Amber, actually we never use or wear gloves or any protective gear, and have
caught and fixed hundreds of ferals over the past ten years. We use traps
that are made locally and cost us only $25 - they are about three feet long
and 12 inches square, a good size that isn't too intimidating to a cat (they
often won't go into a small trap because of the small opening). We
immediately cover the trap with a heavy towel or blanket as soon as the cat
trips it and is caught, and usually put them in the trunk of the car (not if
it's a hot weather, of course - but we're usually doing it at night, when
it's cool) or in the back of my van. They either go straight to the vet or
overnight on Joyce's porch, still in the covered trap. They all calm down
once you cover them. So long as you are careful when carrying the trap, they
can't get us when in the trap and we don't try to handle them - we just let
the vet do it. However, if we do want to transfer them to a large pet taxi
for their comfort (if we can't get them to vet immediately, for example, for
lack of appointments) we take them into Joyce bathroom and line the pet taxi
up with the front of the trap. We have a towel or bed and litterbox all
ready in the taxi, open the door wide and push the trap and taxi together.
>From the side, we use a stick to push down the prongs of the trap and lift
the door, using the stick to keep the door up. The cat usually will go into
the darker pet taxi, but if not we give it a little prod with a stick or
spritz it with water and in it goes. Then we slide a sheet of poster board
or foam core board or anything similar between the open taxi and the trap,
flush up against the door opening of the taxi. As we move the trap away,
holding the cardboard sheet against the taxi opening, we quickly close the
taxi door flush up against the cardboard, then slide out the cardboard and
latch the door. This way the cat can't escape during the transfer, but we
don't have to touch it and risk getting scratched or bitten.
