Barn (ok, machine shed) cat questions

[HFJ]

i think i have a shed cat again. i am at the end of a dead end and i believe people come down here to dump animals. the last one that stuck around was too sweet, and became a house cat

this one is feral or close to it. i see it so infrequently, i wasn't sure it was even still here until the snow earlier in the week. so here's my question. i am dealing with a single animal - no fleets like have been posted recently what i DO have, tho, is fleets of raccoons. how do i feed a cat who won't let me near it and not just end up feeding those evil bandits?

 

[old]

i think i have a shed cat again. i am at the end of a dead end and i believe people come down here to dump animals. the last one that stuck around was too sweet, and became a house cat

this one is feral or close to it. i see it so infrequently, i wasn't sure it was even still here until the snow earlier in the week. so here's my question. i am dealing with a single animal - no fleets like have been posted recently what i DO have, tho, is fleets of raccoons. how do i feed a cat who won't let me near it and not just end up feeding those evil bandits?

I use a live trap with food plus feed my barn cats so sooner or later the coons get caught and taken care of and the cats stay around

 

[EFV]

Take advantage of cat's agility and balance, make path to feeder strong enough to support cat but not a raccoon.
Make the raccoons a star in their own Indiana Jones adventure. Like the live trap idea too.

 

[HFJ]

I use a live trap with food plus feed my barn cats so sooner or later the coons get caught and taken care of and the cats stay around

i've never been able to catch a coon in a live trap. been trying for 30 years +

EFV said: Take advantage of cat's agility and balance, make path to feeder strong enough to support cat but not a raccoon.

these coons easily climb into the rafters
edit: i've lost track of the number of robin nests they've pillaged

 

[Fritz Maurer]

I have a garage with an overhead door. I close the door down on two 4x4s when laid end to end are not quite as wide as the door, leaving maybe a 6 inch gap, I have not seen a coon in here since I did that, and I know they are here because of their paw prints in the mud. I had no idea it would keep the coons out at the time, I did it because i knew there was kittens out there at the time and I didn’t want mama trapped inside after I fed the cats and locked up. Apparently cats can squeeze through a gap that a full grown coon can’t. If you have a sliding door this will take a little ingenuity.

 

[stevieb49829]

i think i have a shed cat again. i am at the end of a dead end and i believe people come down here to dump animals. the last one that stuck around was too sweet, and became a house cat

this one is feral or close to it. i see it so infrequently, i wasn't sure it was even still here until the snow earlier in the week. so here's my question. i am dealing with a single animal - no fleets like have been posted recently what i DO have, tho, is fleets of raccoons. how do i feed a cat who won't let me near it and not just end up feeding those evil bandits?

I like the sliding cat thing. My shop cat slithers under the garden gate, and it's only 3 inches off the ground.

 

[used red MN]

I wonder if a proper sized hole would allow a cat to pass and not the coon? Remember a cats whiskers is how they judge the size of opening they will pass through. Not sure what will happen when young coons are about. I like the reply by EFV, you could even rig up a catch cage below it with a trip in the bottom to flip a lid shut on top of it. That cage would have to be fairly substantial, a trapped coon is pretty aggressive. And the support for the elevated cat feeding area would need to have a slippery zone to keep the coons from climbing it. The stuff I had in mind is way more spendy than anticipated.
Slick black plastic for poles
My mom has some new linoleum rolls stored in her garage I would give you if you are anywhere near NE Kansas, LOL!

 

[old]

i've never been able to catch a coon in a live trap. been trying for 30 years +



these coons easily climb into the rafters
edit: i've lost track of the number of robin nests they've pillaged

I've caught a good many coons in live traps and that was the last time it ever got into a trap because Scout takes care of it after I open the trap I bait the trap with cat food in the same area I feed my outdoor cats

 

[jddrawbar]

i've never been able to catch a coon in a live trap. been trying for 30 years +



these coons easily climb into the rafters
edit: i've lost track of the number of robin nests they've pillaged

Never been able to catch a coon in a live trap.....really? I've caught literally hundreds. I don't take any pleasure doing it, but they are just so destructive you do what you have to. Wet cat food or tuna, just a small amount and they can't resist. My go to trap is an old homemade, but the larger trap at TSC will work.

