When prevention and deterrents are not enough to keep nuisance animals from causing problems, a live trap cat be issued to you thorough the Sitka Animal Shelter free of charge. If you see an unfamiliar animal in your yard that seems to be lost, don't take any chances. Use one of the live traps available. Do not handle an unfamiliar animal.
The purpose of the live traps is to catch stray, abandoned, nuisance or wild cats, not neighbor's pets.
If you catch a cat that belongs to a neighbor, either release it or returned it to the owner. If the cat is a repeat offender and you recognize it as belonging to your neighbor, you may contact the Animal Control Officer and take it to the Sitka Animal Shelter.
*Sitka General Code 8.04.080 E. Animals, other than dogs, may be considered "objectionable" by a property owner be being on the property owner's property. The property owner may file a complaint and/or may use live traps to capture the animal and have it impounded.
| This is what most of the live traps look like. Each one has a numbered tag on it for tracking. |
Lift the rings on the door of the cage and open the door. At the top of the trap to the left is a metal rod coming toward the door bending in a 90 degree angle. This resets on the bracket attached to the door and keeps the door open. |  |
 | Push on the trip pat at the other end of the trap to adjust the tension. Place the bait at the far end of the trap. Position the trap in such a way that it won't roll, as that will allow the metal rings to fall and allow the animal to escape.Make sure the back end of the trap is locked and secured before transporting the trap with the animal in it to Dr. Bauders Clinic on HPR. |
Any type of canned cat food, canned tuna, fish etc. may be used for bait. Do not use anything that may harm the cat or any other animal that might go into the trap.
When you check out a live trap from the Sitka Animal Shelter, you are ultimately responsible for the trap until it is returned to be made available for the next person who needs it.
