Best Cat Trap Bait
Catching a feral or stray cat can be challenging. Having the best cat trap bait can make trapping a difficult cat much easier!
If you can establish a feeding routine with the cat before you trap, then you can likely use the same food for the cat trap bait. If you are trapping a feral cat you haven’t fed before, here are a few of the most enticing foods you can use for cat trap bait.
Foods Irresistible To Cats
We recommend using high-quality, natural, organic food as much as possible, whether you are catching domestic cats or feral cats.
- Sardines, sardine oil, or cat food sardines
- Canned tuna
- Cooked turkey
- Cooked chicken
- Strong-smelling broth – Drip that chicken or turkey broth as a food trail!
- Wet food or canned cat food – The inexpensive stuff is designed to smell and taste good to cats (although not very nutritious).
- Jarred baby food – Look for natural cat flavors with limited ingredients and preservatives. Here’s some help from Hepper!
- Dry food – While not as smelly as wet food, a fish or chicken flavor kibble can be worth a try.
- Fresh catnip – Smear fresh catnip because some cats love the smell!
Bait Placement Tips
Many trappers like to make a food trail leading up and inside the trap door.
Place about one tablespoon of smelly food bait in a food tray at the back of the trap, behind the trip plate. The smell could be enough to entice all the cats and all sorts of wildlife.
Make sure the bait is behind the trigger plate, and use a food tray small enough that it won’t get stuck underneath the trap plate. Here’s a list of our recommended cat traps.
If you have been feeding the cats food, you might need to withhold food for that particular cat to ensure they are hungry enough to brave the trap. Most cats eat often because other cat owners feed outdoor kitties.
Don’t use too much food if the cat is going for TNR or surgery, which should be done on an empty stomach. If you have a trap divider, you can remove the food from the trapped cat trap.
If your best bait isn’t working, you can always try a laser pointer to trap cats by getting the cat’s attention inside the trap!
