Cats invading yard

[beaver]

I have a neighbor who takes in every stray in the neighborhood and then lets them run wild. They urinate on my porch, my car and poop in my
gardens, all around my house. Is there a humane way to keep this myriad of felines from invading my yard and using it as their litter box?

I live in the city of Killeen and thought there was an ordinance prohibiting owners from letting pets run loose.

Is it legal to trap them and take to Animal Control?

Any help would be appreciated.

[mac]

yes, it's legal to trap them (in a box trap) and animal control will supply the trap and come out and pick up the cat once you got it trapped...mac


I have a neighbor who takes in every stray in the neighborhood and then lets them run wild. They urinate on my porch, my car and poop in my
gardens, all around my house. Is there a humane way to keep this myriad of felines from invading my yard and using it as their litter box?

I live in the city of Killeen and thought there was an ordinance prohibiting owners from letting pets run loose.

Is it legal to trap them and take to Animal Control?

Any help would be appreciated.

[Ludwig]

yes, it's legal to trap them (in a box trap) and animal control will supply the trap and come out and pick up the cat once you got it trapped...mac

Not only is it legal, they appreciate our help. They do ask you for a $55 refundable deposit because too many of their traps have caught legs. I trap about 1 a month and animal control has always been happy to take them from me. I bought my own trap so I'm sure it's in good working order.

[Ludwig]

It's a pretty far drive but TAMU used to pay a few bucks for every cat you bring them. They use them in their Vet training program. When I lived in Bryan and College Station we never had troubles with stray cats.

[mac]

wow....that's news to me....i knew nothing about the deposit, but then i use my own trap too. beats me how a cat could catch his leg in my have a heart....mac


Not only is it legal, they appreciate our help. They do ask you for a $55 refundable deposit because too many of their traps have caught legs. I trap about 1 a month and animal control has always been happy to take them from me. I bought my own trap so I'm sure it's in good working order.

[Ludwig]

wow....that's news to me....i knew nothing about the deposit, but then i use my own trap too. beats me how a cat could catch his leg in my have a heart....mac

I was using a metaphor. Sorry about the misunderstanding. When I say that the trap "caught legs" I meant that people were taking them and not bringing them back... but you knew that, SA.

[mac]

actually, ludwig, i did NOT know that. i should've known that but didn't......i never had a trouble with these feral cats till i moved out here in hymesa. the way they react in the morning to see me coming toward them is unreal. i've never seen anything as ferocious as a trapped hymesa/heather glen feral cat.....and i ran a trap line as a kid!.....mac


I was using a metaphor. Sorry about the misunderstanding. When I say that the trap "caught legs" I meant that people were taking them and not bringing them back... but you knew that, SA.

[Ludwig]

Every cat that gets itself caught in my trap is a feral cat, even if it's someone's pet. The only cat that's not feral is the one in the owner's house.

[mac]

and the brethren all said AMEN!....mac


Every cat that gets itself caught in my trap is a feral cat, even if it's someone's pet. The only cat that's not feral is the one in the owner's house.

[THEMEANOGRE]

I live in the city of Killeen and thought there was an ordinance prohibiting owners from letting pets run loose.
Any help would be appreciated.

Not only is it legal to trap them, but there used to be a limit on the number of yard type pets a resident could keep.
There are a number of "remedies" for your problem. They can be ordered through all kinds of mail order catalogs < Carol Wright Gifts, Harriet Carter, etc>
Check the website for Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs. There might be some herbs that cats find noxious that you could plant.
Or how about this idea? Plant catnip and set a live trap next to it. That should help keep AC busy.

[mac]

there's no longer a # how many you can have, MO, but there is a # of types you can have.....mac (layer hens are verbotten)


Not only is it legal to trap them, but there used to be a limit on the number of yard type pets a resident could keep.
There are a number of "remedies" for your problem. They can be ordered through all kinds of mail order catalogs < Carol Wright Gifts, Harriet Carter, etc>
Check the website for Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs. There might be some herbs that cats find noxious that you could plant.
Or how about this idea? Plant catnip and set a live trap next to it. That should help keep AC busy.

[joyohjoy]

Plant marigolds in your garden and they won't go near or you can buy moth balls and that will keep them away. We trapped several cats when we first moved in our house and the humane shelter took them and put them down because they don't have the time or man power to work with them. They did provide the cages and we put tuna in the cage.

[THEMEANOGRE]

I just got the new Kotula's catalog. They're offering a twofer deal for $39.99. You can check it out at www.Kotulas.com (http://www.Kotulas.com). Their toll free # is 1 800 931 3999. The item # is 168280-5201. I don't know how much these would sell for at a local store, but we're talking 2 for $40.

[siamcat]

Honestly, I have a bigger problem with dogs running loose then cats.
Taking my dog for a walk is a chore sometimes. We get chased by some yappie little dog while the owner is in their yards yelling at me to not let my dog hurt their princess.
Honestly, my dog is on a leash and your dog is not controlled and your yelling at me?

