Issue with cats on my property

average_runner

Hi All;

Looking for good advice here.

My issue is there is alot of stray cats around our estate lately and because all our gardens are open, cats are doing their poo in our garden. I have a 9 month old child thats started crawling and I know cat poo is so dangerous. Is there anyway to get rid of them? Neighbours claim they dont feed them but some one must.

Cant understand why the council wont take them away. They seem to have one rule for stray dogs but none for cats.

I cant lay posion down etc as danger to the kids.

Thanks

kildare.17hmr

poisen would be illegal, it can only be used on rats now and its very imdiscriminate and will kill everything else that eats it

average_runner

Ment to say cant

Who can i get to help to get rid of them?

anniehoo

What you're concerned about is Toxocariasis which is caused by both Toxocara canis (dogs) and Tococara cati (cats), a nematode or roundworn found in unwormed animals. A child physically needs to ingest the eggs of these parasites to result in Toxocariasis which can be found in soil where cats bury their faeces. The problems arise as humans are not the correct host for this parasite and tend to migrate to areas of the body out of sheer confusion i.e the eye for example.

While you have every reason to not like cats on your property, your child could encounter this parasite in the park, sand box, other peoples gardens or even licking dirty toys with muck on it. You can worm your children when they get to an age where they're exploring more (you'd hardly let your 9mth old roam around the garden eating muck would you?)

My advice....get a water pistol not this....its a horrific way for an animal to die.

average_runner wrote: »

I can lay posion down etc as danger to the kids.

Cover your exposed soil areas with chicken wire or a water sensor trigger. Anything but poison. Cats wont go near your garden again if they're going to get drenched each time i tell ya.

Teyla Emmagan

Poison??! Poor cats. Cats are not vermin, that's a horrible thing to even suggest. And if you have them taken away they will probably be destroyed.

There are loads of things you can try without having the cats killed. They live there too you know, find a solution that will let you both live in peace.

number10a

^^^^ What anniehoo said.

Poison will burn an animal from the inside - that's how it kills them. It must really be an awful way to die.

We have four cats and there was one big guy who used to come around and fight with them. Throwing a dish of water at him a few times (only managed to actually wet him once) worked like a charm. Haven't seen him since.

Edit: What about feeding them once or twice and lace the food with worming tablets? Then you won't have to worry about the poo problem - well not as much anyway.

kildare.17hmr

super soaker

Zapperzy

How do you know they are strays? Just because they do not have collars on doesn't mean that they do not belong to someone. If you know for sure they do not belong to anyone you can look into TNR (Trap Neuter Release http://www.scruffcats.org/docs/TNR-info.pdf), it's that time of year again when unneutered cats will be breeding like rabbits and your problem will only be getting worse and worse as cat numbers just continue to rise. It's not the cat's fault it's the idiot owners who either abandoned their cats or did not neuter their cats and then allowed them to roam around producing litter after litter. TNR'ing these cats will ensure numbers do not rise, intact males will no longer fight and you will no longer have to put up with listening to females screeching at 4am (calling when in heat), and eventually numbers will die off and the size of the colony will be reduced in size.

You could also half fill 2lt bottles with water and leave them lying around your garden, some report it works, others don't but there's no harm trying it. Buying yourself a water pistol and squirting them when they enter your garden should also discoarage them entering your garden. There is also these http://www.cat-repellant.info/html/scarecrows.htm

But ultimately if these cats are not neutered they will just continue to increase in numbers.

average_runner

Water soaker is not the answer. This is a neighbourhood problem that all the residents are worried about now. We live beside a park and thats a worry too.

Kids in our street range from 6 months to 8 year olds. I dont hate cats etc and I have no problem with owners that are responsible for them, ie have them neutered, kitty tray and collared. Same for dogs.

But someone suggested dogs can cause this, yes to an extent this is true but the level of toxics in the dog is alot less so less dangerous.

These cats arent neutered and are increasing in numbers big time.

Last thing i want to do is harm the cats but if authorities or ISPCA dont take them we have no choice.

I have taken preventive measures in the back garden with the plastic spike things on the wall that i got from garden centre.

