Feral cats

[Doctor J]

Anyone have a good way to lure in feral cats to a live trap? Thanks.

[Jameson]

Tuna has worked well for me in the past. Did have a few coons, grinners, and stinkers get trapped as well.

[carpshooterdeluxe]

cat food?

never tried trapping cats before...usually just drill em with a 32 grain stinger.

[Archerysniper]

Got my live/dead trap out tonight with a can of tuna for the strays.

[Archerysniper]

Tuna worked one less kitty in the barn.

[USDA3]

Canned sardines work pretty good as well, but thats the right idea with fish...

[jigginjim]

I would not do this these days. But there was a time when group of buddies would get several boxes of 6 shot shells for their 12ga. shotguns, a spotlight, and 1-2 cases of beer.

Then head out for a night of, closing beady little eyes in road digs. If them eyes look as thou they could aid the critter in killing pheasants? CLOSE THOSE EYES!!!!!!

[croixflats]

Cats are a nasty reproductive machine.Get rid of those feral cats as quick as you can and any way you can before they set up a colony if that happens you are foobared.

FAQ: Cat Reproduction

At what age do female cats first go in to heat?

Female cats typically reach sexual maturity when they are about 4.5 – 7.0 lb (2.3-3.2

kg), or between five and nine months of age. However, it is possible for female kittens

as young as four months to go into heat and become pregnant! In addition, domestic

shorthair and longhair cats may reach sexual maturity earlier than purebred cats, and

free-roaming cats may become sexually mature sooner than cats kept indoors.

How long do they stay in heat?

The duration of estrus (heat) varies in individual cats. Heat lasts an average of seven

days, but may be as long as 21 days. If a female cat doesn’t mate and become

pregnant, she may go back into heat repeatedly, with only brief periods of non-heat – as

little as two days – between heats!

At what age can they become pregnant?

A female cat can become pregnant as soon as she is sexually mature – as early as four

months of age.

During what times of the year can a female cat get pregnant?

While breeding and pregnancy occur most commonly in the spring, female cats can

become pregnant at any time during the year, especially in mild climates.

What is the gestation period for a pregnant cat?

56 to71 days. The average length is 67 days.

How many litters can a female cat have in a year?

Up to five litters in one year!

What is the average number of kittens born in a litter?

For free-roaming cats, the average number of kittens per litter is probably around three,

but it can commonly be up to six or more.

Can cats become pregnant while they are nursing kittens?

Yes, absolutely! It is typical for cats to go back into heat one to two months after giving

birth to kittens, and they can easily become pregnant at this time! Some cats may go

into heat and become pregnant again as soon as one week after having a litter!

Can cats be spayed if they are nursing kittens?

Yes. A cat who is spayed while she is nursing will continue to produce adequate milk for

her kittens. Some veterinarians prefer to wait until a cat has weaned her kittens before

doing the surgery because the mammary gland (breast) development present during

nursing can make the surgery slightly more difficult.

If the cat can be kept indoors away from any possible exposure to intact male cats, it is

okay to wait until the kittens are weaned before spaying the mother (in fact, the whole

family could be spayed or neutered at this time). If the cat cannot be kept away from

intact male cats while nursing, she should be spayed as soon as possible. Return her to

her kittens as quickly as possible after surgery.

If the nursing cat is feral and must be trapped, it is recommended that you also catch the

kittens (if possible), or wait until the kittens are at least six weeks old, to avoid leaving

young kittens without their mother for too long.

At what age do unspayed female cats stop giving birth to kittens?

Unlike humans, cats do not go through “menopause.” While fertility may gradually

decline over time, there is no age after which a female cat can no longer become

pregnant.

Can cats from the same litter mate with each other and produce litters?

Yes. For this reason, male and female littermates who are housed together must be

neutered and spayed by four months of age!

Should I allow my female cat to have one litter before spaying her?

No! There is absolutely no benefit to the cat in doing this. Spaying a cat before her first

litter, or better yet, before her first heat, is easier and safer. Recent evidence also

suggests that spaying a cat before six months significantly decreases her risk of

mammary (breast) cancer.

If my cat is pregnant, can she be spayed?

Yes. Spaying a cat during pregnancy is slightly more difficult than spaying a nonpregnant

cat, but is better than allowing unwanted kittens to be born and to contribute to

the cat overpopulation problem.

[Born2Fish]

Wow if the little lady even saw I looked at this thread she would have my head!!!

[Ryan_V]

I've always got at least one live trap set at my hobby farm, usually 2. I have one farm cat that has been caught and released once, he'll never go into a trap again. Usually I get skunks and occassionally possums, but i still get lots of wild cats. i live next to a landfill, so it's always season for them here!!

[harvey lee]

My 17 does a great job on them. Great if you are located in the COUNTRY ONLY.

[jigginjim]

I have used pieces of carp or other fish pieces to live trap. To avoid the stinkers put live trap on beam or low leaning tree. The skunks seem to have issues climbing or walking up the beams. I tie the trap to the beams with a small strap also put a cross brace in beam to prevent trap from wobbling.

