Have you dealt with feral cats in your yard?

Reba

Reba

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We seem to have a family of feral cats under our backyard shed. (No wonder our bird population is dwindling.)

Have you ever had this problem? If so, how did you get rid of them?

I've seen a mother cat and at least three kittens. I want to be humane but obviously if we just leave them alone they'll keep multiplying. Also, my backyard is turning into a public litter box.
 
You'll have to do something about the access to under the backyard shed. I'm not sure what that access is?

Put out humane traps and catch at least the mother and get her spayed. If you can catch the males too that would be great as well. Vets will handle feral cats for spay and neutering. You can choose to either bring them back to your yard or send them to a feral cat rescue.
 
High powered Pellet rifle. Sometimes a bb gun will suffice, but the Humane society wont take them unless you capture them, then again they wont. Animal control may but it depends and all they do is put them down anyways.
Another way is to get urine of a larger preditor and spray it around your house. It will keep them at bay for awhile but then all it will do is make them move to the neighbors yard and will return later. If the laws are lax there you can just shoot them and throw in the trash. I remember my parents house had them real bad, my dad just shot them in the ass with my bb rifle and they finally left. but it took awhile, but it worked. My rifle wasnt strong enough to kill them just sting like hell ( I got shot with it a few times playing with friends) Check with the shelters, otherwise you will have to pay for pest control and the cheapest option is nightime goggles and a pellet rifle...lol
 
My daughter rescued one when she was a kid at home. It turned out to be pregnant.

We managed to home the kittens, she kept the mother. It took about 5 years before it would even sit on her lap.

Now the cat is about sixteen, and as nice a cat as can be and gets along fine with three kids and husband of my daughter.

Since you just said the other day you miss your cat, I vote you tame the cat and get homes for the kittens.
 
Bottesini said:
My daughter rescued one when she was a kid at home. It turned out to be pregnant.

We managed to home the kittens, she kept the mother. It took about 5 years before it would even sit on her lap.

Now the cat is about sixteen, and as nice a cat as can be and gets along fine with three kids and husband of my daughter.

Since you just said the other day you miss your cat, I vote you tame the cat and get homes for the kittens.
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My daughter brought home 4 ferrel kittens and re-homed them all, and every one of them are mean as hell, they were only around 2 months old but they have the natural instincts of a mountain lion, beleive they are Maine Coons as they are monster in size.
 
Sono, this is why I said feral cat rescue. Not the humane society.

Bb pellet guns? Nice. :roll eyes:
 
AlleyCat said:
Sono, this is why I said feral cat rescue. Not the humane society.

Bb pellet guns? Nice. :roll eyes:
Click to expand...

They dont have them everywhere and, well you know...Boys and their toys!

and besides, call the chineese restraunts.... they may want them.
 
AlleyCat said:
You'll have to do something about the access to under the backyard shed. I'm not sure what that access is?
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We have part of the crawl space enclosed. TCS is going to buy and install more lattice to enclose the rest. Of course, we have to wait until we're sure all the cats are gone first.

Put out humane traps and catch at least the mother and get her spayed. If you can catch the males too that would be great as well. Vets will handle feral cats for spay and neutering. You can choose to either bring them back to your yard or send them to a feral cat rescue.
Click to expand...
I don't want them in my yard at all.

We have a trap but it's tricky to get the whole family trapped. Also, sometimes in the past when we've used our trap we'd get possums or raccoons. We might have to use the trap but it's not an easy process.
 
sonocativo said:
High powered Pellet rifle. Sometimes a bb gun will suffice, but the Humane society wont take them unless you capture them, then again they wont. Animal control may but it depends and all they do is put them down anyways.
Click to expand...
Not legal. In the past, prior to the kittens, I tried to scare the strays (there are several) out of my yard with an air soft gun but they come right back.

Another way is to get urine of a larger preditor and spray it around your house. It will keep them at bay for awhile but then all it will do is make them move to the neighbors yard and will return later.
Click to expand...
We got some commercial animal repellent, and we're trying that. I don't have much faith in it but we're trying.

If the laws are lax there you can just shoot them and throw in the trash. I remember my parents house had them real bad, my dad just shot them in the ass with my bb rifle and they finally left. but it took awhile, but it worked. My rifle wasnt strong enough to kill them just sting like hell ( I got shot with it a few times playing with friends)
Click to expand...
We have the weaponry but we don't want to do that. (Not to mention it's illegal in the town limits, and we live next door to a deputy.)

Check with the shelters, otherwise you will have to pay for pest control and the cheapest option is nightime goggles and a pellet rifle...lol
Click to expand...
We might be able to get County Animal Control to do the trapping but it might not be soon.

Night vision goggles are cheap?

No, we're not going to shoot them.
 
Bottesini said:
My daughter rescued one when she was a kid at home. It turned out to be pregnant.

