FERAL CAT PROBLEM-- PLEASE HELP- ABOUT TO LOSE IT!

ETA: For those who have trapped the cats, and brought them to shelters (whether they euthanize or not.. sorry..) how have succeeded in trapping the cats and which shelters will accept them?

I am about to lose my mind with my neighbors across the street and the feral cats that they are housing/feeding!!!!!!!

These cats are poo pooing ALL Over my lawn front and back.. it smells disgusting as you walk up my driveway and I have a 14 month old who I want to be able to let play outside in the summer without worrying she is going to step in /touch etc cat poop. I dont know how to get rid of these cats!!!!
Its disgusting and filty and a health hazard!

1) does anyone know any agencys etc that will help me do something about this problem- permamently?

2) does anyone have any proven suggestions for keeping the cats away from my house?

ETA: Im in the town of North Hempstead and they have already "caught and released' the cats and supposedly neutered them.. which was not effective since the cats have continued to breed!!!!

Message edited 2/20/2013 11:17:50 AM.

Re: FERAL CAT PROBLEM-- PLEASE HELP- ABOUT TO LOSE IT!

I understand how this could be upsetting, especially with a baby. Unfortunately and sadly, I don't think much could be done. I also care for and feed a small colony of ferals. Cats are very territorial and when taking them away from the environment that they know, they become lost and very confused. Organizations will come and help trap the cats to have them spayed and neutered, but sadly a lot of the time, this isn't done for free. In our case, we paid to have our ferals spayed and neutered. Though at low cost, it adds up, especially when trying to control the situation. With that being said, when they are fixed, they are released back to the area in which they came from. It's the responsibility for that person to feed them, if that I'd what they've been doing. Its a hard situation. There is also laws that protect the feeders because technically if these cats are fixed, they can't stop feeding them. Most feral feeders treat these cats as if they are their own. It is an unfortunate life that they were brought into. Theyhave to live through frigid temps, high temps, etc...it's actually sad Its also hard on those who have to deal with it. They don't like citrus smells, so you may want to put orange rinds where they are going....I'm sure there are other tricks, but not sure. I hope this all makes sense. Good luck

Re: FERAL CAT PROBLEM-- PLEASE HELP- ABOUT TO LOSE IT!

FERAL CAT PROBLEM-- PLEASE HELP- ABOUT TO LOSE IT!

OUr town does TNR for free ... the problem is that there is no guarantee they catch all the cats at any given time that they come.. thus they continue to breed and/or other cats join the colony.

Can any of the above posters please explain to me why you would continue to feed the cats? isnt that what begins the feral colony in the first place? if someone did not start feeding these strays, (i.e. my neighbors) they would have never developed a community here- isnt that so?

FERAL CAT PROBLEM-- PLEASE HELP- ABOUT TO LOSE IT!

At Arissa.. I really dont mean this antagonistically but how do your neighbors feel toward you for feeding these feral cats? My neighbors are all up in arms about these nieghbors that continue to feed these cats because our block is literally saturated in Cat sh*t.. the whole block cant stand these people because of the situation.

Re: FERAL CAT PROBLEM-- PLEASE HELP- ABOUT TO LOSE IT!

When the cats are TNRd, it's almost like a requirement that you continue to feed these cats...they would starve if not fed. As the above poster also stated, cats become lost if taken away from what they know....I'm almost certain that the feeder in your situation had cats fixed, but other cats are coming for the food and that's why you are seeing more joining the colony...where I am, they have low cost programs, but it still becomes costly. But I'm sure your neighbor who is feeding is doing what they can on their end. They are also shelling out money to feed...it's not cheap. People do it because they care for these innocent animals. My neighbors are all aware I feed and some others also feed. The three I take care of are almost always on my property. I rarely see them leave, and I treat them as if they are my own. This said, I also looked into protection for myself. As a feeder, I can not get in trouble....I have documentation stating these cats are fixed...in turn, it is my requirement to feed. Though I'm sure if I made a mess about it or had a gazillion cats not fixed, that would be a problem. There are many organizations that may be able to help, but they will probably tell you what the above poster and myself told you It is a hard situation...

