As soon as kittens are weaned from their mother’s milk and out walking around on their own they are ready to be trapped. This can be as early as 5 – 6 weeks old.
TNR Chicago | Trap Neuter Return Information & Education
Educating The Community About Feral Cats And Trap Neuter Return Programs
faq
Common questions answered about Feral Cats and Trap Neuter Return.
What can I do about a feral cat that will not go into a trap?
Some feral cats are very trap savvy. Some even eat in the trap without triggering the trip plate. All you can do is be persistent. If you have been trying to trap for a while without success, you might want to take a week off and then start over by getting the cat used to eating in the [...]
What if I trap a lactating queen (nursing mom cat)?
If a lactating female is trapped, the caregiver should check the area for kittens. If kittens are located, you can capture them by placing the trapped mother cat next to another baited trap. Some very young kittens can be caught without a trap, but they are often still too wild to be handled easily. It may be possible [...]
What happens if I trap my neighbor’s cat?
If you happen to trap a neighbor’s cat which is not sterilized, you will need to consider whether to spay/neuter him. Our advice is to talk to your neighbor and explain what you are doing and why you want to sterilize the cat. You can also add that by letting the cat outside that they are violating [...]
Should I trap a pregnant cat?
Yes, we recommend trapping and spaying pregnant cats. Animal Care and Control euthanizes more feral kittens than any other animals and we are flooded with kitten admission requests throughout the year. Female kittens may start to mate as young as four months of age, and the queens may start to mate again about 8-10 weeks after delivery. [...]