When you take care of a feline colony, sometimes you find yourself in the situation of having to take one of the members to the vet, either for a check-up or to take him for a neuter. However, if that furry man does not have much confidence in you yet, it will be very difficult to catch him. Or maybe not so much 😉.
It is true that it is not an easy task, but it is not impossible either. I will explain to you below how to attract a stray cat without the need to protect your hands with gloves.
What to know about stray cats?
To know how to attract them, you first have to know them a little 🙂. In the streets of towns and cities we can find many furry animals, which are classified as:
- Feral cats: they are those who were born and raised on the street, with almost no contact with humans (except those who are in charge of bringing them food, but even so and all this type of contact is more visual than anything else; they are not usually letting touch, much less picking up). More information.
- Abandoned cats: are those who have lived with humans in their homes, but have been abandoned for some reason. These furry ones are quickly distinguished from others, because although they can be very scary at first, they tend to gain confidence immediately when they detect that you only want to help them, offering them food and / or affection.
- Cats in a state of semi-freedom: these cats are not strays, let's say, real, since they have their human family. However, as they can spend a lot of time on the streets, it is likely that they will come close to a feline colony or even visit it a lot to the point of becoming a member of it. Their character is usually sociable, perhaps somewhat elusive, but they show no fear when around humans. In addition, these cats are common to wear a collar.
Depending on what type of cat it is, it will be easier or more difficult to attract them. Now, there is a trick that is difficult for you to fail.
How to attract stray cats?
Stray cats, unless they have food throughout the day, they are usually animals that are looking for something to put in their mouth very often. I can even tell you that, of the colony that I am taking care of, there is always a cat that looks for me and calls me to add more I think, and that I leave the trough full almost to overflowing.
To attract them, you have to take advantage of that, from the hunger -or the desire to ask for food- that they feel, and offer them cans of wet cat food. Fear is a feeling capable of paralyzing them, but the survival instinct is much stronger. Therefore, if you come across a feline that needs veterinary help, It is advisable to let it go a little hungry and introduce a feeder with wet feed inside a cat trap (on sale here), and then hide.
Sometimes it can take time to get him into the cage, but if he is hungry he will end up doing so. Once you have achieved your goal, cover him with a towel so that he is calmer and take him to the vet. If he says he is healthy and all he needs is to gain weight, you can carry him along with the others; However, if you have a contagious disease, it is better to choose to have someone else who does not have cats take care of you until you recover your health, since otherwise you would put the health and lives of the other furry animals at risk.
When is it necessary to attract them?
Stray cats are animals that often have to dodge or avoid many dangers to survive. Whether they are feral or if they have been abandoned, accidents and poisonings, as well as mistreatment towards them, are unfortunately the order of the day.
Therefore, you always have to check if the area in which they are is moderately safe (parks or gardens for example), and if not, look to transfer them to another that is. In the case that they are semi-feral cats, the ideal is, first, that their families take them to the veterinarian to be microchipped, and then contact them if necessary so that they are aware of the dangers that their animals may run. cats as they may have recently moved.
Another situation in which it is necessary to attract stray cats is that require veterinary attention. Fractures, illnesses, wounds ... Any discomfort they may have and / or that we suspect bothers and / or hurts them, should be more than enough reason to take them to the vet. They will also need to be attracted when it is time to neuter them (around 6 months of age) to control the cat population in the area.
And with this we are done. We hope that everything you have learned here has been useful to you and that you are able to attract stray cats.