This beautiful black cat has been evading capture for over a year. I finally caught it with a can of sardines. When not actively trapping, I would leave the trap open with a can of sardines inside. When I came back, the sardines would be gone, so I’d set the trap (I use a pull stick on a string rather than the trap mechanism), and wait. And wait. And wait. It circled five times, with three partial entries before it made the commitment to go for the tin in the back. This was only after our neighbor withheld food in the morning. I’ve used the neutral pronoun because I was convinced at the time of catching that this cat was male. Nope. The TNR papers declared her female, and not pregnant.

I did not get the unfixed calico also evading the trap. I’m going to have to get more creative with that one.

I have learned that listening to audio books during stake out helps pass the time. I use headphones so the sound doesn’t carry. If I do any crafty thing, they see my movement in the car and shy away.