It is no secret.... our entire neighborhood is dealing with
an overpopulation of feral and stray cats. These felines are beyond
learning to socialize with humans. They are feral enough that they
won't let you handle them or help them. I
know for a fact that I won't be able to make a pet of them. I have
tried.
They have taken over our front and back yards, gardens, trees and porches. They are spraying urine on outdoor furniture, flower pots and flowerbeds. They use my flowerbeds as a litter box.
Believe me, it is not a pleasant thing to care for flowers in your flowerbeds and all of a sudden realize you have cat poop on your hands...
It has
happened to me and it is a very unpleasant thing.
I appreciate your advise, the emails I have gotten and your concern about that poor cat you saw on my previous post and admire you for caring for your own strays, but the reality is much, much more bleak and really much more serious around here. It's a public heath issue, it's a mental health issue, and it's all to do with a neighbor cat hoarder who at one point kept over 80 cats in her tiny adobe. Animal control was made aware of the situation and removed many of these cats. Still, these felines are everywhere around here and they are not friendly at all. They won't let you care for them, spay them etc. Even the most ardent cat lovers won't appreciate the smell of cat urine and poop on furniture or outdoors in the garden.
These feral cats will be better off with animal control, but if I call for them to be taken away, they will most likely be put down anyways. Best keep them around? I don't mind seeing them around the garden (except for what they leave behind), but to find urine and feces on furniture where we sit, or eat it is something else.
I just want that particular unwanted feline intruder from a specific
area--my settee ;) Stay tune as we'll continue
to investigate how to keep him away from our porch!
Have been in a similiar situation before. My vet told me to sprinkle moth balls in flower beds and anywhere i needed to , to detour the cats. It seemed to work for me as well as my neighbors . Where i live now is a wooded area. And the woods are full of "wild" cats that come upon my porch at night. I am also an avid animal lover. However, I draw the line when that animal begins to destroy or deface my property. Try the moth balls, especially in your flower beds and around your fish pond. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteI read moth balls will help keep cats away, but I hate the smell. A few years ago I fed one wild cat and it was like my entire yard became a beacon for all strays. Our only solution was to call animal control. They set traps around the yard and had us call when one was captured. It didn't take very long. I felt the same way as you. I hated to call, but I couldn't stand around and turn into a cat lady myself. It was such a HUGE relief to finally have those cats gone. I learned my lesson to not feed strays.
ReplyDeleteYou're not a bad person! You have a beautiful home and garden that you worked hard to buy and maintain. It's unreasonable to allow cats to destroy it.
PC
Everyone who visits you knows what a kind, caring person you are Cielo. I have 3 cats and love all animals. Mine are inside cats so they would never be a bother to anyone. I think it is inexcusable for anyone to own 80 cats and think they are doing the cats a favor. Your current situation is the fault of the cat lady in your neighborhood and she should be responsible for helping in fixing the problem she created. It is a hard choice to call the humane society knowing the future of these cats, but living like they do with disease and no one to care for them, they are suffering as well as causing problems for everyone. I'm sure these cats were not spayed or neutered so this feral problems will only get worse so call a neighborhood meeting and with the help of the Humane society work on catching them.
ReplyDeleteIt's a sad situation for everyone. I apologize if you thought my original comment was directed at you. It was not, I just cant stand to see any animal suffer.
I know how annoying it is to have cat poop and urine in your flower beds Cielo. I have four cats (who are confined to the house and yard) one of which is a stray that I rescued when she was about 6 months old and she will consistently bypass the litter box and go straight for my flower pots and flower beds. I've had to put mesh all around the beds as well as around the larger flower pots. The smaller pots have all the soil covered with little rocks. Interestingly, my other three cats that I raised almost from birth are very obedient and they always use the litter box. It's only the rescued stray that is rebellious. I'm so sorry to hear that you are having these problems on a larger scale....there are really few things as stinky as cat poo. Perhaps the mothballs that others have suggested will work. Otherwise you'll probably have to call animal control again to help you with the problem cat. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteCielo, You have a beautiful heart and soul. I love cats and all animals, too. In warmer climates, the cats just keep multiplying. Some towns have a catch, neuter and release program. Neutering is the only way to halt the population growth. As for immediate action, you could try the mothballs, just so no children play in your garden. I am so sorry you are in such a situation. In my garden in Toronto, I have a lot of problems with raccoons. I am afraid to let my dog into our yard because of them.
ReplyDelete