I have a stray female that I've been trying to capture for the past couple months, and need advice on how to make it the least stressful as possible. I'd like to adopt her after this, so if I can keep whatever good feelings she currently has for me, then even better.
She just showed up on my doorstep the first week of January, after I had dumped some old Chinese food into the ravine. She followed my trail up to the door and sat down. I fed her some wet cat food that day, and ever since, she's been showing up for dinner almost evey day, sometimes even breakfast.
She's very skittish (like scared of the wind skittish) and won't let me pet her yet. But she does come inside for food (she's learned how to use the cat door insert), even napping on the self warming cat bed in the den during the winter. She's even expanded exploring from the den into the dining room.
The only time she stopped coming was the last time I tried to catch her. I had called some shelters in my area and they all said "just throw a blanket over her when she comes inside". That obviously did not go well... She started panting and hid until I went away (I was worried about stressing her out more), then stayed away for 3 weeks before returning after 2, and coming to the door after another week.
I have since gotten a live trap, and have it outside on the patio, for now. She doesn't care about it at all so far, and isn't scared of it at least. She is also exceptionally food motivated. I.e., direct uninterrupted eye contact and fixated focus on a churu treat for 10 minutes motivated.
How do I go about this in a way that won't stress her out to the point of panting or affect her health? Also, the thought of betraying her trust again is heartbreaking. How do I do this in a way that won't irreparably damage our relationship? She's never hissed or growled at me, or taken a swipe at me. She's been an absolute sweetheart, just a scaredy cat.
Extra Info: She is prone to panic attacks and/or has asthma, along with an eye issue (so possibly sinus issues too). I want to get her treated along with spayed (I found her last stillborn litter), as she was yowling 3 weeks ago and is probably pregnant again.