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Ok, anyone have any good suggestions for neighbor cats who come in and defecate in our yard, fish in the pond and in general cause a ruckus? I've heard of people putting wires of some sort on the fence? Cat repellent did not phase them much
As an aside(warning this is a gory story)-------------------------------------------
At least one neighbor for a while was feeding a whole grip of stray cats and ignoring the fact that they were getting some weird disease that caused their legs to become paralyzed. These cats would then crawl around in the street. Another neighbor had been catching the cats for animal control to pick up-but could not get the lady to stop feeding them-she wanted them to go to a no kill shelter or somewhere like that. I hit one such animal in the wee hours of night...he was mortally injured with catgut in the street but very much alive...and after knocking on a couple doors in hopes of finding an owner was directed to the lady responsible for feeding the cats. Lady wanted to know if we could call the SPCA or something to get it. I suppose in hindsight some sort of emergency vet maybe but I ended up just asking her for a heavy tool and ended up putting the poor creature out of its misery. She couldn't handle it-thanked me for it in the end but I made it clear that she should have to deal with the consequences and this animals suffering. Shame people want to feed life but can't take responsibility for it.
Forget trying to keep them off your property. Just do like your neighbor; start trapping them and call Animal Control to take them away. If they're pets and the owners want them back, they'll have to pay a fee. Once they pay that a few times, they'll keep the cat indoors.
For the pond, you can buy a netting to put over it that is nearly invisible. The scarecrow sprinkler is a great idea too.
You can also be honest and talk to the neighbors about this. Maybe it will do nothing, but if you are honest yet direct it can't hurt.
I'm dealing with a situation with an alcoholic neighbor who has decided to let his cats out. They chose our yard to hang out in. . .but they are killing birds (we have a bird bath and several feeders). I found this upsetting and approached the neighbor, expressing my disappointment and how upset I was. I hope it's not a coincidence, but I have not seen the cat since I talked to him.
Cats and other critters will get trapped in netting over a pond. If it is small enough you can cover it just under the surface with heavy duty wire. Make sure it is sturdy enough to carry them. Otherwise - each fish is on its own.
Talk to your neighbor. Maybe they have no clue what their cats are doing to your yard and will keep them inside.
If that doesn't work, call animal control to see if they can help. Cat feces can carry parasites like toxoplasmosis which is dangerous to pregnant mothers and the immune depressed. Harassing and killing wildlife, especially if it's an endangered species, can get the owners into big trouble. Again, try to work it out with the owners and make absolutely sure you know it is their cats causing part or all of the problems. If the city finds their cats problematic, they will give them a written warning or citation.
It is very difficult to convince a persistent cat to go poop or hunt somewhere else. The cats see your yard as part of their territory. If deterrents doesn't work, removal by owner or city might be necessary.
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