Alley Cat Allies -- Drop trap - concerns

Gesine wrote:
> Hi Kiff and all,
>
> Kiff, how about you write to Alley Cat Allies, with your detailed
> info?

Funny you should suggest that, Gesine - I have a letter to ACA prepared
already, and will send it in the next couple of days.

Here's the text. Any suggestions?

To Whom It May Concern:

Let me first say that I greatly admire your organization and all the
good work you do. I'm a feral trapper/caretaker, and also serve as vice
president of New Mexico Animal Friends, a small no-kill cat and dog
rescue group out here in Albuquerque. You folks are super, and I refer
people to your website for feral trapping instructions at least 3 times
a week.

However, I have some grave concerns about the design of the drop trap
you're selling on your website. I'm a skilled and experienced drop
trapper, and I believe your trap is much too heavy. The weight listed on
the website is 23 pounds. That's more than enough falling weight to
break the paws and tails of adult cats, and could squash a small kitten
flat. If the cat bolted as the trap came down, and it fell across their
back, it might snap their spine. I realize that the cat is supposed to
be fully inside before dropping the trap, but anyone who's ever used a
drop trap extensively knows that's impossible to guarantee. There's
always a tail tip or paw sticking out, or the cat tries to bolt.

For comparison, I have a home-built drop trap of the classic "HubCats"
design. No, it doesn't fold, which is the brilliant part about your
design. It's a simple frame made from thin strips of pine, and covered
with heavy nylon athletic netting. It has a hinged flap at the back to
anchor it in place – you put a cement block on the flap. My trap weighs
approximately 11 pounds, and I can easily lift it with one finger. The
flap is made of heavy plywood, and accounts for about 3 pounds of the
total. That's not "suspended weight" – it doesn't fall when the trap is
triggered, just sits on the ground. The suspended weight of the trap is
only about 8 pounds. I've trapped scores of cats without injury.

When I built my trap, I made it as light as possible, and tested it to
make sure it wouldn't hurt. I set it up on a concrete surface and
dropped it on my own fingertips. It smarts a bit, but would never cause
any significant injury. By contrast, ALL of the weight of your trap
design is suspended weight – it doesn't use an anchor flap. That's 23
pounds falling on a kitten's tiny paw, on pavement. Try that on your own
fingers sometime. Go on – I double-dog dare you! An acquaintance of mine
bought one of your traps, and reports that it will flatten a soda can.
That's /way/ too heavy to be safe. I have an unabridged dictionary which
weighs 14 pounds – imagine that falling on a cat's tail!


In conclusion, I am happy to see that someone is actually marketing a
commercially-made drop trap (they're hard to come by unless you build
your own). However, I seriously think you need to re-visit your design.
Since by selling these online, you're putting them in the hands of
amateurs without trapping experience, I am terribly afraid that the
result will be an excess of injured cats and possibly even fatal accidents.

Sincerely,

- Kiff LaBar-Shelton


,,,>^..^<,,, To the world, you are just another person. To a rescued
animal, you are the world.

Gesine wrote:
> Hi Kiff and all,
>
> Kiff, how about you write to Alley Cat Allies, with your detailed
> info?
>
> Gesine
>
>