After letting Shimmer explore the house and mix a little with the other cats, I decided that it was time to let her outside. I left the cat doors open and let her find them on her own. After a while she went outside and explored the main deck and then came back inside. A short time later she went out and then she was gone. I figured she’d spent a while enjoying her freedom. Surprisingly, a few hours later she was back inside and in my lap. Now she goes out a few times at night and spends the day sleeping inside. So I guess she’s officially one of mine now.
Now that Shimmer’s room is available, I’ve set my sights on catching Sophia, the kitten’s mother. I have a “Have a Heart’ live trap, but I wanted to make sure that I trapped the right cat. I modified the trap by adding an actuator that is normally used to lock and unlock a car door. Using a 12 volt drill battery to power that and an AC relay to control the battery and a ‘smart plug’ to control the relay, I can now trip the trap by simply saying “Hey Google Trap Shut”. Or I can trip it with an app on my smartphone. So now I can sit in the house watching the security camera showing the barn stall where the cats eat and where the trap is, and if I see the mamma cat go in the trap to get the extra special food in there, I can trip the trap. Two or three other cats, that I hope to catch later, have been in the trap, but so far mamma hasn’t gone in.