Catch and Release

Last night J and I set the have-a-heart trap up with the food in there.  I told J that the cat isn't going to fall for it.  I was almost right.  The cat walked around the trap, sniffed at the food, then sat down and cleaned itself all in front of the door.

But the cat did decide to go into the trap and that is where the problems started.

The cat went bat shit crazy.  It was thrashing about in the cage. 

I got the cage into the utility room as fast as possible.  We have a litter box all set up in that room.

I donned thick leather gloves and walked over to the cage where the cat was still thrashing in it.  I let it out.  I don't know if it was in the cage or when the cat was let out that it lost a claw but the blood on the walls was spotted when the cat was bouncing off of them.  Seriously this cat was climbing the walls and bouncing off of everything. 

I left the room amid crashing and hissing noises to let my husband and neighbor, she came over to see the capture, know I let the cat out of the cage and I'm going to let it go outside again.  The cat just could not be contained.

I told them to back off as the cat might escape into the kitchen next.  They left the kitchen and I closed the door after them and opened up the patio screen door.  I was able to get into the laundry room again where the blood was a bit more plentiful now.  The cat didn't harm me.  I got the back door open; the cat jumped up on the washer then to the top of the door and out it.

I never felt so bad about a cat before.  I prayed to God that the cat will heal and forgive me for trying to bring it inside.  I didn't want to trap the cat.  I figured with more time I might have a chance of bringing it inside.

I cleaned up the blood in the utility room along with two pieces of a claw that the cat lost.

  Shortly before midnight I brought them back in the food bowls, wrapping up the soft food to put it in the fridge.  Hopefully the cat isn't too hurt.  I know that torn claws could get infected which makes me feel even worse thinking about it.  Maybe tonight the cat will come back for food. 

I'll have to start over with square one with this cat.  It will be months before it will trust me again and I hate that I even had that damn trap set up.  J feels bad for even suggesting that we get a trap for it.  Hoping the stray can forgive me.

What I have learned that even though this cat is a stray it made no attempt to lunge at me or hurt me in any way.  The cat just wanted out of the house.  Maybe if I had a tranquilizer dart I could have contained the cat but I can't be cruel and I feel as though I was just that last night by trapping it.