How to Rescue a Cat Under a House
Perhaps your neighbor's cat has sought shelter beneath your floor. Maybe your own cat wanted a taste of the outdoors and found the one opening next to the air conditioner. Or perhaps a stray cat wandered into your yard and decided that his new home is under yours. Whatever the reason, cats find their way underneath houses and cannot be allowed to stay there--for your sanity and their safety. Rescuing cats from under houses can be done safely and humanely, and better yet, more simply than you may think.
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Instructions
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Examine the area around your house to determine where the cat went under your house. Once you have determined the point of entrance, you can begin to work on getting the cat out.
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Sit next to the point of entrance and call the cat to entice him to come out. Understand that this technique may take a while if the cat is scared or hiding, so be patient and don't give up if the cat does not come out on the first try. This technique may or may not work on a cat that you are not familiar with (such as stray or lost cats).
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Place food at the point of entrance, on the outside of the house. Use a food with a strong odor such as tuna, canned cat food or sardines. The strong odor of the food may tempt the cat to come out from under the house.
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Set up a humane trap (such as Havahart traps) to catch the cat for easy removal from under the house. These traps are baited with the same types of foods you used to entice the cat from under the house. Once the cat slips inside for the food, the door closes, locking the cat inside until you remove the trap from under the floor. Be certain to check the trap often so that you can free the cat as quickly as possible. Once inside the trap, bring the cat home or to a shelter.
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Tips & Warnings
Remember that the cat may have gone under your house out of fear, or may become scared and disoriented once under your home. This may make the cat harder to lure out of his hiding place, but be patient and keep trying.
After you've removed the cat from under your home, make sure to seal the point of entrance to prevent the problem from occurring again.
Prompt removal of a cat from beneath your home is imperative, as prolonged periods under a house can result in the death of the cat.
If you are unfamiliar with the cat under your home, be careful when trying to rescue or handle it. If you are unfamiliar with the cat, it may be best not to try and handle the cat at all and simply set the humane trap.
If you suspect that the cat under your home is feral, injured, or otherwise disabled, contact animal control and let the professionals take care of safely handling the animal.