 

[SweetFeet]

Never been able to catch a coon in a live trap.....really? I've caught literally hundreds. I don't take any pleasure doing it, but they are just so destructive you do what you have to. Wet cat food or tuna, just a small amount and they can't resist. My go to trap is an old homemade, but the larger trap at TSC will work.

i've never been able to catch a coon in a live trap. been trying for 30 years +



these coons easily climb into the rafters
edit: i've lost track of the number of robin nests they've pillaged

Racoons also love day-old donuts... for real.

 

[HFJ]

Never been able to catch a coon in a live trap.....really? I've caught literally hundreds. I don't take any pleasure doing it, but they are just so destructive you do what you have to. Wet cat food or tuna, just a small amount and they can't resist. My go to trap is an old homemade, but the larger trap at TSC will work.

i thought the trap was big enough, but i don't know. i do know i caught more birds than anything

 

[HFJ]

Racoons also love day-old donuts... for real.

i think they like anything that can't outrun them and they can swallow.

 

[HFJ]

I have a garage with an overhead door. I close the door down on two 4x4s when laid end to end are not quite as wide as the door, leaving maybe a 6 inch gap, I have not seen a coon in here since I did that, and I know they are here because of their paw prints in the mud. I had no idea it would keep the coons out at the time, I did it because i knew there was kittens out there at the time and I didn’t want mama trapped inside after I fed the cats and locked up. Apparently cats can squeeze through a gap that a full grown coon can’t. If you have a sliding door this will take a little ingenuity.

sadly, fritz, my pole barn needs several more inches of gravel in it. until then, i have 140 feet to block

the garage is even worse lol. it's out of a tim burton movie.

 

[Fritz Maurer]

sadly, fritz, my pole barn needs several more inches of gravel in it. until then, i have 140 feet to block

the garage is even worse lol. it's out of a tim burton movie.

You could also take a discarded beverage cooler , remove the lid and cut a small opening at one end and put it upside down over the food. Put a couple 8” blocks on top so Rocky can’t push it out of the way.

 

[RedMF40]

The raccoons are nocturnal. I have one that comes on the porch at night and finishes off the cat food that's left over. I'd suggest getting the cat used to finding food first thing in the morning, then just before sundown. If you feed it only at those times, I THINK he'll find it before the raccoon does.

 

[tomturkey]

put the food out promptly in the morning take it in when your done for the day. Cat will figure it out while ringtail sleeps....gobble

 

[parisspringstom]

i think i have a shed cat again. i am at the end of a dead end and i believe people come down here to dump animals. the last one that stuck around was too sweet, and became a house cat

this one is feral or close to it. i see it so infrequently, i wasn't sure it was even still here until the snow earlier in the week. so here's my question. i am dealing with a single animal - no fleets like have been posted recently what i DO have, tho, is fleets of raccoons. how do i feed a cat who won't let me near it and not just end up feeding those evil bandits?

Use coon coffs. Bait with cat food mixed with pancake syrup. Works to protect corn in our garden.

 

[DoubleR]

Use coon coffs. Bait with cat food mixed with pancake syrup. Works to protect corn in our garden.

I put the cat food out in the morning and put it away later in the pm. I'm in and out of the barn 3-4 times a day caring for livestock so not a big deal for me. Plus it makes me feel important when the cats come out to greet me in the morning on my way to the barn

 

[Handyman]

A four inch hole will let a cat pass but will frustrate a trash panda to no end, had one drag an extension cord out through the hole and chewed on it, it was plugged in at the time and I think it got a charge out of it because I saw no sign of them for a week.

 

[Pipestem]

Never been able to catch a coon in a live trap.....really? I've caught literally hundreds. I don't take any pleasure doing it, but they are just so destructive you do what you have to. Wet cat food or tuna, just a small amount and they can't resist. My go to trap is an old homemade, but the larger trap at TSC will work.

If you don’t want to catch cats in your coon trap try some grape jelly on a cookie. I’ve caught scores of them this way and never a cat. An occasional possum but never a cat. They have quite a sweet tooth.