Cats!!!

[achris]

Hi all,

I have a problem I would like some advise on. As you probably guessed by the thread title, it's a cat problem.

Firstly, why do cat owners think it's ok for their animals to wander and cause problems to other people?
Secondly, I am NOT an animal hater. I love most animals... I hand-feed wild birds (Magpies) we have around here, I take frogs from our garden back to the lake next to our house, I had dogs as I grew up. But cats are completely different, and I feel it's unfair to expect neighbours to put up with the problems caused by cats....

Anyway, we have new neighbours, a couple of months, and they have 2 cats and a yappy little dog (rat on a rope really)... Since they moved in we have seen the 2 cats lying in our gardens, walking around our place like they own it and generally being completely uncontrolled. These same cats are also the ones howling in the middle of the night keeping us awake, and crapping in our garden. Yesterday I was finishing an A/C installation and the whole time all I could smell was cat crap. Not at all pleasant.

I have spoken to them a couple of times and they seems nice enough, but the subject of cats came up and I was able to make a comment about 'unknown' cats causing problems. They just said that it couldn't be their cats. I said a brown one and a white one, yes? They said they were their cats, but they don't cause problems... So, brickwall there.

So, it's midnight and I've been woken up, again, by cats howling. I go outside and the cats see me and vanish... Yep, same cats!

I now have a few options, but each has a negative side....

1. Confront the neighbours, asking that they restraint their animals. Could go either way. If it goes badly and then the cats 'disappear' I'll be the first suspect.
2. Trap the cats, return them anonymously in a bag with a note to the effect that the next time I catch them they don't come home.
3. Bait for cats. Only one result here. If the cat returns home sick, gets taken to the vet and the vet says it was poisoned... You can guess the rest of that sentence.
4. Trap the cats, take them to the cat haven....

Would like to here your advise, or any possible alternatives you might think off, but I can't take much more of being woken up night after night....

Thanks....

Chris.

 

[aspeck]

Re: Cats!!!

I am not a good one to answer because I dislike cats for a lot of the reasons you mentioned above, and others. I get tired of cat prints across the hood and roof of my vehicles. I get tired of cats hollering at night. I get tired of the cat messes in my yard/gardens. I get tired of the finickiness of cats in general. A well managed (you can't train a cat) and controlled cat has its benefits, but the uncontrolled are a pain. Please control your cats.

I don't have much of a cat problem in our development any more. That is as far as I will go here.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Cats!!!

I'm a cat owner. And I love cats. However, I believe that an "outdoor cat" is just a stray that someone feeds. I would trap them and take them to the local shelter.

 

[JB]

Re: Cats!!!

I am a bit ambiguous about cats. My cats have always been indoor cats (thanks to the population of coyotes and bobcats hereabouts). #1 Daughter has a horde of cats, indoor and outdoor, but she lives rural, so the outdoor cats have room to roam without annoying people, and they have a guard dog from whom they don't stray far. A lot of her cats come from animal shelters where they have been spayed or castrated. Neutered cats do not get into squalling contests in the night. That is mating/territorial behavior.

Part of the problem is that cats are very low maintenance "pets", so low maintenance easily turns to neglect and the cats are pretty much left to their own devices, like roaming neighborhoods at night. Town and city cats need to be indoors at night or they become a public nuisance. Then the best solution is to live trap them and turn them over to the local animal shelter.

My current cat, Miss Kitty, came from being live trapped as a feral weanling in December of 1990. She has not been outdoors since, though she has lived with 4 different members of the clan in her 21 years.

When her time comes I will get a dog, something that likes people. It would be nice to be adored, rather than ruled.

 

[rivermouse]

Re: Cats!!!

I am not a good one to answer because I dislike cats for a lot of the reasons you mentioned above, and others. I get tired of cat prints across the hood and roof of my vehicles. I get tired of cats hollering at night. I get tired of the cat messes in my yard/gardens. I get tired of the finickiness of cats in general. A well managed (you can't train a cat) and controlled cat has its benefits, but the uncontrolled are a pain. Please control your cats.

I don't have much of a cat problem in our development any more. That is as far as I will go here.

I like cats and we have 3. The one thing that has ever got me upset about cats is when they get on your car and leave scratchs in the paint. After my neighbors cat did it to our new car I quickly set a trap and caught it. Then I sprayed some harmless blue poka dots on it and let it go. I think the neighbor got the idea as to not let the kitty roam at night. I wonder what would have happened if I would have taken a bill for several hundred bucks to him for the cost of having the car paint repaired...Only a sick person would hurt or poison a helpless animal. You could get a photo of the cat on your car and show it to the owner and tell them that you will take legal action for your car repairs if it happens again....I think you would have a good case to collect.

 

[achris]

Re: Cats!!!

...Only a sick person would ... poison a helpless animal....

Local councils do that all the time... And Australia has a massive rabbit problem, so farmers lay 10-80 baits. Farmers also poison for foxes and other pests.... Would you call them 'sick'?

 

[r.j.dawg]

Re: Cats!!!

We had a similar problem when we owned our house. However, our city has a very strict by-law regarding dogs and cats. All it took was a call to our by-law enforcement office and they came by with a trap. Showed up the next morning to retrieve the now occupied trap and took it away. Never did find out what happened to the cat but it never returned.

 

[lncoop]

Re: Cats!!!

How good of an actor are you? If the neighbors are truly convinced their "babies" aren't causing your cat induced problems just let it slip in conversation that you're about set traps. That may do it, but if it doesn't, go ahead and set the traps. When you catch the little rascals soak them with a hose (not really high pressure, we're not trying to hurt them) and turn them loose. That will be the end of your cat problem. If a neighbor problem results because the cats no longer come around just calmly explain that you were only comfortable setting the traps after they assured you their cats weren't the issue, so it's simply not possible that they were the ones you trapped.

