I am in desperate need of a Trapper in Chamberlain, SD. My cat is in the woods at Lewis and Clark Rest Area (The Dignity Statue). A trained scent dog was able to roughly define Peter Parker’s range (rare Spider Cat)!
Peter disappeared around 4 am 8/10. I will pay good money to get this cat back, plus room and board if necessary. If you are skilled and willing, please call 865-274-6195. Refer a friend if you know one. Please help. Peter Parker is my best bud. I’m crushed he is missing and scared. $1,000 Reward in addition to pay for working. I will supply 3 cell cameras so traps can be monitored remotely. Please help!!!

I hope you get it back

Got a local trapper who is excellent! Thanks Deputy Jerry!!!. He taught me a lot while we put out traps. He was also able to dispatch what we thought was a HUGE rattler. Got it with one shot, plus the OTHER rattler that was DROPPING BABIES everywhere. So 2 decent size rattlers in one shot with a 22. Nicely done friend! Thank you so much.

Glad you found someone Yvonne !! Best of luck !

FCOL

Is this some sort of joke?

Looked like both were about to drop babies I put the first ones in the bottle and found several more when I got home still moving in the pouch, picked up one with a stick and it was striking even at that young age. I can see how they are mistaken for worms when first out of the sack they look mushy and not scaly yet like a bigger snake.

No sir she cleared it with the Boss!

good luck getting cat jerry

Hope u guys have success and good of you Jerry for helping out.

Happy B-day! Thanks I'd want the same if my dog ever took off.

Jerry, I was hoping you would be the one to answer this call. Best of luck to you catching the cat.

My experience with lost cats, the first day or so they are not too concerned as they are chasing bugs and anything else that moves. After that, they start missing the regular meal and then they can be found/caught.

Yes . Years ago one of my bantam hens flew out of my yard in being startled , I searched the hood till I found her. Neighbors were kind, they all kept an eye out in case they saw her.

Hope you get her back.

Good luck Jerry!

Yes, good luck. Hope you find the cat well and healthy.

you gonna fry those rattlers? sell the hides? make lure? im surprised a snake guy like you killed them. were they in the rest area the op mentioned or something?

Two rattlers with one shot Jerry? You're having a good day! LOL

Hope you catch the lady's cat.

Ya Danny just beyond the pet walking area and I will go in a ditch to miss a bull snake but rattlers in a rest area is a problem that needed to be fixed. I checked with the office at the rest stop and got the OK first before I did anything. Used the .22 from the truck to avoid the .380 bark in that location.

That place is a den area lots of rattlers there, it's some really thick cedar draws behind it, the only place I know of that greys live in it's so thick similar to the bobcat country I trap down South of there.

Nice job Law!

Way to help out Jerry! I hope you get your cat back.

Soon as I saw Chamberlain, I thought you would be the one to handle that! Hope you get your cat, Jerry!

hope u catch her buddy jerry. Should be easily doable providing u beat the critters to it,or traffic. Keep a close check as heat in cagetraps can take a toll. Been so hot here even in the shade i see my barn cats panting. I would have considered driving that far to help her out. With all those cages u have shouldnt be a prob to eliminate non targets and still keep cages working. Cover the wire on bottom.

Whats a dang spider cat? Just looks like a grey cat to me.

Guessing that was his name or related to it's name!

If i read everything right, the cat's name is peter parker. Which is spiderman's real name. So peter parker, the spidercat. Comic books/superhero stuff if you still dont get it.

I hope you get their cat back Law Dog. I think this whole thing is pretty cool and i really hope it has a happy ending.

X2!

Good luck with the cat.

You've set the bar pretty high.... showing off your gunslinger skills with the snakes.

Interesting post. Hope you catch the kitty.

Nothing today will rebait and add a few cages tomorrow went around and put the word out and talked to people I know that live in the area.

Lol

1 skunk today nice female bigger sacks then that 13lb one the other day 1.60oz. Added 2 coon size traps the smaller ones might spook the cat to work further cages if they snap in it's face. Set a 2 track on the other side of the deep draw lots of structure for a critter to live in.

that $1000 dollars for the cat i suppose is put up price !

for $500 id bring the hounds

Told her to keep her money tough area very thick cover.

