Nuisance cats

OK - My anti cat rant didn't go over too well so I'm soliciting advice. Here's my problem .....

I have at least a half dozen cats that wander through my yard daily. None of them belong to immmediate neighbors. I suspect most of them are ex barn cats gone wild. They are really starting to * affect my inner feelings in a most negative way*..

We ground feed at least a dozen different varieties of birds through the winter. We also have deer, turkeys, coyotes, a pair of mated grey foxes, a red fox, rabbits, groundhogs and lots of squirrells and the occasional skunk that visit. All are welcome (except maybe the skunk). I have witnessed these cats killing birds on several occasions. A couple of days ago one killed a cardinal and earlier this spring I watched one carry a squealing young rabbit across my yard. I recently read an article written by the head of the local Audobon society. They contend that feral and house cats kill at least 15 million (yup milliion) birds annually in our state alone.

They use our flower beds, herb gardens and foundation plantings as their personal litter boxes. To the point where we no longer eat herbs out of our garden and my wife no longer enjoys working her flower gardens.

They tip over our roadside trash cans and strew the contents around the yard. I had to build a trash can container to keep them out when the cans are stored near the garage.

Recently, a couple of them have decided that my garage and upstairs workshop are their territory and they have marked it as such. Now my garage and shop *have the most unpleasant odor of cat urine*.

We have an overworked and underpaid, part time, animal control officer. He said he doesn't have time to mess with cats and there are no local ordinances controlling them. His response to my questions was "you probably need to do what you need to do".

I posted earlier that I had *committed an act I hope I am forgiven for* and was told I could be charged with animal cruelty.

OK - cat lovers - what's the solution. Things like
motion sensor watering are impractical for me, probably expensive and most likely ineffective.

 

You do not have to address your question to "cat lovers"
I also am not too fond of cats but your telling us you use a BB gun on them is inhumane, cruel and illegal as you have been told.
You need to clean up your language and be sensitive to other people's feelings towards animals.

'nuff said.

Try a quality live trap and deliver them to your animal control officer.
In our neighboring town the animal control officer will loan these traps.

 

You can trap the cats and take to a local shelter or drop off 10 miles from home. Dropping off cats does not address the problem. Handle with gloves because feral cats are wild and may carry disease.

Keep in mind that stray cats may roam free, have no owner, but still act like a pet. Feral cats roam free, have no owner, and are unsocialized.

You can get involved in your community to push for cat ordinances and a full time animal control person. Most communities have limited funds and can not afford a full-time animal control person. Many of these work another part-time job to make ends meet. Write a letter to the city and county commission. Also, write a letter to the Editor of local newspaper to make the community aware of the growing cat population and the need for an ordinance and control. Share info about the spread of disease and loss of wildlife.

True, cats take a toll on our wildlife which is already struggling to survive due to loss of habitat and other environmental stressors. Cats carry diseases like rabies and others. Cats invade our landscapes and use our gardens and flower beds as litter boxes.

Most posters tend to report success using the motion sensor sprinklers to exclude critters from landscapes. Many resort to covering soil in flower beds and gardens with chicken wire to prevent cats from using as litter box.


Photo Credit: Northern Tool + Equipment
Havahart Spray Away Motion Sprinkler
Protects 1000 SF--$54.99

You can take steps to exclude cats from garage and workshop. Install doors or screen doors and keep them closed. If cats can access these areas, so can rodents and other pests.

Do not leave out pet food. Do not feed the cats. Encourage neighbors to do the same. Bag and tie all trash before placing in sealed containers. Smelly garbage can be tied in the disposable plastic bags from the grocery before dropping in larger trash bag that is to be sealed. Double bagging of garbage tends to seal in odors and keep animals at bay. Rocks or bungee cords can be used to secure garbage can lids. Seal off areas under decks, sheds, etc. which could provide shelter and nesting places.

