How to deter feral cats?

[RHRanch]

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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.

I think that people being concerned about the cats does not mean they are not concerned about birds. Cats kill birds, until all cats are kept indoors or cats are outlawed, I hardly see how that changes the fact that stray cats need to be dealt with humanely (whichever way it happens - relocation, euthanasia, etc)

BTW, I know you didn't say that - but it seemed implied that ferals should not exist due to risk to songbirds. What I was trying to impress upon you was that the problem of songbird predation from cats exists from any cat, feral or housecat - so I don't see how ferals are less deserving of living than the thousands of housecats who also prey on songbirds. Sorry if you misunderstood my meaning, it happens on boards like this somethimes.

 

[SmokinChick]

I'm all for alternative sto SSS, but. What is the overall benefit to the ecosystem by having fixed feral cats around? They are here because of careless owners. Coons, oppusums, fox you name it. They are out there by nature for a purpose. Cats were domesticated 9500 yrs ago. They are out of the natural cycle.
If the offenders were 100 hundred pound dogs the guy was feeding. Peoples opinions would be different.

 

[sourland]

Trap, trap, trap-- and humanely euthanize.

 

[Velvet Hairpiece]

I think we're also overlooking the fact that the ultimate loss to the song bird population are humans. We're taking away their habitats, forcing them to live close to us and therefore making it easier to get picked off by predators- cats, hawks, dogs, chickens, cars, etc. Cats are an easy scapegoat to some people, but they're not the source.

I think the benefit to having feral cats around would primarily be rodent control. Mice and rats are thriving thanks to us.

And yes, cats will eat songbirds even if they're being fed, but they won't kill as many.

 

[Moochie]

How to deter them...
Garlic. Lots and lots of garlic! It is toxic to cats, but perhaps it would keep them away, maybe just the scent of it would deter them? Spray garlic water all over the fence, keep garlic hanging around and what not. Neighbors will think you're trying to keep away vampires though.

 

[BoutrosBoutrosGalusGalus]

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the difference being that TNR usually creates a colony which IS significantly different from Fluffy leaving the windowsill

 

[BoutrosBoutrosGalusGalus]

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Fish & Game says cats are the #1 issue. Also the cat food left out attracts the very vermin they are supposed to control.

 

[nzpouter]

for the TNR supporters.... what do you think happens to the ferals who fail to join a colony..? they will

1. create a new colony, which means creating a new problem area.... or

2. fail to find a hunting ground and starve/ died from injuries recieved fighting over a territory...

just because you don't see them in your area anymore/ see them die slowly doesn't mean the population around your area stay stagnant....

 

[sourland]

Anyone who has kept well fed cats as indoor/outdoor pets knows that most will kill for the sheer joy of killing. We have had 3 cats as pets all lived until their late teens. The first was indoor/outdoor. Daily she would bring her prizes to the front door. She killed everything from mice to full grown cottontails. The next two were indoor pets only. Cats are going to kill. There is no place for feral cats in the natural environment. Do a search on feral cat environmental impact. Studies have been conducted documenting their impact on native specie populations. Trap, trap, trap and humanely euthanize.

 

[angusshangus]

I love my 2 pet cats... so much so that I don't let them outside. First of all, a good way to end up with a dead cat is to let it outside! Cars, predators etc. Domestic cats do not naturally occur in our country and their introduction to the wild has the unintended consequence of the destruction of those animals that are part of your local habitat. Now if you live on a farm and use cats for rodent control, I guess that's an exception assuming we're not talking about 2 dozen free range cats! Please keep fluffy inside! I love watching the song birds that live in my neighborhood!