How to (humanely) get rid of stray cats

[Bhu]

Most cats hate citrus. Spray your bushes with water and a little lemon or orange and they wont hang around, but if you can find a kitty rescue. Where do you live I might have one in my list somewhere?

[Syka]

My mom, in particular, doesn't like that tom cats tend to spray houses. Can't tell you how many times we've come out to that smell.

We've found dead birds on our property more than once, and it wasn't a natural death (at least not when you find a single wing and a bunch of feathers).

And we park our car outside. It's getting to be winter, and the last thing I want is to find out a cat decided our engine was just warm enough to take the chill out right before we go somewhere. :(

We've also found them on our roof. The people who did our roof, didn't do too well of a job of it and there are raised tiles. Don't need a cat making it worse.


That said, even if they ARE house pets, it is illegal to have free roaming cats in my city without a leash so we are well within our rights to trap the animals and give them to the ASPCA. I will not poison them, injure them, etc. As I said, looking for humane ways.

I'm not sure how well the pepper/bear spray thing will go over. Is it safe with children and dogs, too? My neighbor has a hyper three year old and twin 2 month olds, and our other neighbor has a hyperactive puppy.

Oh, and they don't seem very afraid of dogs in the long run. A neighbors dog barked 'em away and as soon as the dog was inside, it walked right back.

[Mercenary Pen]

Originally Posted by Syka

Oh, and they don't seem very afraid of dogs in the long run. A neighbors dog barked 'em away and as soon as the dog was inside, it walked right back.

The problem between cats and dogs is this, as far as I understand it... a dog's surrender signal, lying on its back, is pretty much the same as a cat's preferred attack position, and therefore, with cats and dogs having completely different body language at that fundamental point, cats are not terribly scared of dogs that do want to attack, and any dog that tries to push its luck because it thinks the cat is submitting is gonna get four sets of claws and a set of fangs for its trouble...

[Telonius]

Originally Posted by Dexam

If anyone in Australia even thinks about doing something like this, I will personally track them down and give them a clip a-thwart the ear¹ for being so stupid. Feral cats are devastating to native wildlife.


1 = well, not really... but I hope the point is made.

Hold on a second. We're talking about the same Australia, right? Where, like, 99% of the deadliest species in the world live? Killer sharks, crocodiles, dropbears, and all that?

And the common housecat is able to kill and eat all of this stuff?

No wonder they're a threat to low-level Wizards.

[Syka]

Originally Posted by Telonius

Hold on a second. We're talking about the same Australia, right? Where, like, 99% of the deadliest species in the world live? Killer sharks, crocodiles, dropbears, and all that?

And the common housecat is able to kill and eat all of this stuff?

No wonder they're a threat to low-level Wizards.

The problem isn't the Killer Australian Wildlife. It's the Pacifist Australian Wildlife. Birds, small animals, etc. And yes, cat's can kill snakes and all, too. I think it was either rats or cats (or both) that are considered a plague on Hawaii, because they are new competition and have killed of a significant portion of the native wildlife, particularly of the avian sort.

Mustang herds are an issue in the American West because their hooves wear down native vegetation and erode the land. Same with sheep in some areas.

Any non-native species has the potential to be detrimental to the local ecosystem. In my state we have: parrots (there is a flock in my neighborhood, actually), monkeys, large constrictor snakes, caimens, etc. So far none of these are horribly invasive. The parrots don't seem to have a huge impact, and the monkey's are just annoying to people. As far as I know, the caimens also aren't an issue since our gators can whoop their butts. The snakes are become a serious problem. But the worst one so far here are the Brazilian Pepper Trees. They are amazingly difficult to get rid of and kill of a lot of the local vegetation that would compete with it.

And that's a tree, lol. Lets see a wizard go up against that. ;)

[Jack Squat]

Originally Posted by Syka

I'm not sure how well the pepper/bear spray thing will go over. Is it safe with children and dogs, too? My neighbor has a hyper three year old and twin 2 month olds, and our other neighbor has a hyperactive puppy.

It's safe unless someone's severely allergic to Capsaicin, yes. The dog probably won't want to go past the sprayed line, and the kids should be fine so long as they don't eat the grass.

An alternative method would be to just spray the cats when you see them, though that may interfere with their abilities to get out of the way of other predators and cars.

