My problem is my neighbors cats. Truthfully, I am not sure if they are actually his pets or that they use his property as home base although, when we moved here 5 years ago, another neighbor said they were his. I believe they are basically left to fend for themselves as I have seen them outside every winter since we have been here. The problem is they think of our property as their own and it is driving us and our two small dogs mad. One of the cats has gone as far as to "mark" our front door repeatedly. Foul! Anytime I have tried to shoo them off, I find some kind of dead animal at my door. I'm not sure if it is a peace offering or if they are trying to send me the message to back off. I can't let my children help with the yard work ( wich they love ) because the cats use our landscaping as their personal litter box and I have gotten to the point that I have to take my dogs out in the backyard on a leash because they either try to "hunt" the cats which leads them off our property or they find the cat waste and eat it. I really don't want to call animal control, but the thought of going through another spring and summer with our yard being used as a kitty brothel and a venue for late night Feline Fighting League main events is out of the question. If any of you have had any luck getting unwanted animals off your property I really could use the help. This goes way beyond keeping a cat out of the begonias. Thanks.
hi C. c,
i think the only thing to do would be to call animal control. if they do not help, gather the cats up and take them to a local shelter.
B. gersper
I would simply ask your neighbor if they are his cats. If he says they are then just tell him the issues that you are having with the cats. Just be very kind with him. You don't want to make enemies with the neighbors. If the problem persists then I would call animal control. If they are not his cats then the answer is obvious. Just call animal control. Last summer I had the same problem that you are having. Only I was the one who assumed that the small community of cats that was growing larger each year belonged to the neighbors. When I questioned them they said that they thought they were my cats. So we called animal control and the problem was almost eliminated. There were about 8-10 cats and animal control missed 2 of them. I just hope we do not run into the same problem again this year. I hope my advice will help.
T.
C.,
I have had this same problem. Two of my neighbors have outside cats and I was constantly finding that they had used my flower beds as their litter box. This really bothered me especially when I was pregnant so I went to the store and bought a spray that was specifically for keeping animals away and I sprayed it all around my flower beds. I also used some red pepper flakes and put that in my flower beds. It must have worked because I didn't see any signs of the cats using my flower beds as litter boxes last year. The cats still come to my house and sit on the porch and look in my windows. I am a cat owner but I have inside cats. I don't believe in letting my cats run wild through the neighborhood invading other people's yards.
Hi C.,
We have a similar situation and I can feel for you. There was a litter of kittens that lived in the woods next to our house. They were using our flowerbeds as their litter boxes and it was disgusting!!! I called Animal Control(Greene County) and they lent me an animal trap. So far, I have trapped 3 of the 6 cats. After I catch a cat, I call them and they take it away and bring me another trap. If the cat is tame, they will try to adopt it out. If it feral, they put it to sleep. I am a cat person and feel bad having to do this, but I have to think of the health of my family first. Good luck.
C.,
First, you need to actually ASK the neighbor if they really are his cats. Clearly explain the problem to him in a non-confrontational manner. Tell him if they are not his cats, you have every intention of live-trapping the poor things so they don't have to fend for themselves anymore and have Animal Control come pick them up. Do you have a fence? Cats do not like to be wet, so a spray bottle or a hose (when it's not too cold outside) will scare them away while you are there. Basically, cats are felons. Their motto is "Don't get caught." If you make your yard unpleasant for them, they won't want to return.
Best wishes,
K.
Why not just talk to the supposed owner? Depending on the area, or community, there are some places that require an owner to keep their cats on their own property. I don't think animal control would do much of anything. Cats, sadly, are usually discarded, so most people could care less about them. I called animal control once on my neighbor for their 2 cats and dog. They severly neglected their animals. In fact, there one cat I called about wound up dying before animal control even came out due to neglect (they stopped feeding the cat, as well as leaving it so flea ridden, it eventually died). Animal control could have cared less. All animal control did was tell them to get their dog shots and to see a vet (the dog had Mange) and they never checked back. So, basically, animal control will do little, esp. if your neighbor denies they are his, which he very well may do. Because cats are usually forgotten about, various rescue groups, as well as pounds, are overwhelmed with them. I have tried to get them to come to my mom's, as well as my neighborhood, to at least trap them and get the strays fixed so more aren't out there, but they won't.