Poisons and abuse are against the law. Some report sprinkling red pepper or spraying pepper spray in areas where cats frequent to give cats a spicy surprise when they lick themselves when grooming. There are cat repellents available. Like pepper spray, they have to be reapplied. Unlike pepper spray, there is a chance they may get used to the repellents.

 

Twelvepole - Another poster suggested the timed spray. It's just too much work and expense for me. Some of our flower beds are a hundred yards or more from water. IMO they would probably be inneffective. I can envision them going off every 5 minutes whenever a squirrel or bird passed by.

Unlike the impression given by another responder, I am not anti wildlife, I'm not even anti cat. My wife had a housecat (operative word is house) for nearly 20 years that was part of our family. These critters OTOH are pests and I'm not about to jump through hoops to accommodate them.

I asked our ACO officer about local ordinances regarding feral cats. There are none. There aren't any regarding domestic cats either. Unfortunately, he said he would oppose one ("just another law I can't enforce") although he would support an ordinance prohibiting cat owners from allowing their animals to leave their property.

I don't agree with trapping and moving. It just makes it someone else's problem. There are lots of efforts (misguided drop in the bucket IMO) and ineffective, to catch and neuter feral cats. I will try to trap them and turn them over to the ACO so that he can kill them. Of course we call it putting them to sleep or euthanizing them to make it more palatable to some. Seems like one extra step there.

BTW - I did a little on line research re feral cats. According to wildlife professionals and bird watchers they are killing machines. Some studies claim that feral cats kill billions of birds annually. One wildlife biologist blames feral cats for the destruction of two endangered least tern colonies. According to feeral cat advocates, they don't kill birds, just mice and insects. Since I have witnessed cats taking birds on a couple of occasions, I guess I believe the biologists.

 

I must say that I agree with you Wayne. We too have a cat problem. I am also not anti cat as we had one for nearly 20 years. I actually cried when she had to be put down because of her illness.
That being said we now have about 6 to 8 cats that roam our back yard. They use our flowerbeds as litterboxes and stalk the birds around our feeders. We use to have rabbits but they have disappeared.
Two of our neighbors put out food for them. I have approached both, one says that they are "helping the poor kitties" and the other told me to mind my own business. He is the one who dumps a whole 5# bag of dry cat food under his picnic table several times a week. Our small town does not have an animal control person and could not afford one. The local shelter no longer will accept any animals because of budget problems.
I have tried moth balls, repellants, cayenne pepper, etc to no avail. I do keep a spray bottle at the ready filled with vinegar and water that runs them off but only for a while.
I don't have the disposable income to be putting out $50+ motion sensor things. That would only work in the warmer months anyway. What about the prime bird feeding winter months?
So thank's for letting me add my rant to your posts. I would also like a humane answer to this problem.

 

You need to understand that any critical reviews you have received on your animal control techniques directly relate to your use of a BB gun and insensitive comments.

Many believe that euthanasia is an effective and humane way of dealing with feral cats.
These are domestic animals that have no hope of rehabilitation and there are no shelters that I know of that will take these animals.

If you personally believe that euthanasia is a viable solution to your problems there is nothing inhumane about you taking care of it yourself.
It is essential though for you to trap them first.
Even if firearms are permitted in your area the risk of wounding with off-hand shooting are too great.

I can sympathize with your problem.
We also feed birds and squirrels are our nemesis.
Also, the rural area we are in is a favorite for dumping unwanted cats and occasionally mothers with kittens.
Because we don't have a dog and most of our neighbors do they often try to take up residence at our place.
I am all for education and neutering as these people who dump unwanted pets are forcing me to deal with their responsibilities.

 

same here and they will come and pick up the trapped animals when you call

you just need to pick up the traps

ferral cats can reproduce quickly so get rid of them before your overrun and they decimate the birds

 

Feral cats are a huge problem all over the world. I volunteer in animal rescue and have live trapped many, many cats. I can only echo what has already been said here. Cats that are born feral generally have no hope to be domesticated unless they are rescued by the time they are 2 to 3 months old. I am owned by a feral cat that was brought to me pregnant. She has lived with me for over 18 years and still is not the type of cat you can put on your lap and pet.

