Where to Set Up Your Humane Cat Trap

When I do lost cat phone consultations, people often tell me that they have a trap, but they just don’t know where to put it.  Or they send me photos of their trap set-up and it is just a naked trap sitting out on their lawn. 

Do not place the trap in an open area such as the middle of your lawn.  Indoor cats prefer to stay under cover.  Try to blend the trap into the environment so that it isn’t too obvious.  Most cats will enter a trap that is only lightly camouflaged but hiding the trap can prevent it from being disturbed by curious people. 

Some good locations to place a trap:

• Near the point of escape or place last seen
• Alongside a house or building and possibly behind bushes
• Under a deck/porch
• In an open garage, preferably along a wall 
• Near the edge of woods, especially with dense undergrowth
• Alongside or inside a shed, especially one with space underneath for hiding
• If you saw your cat run away before disappearing, the point last seen is another good location

If you don’t know how your cat got outside, then try a trap at one or two of these locations.  Consider locations where you can more easily monitor the trap and/or check it every few hours.  If possible, you want to limit the amount of times you have to go outside to check traps because you may scare your cat. 

Traps placed on porches, in garages or basements MIGHT catch less wildlife, especially in rural areas.  In suburban areas raccoons and other critters may be more comfortable entering buildings.  If you place a trap in a building, you also don’t have to worry as much about protecting trapped animals from rain, wind or snow.

If Your Cat Escaped Out an Open Door

For an escaped indoor-only cat, the best location is near the point of escape.  A surprising number of escaped indoor cats will return to the door where they escaped, but they usually do not meow or let you know that they are there. 

• If your cat got out a ground-level door, then place the trap alongside the house and near the door. 
• If your cat got out onto a porch or deck, then you may want to place the trap underneath or somewhere nearby on ground level.  Some cats will come back onto the porch/deck, but others are too frightened to do so. 
• If your cat got out into a garage, then preferably leave the garage door open (at least one foot) and place the trap near the door into the house or along a wall in the garage.  Otherwise, place the trap outside near the likely point of escape from the garage. 
• If you are unsure how your cat got outside, then select the most likely exit.  Better yet, get two traps and place one at each entrance. 
•  If you have a second trap, then place that one either inside the garage, near another entrance into the house or along the edge of your yard, especially if there is dense vegetation for your cat to hide

If Your Cat Escaped or Fell Out of a Window

If your cat escaped or fell out of a window, they are less likely to return to the exact point of escape.  This is especially true if the window is on the second story or higher.  Fortunately, most cats that fall out of windows are not injured. 

• If your cat jumped out a window, then place the trap alongside the house below the window.
• If your cat fell or jumped out of a window two or more stories up, then they are less likely to return to that exact location.  Instead place the trap outside a door nearby. 
•  If you have a second trap, then place that one either inside the garage, near another entrance into the house or along the edge of your yard, especially if there is dense vegetation for your cat to hide.

Condos and apartment buildings often present challenges when trapping.  If you are in the middle of a condo or apartment complex with lots of open lawns or concrete and few hiding spots, your cat is less likely to return to the point of escape.  If possible, I would still recommend trying a trap near the point of escape.  

A good location for a second trap is near the closest good cover such as dense vegetation or a deck/shed with space underneath. However, if you cannot monitor the trap closely and/or there are lots of wildlife in the area, you may want to start with surveillance to verify the location of your cat before using a trap (see Surveillance).  Cats in these locations are often found farther away though still usually within ¼ mile

If Your Cat Went Missing Away from Home or While Traveling

If your cat went missing from a location away from home, such as a friend’s house, vacation home, veterinarian’s office, while camping or even out of a vehicle, they may still return close to the point of escape.  If the area is not too exposed (e.g. lots of open lawn or concrete) AND you can adequately monitor the trap, then I would still recommend placing one trap near the point of escape.  If you saw your cat run for a while before disappearing, the point last seen is another good location.