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after closing the rear door when you’re finished feeding and cleaning a trap in yourholding space. Drop trapsA drop trap is a fancier version of a boxpropped up on a stick with a string attached andsome bait underneath. You wait until your targetcat goes under and then, while she’s eating, pullthe string. Because of cat psychology, a drop trapis often an experienced trapper’s best friend. Anormal box trap requires a cat to overcome hernatural fear of entering an enclosed space. This iswhy depriving her of food the day before trappingis so important – hunger will drive her toovercome her fear and go in after the bait. A droptrap, on the other hand, is not an enclosed space the cat must enter, but an object sheneeds to go under. Very few cats are afraid to do this. As a result, they don't have to bethat hungry before they’ll go under a drop trap (just withhold food the day of thetrapping) and normally trap-shy cats will march right over to the bait. Many a trapper hasused a drop trap to catch that one cat who had otherwise eluded her for years.Drop traps are also great for picking out and trapping a particular cat from the colony,such as a pregnant female, or a cat who got away during an earlier mass trapping. InChapter 10, we describe in detail how to use a drop trap. They do require some study anda little bit of practice to use safely and effectively. In addition to catching the cat, you’llneed to learn how to transfer her out of the drop trap and into a box trap, transfer cage orferal cat den.Neighborhood Cats Drop TrapModel DT-1 (36”W x 36”W x 14”H –unfolded; 36”L x 4”W x 18”H – folded; 14lbs.)Tomahawk Live Trap, www.livetrap.com;800-272-8727In the past, trappers had to build their own drop traps orfind someone handy who would build it for them. But nowNeighborhood Cats and Tomahawk Live Trap have designedthe first mass-manufactured drop trap ever! It collapses flat,weighs only 14 lbs. and is all metal and easy to clean.The trap folds up in a suitcase style complete withhandles, making transport and storage easy. A weight flapfor keeping the trap in place and a prop “stick” for setting the61