How do I catch a stray kitten?

Question

I have a stray kitten that is living under my porch. Never owned a cat in my life but the little guy is crying out for his mother I believe that was hit by a car in front of my house. He's getting louder and louder and I was wondering if anyone has any ideas on how to catch it. If you get close to it it will run back underneath the porch. It's a large porch and it has two entires to it which I blocked one off so it only has one way to come out and that's it. I have no live traps and don't want to pay animal control to come out and get the kitten because they'll kill it. Thanks!

Answer 1

How big is it? Do you think it would come out for food on a saucer? Maybe leave some food out, just inside the opening. If the kitty eats the food, put the next helping closer to the entrance... Keep moving the plate farther and farther away from under the porch and HOPEFULLY you can get the food up onto the porch and go from there. :-)

Answer 2

Do you know what you would do with it once you trap it? (I went thru the same thing with a kitten I saw in a parking lot.) If your area has any organizations that work with stray cats, they will trap them if they have a place to put them- they may not be keen on transporting it to a shelter, esp. if it is not tame yet. Otherwise, they sell traps at hardware stores like Lowes- the kind that you put food in and when the cat gets inside the doors shut. But, If you want a kitty, feeding it is a sure way to make friends over time- it is probably just very scared and lonely.
Good luck!

Answer 3

I had to catch a kitten once before too. I asked around and a friend let me borrow a thing called a love trap. You just put a can of food in the back of it and when the litten goes in to eat the food he/she steps on a plate which snaps the cage shut. The kitten is not hurt at all and is trapped in there until you let it out. I have found that this is a really humane way to do it. Good luck catching the kitten

Answer 4

Well here's how I caught my stray kitten that someone had thrown in the dumpster at my work.

I got my cat carrier ( maybe you could borrow one) and I opened the door and put a can of wet smelly fish flavored cat food in the back of it . Well, kitty couldn't resist the smell because she was so hungry so she sneaked (she thought) into the carrier and when she was good and absorbed in the food, I quickly closed the door, trapping her inside.
It worked like a charm. But on the down side, if your kitten is a feral cat she may never be tame-able even if you do catch her. Mine never really has been tamed. She is so timid, and jumpy all the time. But I love her all the same.

Good luck!

Answer 5

Sounds like it's a feral cat...and it's hurt; you don't want to mess with them; they're wild, and will bite. A cat bite is far more a threat to your health than a dog bite. Cats carry so much bacteria in their saliva, so, the wound causes infection most every time. Then you must take an antibiotic, and get a tetanus shot, or booster.
If it's not a feral cat, you may be successful by coaxing it out, by using food, putting it far away, then slowly moving it closer and closer to where you want to catch it.
Don't know if Animal Control will charge you, or kill it. If you tell them it's yours, they wouldn't have any reason to take it. Try calling them, just to make sure. Or, call the Fire Dept./Police..I've seen rescues by them....with no charge.
Hope this helps a little.
Smartycat

Answer 6

I would definitely trap the cat to check him out. Check with some of your neighbors or with a local ASPCA to see if you can borrow a cat carrier. Put food and water inside over the span of a couple of days until he feels safe and then shut him in when you find him inside. This cat will NOT turn out to be very friendly and tame if he is too young and not handled soon. Good luck.

Answer 7

I agree that food is the quickest way to gain a kitty's trust. Please put something out for the poor little thing. Canned food is always a good choice, and water, too. If it's a tiny kitten especially, they can become dehydrated quickly. Feed him and love him and you'll have a friend for life. Cats make great pets! :)

Answer 8

Calm yourself down. Think, try to entice the kitten with food. Even if u use some "tools" like a rake or broom to get him out. The idea of this is is GET him out with as little upset as possible. I had terrible animal experiences, but most of all think and stay focused.

Answer 9

If it's a feral cat it's going to be harder, but it can be done. Put food out, don't go near it in the beginning. You have to earn it's trust. It might be a long process....but I've done many times.
Sometimes if they're eating you can pet it....it will probably run, but over time it'll trust you. Most cats like this will be very loving.

Answer 10

It probably has fleas and worms and god only knows what. Why do you have to pay animal control? They trap strays/nuisance animals for free, that's their job. And they'll deworm, de-flea and adopt the thing out (IF it's healthy).
Call animal control asap--stray cats are a real problem and you only contribute to it if you feed the thing (and any others that decide to hang out at your feeding porch)!