Chicken wire is not the answer either as too big of an area.

dogpile

average_runner wrote: »

Hi All;

Looking for good advice here.

My issue is there is alot of stray cats around our estate lately and because all our gardens are open, cats are doing their poo in our garden. I have a 9 month old child thats started crawling and I know cat poo is so dangerous. Is there anyway to get rid of them? Neighbours claim they dont feed them but some one must.

Cant understand why the council wont take them away. They seem to have one rule for stray dogs but none for cats.

I cant lay posion down etc as danger to the kids.

Thanks

Feral cats are viewed as wild animals in much the same way as foxes, whereas dogs most certainly aren't........if you had wild dogs roaming in packs your "cat problem" would seem like childs play in comparison

average_runner

Sorry but can you keep to the subject, I aint talking about wild dogs, I am talking about cats. Please only add something if constructive. This isnt the place for a dog v cat argument and have no interest in that.

These are cats from irresponsible owners that wont take responsiblity for their cats. They let them stray, didnt get them neutered and now are now an issue in our estate.

anniehoo

average_runner wrote: »

But someone suggested dogs can cause this, yes to an extent this is true but the level of toxics in the dog is alot less so less dangerous.

Not quite sure what you mean by this tbh. Ok, you mightnt have the same quantity of stray dogs roaming your neighbourhood, but the quantity of faecal matter from a dog is significantly more than from a cat. It also doesnt correlate that the animal has to be a stray for it to be unwormed and harbour the parasite. Wild foxes also contain T.canis and could be getting very easily into your garden too. Birds also can contain many parasites...are you going to poison them all too? Ok thats off topic but by your reasoning is, its cats and cats only that are your problem for whatever reason. Poison wont discriminate what animal it kills, so for the one feral unwormed cat you kill you could also kill a collared,wormed and harmless pet belonging to someone.

You cant protect your child entirely from parasites and the risks are not as high as you are thinking. We've given you plenty of solutions if yo took a bit of time to let them work, but if you're intent on poisoning then ive not much else to say tbh.

anniehoo

Also....as a cat owner myself (they're wormed regularly) id be terrified of letting them out ever again if i knew i had a neighbour like yourself intent on poisoning them. Please dont! Ive spent a lot of time, effort,money and love into making sure my animals are as healthy as possible.To find one of them poisoned would be my worst nightmare.:(

Zapperzy

average_runner wrote: »

These are cats from irresponsible owners that wont take responsiblity for their cats. They let them stray, didnt get them neutered and now are now an issue in our estate.

Do these cats all belong to one owner? If so collectively get together (Have ye a residents association?) and write a letter to them voicing your concerns, you never know this might just be someone that had 1 or 2 unneutered cats and numbers got out of control and they are now overwhelmed, they may agree to rehoming some of the cats or at least having them neutered (there are rescues that offer reduced rate neutering if money issues are a problem).

kildare.17hmr

dogpile wrote: »

Feral cats are viewed as wild animals in much the same way as foxes, whereas dogs most certainly aren't........if you had wild dogs roaming in packs your "cat problem" would seem like childs play in comparison

Whats that got to do with anything???

OP, You might be able to get some traps from a local gun club, the same lads might even help you out if you are having trouble getting them spayed if you wanted to go down that route

mikemac

anniehoo wrote: »

Anything but poison.

Teyla Emmagan wrote: »

Poison??! Poor cats. Cats are not vermin, that's a horrible thing to even suggest.

number10a wrote: »

Poison will burn an animal from the inside - that's how it kills them. It must really be an awful way to die.

anniehoo wrote: »

but if you're intent on poisoning then ive not much else to say tbh.

anniehoo wrote: »

To find one of them poisoned would be my worst nightmare.:(

Do posters even read the thread?

The OP made a typing error and went back and corrected it pretty much straight away

She said she cannot lay down poison as it's a danger to children as she has a nine month old.

So what's with all the posts?

Wolfe Tone

Power-hose the feckers


You will need something with decent range and accuracy to hit them, decent super soaker may do it either.

