How to deter feral cats?

[BoutrosBoutrosGalusGalus]

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What cost are you referring to? Do you mean the funds a rescue uses to vaccinate and neutor? If a rescue org uses its funds for that purpose - thats why it exists. You may have a different value system that makes you feel that it isn't worth spending your own money on it, but that doesn't change that these groups exist to help people with problems like this with non-lethal population and disease control.

When I brought caught feral cats to the animal shelter I was met with hostility because they are over-run and have too many animals already. I could see that they were going to destroy these wild animals anyway. At that point we let the feral colony stick around but the damage the wreaked on the local possums, birds and general property damage had me thinking seriously about putting out bowls of anti-freeze. But if I'm not ponying up the cash, I don't know of any groups able to take care of it. And I'm in Silicon Valley with plenty of money and plenty of bleeding hearts.

I thought TNR was a good idea too but the point at which it works... %71 changes my mind. Makes sense with the size of litters and the frequency of them.

 

[RHRanch]

Quote:
What cost are you referring to? Do you mean the funds a rescue uses to vaccinate and neutor? If a rescue org uses its funds for that purpose - thats why it exists. You may have a different value system that makes you feel that it isn't worth spending your own money on it, but that doesn't change that these groups exist to help people with problems like this with non-lethal population and disease control.

When I brought caught feral cats to the animal shelter I was met with hostility because they are over-run and have too many animals already. I could see that they were going to destroy these wild animals anyway. At that point we let the feral colony stick around but the damage the wreaked on the local possums, birds and general property damage had me thinking seriously about putting out bowls of anti-freeze. But if I'm not ponying up the cash, I don't know of any groups able to take care of it. And I'm in Silicon Valley with plenty of money and plenty of bleeding hearts.

I thought TNR was a good idea too but the point at which it works... %71 changes my mind. Makes sense with the size of litters and the frequency of them.

I used to live in the bay area. There is help, you just have to find the group that will work for your situation. No one is saying that you need to keep ferals on your property - There are many potential solutions to a feral cat problem in your area. You can trap and take them to your shelter, and who cares if you get attitude at the shelter, as long as they take them? Or, there are the feral cat groups who might be willing to help you have the cats relocated to a feral colony which is responsibly managed. BTW, poisoning animals with anti-freeze is a really bad thing to do - it can kill non-target animals and sometimes even children have died from drinking it because it is sweet. Someone did something like that down here in SD County recently and killed a lot of people's dogs - If they are caught its an animal cruelty charge -fines, jail, a crim record. Why would you risk all that when you can just make some calls and use the resources that I gaurantee are availible in your area?

Here, I found many resources:
Silicon Valley Feral Cat Group: http://svff.org/
Alley Cat Allies: http://www.alleycat.org/
Silicon Valley Humane Society: http://hssv.convio.net/site/PageServer?pagename=homelesscats (They have a feral cat program, too!)
Silicon Valley Animal Control: http://www.svaca.com/services/trapping.html (Accepts strays and offers traps)

 

[BoutrosBoutrosGalusGalus]

Oh I don't live there anymore so its not my issue anymore but it was very frustrating.

 

[RHRanch]

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Ok. I just wanted to point out that often people are unaware how much help there is to solve problems with strays. It can take some digging.

 

[BoutrosBoutrosGalusGalus]

Well thanks for trying to help anyway. I generally don't think animal rescue groups are in any position to do anything most of the time though due to work I've done with feral foster programs (where they take unweaned feral kittens and socialize them via bottle feeding) and the resulting overburdened volunteers with sometimes dozens of cats they cant get adopted out. I may have some lingering frustration with the whole issue as a result so I apologize for being harsher than I should be otherwise.

 

[Shawnee_b]

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Euthanasia is not generally free at local "humane societies". It cost them for the employees time, the shot and disposal which is passed on to you. Per cat. 22 shells are cheap.

 

[PulletSurpriseWinner]

To the folks wondering about the neighbor, he's a little "off". He won't talk to me about it, and they keep refusing to adopt the cats. All he will do is feed them, outside.

I didn't mean to stir up a debate here. We're all here because we love chickens, regardless of our feelings about creatures that prey on them.

I'm going to try trapping the cats- AFTER finding a place that will take them or can put them down humanely. At this point, I just want the pressure off our songbirds, and would like to avoid them stressing out our hens. That's all there is to it.

 

[ChooksinChoppers]

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For the song birds especially....reading through all the replies on here, I am amazed that people are all gung ho for the cats (sterilized or not) and none for the poor birds that will continue to be killed by these cats. Any cats I have owned are required to wear a collar with a bell so they cannot sneak up on a bird.

 

[RHRanch]

Quote:

For the song birds especially....reading through all the replies on here, I am amazed that people are all gung ho for the cats (sterilized or not) and none for the poor birds that will continue to be killed by these cats. Any cats I have owned are required to wear a collar with a bell so they cannot sneak up on a bird.

I think most people were concerned with finding a humane option for the cats, such as adoption at a shelter, relocation to a managed feral colony, or humane euthanasia- and I for one, am happy that my tax dollars fund humane animal services and euthanasia. (Although if I can i'll vote to have big business start paying its fair share and help me out with that tax burden!) Its possible to have compassion for the cats and the birds. Also, i'm not sure what birds you mean... If its chickens, the OP hasn't mentioned losing any yet, just concerned that the ferals could pose a risk to them. (I must interject that the cats technically are owned if the neighbor feeds them - so wild or not they have an owner sort of.) If its songbirds you are worried about, well feral or pampered housecats both pose risks to songbirds, its just that the ferals have no owner to protect them. What I mean is, they are vulnerable because they are unlucky enough to be dumped, etc. But if you are sugessting that shooting these cats is justified due to the risk for songbirds, than logic suggests that you think all cats should be eliminated becuase they pose a risk to songbirds. Unless, as I suspect, ferals are being targeted as scapegoats for the behavior of all cats. All cats that go outside sometimes eat songbirds.

Interesting note: My muscovies and some of my chickens have eaten songbird chicks - maybe we should outlaw them? My chickens prey heavily on small animals - all of which damages the eco-system. Interesting how people pick and choose which animals get a pass on destructive behavior and which don't.

 

[ChooksinChoppers]

But if you are sugessting that shooting these cats is justified due to the risk for songbirds, than logic suggests that you think all cats should be eliminated becuase they pose a risk to songbirds.

now..........did I say that? NO, I didn't. Songbirds are everywhere including where ever these colonies of feral cats are being relocated to. Do they (the rehabbers) even care about the birds? no...... Cats will kill birds even when not hungry.​