eyes off me for a second, I'm sure they knew precisely what was coming.

[bigpete]

This should be an interesting post. I've only ever shot cats but I'm keen to find out how people go with live trapping

[Peterwho]

I trapped a few when much younger. Huge range of behaviors. If genuine pets, then many just “ask” to be let out. If partly domesticated, don’t assume it is, I got badly scratched by one. If genuine feral, the younger and less time in the trap, the more spastic they behave. Holler, turn somersaults, piss all over the place. If older, then many squeeze themselves up into a corner but still staring daggers of hate at you.

[Die Judicii]

Huge range of behaviors. If genuine pets, then many just “ask” to be let out. If partly domesticated, don’t assume it is,

Thanks for that input,,,,,,,,,,, very interesting, and sort of as suspected.

How to determine whether pet or feral ?
Do I call to it and say Puss, Puss, Puss, or Pus, Pus, Pus, then shoot regardless ?

Either or Either,,,,,,,,,, I've got a problem on hand that I need to solve,,,, and most likely,,,, in the dead of night.

Methinks the 3 S's rule.

So I'm still curios as to what comotion and noise is gonna happen when the floor plate is triggered.

[bigpete]

If not inside its owners property,preferably inside its owners house house or cat enclosure,then its feral. Easy peasy

[Jorlcrin]

We've trapped quite a few cats over the years.
There is a bit of clanging and banging when the door slams shut; they take a little time to adjust to how much their world has mysteriously gotten so much smaller..

Often, they will go ballistic when you approach the cage, and if you arent careful, they'll do themselves serious harm(bashing into the cage walls).
Very few of them have growled or spat at me, but it's common for them to explode into action.
I've seen some who look like they are trying to figure out how to open the damn mechanism.
Kittens tend to curl up in the corner and do a LOT of glaring...

We found we needed to put a plastic wall up the far end of the cage; one enterprising little tyke had figured out how he could drain the little tin of cat-food, from OUTSIDE the trap.
He was reaching in with a paw between the bars, grabbing a handful of food, and licking it off his paw.
A little poly (or even fabric) wall around the end of the trap ended that little scam.

I dont get domestic cats here these days, but my recollection of domestics caught at my mothers house in town, they were just as upset as the ferals.
Seems to be more about the indignity of the 'Mighty Hunter of the Night' being caught because it's dumb as a box of rocks..

Other unexpected captures were an enterprising black chook(twice - apparently loved cat-food), a shingleback skink, and a Whistling Kite-Hawk.
All of them left the cat-food tin polished clean; no sense in letting it go to waste...
The Hawk was a bit of a surprise, and he had a rather stunned expression on his face when we pulled him out, took some pics, and sent him on his way..

Dont think I've caught a possum to date.
Interesting to see if the current bush-rat plague would net me a Mega-Squeak...

[noneyabussiness]

trapped tons... as has been stated, most " pets " meow a lot and heck I've even had em purr and rub the cage... usually the smell is the best tell, ferals stink.. the worse you smell in the wild, the tougher you are

but the old mantra is true, the only good cat is a dead one..

[Larry]

Ive trapped a few feral s and I would never open the door on a live cat. Hell I wouldnt even put my hands near the cage. The ones I have trapped have hissed growled and charged at the cage trying to get to me to scratch and bite. They were mean MF very aggressive even dispatching them in the cage takes some effort to get a clean shot.

[Oldbloke]

Ive trapped a few feral s and I would never open the door on a live cat. Hell I wouldnt even put my hands near the cage. The ones I have trapped have hissed growled and charged at the cage trying to get to me to scratch and bite. They were mean MF very aggressive even dispatching them in the cage takes some effort to get a clean shot.

That's cruel. Be nice.
Release them in the local forest. Eventually they will die of old age and then stop killing animals.

[bladeracer]

So I'm still curious as to what commotion and noise is gonna happen when the floor plate is triggered.

I don't think I was ever around when the trap was triggered, that's basically why I was using the trap. When I checked the trap in the morning the animal had finished whatever tantrum it had when it discovered the trick and was sitting calmly watching me.

[bladeracer]

I've trapped a few feral s and I would never open the door on a live cat. Hell I wouldn't even put my hands near the cage. The ones I have trapped have hissed growled and charged at the cage trying to get to me to scratch and bite. They were mean MF very aggressive even dispatching them in the cage takes some effort to get a clean shot.

I never tried to get that close to them, just close enough to shoot them with the .22, no reason upset them, just makes the shot more difficult.