[Jim Almquist]

Great info Croixflats

Wow if the little lady even saw I looked at this thread she would have my head!!!

As the owner of 4 HOUSE cats so you know I do like cats but shoot,trap or what ever method of getting rid of as many as you can. There is nothing worse for the bird population then a feral cat. I am not really crazy about anyone letting there cats outside because they all for the most part have that instinct to hunt and will kill just for the fun of it.

[Tom7227]

I agree that they should be taken care of. I got into a bit of a 'discussion' with my son when I dumped one that was about 1/3 of a mile from a farmhouse. He said it was someone's pet, but I don't agree. Anyone out there know how far a barn cat is likely to roam?

[givetoget]

they will roam only as far as your neighbor lets them.

[nobody05]

heck we used to drive around at night with spotlights and oust everyone we seen, thank goodness we never got caught!!

[123fish]

Back in the day Floyd Ragan the CO from Slayton told us any cat more than a quarter mile from a farm he shot on sight. When they are that far out they are just up to no good.

[Dave S]

We have one locally that walks the same stretch of road. Usually no more than a couple hundred yards from home. Several times we've seen him with his catch for the day and not once has it been a bird.

I agree feral cats kill their share of birds, but this one in particular seems to target the gopher/mouse/vole population.

[Gordie]

I would not do this these days. But there was a time when group of buddies would get several boxes of 6 shot shells for their 12ga. shotguns, a spotlight, and 1-2 cases of beer.

Then head out for a night of, closing beady little eyes in road digs. If them eyes look as thou they could aid the critter in killing pheasants? CLOSE THOSE EYES!!!!!!

back in the day we called them prarrie lions

[Archerysniper]

I saw one yeasterday coming out of the ditch with a young pheasant drapped over it's shoulder like a trophy.

[123fish]

Did you use up one of his nine lives?

[Archerysniper]

I used up all nine of them at 1300 fps

[jentz]

In Kandiyohi county just last spring a fellow was Brought before a judge,Fined for cruility to animals.For just what is going on here.

I guess times have changed.

[Tom7227]

In Kandiyohi county just last spring a fellow was Brought before a judge,Fined for cruility to animals.For just what is going on here.

I guess times have changed.

That's not good enough. Facts? Outcome? Guy have any prior record of this sort?

[Archerysniper]

Not a 100% on this but they are not listed in the game laws wich makes them unprotected and was not shot on over or within the right of way of the road on land I have permission to hunt.

[123fish]

You can shoot them all day long in a situation like that Archerysniper. Good job.

[Finlander]

I remember a few years ago when I was looking down a driveway into the parking lot at a wildlife management area I see a bunch of young pheasents following the hen and they dissapeared into the weeds, then a few seconds later here comes a cat follwing the pheasents! Now there is no farm buildings within a half mile where they were. And I was on a scouting mission looking for early goose hunting fields and I didn't have any guns to shoot the cat. I would have otherwise. Too many cats from a farm yard that spread out after getting kicked out from the family group. That's where there is a difference between the Dakota's and Minnesota because of the amount of farm yards yielding cats to turn into feral cats. The farm yards in Minnesota are like 5 to 1 in terms of acres to farm yards. Therefore in the Dakota's less pheasents and other birds are taken by feral cats!

These cats need to be thinned!

[jigginjim]

In Kandiyohi county just last spring a fellow was Brought before a judge,Fined for cruility to animals.For just what is going on here.

I guess times have changed.

Who was the judge? Maybe we could just live trap them and release them outside his house. I grew up in New London.

[i'majigger]

Most people do not realize how many wild cats there are out there, I moved into a new house several years ago and had cats running thru the property quite often. I have grouse and cottontails on the property that I did not want killed so started eliminating the cats and kept count. to this day I have killed 73 yes 73 wild cats on my property, Now I live out in the country 10 miles so they are not city cats and my closest neighbor is about a mile away with no livestock or farming operation so these are (or were!) just basic wild cats BUT NO ANYMORE!!!!

Now don't get me wrong anyone who has cats on there farm or around their house is fine by me,I lived on a farm years ago and we always kept cats around to keep the mice in check. So if you have cats around your place please keep them there to rid your residence of mice and other little critters. I do not hate cats but I know they are one of the most efficent hunters out there and out in the wild they can do a lot of harm. They do have to eat too.

[half-dutch]

With the rapid decrease in working farms due to their increasing size, a whole lot of farmsteads have been abandoned along with whatever cats were on them. A surprising number of those cats have survived even this far north. Most of your wild or feral types show the adaption by tending to have longer than normal hair, too. They also carry disease. The vet told my father that a stray tom cat later found dead, was the vector that brought TGE onto his farm and killed an entire farrowing of baby pigs. In smaller communities they have moved into the city sewers from abandoned nearby farms and are quite a nuisance.