We managed to home the kittens, she kept the mother. It took about 5 years before it would even sit on her lap.

Now the cat is about sixteen, and as nice a cat as can be and gets along fine with three kids and husband of my daughter.

Since you just said the other day you miss your cat, I vote you tame the cat and get homes for the kittens.
Click to expand...
I missed my cat, not random stray cats.

Right now, I'm doing the best I can just to get thru each day. I can't really take on any new stresses or responsibilities. I just want them gone from my yard.
 
Reba said:
We have part of the crawl space enclosed. TCS is going to buy and install more lattice to enclose the rest. Of course, we have to wait until we're sure all the cats are gone first.


I don't want them in my yard at all.

We have a trap but it's tricky to get the whole family trapped. Also, sometimes in the past when we've used our trap we'd get possums or raccoons. We might have to use the trap but it's not an easy process.
Click to expand...

The lattice sounds like a very good idea once you're sure no cats or kittens are in there.

The trapping doesn't happen overnight. I'm sure you're going to get raccoons or possum in the meantime. It took weeks to trap the feral cats in the barn. We finally got them and then fixed and then we did have to drive about an hour to a feral cat rescue to drop them off.
 
Shoot them with a BB gun?.....NO WAY!....Try to trap them, then call Animal Control....

A neighbor of mine had bird feeders...and there are a lot of squirrels here....he started shooting them with a BB Gun...and dead squirrels were everywhere!...My doggie was outside, and he shot my doggie in her side, hit her rib.....Took me 2 weeks to find out that he did it (2 people saw him outside shooting the squirrels)....My doggie was in a lot of pain!!!!!!!!!!!!!.....And I went over to his house and cussed him out...He actually was crying about it....I threatened to call the Cops (and I should have)...but he said he would move...lock his guns up...take down his bird feeders also....gave me $200.00 towards the Vet bill, (trying to save his sorry ass!).

My doggie was fine after a week....The whole neighborhood was so glad to get rid of him!
 
I would be glad to get rid of that neighbor too. Anybody who talks about guns or pellets to get rid of unwanteds is just a total ass themselves. Fully.
 
Maybe getting a dog, at least a dachshund (small enough to tolerate having indoors) to inconvenience the cats from establishing themselves on your property.
 
sonocativo said:
My daughter brought home 4 ferrel kittens and re-homed them all, and every one of them are mean as hell, they were only around 2 months old but they have the natural instincts of a mountain lion, beleive they are Maine Coons as they are monster in size.
Click to expand...


Maine Coons are gentle giants. I have one that is probably 99% Maine Coon.
Our older cat was a feral kitten taken from her mom a few weeks too early. We used to call her "wild thing" but she is as domesticated as any other cat.


Sent from my iPhone using AllDeaf
 
AlleyCat said:
I would be glad to get rid of that neighbor too. Anybody who talks about guns or pellets to get rid of unwanteds is just a total ass themselves. Fully.
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Who me? lol

well, there are some Ferrels showing up here and they are killing birds and the rabbits, Im about to start putting them where they belong. Practice my hunting skills with my bow once I get it back next week. lol
 
LoveBlue said:
Maine Coons are gentle giants. I have one that is probably 99% Maine Coon.
Our older cat was a feral kitten taken from her mom a few weeks too early. We used to call her "wild thing" but she is as domesticated as any other cat.


Sent from my iPhone using AllDeaf
Click to expand...

Ok, you come hold your hand out while this one is across the room and call it sweetly, that little "B" of hers will run over and just tear your ass up! I hate that cat she has, and Ive always owned cats...never anything as mean as this damn thing, its less than a year old and almost as big as my boxer.
 
Im not gonna kill them, I will install those super balls on the end of the arrows, will knock the hell out of them tho....
 
Humane Trapping Instructions



Is there a no kill shelter near you that you could call and see if they could set some humane cat traps . The mother cat could be neutered and kittens could given to new home . I had a no kill cat shelter help me trap a cat I was feeding b/c it was left behind by it crappy owner. The cat did not show up for a few days and I got worried . He came back to my condo looking very sick and in pain . The poor cat was hiding behind a bush and would not move . I put some food out and when he came to eat I saw that half his back been bitten off! I called the no kill shelter and some people came out set up a trap and I called the back as soon as cat was in it. The cat lived and got a new home.
 
There are alot feral cat programs out there focused on trapping and spay/neutring and relocating if necessary.

The programs are beneficial to the community, if you can contact animal control and ask if such a organization focused on your area existed, sorry cant give you definite answer as dont know where you live specifically. Animal control or local pet rescue sure will give you leads.

Chicago area has several feral cat programs its quite cool.


Agreed totally about doing something sooner because cats mulitply like crazy. And the pee smell with several cats in an area can get bad.
 
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