[Larry]

I like to be able to get the barrel right up to the cage so I dont hit any of the wires. The cats were really ferocious charging from one end of the cage to the other bashing into the walls. This is all on approaching them. Likewise I have never seen one caught in action and the reaction. I doubt there was much of one as the door only drops when the food is tugged on so they had their mind on the dead chicken tied to the trigger. bum to the door.

[Jorlcrin]

Our traps have a hinged plate on a section of the floor attached to a wire, that is latched to the trapdoor.

When Puddin walks into the trap, he needs to step onto the plate to reach the bait(I use a really small tin of cat-food thats fits between the plate and the end of the cage).

We find it's best to set the latch to have a hair-trigger..

Two of our traps have doors that drop using gravity; other 2 have spring-loaded doors.
Both types use the hinged plate trigger.

We have a bush-rat plague just ending at present; somewhat surprised the feral cat population doesnt look to have boomed as a result of the rats.

I've heard a cat-trap shut a few times in the past few years; quite a lot of banging and crashing when Puddin makes the horrid discovery it's been scammed..

When we caught the chook, Mrs Chooko simply sat there and speculated loudly about the walls closing in on her, until I went and let her out...
Didnt stop her cleaning up all the cat-food first, though....

[Blr243]

Beware of scratches and bites from cats. They have very dirty mouths. Serious infection possibilities Much worse than dog bites.

[animalpest]

Beware of scratches and bites from cats. They have very dirty mouths. Serious infection possibilities Much worse than dog bites.

Cat scratch disease.

[Die Judicii]

Well thank you one and all for a most informative bunch of replies.
I came into my office to look and reply,,, and just as I sat down all hell broke loose in the back yard area.
I rushed out with the head torch, thinking that I'd caught Sylvester.

To my surprise the trap was still set and the bait was untouched.

Then the yowls and thumping started again about 20 meters further out in the darkness.
Swinging around with the light I witnessed the "big" white one that I'm after,,,, doing battle with an equally large black one out in the open.

(just like the movie Jaws,,,,,,,,, I'm gonna need a bigger trap)

Maybe I'll get one of em later on tonite.

[bigpete]

I bloody hope so ! Horrible stinking pricks of things !

[Die Judicii]

Well,,,,,,,, wonders never cease. Shortly after I posted last night I went out to have a look at the trap from a distance with my head torch.

Lo and behold,,,,,, there was a pair of eyes staring back at me,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, but it wasn't a cat.
Believe it or not, it was a full grown fat and sleek Vixen.

Well and truly trapped and squeezed into the possum trap.

I now live in town.

Very quickly,,, it got a joyride and was despatched with my .177 Stoeger

[animalpest]

I have caught over 2500 feral, stray and domestic cats.

[wrenchman]

I have trapped a few in live traps and they were pissed about it but I didnt kill them as I was in city limits and might be some ones pets I did take them to the animal shelter and let them take the out of the cage

[Larry]

You know when you catch a feral. I think the original poster the take away is be very cautious and safe when around a trapped animal. The feral s I have trapped all tried to do me harm at the expense of hurting themselves charging from one end of the cage to the other.

[bladeracer]

You know when you catch a feral. I think the original poster the take away is be very cautious and safe when around a trapped animal. The feral s I have trapped all tried to do me harm at the expense of hurting themselves charging from one end of the cage to the other.

Yep, just get close enough to identify it, then knock it off. Pointless upsetting the animal and making the task harder.

[bigpete]

Its in a cage....

[Die Judicii]

Its in a cage....

Yeah well,,,,,, I forgot to mention in my most recent post "above",, that the fox I trapped was darn close to breaking free.
It absolutely mangled the rear end of the possum trap and the cross pin wire that holds that door shut was bent into a C shape.
How it didn't fly open I don't know.

[bigpete]

Not surprised if its a possum trap. That vixen must have been pretty determined to get in there I reckon

[Die Judicii]

Not surprised if its a possum trap. That vixen must have been pretty determined to get in there I reckon

Definitely. After venting her brain,, it was a case of shaking the trap vertically to get her out.
She really was squeezed in.

I should have taken a pic,,,, but didn't.

There was a post on here a year or so ago from someone trying to trap one, that refused to go in far enough to spring the trapdoor.
All manner of possible solutions were posted like lining the cage floor and walls with grass and leaves etc
And,,,, a myriad of possible baits.
Can't remember that outcome.

But my experience with this one was,,,,,,, First of all, I had no idea there was a fox hanging around. Secondly, It was just the bare trap (floor and walls) sitting on the ground behind a shed,,,,,,,,, and with a small cheap tin of fish based catfood as bait.

Down side is,,,, Now I have to rebuild the possum trap because it was in as new condition, and borrowed from a mate.
I might actually beef it up or build him a new heavy duty one based on the same design.