 

[robert graham]

Re: Cats!!!

How good of an actor are you? If the neighbors are truly convinced their "babies" aren't causing your cat induced problems just let it slip in conversation that you're about set traps. That may do it, but if it doesn't, go ahead and set the traps. When you catch the little rascals soak them with a hose (not really high pressure, we're not trying to hurt them) and turn them loose. That will be the end of your cat problem. If a neighbor problem results because the cats no longer come around just calmly explain that you were only comfortable setting the traps after they assured you their cats weren't the issue, so it's simply not possible that they were the ones you trapped.

That's a very clever solution from an obviously criminal mind!

 

[lncoop]

Re: Cats!!!

That's a very clever solution from an obviously criminal mind!

I respectfully refuse to respond on the grounds that I might further incriminate myself.

 

[greenbush future]

Re: Cats!!!

You don't have a cat problem, you have a cat owner problem, and let the city deal with them. These folks who think letting the thing out does no harm are ignorant to reality. Cats kill song birds and most any other wildlife, and are not native to anywhere. We already know how they can cause damage to personal property, and taking this up with said enabler is not a wise choice, because they will defend deny and do nothing. Let the law know what is going on and with a little luck the cat will be back where it should be, inside where it cant kill and trash your personals. Again you have a person problem who most likely will continue allowing this animal to run free and kill. Just remember it isnt the cats fault that the owner is ignorant! And never touch any of these critters, they are full of nasty parasites and disease. Very filthy nasty animals.

 

[robert graham]

Re: Cats!!!

I respectfully refuse to respond on the grounds that I might further incriminate myself.

Everbody's gonna know what happened to those cats!

 

[rivermouse]

Re: Cats!!!

Pest dont count. I was talking about peoples pets .....If someone could kill every snakehead fish in north america it would be a job well done.

 

[achris]

Re: Cats!!!

Pest dont count. I was talking about peoples pets .....If someone could kill every snakehead fish in north america it would be a job well done.

From the dictionary:

pest
noun
1.an annoying or troublesome person, animal, or thing; nuisance.
2.an insect or other small animal that harms or destroys garden plants, trees, etc.

Those 'pets' fit right into that definition...

So, by your logic, I am fully within my rights, and I would be doing the community a favour, to rid the area of these pests...

Works for me...

 

[fishrdan]

Re: Cats!!!

Yeah, we have new neighbors too, Though our new neighbors have dogs that go on a barking spree, all hours of the day and night, for hours on end. We approached them 2 times about the barking and they resolved it "that time". I got the feeling that they think "it's our problem" not their problem... They still leave the dogs out all day and night with them barking up a storm.. After 2 dogs constantly barking from 11PM to 1AM (who could possibly ignore that???) I bought an electronic Bark Stopper and hung it up, aiming down into their yard. The first morning I could hear a difference in the dog's barking and peeked out a window to see one dog bark and look right at the Bark Stopper, then bark again while looking right at the bark stopper. I took a bit of satisfaction knowing this dog was being very annoyed by the high pitch noise, like we were being annoyed by it's barking. The barking has lessened considerably, though there are still times when the dogs go off, cat prowling, cop/ambulance sirens. That might solve the obnoxious dog, but how to handle the cats, I dunno....

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: Cats!!!

A couple things, first rivermouse is from America and we typically deal with things similarly to Aussies but Cats isn't one of them unless your in a rural area so take that for what it is, I have a friend who is in Australia near Sydney and they have a huge cat problem and poison is how they are dealing with them as well.

If you were to do it here Trapping them is a great way to deal with them, although I know there is an issue with taking them to the shelter,(the previous owner can get them back and your in the same situation) sometimes its just better to take them to work and drop them off on the way.

One idea I have heard was to buy a package of mouse traps and cover them with a light amount of dirt, I know one guy that did this for a week and hasn't seen that cats since, he bought a 20 pack of them and one night found 5 of them popped or missing, isn't going to kill a cat but will certainly send a message

A movement sensing sprinkler is popular here in Colorado to keep deer out of gardens

Lastly Video or it didn't happen if you go with the mousetraps or sprinkler....

BTW My cat does not go outside, she wants no part of it since she has it sooooooo rough indoors

 

[BlkY2k]

Re: Cats!!!

Im a cat lover we have 2 here. I have to say, I like the idea of the trap and blue polka dots. Your not harming them, the paint will grow out. I would love to see the face of momma when her little baby comes in painted blue. I`ll bet it never leaves the house again. Great idea Rivermouse

 

[rivermouse]

Re: Cats!!!

From the dictionary:

pest
noun
1.an annoying or troublesome person, animal, or thing; nuisance.
2.an insect or other small animal that harms or destroys garden plants, trees, etc.

Those 'pets' fit right into that definition...

So, by your logic, I am fully within my rights, and I would be doing the community a favour, to rid the area of these pests...

Works for me...

Lordy......please look up what the word feral means and then put it in front of pest.

 

[Kiwi Phil]

Re: Cats!!!

Check with your local council. I understand they have advice and assistance as this is not an un-common problem.
I am of the opinion that in todays world, it is initially best you approach them and let them deal with it.

Cheers
Phillip

 

[tx1961whaler]

Re: Cats!!!

I have a couple of Cat Stops that I move around the yard to keep them guessing.
http://www.amazon.com/Contech-CatStop-Ultrasonic-Outdoor-Deterrent/dp/B0001A9TE2
I also make a very nasty spray out of hot peppers that I spray around the house perimeter to keep them from using my yard as a toilet.