My parents have a problem with four cats (all from the same house down the street). The cats pee on their porch, gardens and windowsills, and the owner is unwilling to do anything. My mom has tried the half-filled water bottles sprinkled around the garden--it doesn't look great but seems to do the trick in warm weather. In the winter, frozen water doesn't freak the cats out as much, so my parents recently moved on to something new: chicken wire spread out over the problem areas. It doesn't hurt the cats but they don't like to walk on it. Well, that's the theory; I'll let you know if it's successful in getting rid of the not-so-stray cats.
Stray and feral cats can be a real problem, especially in the winter when some venture closer to homes, and food sources such as birds that hang out at the feeders. The Humane Society advised my parents to trap the cats and bring them in. If the cats were friendly, they'd be put up for adoption or their owner found; if the cats were vicious, they'd be euthanized. Obviously, trapping them isn't always an option for home-owners plagued by unwanted cats.
If the chicken wire doesn't work, what else can my parents and others do? I've combed the Internet for humane suggestions, and this is what I've found:
TNR (trap, neuter, release) has proven to be the most effective method of controlling the population of feral cats. There may be organizations in your area that do it for free.
Spraying (and re-spraying) Mr. Clean Cleanser Ultimate Orange appears to discourage cats from hanging around.
If you're willing to spend big bucks, the Motion Activated ScareCrow Sprinkler will keep water-hating felines away. The same company sells something called Shake-Away powder.
Block entryways to places the cats might like to live--under porches or sheds.
Use coyote or fox urine. I have absolutely no idea how one gets a hold of the stuff.
Sadly, I discovered many posters on the websites I visited advocated shooting or poisoning the cats. I understand that getting rid of any kind of pest can be a nightmare, but killing them is so wrong, in so many ways. There's got to be an effective method out there--one that doesn't harm the cats. Does anyone have a tried-and-true way of dealing with this problem that they'd like to pass on?
Above picture of my cat, Chowder, on one of our visits to the yard.
Update on the chicken wire solution: The cats are steering clear of the areas where my parents have put the chicken wire, but they are now spraying elsewhere. I think my mom and dad may have to cover the house and yard with the stuff.
Monday, January 14, 2008
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There are a lot of ferals at the racetrack. My friend and some of her colleagues catch them in humane traps, the track vet spays or neuters them, and they are re-released. There's plenty of food and fresh water, they're good company for the horses, and they keep the barns rodent-free. So it ends up being a win all the way around.
Whenever my friends who have houses have ferals, we set up "stations" for them around the property -- places where there's regular food, water, safe place to sleep, etc. They stop spraying and marking when they get a routine and start to trust the inhabitants of the house. If you don't want them in the house, you can keep them as outdoor cats, eventually make sure they get their shots, and they'll keep the property vermin-free.
Sometimes, they even move in -- I have friends in CA who now have 5 cats. Each simply wandered past, hung around the house, and then, one day, wandered in and took up residence on a cushion. Friends on a farm in KY who were always dog people now have two cats who hung around, and then moved in to the house, in their own good time. One of them has learned how to turn on the alarm clock if he wants them to get up and feed him.
After reading the "kill the cats" posts on other websites, your comment is welcome news, Devon. Sounds like you have a lot of nice friends.
The reason that the Mr. Clean works is because the citrus oil is an adversive for cats. They do not care for it.
How about planting catnip in your neighbors yard?
We have a few that come visit as well, and we've tried a sprinkle product (forget the name) that has eucalyptus and black pepper.. didn't work so hot.
I'd try the citrus, personally, but I'd by a lesser expensive citrus essential oil(no sense spending a lot of money on it- citrus is cheap to make anyway) and dilute in some water and spray that with a "pesticide" sprayer.
Great idea to use the essential oil instead of the cleanser (which might not be good for your garden anyway). Thanks!
Your cat, Chowder, is a a very handsome cat!
Anyway, I have no ideas to contribute unless if someone asked how to prevent wildlife animals (i.e. possums, raccoons, etc) from joining the feral cat colony that is being fed and cared for. That I know and my source comes from a small wildlife welfare organization who cares about feral cats and supports TNR. It is very rare to find a wildlife organization empathetic to feral cats.
I do TNR, and I currently have 3 feral cats that I am feeding in my backyard. Last year, I saw this website on how to get rid of cats, and it was sickening to read posts after posts on how to poison them, trap and dump them somewhere else, etc. There were a couple of posters there who I thought were not bluffing because they'd tell the other posters what kind of poison to use and how much to use. So, they really know their stuff and that's very frightening how sick people could get away with animal cruelty. It is frightening that they don't see it as animal cruelty, rather, they see it as a public service of protecting native animals.
Kittyby, that might be the same site I read. To tell the truth, I had a hard time getting through it--I kept hoping that someone would suggest a humane way of dealing with the cats.
It's good to know people, like you, have found a way. TNR does seem like the only answer.
Okay, here's what I just found.
1.) Dumb Friends League has some advice on how to discourage roaming cats.
http://www.ddfl.org/behavior/roaming-cats.pdf
2.) How to keep the cats from using your garden as a litter box.
http://flowergardens.suite101.com/article.cfm/problem_cats_in_the_garden
3.) Strategies on how to stop cats digging in a garden or lounging in a yard or on a porch.
http://www.all-creatures.org/ak/feral-welcome.html
Words I used for my search is "natural ways to repel feral cats."
Lynn, if you want to help out feral cats, TNR is the only alternative and long term solution. You need to ask yourself
if you are ready for this responsibility and long term commitment. TNR is controversial, and there will be people who have very strong opinion against this practice. If you are ready for it, then, contact your local TNR organization for help. If not, report a colony to them and they'll send out volunteers to tnr and feed the cats. After you TNRed the feral cats, follow the guideline on how to maintain the colony. In my case, I used 2 guidelines. One from my Los Angeles based Stray Cats Alliance (formerly called Feral Cats Alliance) and another one from the wildlife welfare organization, Protect R Wildlife. PRW conducted a feralcat/wildlife impact study on 2003 and their instructions on managing feral cat colonies to not impact wildlife worked as they were able to trained the feral cats, racoons, and skunks within 3 days.
Caring for your colony
http://www.feralcatalliance.org/caring.php
Instructions on Managing Feral Cat Colonies to Not Impact Wildlife.
http://protectrwildlife.org/feral_cat_wildlife_impact_study.htm
Amby's Feral Cat Rescue, Care and Rehabilitation
http://www.amby.com/cat_site/feral.html
Sorry, the link for the flower garden did not work. Here it is:
http://flowergardens.suite101.com/article.cfm/problem_cats_in_the_garden
Argghh...sorry for the broken links.
Caring for your colony
http://www.feralcatalliance.org/caring.php
Instructions on Managing Feral Cat Colonies to Not Impact Wildlife.
http://protectrwildlife.org/feral_cat_wildlife_impact_study.htm
Amby's Feral Cat Information
http://www.amby.com/cat_site/feral.html
Kittyby, thanks so much for gathering all those links. I will take a look through them.
Fortunately, I don't have a feral cat problem (for me, it's feral bunnies--actually, only one feral bunny, and he's really not a problem). But there are lots of people who do have stray and feral cats hanging around, and they'll gobble up the advice on those links.
I was going to say trap, neuter, and release, but I see you already found that.
You can find coyote and fox spray here: http://www.frostproof.com/garden/animal-repellent.html
Most gardening catalogs carry something like this.
Thanks, Karen. Much easier buying the fox spray than gathering it yourself.
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