Need help getting feral caught cat to eat

[.........]

So our place is overrun with feral cats ... we decided to set a humane trap up since

CLUE: Disturbing and sad

our neighbor wants to get rid of them by either shooting them or trapping + putting them down .. he has already shot one I don't think he will shoot again because both us and his other neighbors said not to but can't take that risk

We just set up the trap the night before yesterday, we had a cat in the morning. Sweet black boy with green eyes and a white bib.
He's currently in a spacious dog carrier with cut up steak and water. Seems a lot more content in there.
He ate the food inside the trap which was quite a lot , but has yet to eat any more despite us offering him today.
I'm concerned he is (understandably) too terrified to eat and I don't want him starved. Is there anything else cats love we could offer? Is it likely he's just full?

 

[expressmailtome]

Have you tried a can of cat food?

 

[.........]

That's the one thing I didn't try, I'll offer him that

 

[Zara]

I find that the strays around here like cat food tins and tuna (the one that comes in water not oil)

 

[Mizzely]

Make sure he's somewhere "safe". Like it might sound cruel but a small dark room or even a closet with a night light might make him more likely to eat right now. Someplace without a lot of foot traffic.

 

[.........]

Make sure he's somewhere "safe". Like it might sound cruel but a small dark room or even a closet with a night light might make him more likely to eat right now. Someplace without a lot of foot traffic.

Yeah, we moved him to smaller room that was pretty dark last night and he ate some food

 

[Wardy]

If the cat is feral you really shouldnt take it into your house they can carry disease that is deadly to humans google Toxoplasmosis they can carry rabies and flea born typhus amongs other things.

I dont agree with your neighbour shooting then at all but taking them into your home is a health threat to you and your family and your birds

 

[.........]

If the cat is feral you really shouldnt take it into your house they can carry disease that is deadly to humans google Toxoplasmosis they can carry rabies and flea born typhus amongs other things.

I dont agree with your neighbour shooting then at all but taking them into your home is a health threat to you and your family and your birds

I appreciate the concern. We know the risks. No he is not in the same house as us or birds (just a house-like shed we don't use)and we take measures to keep sanitary, always need to change all clothes and have washed hands before in contact with birds or family.

 

[Shezbug]

If the cat is feral you really shouldnt take it into your house they can carry disease that is deadly to humans google Toxoplasmosis they can carry rabies and flea born typhus amongs other things.

I dont agree with your neighbour shooting then at all but taking them into your home is a health threat to you and your family and your birds

I was of the belief that all cats can or do carry toxoplasmosis, I remember my Drs telling me to throw my cats outdoors when I was pregnant because of toxoplasmosis.

Tbh with the limited experience I’ve had with true feral cats, I personally think keeping a feral cat indoors or contained in any way whatsoever is cruel as it will be extremely stressful to it. I’d be opting for humane euthanasia if it were me.

 

[Wardy]

I was of the belief that all cats can or do carry toxoplasmosis

It is much more common in cats that eat raw food and hunt for food so if you have a pet cat that that has a bowl of cat food it might hunt kill a bird or a rodent but not eat it a feral cat would definately hunt and eat its kill

 

[Wardy]

imo if you want the feral cat to eat let it go and it will eat

nature is a cruel thing and human intervention often causes a unbalance or is cruel as is causes a huge amount of distress to the animal

 

[.........]

If he refuses to eat or does not settle down soon, I will release him. I have hope as we have successfully tamed feral cats before and IMO gave them a better life than leaving it feral, but I know all animals are different.

Cats are not a natural thing to nature here, they live off of people scraps, birds, bugs, whatever they can find. It's not uncommon to come across a wild cat that was starved to death on my place. We used to have a feral cat that had been caught

CLUE: Disturbing

in a bear trap type device, and all the flesh has been stripped off on leg. It dragged the leg behind it and lived off of the maggots and flies that ate the rest of it's leg

until we caught it and took it to the vet, it was neutered and had to have the leg amputated but then lived a happy 1 year life before being put down from organ failure that the vet said was likely due to being starved as a kitten. He was a sweet cat and I personally think he had more pleasure from being tamed than trauma from being caught. If I can prevent this animal from being trapped or shot and give it a good domestic life with someone I would probably prefer that. But again, read first sentences of my post.
I don't want to argue and appreciate everyone's concerns and help, so if @Staff member could close this thread for further replies it would be appreciated