Wolfe Tone

anniehoo wrote: »

Also....as a cat owner myself (they're wormed regularly) id be terrified of letting them out ever again if i knew i had a neighbour like yourself intent on poisoning them. Please dont! Ive spent a lot of time, effort,money and love into making sure my animals are as healthy as possible.To find one of them poisoned would be my worst nightmare.:(

Well don't let them crap in peoples gardens and they will be fine.

Regardless, the OP said he/she won't use poison.

Oh_Noes

average_runner wrote: »

Looking for good advice here.

Good luck :rolleyes:

I'd contact the council and the Department of Environment.

dogpile

kildare.17hmr wrote: »

Whats that got to do with anything???

If you read the part I quoted, it was relevant.......the OP says don't go off track talking dogs but he/she brought dogs up in the first place saying what the council/authorities do or don't do as regards stray dogs/cats..


As for his/her problem.... a simple solution would be a kids toy water gun, you can buy good size ones in any toy store....keep it in the garden locked and loaded ...if a cat gets wet enough times he'll soon get the message as they hate water

anniehoo

mikemac wrote: »

So what's with all the posts?

It wasnt edited when i was in the middle of writing my reply thats why i quoted "can lay poison" rather than "cant".A simple spelling mistake fair enough, but i didn't know that at the time.

MrBroker

I seem to remember hearing something about citrus oil being useful to keep cats out of your garden

http://www.ehow.com/how_2228385_keep-cats-away-home-remedies.html

tbh I'm not sure how effective it is because I cannot imagine any cat I know being driven away by something a bit lemony but it might be worth a try while you find a proper solution to keep them out of your garden.

Maybe a cat proof fence? if those aren't just good for keep cats in your garden rather than keeping them out of it

planetX

Why not teach your children about kindness and tolerance - adopt a few of the cats, get them neutered and wormed, and be rewarded tenfold by the love of a pet.
They keep the vermin down - your kids can get sick from rat urine too....

FastFuse

OK. Lots of decent advice has been offered OP.

Do you know the owners? Have you made an effort to contact them and explain the the problem that they have created? If not, you need to do this first.

Also, how can you be sure they are not neutered? Are there kittens around? Pregnant females?

average_runner wrote: »

Last thing i want to do is harm the cats but if authorities or ISPCA dont take them we have no choice.

Correct. You have no choice but to act within the law, which prevents you from harming these animals.

I sympathise with your problem, but you need to act responsibly and treat it accordingly. Posters are only drawing comparsions with other animals because the same dangers are posed and you do genuinely seem intent on dismissing the good advice.

• Contact animal owners and take it from there.

JustAThought

Oh for Gods sake; the poster wants practical advice on other peoples uncontrolled or unsupervised pets. S/he does not want to take them or to have to pay for them and their treatments. If the owners did this in the first
Place as is their responsibility as petowners then this poster wouldn't have the problem in the first place.
There is an organisation called CatsAid They are a charity.
One of the things they do uis to catch problem feral cats and remove them. Might I suggest you contact them
And ask them to help... They are all volunteers.
And everyone else who is so demanding and indignant might considering doing something kind and support them with a small donation or offer of cat food, cat litter, time or foster a cat. they're on the Internet , v good organisation, and a practical solution.

average_runner

Just to answer a few questions since other posts have been added

"Cant understand why the council wont take them away. They seem to have one rule for stray dogs but none for cats."


Dogpile this is what i said in my original post, I didnt create an argument or ask for an argment on dogs, you did go off track. All I said is stray cats should be treated like stray dogs. I was attacked as a kid by a stray cat in our bin and i've been bitten by a stray dog when out running!!

Regarding my typo.

Yes i did say " I can lay poison but i have kids" Obviously it should of read "cant" but surely the kids part would of clarified that.


Someone asked my to adopt one of the cats.
This is a big no no, as i dont have time to look after a pet, and if I did adopt one of the cats I be just another irresponsible owner that dont have time to get their cats/dogs neutered, and just let it roam. Therefore until i do have the proper time to manage a pet, I will not get one.


