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Old 04-09-2008, 02:59 PM
 
1 posts, read 4,530 times
Reputation: 10

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I’m looking for advice to get rid of some nuisance cats that are hanging around my house.

A little background on the situation, I have an indoor cat that I let out in my backyard when I am outside gardening or with my son. Last summer I had an issue with a cat that was apparently use to being around people and became comfortable with hanging around my house. Well one rainy evening he got too comfortable and pushed through a screen and came into my house. I was notified of this when a cat fight broke out next to my bed at about 3 AM between this homeless cat and my cat. Long story short I caught the cat in my 1 year old son’s room (as it was ripping up his screen and urinated all over that window trying to get out). I locked in a plastic laundry basket and sat it out on my back porch. I checked around the neighborhood and apparently it use to belong to someone but they turned it out. The local animal control “doesn’t deal with cats” and the humane society would not pick it up. I ended up taking this flea ridden cat to the shelter myself. After a long clean up to make sure I had no fleas in my house or car, I have become more wary of the “neighborhood” cats.

Recently a new cat started hanging out around my neighbor’s house. It is a female that they started feeding over the winter and have been keeping it as an ‘outside’ cat. I am not 100% sure if they are allowed to keep a cat strictly outdoors and I have been unsuccessful in finding any information. I'm going to do some calling around and try to speak with animal control to find out. This cat that does/does not belong to them (ownership depends on the day that you speak with my neighbors), hangs out on my porch bothering my cat and uses my gardens as it’s litter box. Now it is pregnant and I am worried about having a bunch of feral cats around my house. I am also worried about a repeat of last summer’s fiasco with a cat breaking into my house.

I want to find away to keep this cat (and other neighborhood wanderers) away from my property. However at the same time I don’t want anything that will prevent my own cat or son from being out and enjoying our yard as well. I would also like to know if anyone would have any suggestions of a way to keep these cats off of my porches. If anyone has any information of what animal control organization I can contact regarding these troublesome critters I would appreciate that too.

 
Old 04-09-2008, 08:08 PM
 
8,411 posts, read 39,174,173 times
Reputation: 6366
You are mad because your neighbor has a cat...
You ARE allowed to keep an outdoor cat. OOOOOOOOOOOOKKKKKKK

For the garden/porch:

Renardine - A Tried And Trusted Cat Repellant

Cat Repellant Home Remedies
 
Old 04-09-2008, 09:11 PM
 
Location: Pittsburgh, USA
3,131 posts, read 9,338,250 times
Reputation: 1111
There should be a game commissioner assigned to wherever you live. Call them and ask. You might get a good answer or they'll loan you a trap.

When I had deer chewing up my small trees and coons getting the fish in my pond I was told to use mothballs. That worked to keep them away. They last pretty long yet it still can get expensive.

Go to the woods and get a bunch of weeds with thorns in them and put wherever you think they enter.

Last edited by johnycakes; 04-09-2008 at 10:17 PM..
 
Old 04-10-2008, 12:56 PM
 
221 posts, read 748,696 times
Reputation: 53
Geez, Kyazuh, what a crazy situation. Talk about a cat burglar breaking in in the middle of the night! And a crazy one at that, it seems.

Can you capture Mama cat and take her to the shelter? It doesn't sound like the neighbors really want the cat since they don't want to take responsibility for her and get her spayed. The shelters get so overrun with kittens this time of year that they're gassed.

And how in the world does the word get out in the cat world that certain people are cat friendly and certain areas are good places for the homeless to receive a decent meal. If we could just figure out how feline gossip works, maybe all the strays wouldn't keep coming to you.

Sorry I couldn't be of more help beyond sympathy.
 
Old 04-11-2008, 12:42 AM
 
8,411 posts, read 39,174,173 times
Reputation: 6366
Yeh..catch someones pet and take it in to be killed. Real neighborly there!

My cat was pregnant and we had homes for all the kittens. We got her fixed after that. I would of KILLED my neighbor if they took it to a shelter. Thats ABSOLUTE crap/heartless/stealing/murder!
 
Old 04-11-2008, 02:16 AM
 
15,631 posts, read 26,122,878 times
Reputation: 30907
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kyazuh View Post
I’m looking for advice to get rid of some nuisance cats that are hanging around my house.

