Feral cats

WVBill · Jul 19, 2011

We live on the edge of a small (10 home - 3-5 Acre) subdivision. Corn fields just beyond our property line.

At least one neighbor has a cat that they let roam wild. Don't know whether it is "fixed" or not.

Suddenly we've become "over run" by feral cats. There's at least 5 or 6 of them and the number seems to be growing.

Anyone have a solution to reducing/eliminating feral cats?

seymojo536 · Jul 19, 2011

S - S - S

Shoot, Shovel, Shut up.

jinman · Jul 19, 2011

seymojo536 said:
S - S - S

Shoot, Shovel, Shut up.

I think that's close to my favorite:

B-B-B (Bullet, Backhoe, Big grin)

Actually, I take no pleasure in eliminating these animals, but I cannot afford to take my cats to the vet all the time for the diseases these roaming cats bring and the attacks on my cats by amorous males. My kitties are fixed, have current shots, are treated monthly with Revolution for fleas/ticks/worms. I wouldn't mind other people's animals coming to visit if the animals were cared for. However, when they show up with ears full of mites, ticks, and in attack mode I will act quickly.

One of my neighbors has a little Scottie Terrier that likes to come visiting sometimes. I'm pretty sure it's a female and is not prone to bother our cats. I've never even heard it bark. I don't mind its visits at all.

Zxyrthe · Jul 19, 2011

Call around to some local vets and see if anyone offers free spay and neuter. We caught our neighbor's cat in a Hav-a-hart, took it to the vet, released it and haven't seen it since. HA!

We did the same for a tomcat we nicknamed Sam Elliot. He lived the life: eating baby bunnies, chasing down squirrels, making kittens. . . my wife fell in love with that **** cat and I'll admit it that I even smiled when he came around. We even saw him walk up to some deer once and rub noses with them! Sadly, as we were leaving for breakfast a couple weeks ago, I saw Sam lying on the edge of the road. He'd been hit by a car. Sad, but such is life.

We buried him deep under a bench from where he used to lounge and watch the deer and rabbits.

I digress . . . spay and release or spay and place at the pound or shelter. Shooting them might actually be against the law and if mittens ends up missing after the neighbors hear a few gunshots, it might be asking for trouble.

One more quick anecdote: an acquaintance of mine had a similar problem with the neighbor's dog. The neighbors had all kinds of dreams of studding out their prize pitbull (or whatever he was) and let him wander all over the neighborhood practicing his studliness. You can imagine their horror when they went to retrieve their dog at the pound minus his jewels. Again, HA!

ustmd · Jul 19, 2011

I wish I could get some feral cats around my place--with the drought, I have rodents up the ......

lockhaven · Jul 19, 2011

22 works wonders on feral cats takes less time then the vet.

johnrex62 · Jul 19, 2011

ustmd said:
I wish I could get some feral cats around my place--with the drought, I have rodents up the ......

Your wish is my command. What street do you want me to drop them off on?

keegs · Jul 19, 2011

We have an old timer that lives alone down the hill from us. He lives on the lake and used to have a dozen or so cats running around at any one time. Over the past decade or so the fox has returned in numbers to our area. They prey on the Canada geese that nest along the lake and according to the old timer, they're also snatching up the cats.

jinman · Jul 19, 2011

I'm posting a $25 reward for return of my feral Cat. Please don't have it spayed or neutered.

dave1949 · Jul 19, 2011

jinman said:
I think that's close to my favorite:

B-B-B (Bullet, Backhoe, Big grin)

Actually, I take no pleasure in eliminating these animals, but I cannot afford to take my cats to the vet all the time for the diseases these roaming cats bring and the attacks on my cats by amorous males. My kitties are fixed, have current shots, are treated monthly with Revolution for fleas/ticks/worms. I wouldn't mind other people's animals coming to visit if the animals were cared for. However, when they show up with ears full of mites, ticks, and in attack mode I will act quickly.

One of my neighbors has a little Scottie Terrier that likes to come visiting sometimes. I'm pretty sure it's a female and is not prone to bother our cats. I've never even heard it bark. I don't mind its visits at all.

Ditto those thoughts.

I don't enjoy killing much of anything (except for slugs and Jap. beetles in my garden :laughing

, but feral cats are an invasive/exotic species that do much harm to native wildlife and to your well-kept pet cats. Some feline diseases are zoonotic I think.

Word for the day:

ZOONOTIC DISEASES are diseases caused by infectious agents that can be transmitted between (or are shared by) animals and humans.

Dave.