Someone said i was intent on ignoring people's advice, well thats a bit unfair from you considering I didnt reply to anymore posts till this morning to see what advice I get. If i was intent on ignoring peoples advice I wouldnt of posted here and let the neighbours deal with the problem.

For the cat charity thank you so much for that idea, i will get on to the residents assocation and asked them now to post a letter out to the houses on the street pointing out this is the way we intend on handling the cats. A perfect legal way.

dogpile

average_runner wrote: »

Just to answer a few questions since other posts have been added

"Cant understand why the council wont take them away. They seem to have one rule for stray dogs but none for cats."


Dogpile this is what i said in my original post, I didnt create an argument or ask for an argment on dogs, you did go off track. All I said is stray cats should be treated like stray dogs. I was attacked as a kid by a stray cat in our bin and i've been bitten by a stray dog when out running!!

Regarding my typo.

Yes i did say " I can lay poison but i have kids" Obviously it should of read "cant" but surely the kids part would of clarified that.


Someone asked my to adopt one of the cats.
This is a big no no, as i dont have time to look after a pet, and if I did adopt one of the cats I be just another irresponsible owner that dont have time to get their cats/dogs neutered, and just let it roam. Therefore until i do have the proper time to manage a pet, I will not get one.


Someone said i was intent on ignoring people's advice, well thats a bit unfair from you considering I didnt reply to anymore posts till this morning to see what advice I get. If i was intent on ignoring peoples advice I wouldnt of posted here and let the neighbours deal with the problem.

For the cat charity thank you so much for that idea, i will get on to the residents assocation and asked them now to post a letter out to the houses on the street pointing out this is the way we intend on handling the cats. A perfect legal way.

All I was doing was answering the analogy you brought up......wild cats are viewed as that, wild animals in their habitat like foxes, birds or any other wild animal...

Stray dogs are not seen as wild animals in their habitat in much the same way as you can't have wild horses or troublesome teenagers and have to be dealt with by the authorities

anyhow, carry on...

poconnor16

Wolfe Tone wrote: »

Power-hose the feckers


You will need something with decent range and accuracy to hit them, decent super soaker may do it either.

Don't you think that's a little bit cruel perhaps?

poconnor16

OP - I agree with getting in touch with neighbours, seeing if anyone owns at least some of the cats. The issue here is irresponsible so called owners, not neutering their pets and allowing them to roam free.
Try and look for a animal rescue centre in your area and see if the they will trap, neuter and release?

While water guns etc will temporarily keep them off your property, having un-neutered cats in your area is only going to allow the problem to grow and grow....

Sassy58

If you live beside a park that could be the food source for the cats i.e. birds etc.....if you remove ALL the cats you will create a vaccum effect and you will be back in the same position in a year or two.

Cats Aid are a Charity and yes they do go in and trap feral cats and have them PTS - it would be much more effective to have a controlled colony of feral cats in the area say 5/10 (depending on the numbers) if they are neutered/spayed they will not reproduce and you will have a managed colony. It will also cut down on the number of new cats moving into the area. It might be something worth looking into there are quiet a few studies from the Back Alley Cats in America to prove that having a controlled colony of feral cats is better then removing all cats. People only tend to notice feral cats when there is a population explosion.

The cats would be feed 2/3 times a year with worming medication in the food (I would provide the worming medication if there is an issue of cost)

I have TNR all the feral cats in our area and in the last 2 years have see a big improvement in the number of new cats coming into the area there isn't as many and we haven't had kittens born in 2 years either. There are charities out there that will try to help.

Just a suggestion if you are going to the residents association.

doctor evil

Sassy58 how would TNR work in ecologically sensitive areas? (just thinking of places where they are trying to get bird numbers up like the corncrake)

How much doe TNR and worming cost? Dogs also catch rats, I don't fully get controlled feral colonies when compared to dogs. Both animals can injure people (cat scratch fever)

OP if they have no owners or owners that wouldn't notice they are gone than try live traps and you can drop them off at a vet. There is worse things that can happen than to be put down humanely. The cats themselves may have FIV and the like.