Cat Traps - Using Live Traps to Eliminate Wild and Feral Cats

The idea of setting cat traps may seem alien right now as everyone sees cats as cute, cuddly and part of the family. However, in an apocalyptic scenario, feral cats will represent a threat to your food supplies and health. It's highly likely that many cat owners will let their pets loose on the streets to save food for their family and these animals will be looking for quick and easy food sources such as your carefully nurtured poultry and other small food animals.

Why Trapping

In a situation where tame cats have been released into the wild, it may seem like a strange idea to trap these animals rather than shooting or ignoring them. The main reasons for using cat traps is that it's a more humane approach.

Shooting or otherwise killing them out in the open means that you'll attract all sorts of unwanted predators while ignoring them won't make the problem go away and all you're doing is kicking the can down the road. Trapping means you can decide what to do with the cat at your own leisure.

Types of Cat Traps

You need to treat feral cats in the same way that you would treat any other wild animal. They will be extremely nervous of human contact and smells and will react negatively to being imprisoned for any length of time. The type of cat traps that you use will depend on where the cats are and the resources you have available. The most popular cat traps are:

• Steel traps - these look like cages from the outside and are by far and away the most secure way of trapping feral cats. They will be almost impossible to break apart, even for the biggest most vicious cat, and they are easy to set. They use a simple trigger mechanism underneath the entrance to the trap which will close the door after the cat has entered. The only disadvantage of steel traps is that you'll need to buy it ahead of time and it will take up valuable storage space.
  
• Pits - using a small pit to trap feral cats is a much more realistic way of getting rid of your feline problem in a scenario where you might not have stores selling traps and bait. You'll need to dig the hole fairly deep so that the cats can't escape, and it can often be a good idea to cover the sides in hard plastic to stop the cats climbing out. Be sure to put the pit in a place where the cat visits often and cover it with leaves and then food to make it successful.
  
• Snares - a snare will probably be your last resort as there is always the possibility that the animal will get hurt or even killed by a badly set snare. You will want to set snares that will catch the cat by the feet as a neck noose has the potential to strangle.
  

Once you've chosen the traps, you'll also need to put aside some supplies to help you deal with the captured cat.

A strong pair of gloves for handling will help to protect you, possibly some eye protection and a large thick towel to wrap the animal in, to stop it from clawing at you, while you move it from cage to cage.

A hungry cat will be a vicious cat and the last thing you want is to risk being bitten or scratched as you can't be sure if the animal is carrying any sort of disease. Also watch your face and eyes while handling a feral cat. Finally, think about what you're going to do with the cat once it's been captured.

In a survival situation, where you are dependent upon the food that you raise, cats will be just as dangerous to your chickens and other poultry as racoons, opossums, weasels and other wild critters.

You wouldn’t think of keeping a weasel as a pet, therefore you are probably going to have to come to the conclusion that any feral cats you capture are not going to be released. Instead, humanely dispose of and then bury any creatures caught in your cat traps.

Return from Cat Traps to SHTF Survival