Re: FERAL CAT PROBLEM-- PLEASE HELP- ABOUT TO LOSE IT!

Our town actually sent out letters telling people to stop feeding the cats as they are just multiplying and many people are complaining. I know my parents have a ton by them that a neighbor continues to feed and they hate it. I love animals, but in all honesty these ferals are usually inbred, sickly cats and feeding them only leads to more sickly cats.

Re: FERAL CAT PROBLEM-- PLEASE HELP- ABOUT TO LOSE IT!

Re: FERAL CAT PROBLEM-- PLEASE HELP- ABOUT TO LOSE IT!

I feel your pain. Our neighbors do this and it drives DH and I INSANE. We tried growing a garden one year and the cats spent the summer using it and our flower beds as a bathroom, which not only is it completely disgusting it made the garden an entire waste of time. No one wants to eat vegetables from a garden that was using cat feces as fertilizer. The cats also started sleeping/urinating on the side of our house and completely killed a lot of our sod which was also annoying since we had to pay to get it replaces several times.

We tried a lot of different methods to keep them out of the yard... we were told cats don't like very moist soil but then started getting mushrooms... we planted lavender and used citronella scented candles... someone suggested layaing plastic runners down in the garden between the rows of plants but that made watering a pain... really not much worked... and for you it seems they're basically using your entire property as a litter box which makes it even more of a challenge.

We also made sure there was no where for them to "hide out" and any entries to under our back deck and front porch were closed off and we had automatic sprinklers installed and the surprise early morning showers stopped them from sleeping under our bushes. We also made sure the garbages are always secured so there is nothing "extra" for them to eat. That stuff helped a little.

Honestly the thing that helped the most was when we got our second dog. Our first dog doesn't like the warm weather so doesn't spend much time outside in the spring/summer months. Our second dog LOVES being outside and the first time we saw a cat try and come in the yard while he was there was the also the last time we saw a cat try to come in the yard! He's a big dog and FAST and I guess the cats just don't want to risk it.

I know none of that is much help... I guess I just wanted to say I completely understand how frustrating this can be...

Good Luck!

Re: FERAL CAT PROBLEM-- PLEASE HELP- ABOUT TO LOSE IT!

I had this problem as well. Someone told me to sprinkle chili powder around the perimeter of my property. It's not toxic to the cats but they stay away from it. I put it all over the place and I never had the problem again.

Re: FERAL CAT PROBLEM-- PLEASE HELP- ABOUT TO LOSE IT!

Our town actually sent those letters out as well and that's only a scare tactic. I've contacted people about this and nothing could be done about this. Yes, the cats could be inbred, but if fixed, this wouldn't happen. We have a lot of cats in my neighborhood...and I rarely have seen a sick one. When they are TNRd, they also receive shots and flea treatments...it's sad that we all have to deal with tins...every neighborhood has ferals....it definitely stinks, but they can't help it either. I doubt they enjoy living outside...but it's what they know and have been born into

FERAL CAT PROBLEM-- PLEASE HELP- ABOUT TO LOSE IT!

This is one of those topics that can turn into

OP I have heard of chili powder and mothballs to deter them from coming on your property. Sorry you have to deal with this!

Re: FERAL CAT PROBLEM-- PLEASE HELP- ABOUT TO LOSE IT!

When we first moved into our home we had lots of bunnies in the yard which we loved to watch but now that the feral cats have moved in the past few years we don't see the bunnies anymore. I guess I should be glad we don't have as many as some of the PP are reporting but the few we have are killing birds and bunnies and I sure wish we could get rid of the cats.

FERAL CAT PROBLEM-- PLEASE HELP- ABOUT TO LOSE IT!

For the record, our neighbor did not have the cats TNR'ed...it was the other nieghbors who called the town incessentaly to have the TNR take place. Said neighbor that is feeding the cat is looney tunes and can be found in her bathrobe at 2pm on any given day of the week, her house looks like it is about to fall apart (where the rest of the houses on our block are very nicely maintained), her son has also attacked the grandmother who lives in the house on a NUMBER of occasions. I could go on and on about how cray cray they all are. The catss are sadly the least offensive of the issues but iMO the most easily addressed if they would stop feeding the damn cats!

