Tricks of the Trade

 After 20+ years of trapping feral cats, one would hope that we have some tricks up our sleeve and in fact, we do.  One of those is our "Scouting Camera" which Sherry, our Trapping Coordinator always has in use to scout out various trapping locations when we're having difficulties discerning when a hard to trap cat is actually coming to the food bowl, whether or not a cat we haven't seen in a while is still there, or simply to monitor what is happening at a colony site.  The motion activated camera is mounted on a tree, fencepost, side of a building - whatever is available - and pointed in the direction of the feeding station.  Then it is set and left there to go to work.  Sherry programs it so that when it detects motion, a series of three shots are taken.  The next day, Sherry retrieves the camera and views the results.  It's pretty entertaining to review the pictures taken of the cats, racoons, oppossom, skunks, etc., but also helps us to gain the information necessary for our trapping and monitoring efforts to be successful.  Here are some pics from our most recent "stake out".

The camera shows that at 8:03am, all three cats are there at the food bowl.

At 8:05 a.m. one has had his fill.

And, at 8:06, the last hold out is licking up the few remaining bits of wet food. 
This is the girl we've been trying to trap for over a year.

At 1:27pm, somebody had come and gone.

At 8:30pm the racoon gets his meal!

And is joined by a friend.....

Other tricks of the trade would include our drop trap, string trap, feeding station trap, and acrylic trap door.

Meow for now,

Jennifer