# Any ideas on borrowing traps for free?



## Venusworld21 (Oct 23, 2012)

My local shelter rents out traps, but the guy I'm trapping/transporting for is low income and can't afford rentals. Any ideas on where I might be able to borrow some live traps? Looking for up to 6 but would take whatever I could get.

I'm in Olympia, Washington area but would be willing to drive a little to borrow some.


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## erinyaap (Aug 19, 2014)

I think MEOW will let you borrow them. They are in Kirkland though so it is a bit of a drive.


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

Venus, is there a cat only rescue near you?
We have one, that will loan traps, free, and if there's enough cats, will even volunteer to help trap!
Sharon


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## Venusworld21 (Oct 23, 2012)

The only one I can think of offhand is based out of Mason county and since this property isn't in the same county I don't know if that will work. I will contact them though. Thanks!


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## erinyaap (Aug 19, 2014)

MEOW is almost exclusively cats. I know they have traps other people use, I'm just not sure if they are rented or loaned. I think they just loan them.


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## Venusworld21 (Oct 23, 2012)

Thanks!


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

If you can afford it why not go to Home Depot or Lowes and buy one? By the time you drive a ways and spend money on gas, you would cover the cost. They had them at Tractor Supply here for $25 a couple weeks ago.


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## dt8thd (Jan 7, 2013)

Marcia said:


> If you can afford it why not go to Home Depot or Lowes and buy one? By the time you drive a ways and spend money on gas, you would cover the cost. They had them at Tractor Supply here for $25 a couple weeks ago.


Wait, what? $25?! :-o That's insanely cheap! My "fancy" 2-door Tomahawk TNR traps set me back about $120 CND each. Granted, I pay a lot more because they're manufactured in the US and are really expensive to import, even for suppliers, but even if I were to drive to Wisconsin and buy direct from Tomahawk, the model I have would still cost about $65 (I have family in Wisconsin, so I have actually looked into the possibility of doing this).

Marcia, were the traps you saw specifically cat traps or were they non-specific traps intended for raccoons, and opossums, and other similar sized critters? Humane live traps intended for wildlife are typically a bit cheaper, and they can be used for cats, provided that you buy the appropriate trap and set them up properly; you do sometimes have to modify them a bit to increase your odds of success though--for example, taping cardboard to narrow trip plates to increase their size because, unlike raccoons and opossums, cats will sometimes avoid stepping on the plate and triggering the trap if they can step or lean over it and still reach the food.

Do you happen to remember the brand of trap, Marcia? $25 is a _steal_ if they would work for TNR--especially if they're 2 door traps!


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## dt8thd (Jan 7, 2013)

Venusworld21 said:


> My local shelter rents out traps, but the guy I'm trapping/transporting for is low income and can't afford rentals. Any ideas on where I might be able to borrow some live traps? Looking for up to 6 but would take whatever I could get.
> 
> I'm in Olympia, Washington area but would be willing to drive a little to borrow some.


Have you tried giving F.C.A.T. a call? They operate primarily in King and Pierce Counties, but, according to their website, they do offer support, including traps, to people with colonies outside of these areas; and, according to their FAQ they _do_ lend out traps free of charge! 

Feral Cat Assistance & Trapping dominion is not abuse or neglect

Their contact info is in the "about us" section of the site on the right-hand side of the page.


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

GFA Catch and Release Live Animal Trap, Pack of 2 - Tractor Supply Co.

Non specific traps. 32 inches long so suitable for cats.


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## Venusworld21 (Oct 23, 2012)

Marcia I can probably afford to buy one, but since I need six traps to transport them it's not feasible to buy that many. 

dt9thd, I'll look into that, thanks!


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## dt8thd (Jan 7, 2013)

Marcia said:


> GFA Catch and Release Live Animal Trap, Pack of 2 - Tractor Supply Co.
> 
> Non specific traps. 32 inches long so suitable for cats.



Thanks!  I'll definitely check this out.


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

Google your area for a feed and seed store. They'd be more likely to carry them, or know who would in your area.


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## spirite (Jul 31, 2012)

Ohhhh, Venusworld, does this mean 6 new "fosters" for you?


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## Venusworld21 (Oct 23, 2012)

It would be 7 new fosters, but only for a week. As it turns out, we only caught 3 of the 7, so there's still 4 out there. I'm going to take these three up to be snipped and we'll try again in a few days or a week for the remaining four. We caught two males and a female (mother of the kittens we picked up on Sunday), so that's a start. Still two more females and two more males out there and one of the females we didn't catch looks pretty pregnant, so we may have babies on our hands soon.  


We ended up going in together and buying three more traps ($20 each from harbor freight) so now we have our own trap pool, as it were and we'll just use then for future TNR events.


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## Arvada (Aug 25, 2014)

I would just like to say, that it is very cool that you are willing to help, both for the Kitties involved, as well as for the low income family. I thank you for your kindness, and hope it all works out. Keep up the good work!


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## Venusworld21 (Oct 23, 2012)

The three we caught are snipped and doing well.  They're hanging out in my garage for a few days. We're going to try on Monday for the others and again on wednesday, depending on how we do. After we've done another round of trapping, I'll release the ones we've already snipped. Meanwhile I'm working with them a bit and trying to help mellow them out some. Owner is still super cooperative and fully committed to doing right by the kitties. That always helps.


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

Venus, You ROCK! I'm really glad the owner wanted help and understands the importance of getting them taken care of!
Sharon


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## dt8thd (Jan 7, 2013)

Venusworld21 said:


> The three we caught are snipped and doing well.  They're hanging out in my garage for a few days. We're going to try on Monday for the others and again on wednesday, depending on how we do. After we've done another round of trapping, I'll release the ones we've already snipped. Meanwhile I'm working with them a bit and trying to help mellow them out some. Owner is still super cooperative and fully committed to doing right by the kitties. That always helps.



Great job!  The process is always so much smoother when colony caretakers are cooperative and helpful!


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## deanna79 (Aug 13, 2014)

You can buy the havart 1793 or 1089 collapsible on amazon for about $42 with free shipping.


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