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Hard-to-catch catsThe goal for every caretaker isto have 100 percent of the cats inthe colony spayed and neutered.This alone ensures no morekittens. But many colonies haveone or two cats who just won’t goin a normal box trap, no matterhow long you deprive them offood or how many different typesof bait you try. For these stubbornholdouts, there are a variety ofbattle-tested special techniquesyou can try. Be persistent andeventually one of thesephoto: Meredith Weissmethods will work for you.Do not, out of desperation, try using a net or graspers to catch a feral cat. The dangerlies in having to handle the cat after you’ve grabbed him, assuming you succeed in doingso. Transferring a cat out of a net or graspers and into a trap or transfer cage requiresspecial training and only animal care professionals should ever attempt it. Always keepin mind that a frightened cat can inflict severe injury, which is why this handbook onlyteaches trapping and care techniques which avoid physical contact between the cat andyourself.Tranquilizers also should never be used. First, the delivery method could risk injuryto yourself or the cat. If you use a syringe, your arms and hands will be at leastmomentarily exposed to a bite or scratch. If you use a dart gun, assuming that’s evenlegal, you could easily misfire – for example, if the cat suddenly moves – and hit the catin the eye or other vulnerable spot. If you put drugs in the cat’s food, the wrong cat oranother animal might ingest it. However a tranquilizer is delivered, the cat could run offbefore the drug takes full effect and harm himself. Try one of these approaches instead:• Drop trapIn most cases, a drop trap will be the fastest and most effective way to capture yourhard-to-catch cat. It originated as a grassroots invention designed by creative trappers,most notably Laura Burns. The trap is propped up on a stick or similar object to which astring is attached. When a cat goes under to eat the bait, the trapper pulls the string andthe trap falls down over the cat. The cat is then transferred out of the drop trap and into aregular box trap or transfer cage.As mentioned earlier in Chapter 8 (“Recommended Equipment”), a drop trap worksso well because a cat usually has no natural fear of going under it and the warinessdisplayed with a box trap is absent. Because cats are much less afraid, they do not haveto be deprived of food for a long period before the trapping. Withholding food the sameday will be sufficient to get them interested enough in the bait. Because a drop trap is so91