I feed my outside cats by a door of my house, since I can't do it in an outbuilding due to a disability. I try to bring the food in early, but a possum has come to join them for supper. Ugly critters! I want to put a live trap out there, but what do I bait it with that the cats aren't attracted to? My stupid cats end up sitting in there looking foolish. Any suggestions?

-- Ardie Storch (a6203@hotmail.com), August 31, 2000

Answers

According to "Successful Trapping Methods" a cut up fresh apple will work.

-- Ken S. in TN (scharabo@aol.com), August 31, 2000.

I was baiting a havaheart trap to catch a woodchuck and caught a possum instead. I put those sweet baby carrots and some lettuce as bait. I put a trail of them leading to the trap and then put a few inside the trap and then some more way back on the foot release lever. This worked for me even though I wasn't trying to trap a possum.

-- Colleen (pyramidgreatdanes@erols.com), August 31, 2000.

The apple will work but if you want your cats to never go in a Hav-a- heart trap again, hose them down real good while they are sitting there looking foolish. Cats don't like to get wet and usually will not go back in again after that doushing

-- Dee (gdgtur@goes.com), August 31, 2000.

Hmmm. The cats I have known don't like the person who does such things to them either, and so avoid that person!

-- Joy Froelich (dragnfly@chorus.net), September 01, 2000.

Could you hose them (the cats) from a window where they couldn't see you, or set up some kind of a remote control system? (The inventions we come up with!!)

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), September 02, 2000.

set the trap, so some kind of digging will have to be done by the animal, the possum will dig, cats wont, unless they are REAL hungary or curious

-- Stan (sopal@net-port.com), September 02, 2000.

Any chance of bringing the cats in ? My cats will eat fruit and veggies !

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), September 02, 2000.

Hey, Don't worry about your cats getting in the trap. They will not do that but once. If left for a little while then released they will not go back into the trap again. I have been in Animal Control work for years and if a cat gets out of a cage trap it is almost impossible to catch it again. As far as bait apples or any other fruit work great.

-- steve (steve31g@excite.com), September 05, 2000.

I want to thank everyone for the marvelous response. You've not only helped me, but my daughter too. Now, if only I had some cats with intelligence! Oh, the same cat has been in the cage three times, but then, he is very slow!

-- Ardie Storch (a6203@hotmail.com), September 05, 2000.

Ardie, send your cat to the Animal Control school that Steve went to so he'll learn to stay out of the trap. LOL

-- Colleen (pyramidgreatdanes@erols.com), September 06, 2000.