[EleventhHour]

Originally Posted by Syka

That said, even if they ARE house pets, it is illegal to have free roaming cats in my city without a leash

This line has always made me laugh a little at the silliness.

"Your cat was found in your nieghbor's property, tearing up the flowerbeds, you're going to have to pick it up at the local shelter and pay the fine for letting it out without a leash."
"My cat had a leash on!"
"But noone was holding it..."
"Well, yeah. The law only says it has to be wearing one."

>.>

[Zanaril]

Originally Posted by Syka

Any non-native species has the potential to be detrimental to the local ecosystem.

Although I am yet to see one, England apparently has a parrot infestation.

[Solaris]

Stray cats are pests in urban areas. They like to get into garbage cans, for example, and I for one would much rather not have to pick up the trash that Mr Straykitty just got done rooting through. Them eating birds and other small fuzzies are of secondary concern to me, unless there's some endangered species I like in the area.

Originally Posted by Mercenary Pen

Except that cat dung is bad for anywhere you fancy growing stuff, so a crop farmer might have second thoughts about thanking you.

I can't imagine a single housecat would produce enough crap to seriously affect crops, especially considering cats prefer to go in only one or two places and 'in a field' is secondary to someplace a little more sheltered.

Originally Posted by Serpentine

I was going to ask how certain you are that they're strays. If the answer (as it appears to be) is "not very", then I would strongly suggest to you that it's not your place to "get rid of" them at all. Maybe ask around, spy on them or put up posters to find out whose they are.
In particular, I would be absolutely FURIOUS at you (or anyone else) if you catch someone's pet and harm it in any way or dump it. There is a person in my town putting posters everywhere about her missing Burmese. It's heartbreaking.

I can second that, making sure it's not someone's pet. If the cat's healthy... well, honestly, that's not an indicator. Our neighbors abandoned their cat, and she was wandering around for many years looking healthier than when they'd kept her.

Originally Posted by Serpentine

And in relation to that, it has come up that someone/s is catching cats and dumping them in the bush. This is so unacceptable that I cannot put it in words. Poisoning cats, while horrible, I can at least understand, but if your concern is with their destruction to native wildlife (and I can't really think of any other reason to hate them), dumping them in the bush is so counter-productive it's insane.

A stray cat in Australia, I'd kill it dead. I'm not in Australia. Syka mentions caimans being in her state - that puts her firmly in the New World, unless I'm mistaken. They're invasive and she has gators (not to mention she said 'state'), so my guess is Florida or somewhere around there - in which case there might be a couple of species that the kitty could help wipe out.

A stray cat in America? There aren't any animals in the United States that are in danger of being wiped out by cats... They've all already been wiped out. I still advocate putting the critter down, or at least taking it to a shelter after making a few calls.

By the way, (and I'm not trying to be confrontational) what's the difference between a cat that you let roam around your house and a cat twenty miles up the road? Are all of the species endangered by cats pretty much non-urban?

[Syka]

Nothing, but we can take measures (such as setting traps) on our property. Not so much on other's properties.

Yes, I'm in Florida. We're trying to get back some native vegetation, but I think that which cat's prey on is not on the list. ;)

As I said, I'd rather just keep them off my property than trap them. Trapping is an option, especially since I've seen others trying to forcefully get them off their land. Trapping may make them safer actually, since I've seen someone throw a branch at one and I've had it suggested to me by several people to throw rocks at them.

I'm going to look into the pepper spray thing. :)

[Death Dragon]

Originally Posted by Jack Squat

. . . and the kids should be fine so long as they don't eat the grass.

So knowing little kids, you might want to warn their parents of this beforehand.

See, I wish my family would do this. Everytime WE find a stray cat, my sisters insist that we take it in. The last time we did, after we took it to the vet they told us that the cut along her ear looked like the mark that they put on cats during their "Spay Our Strays" program, so she was probably already spayed.

We have an male cat that hasn't been neutered. The current shape of this new cat indicates that she was most definitely not spayed. Well, at least kittens are cute.

[Serpentine]

Good reasons, Syka. Quite fair enough.

Originally Posted by Telonius

Hold on a second. We're talking about the same Australia, right? Where, like, 99% of the deadliest species in the world live? Killer sharks, crocodiles, dropbears, and all that?

