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How do you catch a cat?


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Tuna, even the suggestion of the possibility of tuna, used to bring both my cats at a gallop. To clarify, even an EMPTY tuna can, placed on the floor would have them battling over which one got to lick it so vigorously that it would travel all over the kitchen. WARNING. If you don't get the can off the kitchen counter immediately, you'll have the cats on the counter. :blink:

Just an FYI - over the long term, tuna is actually quite bad for cats and can lead to serious urinary tract problems. I used to feed my cats tuna as a treat before a vet mentioned this to me and some subsequent research confirmed it. I have no idea why this warning isn't more commonly given to cat owners. Off the top of my head, I can't remember if it's the mercury content or the magnesium content or both.

As an alternative, try a little cheese. Most cats like it.

If I have to give my cat a pill, I always hide it in a big gob of cream cheese.

As far as catching the kittens goes, in my experience you're just going to have to build up their trust. If you trap one and not the other, I have a feeling you'll never see the other again. Go out to where they are, don't get too close, hold out some cat treats (like Whiska Lickings or something) and stay very, very still. Wait for them to approach you. The first time they probably won't come towards you at all, but they'll watch you. The second time you go out they may or may not come about 1/10 of the way towards you. The time after that they may come halfway. The next time they'll be eating out of your hand. Once that's happened, they'll follow you home.

At least, that's the sort of experience I've had.

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Tuna, even the suggestion of the possibility of tuna, used to bring both my cats at a gallop.  To clarify, even an EMPTY tuna can, placed on the floor would have them battling over which one got to lick it so vigorously that it would travel all over the kitchen.    WARNING.  If you don't get the can off the kitchen counter immediately, you'll have the cats on the counter. :blink:

Just an FYI - over the long term, tuna is actually quite bad for cats and can lead to serious urinary tract problems. I used to feed my cats tuna as a treat before a vet mentioned this to me and some subsequent research confirmed it. I have no idea why this warning isn't more commonly given to cat owners. Off the top of my head, I can't remember if it's the mercury content or the magnesium content or both.

As an alternative, try a little cheese. Most cats like it.

If I have to give my cat a pill, I always hide it in a big gob of cream cheese.

As far as catching the kittens goes, in my experience you're just going to have to build up their trust. If you trap one and not the other, I have a feeling you'll never see the other again. Go out to where they are, don't get too close, hold out some cat treats (like Whiska Lickings or something) and stay very, very still. Wait for them to approach you. The first time they probably won't come towards you at all, but they'll watch you. The second time you go out they may or may not come about 1/10 of the way towards you. The time after that they may come halfway. The next time they'll be eating out of your hand. Once that's happened, they'll follow you home.

At least, that's the sort of experience I've had.

You're right about not feeding tuna to a cat on a regular basis. But, I was talking about an empty tuna container, with pretty well just the smell still there. My cats would lick the inside, forever, apparently thinking that there must be tuna in there somewhere.

I wanted to mention that trapping more than one cat is almost impossible. Once they see that their compadre is gone, never to be seen again, having entered the seemingly harmless box with the treat in it, they won't come near it.

Need I remind you, THEY ARE NOT DOGS.;) Cats are independant, smart creatures and are seldom fooled the way that some other animals are. :blink:

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