The options:
Establish a feral colony that is maintained with spay and neuter and daily feeding. The daily feeding will diminish the killing of wildlife for food. Note that I said 'diminish'.

Live trap and remove the cats permanenty, using humane euthansia.

Find someone who wants barn cats and will maintain a colony. The cats should be spayed and neutered before they are placed to assure they will not continue to breed.

If only a few cats are removed, that will not be a solution as they will continue to breed. Removing a maintained feral colony generally leads to other cats coming into the area and taking up residency, especially in urban areas. If you see cats with the tip of one ear removed, they will be ferals that have been spayed or neutered and are probably part of a maintained feral colony. For those that maintain feral colonies by spaying and/or neutering and feeding, it's called TNR (Trap, Neuter and Release).

For those in rural areas that are plagued by feral cats, the only permanent solution would be to live trap and humanely euthanize. If you don't have any animal control that will help, try and seek out a sympathetic vet who will euthanize at a discounted price.

If anyone is in Maryland and near me, I will gladly help with live trapping. Sometimes domesticated cats are released and can be rehomed.

For some folks the purchase of a couple of live traps becomes an unwanted expense. Save your receipt, trap what you need to trap, donate the live trap to a rescue organization and deduct the cost of the traps on your income tax. Just get a receipt from the organization you donate the traps to.

When setting live traps for cats, it's best to use the smelliest canned food you can find. Something with tuna in it will do. You may have to do the 'ET' technique used with M&M's. Put a small dab outside the trap, another small dab or two into the trap and the rest of the can beyond the lever at the back of the trap. It's best to set the traps after dark in a shady place and cover them with a dark towel. Check the traps within 12 hours if you don't want to stay with the trap.

I used many different types of donated traps in New Orleans after Katrina. I found that one where the lever placement leaves some room to place the food can between the back of the trap and the lever is best. This is my favorite and the one I own and use.
http://www.livetrap.com/cgi/search.c...option=1&0=606

There are others. It's best to get one with an escape door in the rear for easier removal. I do not recommend the collapsable ones as they are not well made and scratched my hands up terribly when assembling. Take a look at Pro-914064 and Pro-914065 here.
http://www.wildlife-traps.com/cats.html

Newt

 

I agree with Newt in regard to trapping. Our animal shelter accepts feral cats. I love animals, but I have no problem trapping feral cats and taking them to the shelter.

(Our animal control officers will respond to pick the cats up if they are already caged, but will not attempt to trap. I put the cage in the back of the truck and take them to the shelter.)

I know about the spay and return programs, but I am sorry, I do not support that idea. I have no hard feelings for those that do participate, I just don't want to return the feral cats at all.

Those cats carry many different diseases, not just rabies. Feline leukemia is rampant and they infect many other animals with the diseases they carry.

And I do not believe there is an animal called an "outside cat". If you own a pet, you should not allow it to wander off your property.

I've had cats from the time I was young. My last two were euthanized at the ages of 16 and 17. It is just too hard to lose any more "friends", so I've not had a pet for a few years. I admit, it is nice to travel without worrying about the cats at home or with a sitter.

Connie

 

get a dog, I have an outside dog and no cats that come in my yard, if I see one I go and get the dog and she runs them off.

 

Getting a dog just to run off cats could only be removing one nuisance for another. For some people having a dog is like having a family member. If you aren't a dog person, cleaning up after the dog isn't much better then the cats.

Newt

 

If you're feeding birds, forgot to mention you're also feeding mice and possibly rats.

What is happening here? You're creating cat food.

 

I hesitate to tread into deeper water here, but Kobuchi brings a point that is worth addressing. (Please don't whip out your animosity sticks )

Feeding birds is a pleasant pastime, but truly, the birds don't need us to feed them. It's better to provide them shelter and remove their non-natural predators, (the feral cats) and let the birds forage on their own. If birds become dependent upon us for food, what happens when we move or forget to fill the feeder? (I call my neighbor's bird feeder the cat buffet.)

