Cats and more CATS

Nyboy

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Sometimes I wonder if we are to quick to kill. I have no problem killing a predator who is a danger to pets, livestock or people. Killing because animal is going to the bathroom really. I have a cat that likes to spray my patio furniture, might try a water scarecrow myself
 

ninnymary

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I am certainly not one to kill right away because an animal has gone to the bathroom. This has become a major problem that you don't want to give to someone else. Are you a good hunter?

There is a cat that occasionaly goes in my garden. It drives me crazy. So I understand how you feel multiplying that number by a lot.

Good luck and let us know how it's going.

Mary
 

ducks4you

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Ha Ha! MY Vet, who lives in another small town 7 miles from us solved THEIR exploding cat population problem that their town had some 10 years ago. It was the same deal, people dumping unwanted cats and a "cat lady" (Let's call her "Numnut Nancy", with apologies to anyone here Named Nancy), who HAD to feed them all. She said that the cats were everywhere and doing just what the original post described. My Vet starting trapping and euthanizing them in the trap. She has given shots to my cats in their crate prior to spaying & neutering, so I have seen this done. Numnut Nancy complained about my Vet, so my Vet asked her if she was the Owner of all of these cats and would like to reimburse her for the drug fees and euthanizations. Nancy said no, so my Vet continued and solved the problem. My Vet SHOULD have gotten a commendation from her town for this! Still, My Vet said that the real losers were the trash men who had to endure the smell of rotten cat during all of the pickups.
 

digitS'

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...I notice that even out where home lots are large, cats visit neighbors' property. Here, there will be a cat in my yard every 24 hours - no question about it. ....

The neighbor's calico cat has disappeared. I'm afraid to ask about it. ...

The calico is back but seen only in her own yard. I suspect that she is staying closer to home and, probably, in the house more because of damp, snowy conditions underfoot. You know how some cats are about that.

Not so the tom cats! And, there is a new one in the neighborhood. There's a duplex 4 doors down that was vacant. I think that there may be new tenants, with a big grey tomcat.

He will give the big orange tabby trouble, I bet. I caught that guy just as he was walking under my deck the other morning --opened the door and hissed at him! He bolted for the ground under the pickup. Three minutes later, he peeks out from under the tailpipe. Threw open a window and hissed again! He made the top of the 6' fence in a single bound!

The next morning, there was a pile of cat poop on.the.backsteps ... can't win.

Steve ;)
 

so lucky

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When there was a mamma cat and her kittens using my parents' front door area for a potty, I hit upon something that worked but with all the cats you have, I don't know if it would work for you: I cleared out all the mulch and all the cat mess, and put down the large nugget mulch, the kind that has pieces about the size of a TV remote. Then I bought several cheap containers of red pepper flakes, and spread them on top of the mulch. This took care of the problem. The large nuggets are unstable under their feet, and of course they don't like the pepper smell.

But this should not be your problem to solve. @bobm, have you tried talking to some of the area vets, to see what they would recommend? Surely they are not all on the same "save the strays" bandwagon.

I don't like the idea of shooting stray cats, but in some cases, there doesn't seem to be any other solution. Feral cats are really hard on the song bird population. I guess killing them humanely is a choice we may have to make to save other species, and, of course, to keep our property from smelling like, well, tomcat teen town. Could you even shoot them with a gun in your neighborhood? You don't want to poison them; valued pets might be killed.
Good luck on your efforts.
 

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