Any indication that the cat is still in the area?

No sightings they have a info center at the rest area with people during the day but the trucks make a lot of racket mostly during the day, it's quiet at night. Thick area the trails are tough for a person to walk on.

Hopefully you can catch the spider cat.

if the cat is alive it shouldnt be hard to catch....or go call at night....and try with voice...kitty kitty and its name or send her out to call at night...use at least 12x12 x 30 i think is the size of mine.....cover the wire up with dirt og grass or whatever u can use. I dont get it why she cant call it. I know its scared and panicked.....usually catch those in hrs or overnight

May want to try baiting with the same food she used to feed it.

Hate to think this way but there is a chance that someone in the rest stop may have picked up the cat.

Good luck!

Moosetrot

Lined all of the cages with grass or ground cover I know cat's are touchy where they step, she had cans of tuna and some Jack Mac for bait, you would think the picky cat would just be hungry after a few days.

The cat is chipped if it gets picked up sounds like it's spooky around people and noises the question is when did it stop running and hold up? I'm set up as far from the parking area and from I-90 as I can be.

I added skunk and some coon size cages for fear of the smaller ones snapping and scaring the cat away this is a one shot deal I'd rather have some "elbow" room to work with.

Will trap there until Monday if someone turns it in great that's the goal to recover the cat.

agreed,if sal didnt start school friday id come help....just not possible now,,,goal is to get her pet to her...hope somebody does

You would just scare the cat even further away.Whatsa matta U

i got so many cats on my porch i probably smell like cat...it would probably pounce on me

LOL me too.If she needs a cat she can have one of mine!!

Next time checking traps,walk through the area shaking a plastic coffee can that's only part filled with hard cat food and call for it.That might sound dumb,but you might be surpsised if it don't at least start meowing if its within ear shot.I found one of my wifes disappeared cats like that one time.

good idea too,cats probably around but alot of variables,dangers.....11 days is a long time

pm to ya jerry

I do the Kitty kitty thing when I enter the draw I don't think it will run me over but just one reply would be nice.

No, I’m very much in need. The reason I am offering decent money is because I need a professional willing to dedicate the time and effort to get the job done. I don’t expect anyone to work for free, I certainly couldn’t! But I am in a financial position to afford this job. My cat is part of my family, and I love him very much. I just want him back.

trying to help
try mouse after dark and quiet....at least if u see her its a start

Try the coffee can deal while calling next time.

I had been off the forum as I was working my behind off trying to find the cat and laying some traps with the local trapper, then I had to get to Maine where I’m on a 6 mos assignment. It literally took almost 24 hours to get here given the drive to and from airports due to rural locations, and flight delays. I’m dead! But I’m back to looking on the forum now.

That’s a good idea. I heard there was a mouse call too. Unless that’s what you were talking about. I was assuming you meant bait a mouse.

i would use quiet squeaks after dark long before calling her by voice.....because we dont know if jerrys voice will scare her.....first try squeaks very quietly ,,,if u see she is still around then u could try the others

yup thats what im talking about,,mouse squeaks...

No it’s actually recommended by pet finders too. Or popping a can lid of cat food, crinkling a bag of treats. My cat ate dry food so your suggestion is a good one. Prob is I’m not there. I live in Wyoming, and I’m on assignment in Maine. Hence my dire need for help. I appreciate the community, suggestions, and people helping to connect me with folks. You guys have been great. Thank you!!!