And the common housecat is able to kill and eat all of this stuff?

No wonder they're a threat to low-level Wizards.

Two things:
1. As well as all that stuff, we also have perfectly harmless little frogs, lizards, birds, mouse-like marsupials and so on, as well as the babies of the more deadly creatures. Furthermore, they (and foxes) can be serious competitors to similar native predators.
2. After a few generations, feral cats can get HUGE. Like, dog-sized.

Originally Posted by Solaris

By the way, (and I'm not trying to be confrontational) what's the difference between a cat that you let roam around your house and a cat twenty miles up the road? Are all of the species endangered by cats pretty much non-urban?

To the best of my knowledge, there aren't many - if any - endangered species within roaming distance of my cat's home (i.e. in the middle of town). However, there are definitely some twenty miles up the road (farmland and national park). Also, to the best of my knowledge my cat rarely catches native animals (there was a frog once (unharmed), a pretty little native bird (not very impressed with that ) and a couple of feral mice), and I almost always make sure I bring him in at night, as is generally wise, (I believe) good for native safety, and legally required.

I like the idea of a "spay our feral cats" program, except that here there's no way they'd be put back once they're caught.
An ecology lecturer told us about a conundrum field workers regularly come across. One law (state?) says that any animal caught (specifically for environmental studies) must be treated humanely and returned to the wild unharmed, no exceptions. Another law (federal, I think) requires any feral animal caught to be put down, or at least definitely not put back. The ecologists and rangers themselves normally take a gun with them, and, after treating the animal humanely, humanely puts it down...

[Syka]

Yeah, as I said- I'm not a cat hater. I really love cats (alas, allergies), and we even had a stray that was semi-adopted by our neighbors years ago. But he also wasn't as...bold and wild as the newer strays. The black ones don't seem as bad, but they're still bolder than most cats I see around. You practically have to be on top of them for them to leave, then they come right back.

I was actually scared of the orange tom we used to have around. He was big, mean, and bold. I kept my pepper spray out for that sucker.

[Solaris]

Originally Posted by Serpentine

To the best of my knowledge, there aren't many - if any - endangered species within roaming distance of my cat's home (i.e. in the middle of town). However, there are definitely some twenty miles up the road (farmland and national park). Also, to the best of my knowledge my cat rarely catches native animals (there was a frog once (unharmed), a pretty little native bird (not very impressed with that ) and a couple of feral mice), and I almost always make sure I bring him in at night, as is generally wise, (I believe) good for native safety, and legally required.

Ah, okay. I wondered how rural your area was.
Hm. Some well-fed cats will catch prey just so they can catch it and kill it. They're a good argument for animal sadism. Glad to see your cat isn't one of those, most of the time. I take it he brings 'em to you as 'presents'?
I agree with bringing him in at night - it helps keep the cat in the domesticated state of mind.

[Katana_Geldar]

My cat once brought in one of these and stuffed it in the linen cupboard, still alive.


I had the misfortune to have it jump in my lap when I was getting a towel.

Serpentine's right about the little birds and mice, the only big predators Australia has are dingoes, and they're introduced as well. That's why feral cats are such a problem.

There's also feral pigs, goats and camels. But they don't beat the emus that run into fences.

[Serpentine]

Solaris: Well, the frog was in high school, more than 7 years ago (my mum freaked out - she has a pretty strong phobia of frogs). The mice were something like 3 years ago (one wasn't actually harmed that I could see, but still died), and the bird was about 2. I don't doubt that he's caught other things (most worrying, I've heard that cats don't always show their catches), but I certainly don't think it happens often. But yeah, with those few I've noticed he normally got this particular summoning meow as he demanded I come look.
Yeah, like I said, leaving cats out at night is against the law. It annoys me to no end when people do it, and I feel pretty crappy when I (or a housemate How many times does it have to happen before he'll actually LOOK before opening the door?!) accidentally let him out at night, or forget to take him in 'til late.

Katana: Bearded dragon! I like those. Was it alright, then?
Also, I think, say, quolls and maybe Tassie devils are comparable to cats, and some of our lizards, 'specially in the north, are pretty massive. We do have a reasonable number of significant predators, but yeah, most would be at least a bit smaller than a cat.

[Katana_Geldar]

Cats do have a summoning meow that means "come and see what I have found" and then you follow them to whatever it is, my cat found a bat once. She wouldn't touch it, she had not brought it there but was a very good cat for telling me.

