Kangaroo Island Cat Control Committee

Trapped Cat

A light grey female, 2.07kg, not lactating, but probably the mother of a juvenile male trapped within 30m 48hrs later. The trap was pushed in under some brushy scrub, and had been re-baited twice. The trap was one of 3 set between the farm house and the Hog Bay Road, and within easy striking range of free-range poultry. The trap location has yielded previous success, though the percentage of feral cats caught for the number of nights traps are set is well under 10%. The literature suggests 3-7% and may be based on long-term trapping programmes.

Persistence is the key to success, as are sightings of feral cats which are phoned through to Kangaroo Island's renowned feral cat trapper, Barry Green who can spot-target previously sighted feral cats (most commonly observed eating road-kill between 1 and 7 nights. His percentages are much higher.