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7. Preparations for Trapping1. Establish a feeding patternWhen you’re ready to trap, it will be mucheasier if the cats come to you at a time and place ofyour choosing, than if you spread traps throughouttheir territory, wait all day or night and hope theyshow up. To get them to come to you, you need toestablish a feeding pattern. At least two weeksbefore the trapping, put out the cats’ food at thesame time and place on a daily basis. Cats arevery habitual creatures and will quickly learn theroutine. If you can’t feed at the same exact timeevery day, stick to the pattern as closely as youcan. For example, always put the food out in themorning or when you come home from work.After the feeding, which should last about halfan hour, remove any excess food. Don’t leavefood out all day if you can help it. Your efforts toestablish a pattern will be thwarted if the catsknow they can come any time they want and findphoto: Meredith Weissfood.If you can’t limit the feeding time to half an hour and must leave food out longer,then establish a pattern of arriving at the site at the same time and place every day andputting out something tasty like a can of tuna. The cats will learn that when you show up,so does the good stuff and this will motivate them to arrive at the appointed hour.In choosing the time of day for the feeding pattern, anticipate the trapping to come.Make the trapping easier by picking a time of day when the site will be quiet and lesstrafficked. Also consider your own schedule and when you’ll be available to trap.If the cats are already used to showing up at a certain hour that would be inconvenientfor the trapping, then gradually shift the feeding time to one that’s better. For example, ifthe cats are used to being fed at midnight, then start putting the food out at 11 p.m. Whenthey are used to coming then, start putting it out at 10 p.m., etc. Re-training cats in thismanner may take longer than two weeks depending on how big the shift will be. If youdon’t have enough time to slowly change the cats’ habits, then just put the food out at thetime you want them to come. Before long, they’ll probably figure out things havechanged and adapt their feeding pattern accordingly.2. Count and assess the catsWhile you’re establishing the feeding pattern, get an accurate count of the number ofcats in the colony. If necessary, take notes or photos to log the cats and help you tell them51