Was the dragon all right? What about me? You try having something like that jump on your lap. We managed to get it out of the house alive, if that's what you're asking.

[Lissou]

I'm surprised at the number of people who talk about stray cats.
I lived in France for over 20 years and never once saw a stray cat.
I went to New York on my honeymoon and saw stray cats.
I moved to Canada and boom, stray cat followed us home and is now ours (we had him neutered because our female isn't spayed. She's an indoor cat. He also had two hernias, which is probably why he decided to find humans to take care of him.)

I understand the "spay and neuter your pets" I keep hearing a bit better now that I realise strays seem to really be a problem in North America and, apparently, Australia.

To answer your question, never in my life have I wanted to keep cats away, although I understand your reasons. The "trapping them" sounds like a good idea to me, though, since it would do more than just shift the problem onto someone else (if they stop coming to your house they might go to someone else's. Of course the someone else's might not consider it a problem I guess).

[Katana_Geldar]

There are some interesting stories about stray cats in Moscow ever since they stopped putting them down.

[Solaris]

Originally Posted by Katana_Geldar

There are some interesting stories about stray cats in Moscow ever since they stopped putting them down.

In Soviet Russia, cat spay you.
...
What?

[Dexam]

Originally Posted by Telonius

Hold on a second. We're talking about the same Australia, right? Where, like, 99% of the deadliest species in the world live? Killer sharks, crocodiles, dropbears, and all that?

And the common housecat is able to kill and eat all of this stuff?

No wonder they're a threat to low-level Wizards.

What Syka and Serpentine have already said.

The main part of the problem is that Australia has very few ground-based predators, so the passive native animals have little to no defense against a highly refined hunter/scavenger like a cat. Likewise, there is very little in Australia that will prey on a cat, so your average house-cat-turned-feral can go through the native wildlife like a horror movie chainsaw-wielding psychopath through a camping ground full of teenagers.

[Kneenibble]

Originally Posted by Serpentine

1. As well as all that stuff, we also have perfectly harmless little frogs, lizards, birds, mouse-like marsupials and so on, as well as the babies of the more deadly creatures. Furthermore, they (and foxes) can be serious competitors to similar native predators.

Why must cats kill only cute things?

That bearded dragon is adorable. You're all making Australia sound like this freaky exotic other planet. - which it is.

*slinks off to pet a muskrat or beaver*

[Serpentine]

We're still doing better than New Zealand, though. At least we have some predators, so our animals are reasonably sensible - unlike those silly kiwi birds.

@^ I see your beaver, and raise you a platypus!



Adorable AND freakish!

[Kneenibble]

That platypus is sooooo cute!
So are kiwi birds.
*cutegasm*

I could only see your platypus and raise you the star-nosed mole, but I'd be fighting an uphill battle. Canadian fauna generally doesn't have a high exotic or cool quotient, especially compared to Australia. Alas.

There are some shabby cats in my neighbourhood which might be roamers, but might be strays with a mysterious winter house too, since no cat could survive the winter here without help. I don't want them around mainly because I like to birdwatch, and for some reason I get some interesting specimens in my yard despite my living in a really dense urban area. - but if they kill some mice while they're out there, I can be forgiving. My preferred deterrent is mainly to shout at and chase them wearing pyjamas. It is 63% efficient.

So escaped cats present no threat to the environment around here: they couldn't survive. What scares me, though, is that in the central areas of Manitoba, there are lots of packs of feral dogs who can, and have survived the winters. They're even worse than the rez dogs, notoriously bad-tempered, psuedo-feral "pets" that live on the indian reserves. The kinds of animals they prey on are prolific enough not to be endangered by it, but... imagine running into that **** on a hike one afternoon.

[Serpentine]

I saw an incredible photo of a feral dog down Victoria-ish way in a paper some years ago. I've tried to find it a few times, but no luck yet. Big pet dogs, things like great Danes and German shepherds and the like, have gotten out over the years, bred with dingoes, evolved over the generations... and gotten fricking humungous. This photo was of a farmer with one he'd killed. I presume he was something around average height. The dog was hung by its hind legs. Its front feet were touching the ground... and its hind feet were over his head.
Big. Fricking. Dogs.