FERAL CAT PROBLEM-- PLEASE HELP- ABOUT TO LOSE IT!

Oh and thank you on the suggestion for chili powder.. I will look into purchasing some =) Any recommendations on how often it should
be applied?

Re: FERAL CAT PROBLEM-- PLEASE HELP- ABOUT TO LOSE IT!

Re: FERAL CAT PROBLEM-- PLEASE HELP- ABOUT TO LOSE IT!

Message edited 2/19/2013 9:19:36 AM.

Re: FERAL CAT PROBLEM-- PLEASE HELP- ABOUT TO LOSE IT!

Posted by Arissa444

I understand how this could be upsetting, especially with a baby. Unfortunately and sadly, I don't think much could be done. I also care for and feed a small colony of ferals. Cats are very territorial and when taking them away from the environment that they know, they become lost and very confused. Organizations will come and help trap the cats to have them spayed and neutered, but sadly a lot of the time, this isn't done for free. In our case, we paid to have our ferals spayed and neutered. Though at low cost, it adds up, especially when trying to control the situation. With that being said, when they are fixed, they are released back to the area in which they came from. It's the responsibility for that person to feed them, if that I'd what they've been doing. Its a hard situation. There is also laws that protect the feeders because technically if these cats are fixed, they can't stop feeding them. Most feral feeders treat these cats as if they are their own. It is an unfortunate life that they were brought into. Theyhave to live through frigid temps, high temps, etc...it's actually sad Its also hard on those who have to deal with it. They don't like citrus smells, so you may want to put orange rinds where they are going....I'm sure there are other tricks, but not sure. I hope this all makes sense. Good luck

Re: FERAL CAT PROBLEM-- PLEASE HELP- ABOUT TO LOSE IT!

Re: FERAL CAT PROBLEM-- PLEASE HELP- ABOUT TO LOSE IT!

I feel your pain. My neighbor, right next door feeds cats. I am pretty sure one is pregnant again. They use my front garden as a litter box and in the spring/summer i can't even open my windows. We had read that putting mulch down will deter them, but it didn't.

Message edited 2/19/2013 7:30:35 AM.

Re: FERAL CAT PROBLEM-- PLEASE HELP- ABOUT TO LOSE IT!

Message edited 2/19/2013 2:18:01 PM.

Re: FERAL CAT PROBLEM-- PLEASE HELP- ABOUT TO LOSE IT!

I feel your pain. I love cats but not vomiting in my and in my yard fighting in the middle of the night. My neighbor feeds them. They got better after several people put down some natual safe deterrants and some got dogs (not bc of the cats but the cats are scared of them). The thing that concerns and worries me is they sleep under cars and are often running across the street. I know one got hit before we moved in but I have seen several very close calls since we have lived here.

Re: FERAL CAT PROBLEM-- PLEASE HELP- ABOUT TO LOSE IT!

This thread makes me very sad. Please do not use chili powder. It gets on their paws and then in their eyes and they literally scratch their eyes out. I understand that you find these cats a nuisance but there are humane ways to deter cats. Here are some more solutions:

Cat Deterrents for your Garden:

Keep in mind that each cat is different (like people), a deterrent that works for one may not necessarily work for another. On the plus side, most cats will keep pesty squirrels, moles and other critters out of your garden. They're great for keeping out moles, rabbits, squirrels, and other critters which can do more damage in your garden than a cat ever will. If the cats have owners, talk to them without being confrontational. The cat owner who allows his cat to damage other peoples' property is as guilty as the cat hater who kills the cat for trespassing. Remember, cats will be cats, and it is unfair of us to blame them for being what they are and how nature intended them to participate in this world.? After-all, we praise them when they catch mice or rats or other creatures we deem to be 'pests'.

