Our elderly neighbor who lives across the street from us fell and broke her hip, so she went from a nursing home to her daughter's house to recuperate. She was gone for almost six months, and while she was gone a brood of feral cats moved in to her back yard and took up residence. 1 male, 1 female and 4 kittens. They were beyond socialization. So I got a trap from the Humane Society and managed to trap and remove all but the adult male. Do you think he will move on, or will he stay and attract more feral cats? I figured we got all the kittens who were just about at the age to start mating themselves, and the Momma cat who could get preggers again anytime. What do you think about the dominate male cat? He was very smart and he must have had some "cat sense" because no matter what we baited the trap with, he wouldn't go in. We acutally saw him digging underneath the trap where you put the bait, and scooping out the food with his paws.
2007-10-17 04:31:34 · 5 answers · asked by tonine 1 in Pets ➔ Cats
He should move on. Even in my experience that tame male cats will go out and find a female cat somewhere else and leave his loving home.
2007-10-17 04:38:02 · answer #1 · answered by jen 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I think whether he moves on or stays really depends on whether or not there are any more un-altered females in your neighborhood.
Un-altered males can sense the smell of a female in heat from about a mile away, if he smells a female in heat he will go to her; depending on how far away she is he may bring he back and start anew or he may take her somewhere else to inhabit.
If one of your unlucky neighbors has a female in-heat inside the house then they may find that this adult male will stalk the house looking for a way to get in.
If there are no females in heat that he can smell from where he is, then he will eventually leave the plot of land in search of a mate.
Un-altered male cats are driven by the need to mate and the need to hunt; whereas an altered cat would only feel the need to hunt.
Personally, I would continue to try any method possible (maybe a different type of live trap, since there are several versions manufactured) to catch this cat. Even if he does move on, he'll continue to reproduce and it can become a plague on your entire neighborhood. Think about it: if he finds a female to reproduce with they may have 5 to10 babies that are all capable of reproducing within the year, how long would it be before your yard was a rest-site for his children or grandchildren?
All the same, catching the others for your neighbor is very kind and considerate of you; you did well by removing a female and her young from a situation that could have only ended in more unwanted feral cat litters.
2007-10-17 05:00:46 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well it seems you are in a very sticky situation. First off I think you are supposed to have a license for those traps since you really can't just put them any where you want. She also would have to have asked the person she rented the property from for permission to put the traps down and she would have to have had a good reason to do so. So yes she could be forced to remove the traps if you appeal to the right person, most likely the land owner or pet control/police.
2016-05-23 04:06:50 · answer #3 · answered by meredith 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Some cats get trap-smart and become tough to trap. But there's a 50-50 chance he'll move on or else another female will find him. Either way, he'll continue to breed and result in tons more feral kittens who will end up with a horrible fate. I'd keep feeding him and try regularly to trap him. Eventually you might get him.
2007-10-17 04:39:27 · answer #4 · answered by ? 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
He'll move on to where the food and females are.
I hope your neighbor feels better!
2007-10-17 04:41:12 · answer #5 · answered by Tigger 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