Birdseed on the ground will attract all manner of visitors to your yard. Rats run through my suburban back yard in broad daylight to get to the bird feeder next door.

Of course, even if my neighbor decided to remove her feeder, it would not eliminate the rats, because the rats could exist happily into infinity eating the dog feces from the 4 dogs behind me!

Connie

 

Connie brings up a good point about seed on the ground and excess seed. One thing we do to help avoid that is to have an old picnic table with food on that. The larger birds and groundfeeders can easily land on the old table.

We also use shelled sunflower seed aka sunflower hearts instead of the inexpensive mixes. Those mixes have alot of filler that most birds reject, hence dumping large amounts of seed on the ground.

Newt

 

I have ground fed birds in our yard for many years. We feed during the winter and have no intention of stopping. We quit feeding about 3-4 weeks ago and won't resume until the first snow. In the summer we feed only hummingbirds.

It really doesn't matter if the birds would survive without feeding but we enjoy feeding them and they enjoy the handout.

We have never had a problem with mice or rats. In 25 years of living here I have never seen a mouse (or signs of a mouse) in either our house, our garage or our garden shed. We don't keep food there so there's no attraction for them.

We also are surrounded by natural, native predators. We have a kestral that frequents our yard, a pair of red tail hawks, two gray foxes and a red fox. We frequently see coyotes. I'm sure they keep the mouse population in check.

None of them mess up our flower beds or stink up my shop.

The cats have been around for years, but recently their numbers have increased dramatically and they are getting increasingly irritating.

It looks like our solution is dead cats. I'm still trying to determine the best way to accomplish that.

 

Wayne, your best solution is removal, period. It sounds like someone has released cats that were not spayed or neutered and they are breeding. You need to live trap as stated and have animal control or your local humane society remove the trapped cats. You can search for an animal control officer. For example, here's NJ.
http://www.awfnj.org/resource_guide.php

Newt

 

I concur. My dog is the family pet and since we lived in an apartment before, I had never thought that she would be so useful in our house. She is the nicest dog ever, but she is fairly intimidating at 90 pounds.

My beautfiul chocolate lab is not a cat lover, in fact, I have had to remove my neighbors cat from her jaws before. I'm not sure how my dog even caught that cat, but its shreeking caught my attention, so I ran out and took it from my dog. That had to be the slowest cat in the world, because my dog is not fast at all. The good thing is after that, the cat will not come anywhere near our yard.

I don't mean to sound insensitive, but I hate how people just let their cats roam freely, because they scratch up my jeep when it sits outside in my driveway and their urine stinks terribly.

One was so bold, it just pranced into my garage while I was working on my car. I casually closed the garage door and let my dog in the garage with the cat. She chased it around for about five minutes before I allowed it to slip out the back door and rewarded my dog with many treats.

After these two incidences, I have not seen any cats in or around my yard, nor have I found cat paw prints on my hood. I have feeling that if we ever have feral cat problem in my neighborhood, I will have to clean up a few after my dog gets to them.

The dog works, and I have never had to harm any animals to keep them at bay.

 

A nuisance cat update. My ACO provided a trap and in a week I caught 3 cats (including the one that was using my garage and garden as a litter box) and a wayward skunk.

I released the skunk in a state forest and turned the cats over to the ACO. One was returned to it's owner (she's on notice - next time dead cat) and the other two were sent to kitty heaven after the requisite waiting period. I still have a couple left that I haven't caught yet.

IMO the cats getting offed by the ACO is a better than a BB in the butt. I'm not sure the cats would agree.

 

Dear friend

While most people here choose to trap or kill the cat I have found a both natural and cheap way to keep the cats from using a place for their physiological activities.

The solution is simple and I did not believe it when they told me about it… just spray lime juice and leave the peels of the limes around and the cats will not dare to come close the place or at least they will not do “their stuff” un your porch.