Why do you try www.saveohiostrays.org ? It's not their fault they are abandoned and yes when they bring dead animals to your door its not threatning it's their peace offering, like them telling you look what a great job I did. Before you go setting traps and being in-humane try calling a place that will take them in and give them something to eat and a warm place to sleep until they have someone who DOES want them around.
Hi C.,
I would just go ahead and call animal comtrol,I have somewhat the same problem but not as bad as yours.You have children and u want them to be able to help u,and you dont want any worries while there outside.If you dont want to call you can always talk to your neighbor about it,and if they dont responded then you may have no choice. Good luck hun!!
This might sounds mean but it works.. It doesn't hurt the cats either.. Go to you local grocery store and pick up whole red pepper flakes.. sprinkle this through out your mulched areas or whereever and the cats will stay out of there.. Have actually used this and it works!
Call animal control. As a taxpayer, you are not required to tolerate someone else's animals destroying your property.
Oh My gosh, I know that for you, this is not a laughing matter, but your posting is hilarious! OK, now serioulsy, the cats bringing you dead mice and such, you must be doing something nice for them, because that is a peace offering and they like you. Too bad for you though. Cats can be real pest if they are not yours and you do not want them,.I think that all you can do is call the humane society and tell them that your neighbor has neglected his cats. Im pretty sure there is a fine for that. My dogs would tear a cat up, so I can see where yours want a stab at it...unfortunately, the dogs love the vittles they find in your flower garden so unless you can get rid of the kitties, you'll have to continue taking them by leash to your own back yard. It doesnt hurt them to eat it, so I would suppose that would be the only good thing about the fact they do eat it,..it saves you from having to clean it up. If you dont want to call the humane society, you could always coax them by putting goodies around the neighbors house that would keep them over there, but who wants to do that everyday! Good Luck!
I have four cats so I can give you some advice. First off, the leaving of the dead animals is the cats way of "earning it's keep", it is done to show you that it appreciates you, not as a way to threaten you. As far as marking your door, it seems to think your property as it's own. Most likely it's from a male that hasn't been fixed. There are some liquids you can put on your front door that will discourage the cat from coming around. It smells like bubble gum and you could use it around your backyard as well. You also might want to ask your neighbor if the cats are actually his. If not, go and call animal control (I think they will only keep the animal for a week and then put it up for adoption-but I wold call to make sure). The cats are just doing what comes naturally to them and they shouldn't be left to fend for themselves. If they were in a shelter at least they would have a chance at being adopted.
Two things I have heard, but not tried myself. Place cayenne pepper on the ground were you don't want them, or take a small spot away from your chosen path and plant a garden of mint and cat nip, they will hang out there. I would call animal control and ask to remain unknown to your neighbor. They sound like they are not being taken care of very good.Think of it this way, would he want your dogs doing up his yard. If they are his he needs to be a responsiable pet owner, and if they are not his they will be gone.
I am a firm believer that no one's animal has the right to use another person's property as a toilet or as a place to hang out. If I have to keep my dog in my yard and under control, the same should be required of cat owners. Unfortunately, it seems like the only way you're going to keep the cats out of your yard is to call animal control and have them set up cat traps so they can take the cats away. That's what I'd do. There's no way you should have to deal with cat pee on your doorstep.
....L
I know this may sound cruel and I actually love cats, but my dad used to do it when I was little to get rid of strays. He used to spray them with the house! It always worked though. I would also find out first if they ARE your neighbors cats and ask him to keep him off your property first.
