(T)rapped in Habits

I trapped two cats yesterday by recognizing their habits and using those habits as a lure. These cats had been avoiding capture since this fall, so this was a pretty significant win.

Meet Sherbert.
He's considerably more relaxed since this picture was taken
just days ago ... and is currently available for adoption!
His mama is taking a little longer to relax but she's not far behind. :)

How did I do it?

This fall, volunteers had tried to desensitize the cats to the traps by securing them in an "open" position and encouraging the caregivers to feed inside the traps each day. As is so often the case, a cat's will tends to be stronger than that of a caregiver. If a cat chooses to go without food for a day or two rather than enter the trap to eat, the caregiver assumes the cat is starving and they take pity on it, moving the food back outside the trap. That is our working theory for this particular case.

Photo: Indulgy

Caregivers make other simple mistakes as well. They may tie both ends of the trap open, which is not how the traps are going to be used come trapping time. So a cat may be used to going into a trap with two escape hatches ... but on trapping day, when it only sees one opening, its suspicions arise and it doesn't go in the trap. Or, caregivers lack the discipline to start with the food at the entry door and slowly inch it back, day after day, until the cat is clearly comfortable going all the way into the trap for its meal. Or, the caregivers are especially impatient and try to shove the cat into the trap, thereby guaranteeing an absolute aversion to traps for the foreseeable future.

Photo: Barks and Blooms

Another scenario is that the cats are being fed at multiple sites (with all caregivers thinking they are the only caregivers), so they simply never get hungry enough to enter a trap.

I'm still learning this craft, mind you, but my theory is that if you have caregivers unwilling to commit to altering a cat's habit (which can be done), then you as a trapper can still work with what you've got. And then you up the ante.

Photo: I Can Has Cheezeburger

After taking a break from the site, volunteers resumed trapping efforts this week. But two full days of trying yielded no results. I went to the site on the third day to assess the situation and see what we had to work with. The traps had been baited with the cats' normal food. Not a bad strategy. But the cats weren't in the habit of eating out of the traps, and their normal food wasn't incentive enough for them to start trying. And the traps were set up under the covered porch where the cats usually hang out. Good. It's been a little rainy the last few days, so that kept the traps nice and dry. But the openings to the traps were very close to the house and faced the caregivers' patio door, essentially putting them on a stage. Cats don't do wholly unusual things - like go into traps - when they have an audience. They just do cat things like run away, or bathe, or stare at you defiantly.

Photo: FixNation

So I asked the caregiver to point out where the cats normally enter the yard and approach the patio. I moved the traps slightly so that the openings faced the cats' normal direction of travel and allowed them to investigate while "off-display". I then switched out the cat food bait with a stinky mixture of tuna and sardines, since I suspected that they were eating normal cat food elsewhere. Lastly, I saved all the liquid from the fish to drizzle along the kitty paths leading from the gate to the trap openings. Their habit of following the path of least resistance became an extension of my trap ... and it worked. While the older and wiser cat took all day to fall for it, her young one went in within 30 minutes.

Just a couple more steps ...

I connected with little Sherbert and his mama in an effort to help them. As is so often the case in animal work, they have had as much to offer me as I have offered them.

I'm reminded that our bad habits are often made along the path of least resistance. Something is easy or convenient, feels good or offers some sort of instant gratification or reward. These cats found the biggest hole under the gate and it became their entry to the backyard. They selected a direct route to the patio, where comfortable lounge chairs and food awaited them. They followed this route every day, multiple times, until their path was clearly worn.

It's just what they did. And, it's what "did them in" on trapping day.

It's such an easy decision when presented this way.
Photo: RagTag Alive

Our bad habits - the things we just do - are as evident to others as these kitty trails were to me. I don't eat well or exercise regularly right now, and my physical appearance reflects that. A co-worker might have a drug problem which reveals itself in her tardiness, moodiness, and unreliable nature. A friend's secret inner bitterness is belied by his unrelenting complaints about everyone around him.

And we can easily become trapped in our bad habits. It took Sherbert 30 minutes. A cat walks far enough into a set trap, and the trap will automatically be sprung. We keep walking in our habits, and we are trapped as well. But the cat could choose to never enter the trap. And we can choose and control our habits.

Stairs aren't so scary! I can do that ...
Photo: Recovery First

I've read that it takes about 30 days to establish a new, positive habit (or to quit or replace an old, negative one).There's a ton of information out there on how to control our impulses and break bad habits. Here's a general consensus:

• We have to recognize our bad habit and honestly admit to how often it wins over our will. 
• Determining the cause of bad habit - why did we start it in the first place?!? - is an important next step.
• Examining the negative impacts and costs of our bad habits can serve as motivation to drop them.
• Focusing on the positive impacts and gains of leaving a habit behind can up the ante.
• Replacing a bad habit with a good one is a huge key to success.
• We must remember that changes don't happen overnight and discipline is required - our desire for instant gratification is what got us into trouble in the first place.
• Seeking the support and encouragement of friends and family can help us move out of our bad behaviors.
• We should extend the same patience and forgiveness to ourselves as we would to others as we strive (imperfectly) toward our resolutions.

What habit or habits would you like to un-trap yourself from?

It really could!
Photo: Healthy Regards, Hailey