I guess that cats sense the smell of limes as strong as we sense their urine,I really do not have a scientific explanation for it, but it worked for me, just make sure that the surface or area you will be spraying does not stain from the lime juice acid, so try the lemon juice on a non visible part of the surface and see if it gets stained previous to spray the lime juice all over.

I also suggest spraying a lot around corners and where you may observe the cat has done its deed.

 

Giovas, glad to know that the lime works for you.

Cats don't like the smell of citrus, so lemon peels or grapefruit peels will also work to keep cats away.

Newt

 

I was just looking at stuff and read this thread. I feed birds also, and have had a few piles of feathers around, and noticed/chased a few cats away this year. One time it was obviously a grackle, the cats can have all those seed hawgs they want!
What I decided to do is build a cheap fence around my feeding area. I forget what the type of fencing is called, but is smaller squares toward the ground and gets larger towards the top, I think its called rabbit fencing. Some cheapy wooden stakes from Menards, a power stapler and some hammer staples, and that was it. My feeding area is near my deck, so I did have a few extra areas to plug to hinder access to the bird feeding area from cats, and also to keep rabbits from a free meal (from ground feeding seed). So far so good, I think it'll be tough for a bird to be attacked now. A cat MAY get in there, but a bird will have plenty of time to get away. I have my feeders and do all my ground feeding in this same area.

Gilly

 

What do you sugest? Tie the cat up like a dog?

 

Hi Kurto,

As a cat owner myself I will say that cats should not be allowed to roam free. They kill wildlife, it shortens their lives and they become pests. If they aren't spayed/neutered they breed and can cause many problems.

Newt

 

Not a bad idea. The point is that people should keep their cats on their property and off mine. That seems simple to me.

The problem is that most people that own outside cats are too lazy and inconsiderate to control them. They just open the door when the cat starts yowling with no concern about any nuisance or damage that their animal might cause.

 

You can't control a cat, they're not the same as a dog. Where I live there's no leash laws for cats because of that reason.

Of course, I don't own outside pets nor would I and all pets should be spayed or neutered, then they don't need to roam around outside.

 

Shadieladie - I think you are only partially right about not being able to control a cat. Some cats are house cats and they are perfectly content to never leave the confines of their home. They are perfect pets. we had one for nearly 20 years and I think the only time she left the house was for vet visits.

Other cats are never content to stay in the house. They cannot overcome the instinctive urge to hunt and kill and breed. They should never be considered as pets. The fact that they cannot be controlled does not excuse the damage that they do.

I disagree with your reasoning about leash laws though. A dog running free can be a danger to the community. Leash laws were enacted to protect people against dog attacks and to provide a degree of liability against dog owners that do not control their animals.

 

Re-read my sentence..............:

 

In my town there is a leash law and it applies to all domestic animals. It also states that the leash may not be longer than 6 feet so even those retractable leashes are non compliant. Pet owners have a responsibility to their pet and their community. If a pet is allowed to roam it can become a problem for wildlife and other people. No one has a right to be a nuisance to another. Since a cat cannot be contained to its own property then it should be kept indoors only or not kept at all. An outdoor cat can also get into trouble for itself catching disease, breeding, hit by car, killed by dog or wild predator. So if you care about your pet keep it inside. The only realistic solution to feral cats is euthanasia, they can't fight their instinct to breed hunt and mark and they don't make pets. I own a cat and he stays inside for his own good, he's not the smartest critter, but we love him for his entertainment value and affection. There are several feral and stray cats in my neighborhood causing all kinds of problems, marking, mating and fighting loudly all hours of the night.

Best answer is euthanasia for feral cats and keep domestic cats inside where they don't become someone else's problem(very un-neighborly) and they stay safe and healthy longer. If the cat cant stay inside its not a good pet. It's the responsible thing to do.

 

Thanks for the commentary Nononsence; This is an old thread though, and may not get any response because of that. So don’t be discouraged and keep posting!