A little background on the situation, I have an indoor cat that I let out in my backyard when I am outside gardening or with my son. Last summer I had an issue with a cat that was apparently use to being around people and became comfortable with hanging around my house. Well one rainy evening he got too comfortable and pushed through a screen and came into my house. I was notified of this when a cat fight broke out next to my bed at about 3 AM between this homeless cat and my cat. Long story short I caught the cat in my 1 year old son’s room (as it was ripping up his screen and urinated all over that window trying to get out). I locked in a plastic laundry basket and sat it out on my back porch. I checked around the neighborhood and apparently it use to belong to someone but they turned it out. The local animal control “doesn’t deal with cats” and the humane society would not pick it up. I ended up taking this flea ridden cat to the shelter myself. After a long clean up to make sure I had no fleas in my house or car, I have become more wary of the “neighborhood” cats.

Recently a new cat started hanging out around my neighbor’s house. It is a female that they started feeding over the winter and have been keeping it as an ‘outside’ cat. I am not 100% sure if they are allowed to keep a cat strictly outdoors and I have been unsuccessful in finding any information. I'm going to do some calling around and try to speak with animal control to find out. This cat that does/does not belong to them (ownership depends on the day that you speak with my neighbors), hangs out on my porch bothering my cat and uses my gardens as it’s litter box. Now it is pregnant and I am worried about having a bunch of feral cats around my house. I am also worried about a repeat of last summer’s fiasco with a cat breaking into my house.

I want to find away to keep this cat (and other neighborhood wanderers) away from my property. However at the same time I don’t want anything that will prevent my own cat or son from being out and enjoying our yard as well. I would also like to know if anyone would have any suggestions of a way to keep these cats off of my porches. If anyone has any information of what animal control organization I can contact regarding these troublesome critters I would appreciate that too.
In short -- you can't. As to who to call, I can't help you there. Look -- the reason I have nine cats is because people are so damn irresponsible with cats. I have one that may be a full blooded applehead Siamese that was dumped around my house when he was a baby... and the only reason I got him is because a raccoon got to him first and my husband beat it off Sam. A week later, Sam barely could make it up onto my porch, he was so sick. We gathered him up, fed him some canned food and he started shaking... and as I looked into the deep blue crossed eyes that begged me for help, I had no choice.

Six weeks and 1500 bucks later, we had a feral Siamese nearly tame. The good news is he was SO sick for so long all we did for two weeks was hold him and hand feed him. He had massive blood infections and gangrene -- he lost five of the eight back toes, three on one foot and the two middle ones on the other. They FELL off. We also had to take him back to the vet's daily for dressing changes. We gave him three kinds of antibiotics twice daily. After a couple of weeks we started home physical therapy -- warm moist compressed and massage of his back leg (coon bit his hock) and flexing it. It was either that or he'd lose the leg. And even with the PT we did there was no guarantee.

We also had to play with him, and engage his mind -- he was so shy, that everything scared him, and so wounded that he couldn't do much. So we'd take turns with a feather toy, slowly tracing it in front of him so he could reach out and pat at it, talking to him gently. And holding him and stroking him as much as possible.

It took a long time, but he healed, and he tamed up nicely. Sam is a wonder. But he had trust issues for a very very long time. We got him in 2003, and I have to say in the past year Sam has really blossomed. He loves laying on his Daddy, and loves his daily brushings...

I love telling this story, because I truly believe every cat should be a wanted and loved member of a family. Seamus, Zasu, Tally, Baby, Sam, Knuckles, Bonus, Edgar and Squinkle would tell you ALL PAWS UP they are happy and healthy and vetted and treated better than a lot of children out there.