* amonia soaked (corncobs, etc)
* aluminum foil
* bamboo skewers
* black pepper
* blood meal fertilizer
* bramble cuttings
* Carefresh - "recycled" wood pulp
* catnip - donated into your neighbor's yards (so they'll stay in their own yards)
* cedar compost
* chicken wire (metal or plastic)
* cinnamon
* citrus peels
* citrus spray
* cocoa bean shells
* coffee grounds -fresh & unbrewed, not just a light sprinkling (highly recommended by MANY Gardenwebbers!)
* dogs
* electric fence for animals
* essence of orange. essence of lemon, lime (citrus essential oils)
* fresh manure(ditto)
* garlic cloves
* gumballs from the Sweet Gum Tree
* gutter covers
* hardware cloth
* heavy bark mulch
* holly leaves
* keep the area damp, they like dry soil
* lavender
* liquid manure (good for your garden too)
* motion sensor sprinkler
* pennyroyal
* pinecones
* pipe tobacco
* plastic forks
* predator urine
* red wine vinegar
* river rocks over the exposed soil
* rocks, crushed
* rose bush clippings
* rue, an herb (Ruta graveolens) (highly recommended in plant form only)
* short twigs throughout the planted area about 6" apart
* six-inch bamboo skewers (pointy side up)
* Spray on your leaves (not the cat): fill a spray bottle with 1/2 t chili powder, 1/2 t cayenne pepper, 1 t dish soap and water
* squirt gun with water
* talk to your neighbors
* tansy
* thorny berry, lilac, hawthorn, rose clippings
* toothpicks
* upside down vinyl carpet
* vinegar sprayed on areas where they roam
* water bottle on "stream"

NOT RECOMMENDED:
*** chili powder, red crushed pepper, cayenne pepper (NOT recommended), it gets on the cat's paws then they wash themselves and they get it in their eyes, beware cats have literally scratched their eyes out because of this. Even if it's one cat out of 500 infected in this way, that's one too many for me.
*** Don't ever use mothballs or flakes. Those little toxic waste pellets destroy cats' kidney function, could seriously harm people who handle them, and yes, contaminate your own garden soil. Their packaging even warns against using them this way.

Give them their own areas:

(To keep them out of where you don't want them)
(If you don't mind them protecting your garden from other critters)

+ pick the cat up and bring it to eye level with the plant to see and smell it up close. She noted that once her cat has seen and sniffed at the plant, she usually doesn't bother with it later.

+ give them their own plants - i.e., pots of grass for her to chew on and a place in a large planted container on her balcony with some miscanthus grass in it (the cat likes to curl up in that for some reason)

+ if the cats are strictly indoors and attracted to your houseplants, grow catgrass for them. If someone forced you to remain inside one enclosed structure all your life, you might be attracted to the plants too.

+ Barley Grass
+ Any type of "catgrass" from the pet store
+ Carex elata 'Bolwes Golden' but put it in some shade
+ Catmint Nepeta mussinicultivars (Simply put, Catmints are Catnips without any culinary or feline use. In any case, they are, however, phenomenal, long flowering, hardy perennials that belong in every fairie or flower garden.)
+ Catnip Nepeta cataria (in your own yard) The oils of which also work as a mosquito repellent that works 10 times better than Deet! Catmint is the common name for all varieties of Nepeta. Catnip is the common name for the specific variety of Nepeta called nepeta cataria, which is the variety that cats are most attracted to.
+ Cat Thyme (Teucrium marum)
+ Flax
+ Oat Grass
+ Jacob's Ladder
+ Lemon Grass
+ Loose soil and mulch like small bark mulch
+ Mints
+ Purple Fountain Grass so the cat lays in the long leaves all day. Maybe put something in that the cats really like and - you know cats won't winky were they like to hang out.
+ Sandy area
+ Silver vine (Actinidia polygama)
+ Striped Ribbon Grass (can be invasive)
+ Sweet grass
+ Trificum aestivum (type of cat grass)
+ Various Varieties of Cat Mints (Catnips)
+ Wheat Grass
+ Wheat Berries
+ Valerian

Re: FERAL CAT PROBLEM-- PLEASE HELP- ABOUT TO LOSE IT!

Re: FERAL CAT PROBLEM-- PLEASE HELP- ABOUT TO LOSE IT!

PLEASE don't use mothballs. They contain a neurotoxin

ETA: My mom fed a few cats and the neighbors didn't like it and put out mothballs which got into our garden so on top of harming the cats, I now can't use my tomato patch anymore

Message edited 2/19/2013 9:27:11 AM.