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Commercial cat repellents: Shake-Away powder bears the scent of the urine of predators that cats fear, namely, coyote, fox and bobcat. This commercial cat repellent comes in a granular form, which you simply sprinkle around the problem area. The product is advertised as being organic, making it an acceptable option to use around children and pets. Nor will it harm your plants.
Cats keep rodents away. Rodents are dirty, cats are clean. Yes, the cats can be annoying and I wouldn't feed them on my property of neighbors property. You are better off with a few cats that keep the rodents away than being over run by hundreds of rodents that will cause much more damage than a cat.
Exactly! If you don't have cats in your neighborhood....you're gonna have rats. Pick your poison folks!
First of all, never take 311's declaration as the final word. They're idiots.
I think you should take a stance that it is not, strictly speaking, illegal to feed a cat or a dog (for instance, if you handed a biscuit to your neighbor's dog while it was being walked), yet to habitually feed and leave food out for any animals creates a problem. According to an NYC government website, it it creates an unsanitary condition, there could be a violation. I like Mr. Ryu's Shake-Away suggestion, but it doesn't solve the larger problem.
If it were me, I'd start with writing my council person, the health department, and whatever division is in charge of rat extermination. Of course, you should mention that it's in front of your property (and if you can get picture of her leaving it on your property, you can contact the police) - but don't emphasize that, because your object is not to just get her to move a few yards, but to stop altogether. You can complain about it both in terms of a health issue (vermin and insects) but possibly also as a safety issue, because people might trip on the containers or slip on the food.
Also, I hate to say this, but if she's very elderly, check into the possibility of having someone from the city investigate as to whether she's got all her marbles. It's not that I think she should be institutionalized, but you might spook her enough to make her stop.
I'd be curious to know how this develops, so let us know.
Try contacting some reputable animal shelters or the mayor's alliance on animals. Some of the shelters will do TNR, which is trap, neuter, release, if the cats are really feral. It will keep the population down over time, end the mating calls and spraying, and if any of the cats are not feral, they'll get them homes or jobs - the rat program someone mentioned above is usually neutered ferals. Warehouses and other worksites like lumber yards use them if they have a rat problem.
I doubt there's much else you can do about the food other than call the police and tell them she's trespassing on your property, which she is when she leaves food you don't want there.
Post a sign on your property: "No Cat Feeding," complete with a picture of a cat eating with a line through it. That will solve the problem.
That only works for calling them, not feeding.
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