[CenTexDave]

Pellet guns work well also.:))

[THEMEANOGRE]

So does a Wrist Rocket and they have the benefit of being legal to fire INSIDE the city limits, they are quiet, etc. Great ammo for a WR... paint balls! For best effect store them in the freezer.

[Ludwig]

So does a Wrist Rocket and they have the benefit of being legal to fire INSIDE the city limits, they are quiet, etc. Great ammo for a WR... paint balls! For best effect store them in the freezer.

38 cal. steel balls work well too but I only advise their use if the animal attacks.

[engteach64]

It drives me crazy that I have to leash my dog when they go out, and keep them in my back yard, but cats have free reign. What's with that? Are we in ancient Egypt or what? I have to check my backyard before I let my dogs out because the cats are always out there. My parents always had cats, and they were never allowed outside. If I just let your cat out and there it's in my yard I worry that my dogs will kill it. I couldnt' take that, but please cat owners, keep your cats out of my yard. Pleeeeeeaaaase.

[mac]

i agree, teach, it's a terrible thing to watch. my jack russell killed a little baby kitten right in front of me and the wife this spring.....absolutely just shook it to death......it was brutal! btw, everybody, ludwig did NOT mean 38 cal......don't want no cannon balls bouncin' 'round the neighborhood. he meant .38 cal....mac


It drives me crazy that I have to leash my dog when they go out, and keep them in my back yard, but cats have free reign. What's with that? Are we in ancient Egypt or what? I have to check my backyard before I let my dogs out because the cats are always out there. My parents always had cats, and they were never allowed outside. If I just let your cat out and there it's in my yard I worry that my dogs will kill it. I couldnt' take that, but please cat owners, keep your cats out of my yard. Pleeeeeeaaaase.

[engteach64]

I was talking to my sister one day and I let the dogs out. I walked outside with them, and spotten a can running from my dog. Now I have beagles, so not much gets away from them. The cat barely made it over the fence, and I thought my fat beagle was going over the 6 foot fence too. Those dogs can jump, even at this old age. My sister started laughing when it was over. I asked what she was laughing at. She said I was yelling, "Run kitty run!" I didn't even realize it.


Oh my gosh! I just reread my previos post! Ummm, no I'm not an English teacher. :doh

[Mestral]

So does a Wrist Rocket and they have the benefit of being legal to fire INSIDE the city limits, they are quiet, etc. Great ammo for a WR... paint balls! For best effect store them in the freezer.

I didn't know a wrist rocket was legal (I have lived in places where it was not). How about a soft air pistol? That is what I use. Won't do any damage, but the animal thinks it has been shot. Wrist rocket requires some skill to use, soft air pistol requires very little skill.

(BTW, I have a high velocity, repeater, soft air pistol, that I want to give away - has accuracy problems)

[THEMEANOGRE]

I didn't know a wrist rocket was legal (I have lived in places where it was not). How about a soft air pistol? That is what I use. Won't do any damage, but the animal thinks it has been shot. Wrist rocket requires some skill to use, soft air pistol requires very little skill.

(BTW, I have a high velocity, repeater, soft air pistol, that I want to give away - has accuracy problems)

Whether legal or not, I'd limit use to the back yard. Rather than using the .38 caliber steel balls, I recommend the .68 cal paint ones, as they will not cause the offending critter any lasting harm. Plus, the paint is water soluble and will wash off easily. And the lesson won't last that long, either. A cat has an attention span of approximately 10 minutes.

[mac]

in addition to all that, MO, it will definitely get the owner's (if there is one) attention....i've been known to do that a couple times here in hymesa off my back porch.....mac

[THEMEANOGRE]

Say Beaver, I just got the new Talorgifts catalog. They have a product in which you may be interested. You too, Dave!
It is a pest repellent garden stone. Their website is www.taylorgifts.com (http://www.taylorgifts.com). The toll free is 1 800 829 1133. The product # is 30030.

[tjohnson13]

Does Cove have the same policy and assistance as does Killeen?

[THEMEANOGRE]

Cove Animal Control brought a cage type trap to our house once when a wild critter was loose in our back yard. They didn't charge for its use.

[Supergirl]

Sorry, I had to read through this thread because it reminding me of a funny story. Me and my exhusband used to live on Florence road when we first got married. We had our two boys, Asia and Buddy. I had bought them some catnip, thought to myself, "Cats are supposed to like this stuff". Well they did, a lot. Enough to where I had to keep it out of reach, or so I thought on top of the fridge. Asia, being a little older figured out how to get on top of the fridge to get to it so my ex in a rage got mad and threw the ripped bag out in the front yard where it scattered. We didn't think anything of it until later, and for the next 3 days, we had every stray cat for miles around having a 'kitty party' in our yard. Thankfully it rained and it seemed to ward them off. To this day I still mess with him about that :-)