On my walk through cat sets I pretty much control where the cat steps so I'm not understanding the,"maybe need to set closer" thinking. And when it comes to cats I tend to think more in the terms of blocking them than guiding them.
I don't think this could be stated more accurately. Maybe just semantics, but I think of "guiding" as subtle, more like what I'd do with coyotes. With cats, blocking is definitely a better description. Whether I'm blocking in a wash, or blocking in a trap, I'm giving the cat nowhere else to step except on that inviting looking trap pan. My cat sets will give most paranoid dogs night terror sweats, but a big old tomcat doesn't fear much, he'll step right on through that brush pile blocking his way, and like we do when hunting cottontails, will choose his foot placement carefully. I just try and put my traps in places a cat wants to go, then give it an enticing place to step. Flagging and scents definitely help, but in my humble opinion, nothing beats putting the set right where a fickle cat already wants to go. I hear over and over how stupid cats are, but I think sometimes we confuse fearless with stupid. In my country the only thing a big tom fears is man, and a bigger longtail cat. And I'd even question "man" considering I don't give human scent or disturbance a second thought myself.
Here's how I personally "guide" a coyote foot placement
![[Linked Image]](https://trapperman.com/forum/attachments/usergals/2024/07/full-17030-223769-371534570_10211093076360619_1886552258685323601_n.jpg)
Verses How I might "block" in a cat set
![[Linked Image]](https://trapperman.com/forum/attachments/usergals/2024/07/full-17030-223770-448159295_10211753151222078_3869304706901637527_n.jpg)