That's how I wake up the skunk at bed time I shake her bowl with a little ferret food in it, I will give that a shot tomorrow!

at this point try everything....main idea is to find if she is still in area....ill bet,,,food,territoriality,association with like animals etc.curiousity...is she fixed?

right now cats here are eating tons of frogs and grasshoppers even though fed......if food doesnt work try the mouse squeaks,,work on curiousity

I heard there was a mouse call that was really good.

can make those using lips,,called many critters with lip squeaks

You chased more critters away by flappin yer lips than you ever called in with em.Hahahaaa

Thanks, I really hope so too. It’s the worst because I’m on a job in Maine now, and I live around 800 miles from the rest area. I drove back after spending another night at the rest stop when he went missing. I had to got home to pack my stuff to be shipped for this 6 mos assignment in Maine. I just couldn’t leave without doing more so I called in a week late to start, found the dog and his human in AZ, met her there and spent several days hiking and looking, and setting my own very amateurish traps (too small, not staked or otherwise immobilized, etc). That’s why I’m willing to pay. I’ve got Jerry and he’s awesome, I don’t want hunting dogs on it. I need quiet dogs if any are involved. The one that came up from AZ was a specially trained scent dog. His purpose was to determine if Peter was taken off the parking lot or in the woods. He’s in the woods and we got a decent perimeter of where he’s roaming and hunting likely. I appreciate everyone’s help and suggestions, including your good wishes. If you’re a praying man, send one on up for us!

Hahahaha you got him! He’s actually been a great advisor and doin some legwork. You guys have been great. Thank you.

What’s FCOL?

for cryin out loud normally,,with these guys hard to say...especially T-upstate!

They were in the rest area fairly close to a picnic pavilion and grass area marked for Pet Use. And right beside an informal hiking trail. I lit off at a dead run stopping a guy and his dog headed right for the nest. If those were both females, I believe there is another, larger male. I was all up in that pile of concrete taking lot markers looking for the cat. I’m SUPER lucky to not be snakebit right now. Those snakes had to go.

Me and west river rogue tease each other all the time.And Jerry is a very knowlegable trapper,so you have a good guy on the job.Hope you get kitty back soon.

Thanks for the well wishes. All prayers welcome

And I knew you were just joshing with him!

Yvonne,

Just out of curiosity, how did you think of a trapper to help and what led you to this site?

I was wondering the same thing! I'm glad you are thinking of trappers in a good way, as opposed to how a lot of uninformed people think of trappers. We are all friends here, and most are like me, we feel we have a vested interest in seeing this through to a good outcome!

The PETA alarms going off a bit, she's 100% a tough independent woman if she had a gun handy I have no doubt she would of handled that herself. She walked in that snake area like a boss you can't fake that no way. I wondered the same thing at the start but after talking with her for a short time the PETA alarm went away.

Careful law dog......

NO worries here I know people pretty well it's tough to get over on me!

Too bad don't have a Grit Guy squeaker. Then again it may call in some non target. Hope get the cat back and soon.

more state cams coming

Here is what we are dealing with for landscape at the rest area.

Just off the edge of the trail.


A shot from a 1/4 mile away just off of I-90

I don't envy you on this job.

This may be a stupid idea Jerry, lol. Back when I had coon hounds sometimes they'd get gone and we'd leave our coat out on the ground and usually the dog would be there in the morning. Don't know if that would work for a cat but???

I was just going to suggest that Catch. Most all good bobcat guys have said don't underestimate the nose of a cat.

Yep the old coon hound trick that came up when we looked the site over, the biggest issue is its thick so thick you have to walk bent over to get through the trees making searching that way about useless. Most places here you can watch your dog run away for 3 days but not here it's bad it almost hat to come to us.

Added more cages so the main draw is set and the flat on top, if he crossed the road it's whole new game the same thing different area.

is it a tom cat? if so a female howlin in heat would bring him around..but probably bring everything alse around too..

hope you catch it..... if its a friendly cat might have jumped in with someone else at the rest stop..

lots of good ppl in s.d. trying to help...trying to reunite her with her pet. Hope somebody does...at least if it did jump in a car its alive and possibly they will find its chipped if they take to a vet etc,possibly leading to its return

I really don't think the thickness will be a problem, if anything it may help in keeping the critter from going onward faster. If you had items of the gal looking for the cat in a cage or right close baited with it's preferred treats it might seal the deal. Just spit balling as I never was in your situation.

Had a rabbit beagle once that would get off on a fox now and then.I would leave a dog crate there with some food and water.Come back later that night and he would be in the crate waiting.