So -- you want to discourage feral cats? Keep your cat in. (You'll need to play with her -- get a feather wand fishing pole -- one called "Da Bird" -- replaceable feathers) Get your cat fixed. Do not feed the neighborhood cats. Double wrap your cat's litter and seal it in your garbage can. Feral cats sort of hone in where other cats are by scent. Your neighbors should either take the cat in the house OR stop feeding her -- but if they won't (I wouldn't) -- check at your local humane shelter or at Animal Friends, a great Pittsburgh no kill facility-- see if anyone is doing free Feral Fixes. A fixed feral is a FAR better neighbor even if she stays outdoors -- better for you with no howling and yowling (mating season is VERY ANNOYING) and no kittens. (Kittens are my special weakness. I end up with a litter every year that we tame and find homes for, but I am burning out! Even though I love bottle feeding!)

Good luck!
 
Old 04-11-2008, 02:37 AM
 
Location: Southwest Pa
1,440 posts, read 4,398,840 times
Reputation: 1705
First and foremost, make your house and yard as unappealing as possible to a feral cat.

Garbage: Locked tight in cans, never bagged and left out overnight. No food, nothing to hang around for.

Feeding your pet: Feed inside, all the time, every time. Again, no food, that's one reason eliminated.

Grills: Like grilling? Clean the grill after your done. Clear up any drippings that may have dropped to the ground, all utensils put away.

Water: No standing water like birdbaths and such. No water, another invite eliminated.

Birds: Speaking of birds. If you're prone to feeding the dear things, cut it out. A tempting food source to any cat. You can't (and shouldn't) chase the things away but don't encourage the birds to hang around either.

Your cat: Have it fixed if it isn't already. Cats in heat can find each other quite tempting.

Your outside area: Close the garage if you have one. If you have open areas under a porch, fence them or block them up. I personally crawled thru all the muck under my back porch to chicken wire up a nesting place a mother cat was scoping out. Get rid of things they can sleep under like old sofas and such if you have any.

My basic advice is take your "area" and make it as unappealing to a feline as you can. Never feed them, not once! Seriously, give it no reason to stay and they will pass you by over time. You'll get the odd wanderer snooping around but they'll find no reason to come back.
 
Old 04-11-2008, 01:39 PM
 
221 posts, read 748,696 times
Reputation: 53
Pitt: I'm actually a sucker for stray animals and have nursed more than my share. It kills me to think of more kittens brought into the world who'll just end up gassed because someone didn't spay or neuter or bother to really care for them. Stray cats are a problem.

If the neighbors are gonna adopt this cat, they need to take responsibility for it, and, of course, the poor thing may have gotten pregnant before they realized they were becoming her caretakers.

I sure wouldn't just take someone's pet to the shelter. Goodness, no! But if it's a stray cat, it needs to find a shelter where it can hopefully find someone who wants to take care of it properly. Now the OP is gonna have to worry about whether or not she's gonna have a herd of stray cats at her house when those kittens grow up, if no one takes them home.

Gee--didn't know racoons killed kitties. How awful.
 
Old 04-11-2008, 01:44 PM
 
Location: Pittsburgh
29,627 posts, read 34,112,869 times
Reputation: 76631
I read about this group a while ago: Homeless Cat Mangement Team

But I don't know how they'd help in this case.
 
Old 04-11-2008, 05:02 PM
 
15,631 posts, read 26,122,878 times
Reputation: 30907
Quote:
Originally Posted by Windwalker View Post
Pitt: I'm actually a sucker for stray animals and have nursed more than my share. It kills me to think of more kittens brought into the world who'll just end up gassed because someone didn't spay or neuter or bother to really care for them. Stray cats are a problem.

If the neighbors are gonna adopt this cat, they need to take responsibility for it, and, of course, the poor thing may have gotten pregnant before they realized they were becoming her caretakers.

I sure wouldn't just take someone's pet to the shelter. Goodness, no! But if it's a stray cat, it needs to find a shelter where it can hopefully find someone who wants to take care of it properly. Now the OP is gonna have to worry about whether or not she's gonna have a herd of stray cats at her house when those kittens grow up, if no one takes them home.

Gee--didn't know racoons killed kitties. How awful.
Luckily for us -- racoons are not rabies carriers here in California. I was freaked about Sammy over the raccoon attack because of rabies, but my fears were calmed by TWO vets.

But they do see cats as a another drain on their small food source, and will try to kill them. They leave our cats alone, but they will kill kittens at the drop of a hat.

My glasses just fell apart -- exucse any mispellings -- I can't see!
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