Agree with catch22 and upstate

Jerry: The cat knows where it left the car. If she had it in a carry crate(likely), leave that crate with favorite food near where it went into the cover and check it as you would a cage. If it is very wary of your cages it might enter the familiar crate and remain while you close the door.

it does...agreed....

Thanks guys but I don't have what your talking about with crates and her clothing I just don't have that, I have traps and set them where the most traffic would be on a given day. I will add and move traps around as I go, the main thing was getting the word out as much as I could I want it found no matter who finds it.

The plan tomorrow is to hike to the bottom with a cage and put one down there it looks a bit open for easy travel once your down there. FYI the mosquitos are thick down there no chiggers or ticks so far.

Sell her abby kinda like a cat and no one will steal her !!
i apoligize for my rude statments earlier... was just in fun..

lived in a grayhound bus camper on the road.. took the whole family to maine one summer... had a siamese cat..... camped at night at dark on the way to keep momma happy . and every time started bus shmittens came runin... was youngstown ohio couldnt find the cat... looked for cpl hrs... finally i pulled the trigger , wife mad,, kids bawlin i took off....several hrs later they found her under the couch with 2 new baby kittens,, didnt even know she was bred. so i know first hand the importance of a special cat..

I hope you find it, something like this always happens in areas like that probably the highest population of trees in the entire state and that is where the cat goes missing, but it will probably help the cat survive from predators because it has trees close to climb up and hide.

Yes the thick trees are a blessing in many ways not good hunting area for yotes and raptors not a lot of cats in that area.

At the risk of sounding ridiculous.......... Jerry. do you have access to an infrared scanner or FLIR ? Maybe you could scan the trees at night for a 'hot' source ???

There should be a LOT of difference between the cat's temperature and the ambient at night or early morning

Thank you for your well wishes

Any tech needed is available I will get it.

You ain’t kidding about those trees! We had to belly crawl thru the thickest parts. Sucks because it’s hard to put in traps when it’s soo difficult to check. I offered to buy cell cameras x 3. Plus there’s 3 cameras w SD cards. Only footage is of my silly self setting them up. And a skunk.

I will get a thermal scanner or goggles if needed.

We're pulling for you Cat Lady )))

Gotcha. Not exactly an invalid response :()

Thanks. You guys have been great. I really appreciate it. I’ve had a lot of losses. My mother, and grandma died the same year I got a divorce after 18 yrs of marriage, and was also diagnosed with a serious degenerative neurological disease. I lost a cat to cancer last year. My little brother is dead too. My cats are my family.

The pet finder w her dog I hired said that the best way was lure him and trap him. I was looking on the internet and the site caught my eye so I asked admin if I could join. Then someone started rambling about I was a PETA plant which is the farthest thing from the truth. I carry a weapon and eat plenty of game meat.

Don't worry about that stuff Yvonne !! We WANT to hep you if possible

Also there is a health forum on this site or could make a new thread here if at some point you just need to talk about health issues, I have seen almost everything discussed on here so don’t be afraid to post if you need to discuss it.

1 Coon today nothing on the roads moved a trap to the bottom flat area.

Well don't give up hope. Is the cat chipped? We got a dog back after 2 years when someone picked her up due to it being chipped.

Yep it's chipped that is what I'm hoping for if someone picks him up if we cannot catch it.

I gotta chime in...I agree with Catch22 (closet Packer fan) about leaving an few articles of Yvonne's clothing out there. I grew up raising beagles and once in a while they'd take off running and not come back. I don't remember a time when we left an article of clothing and did not find them laying there the next morning. Even an old sweatshirt or anything would do it.

Moosetrot

Sometimes you just have to wait it out. I have a female torty house cat that is declawed and fixed. Someone left the garage door open and it got out. This cat hasn’t set foot in the outdoors since I found it along the road when it was a kitten. We tried to find it, no luck. I set 4 box traps and caught 2 stray cats that I had never seen, as well as a possum and coon. I’d freshen up the wet cat food every other day and left the traps out. On day 15, I pulled up the driveway and saw a set of eyes shining in the headlights. Got the right cat this time, seemed no worse for the wear other than having 2 ticks attached. Always wondered where that cat spent 2+ weeks. That was 13 years ago, still have the cat.