There is a stray cat in our neighborhood. No one knows who it belongs to. She LOOKS like a sweet cat. She's very skittish of people, anytime I go outside she runs away. The problem is, she is super nasty to other animals. I have two indoor cats and she is constantly harrassing them. It started off with her jumping at our windows when our cats were sitting in the sills. We have a three seasons room with floor to ceiling glass, and I have watched her run and jump at the windows to scare my cats. She hisses at them and chases away from where they are resting all the time. Last week she actually broke her way into my house by pushing in a screen in my dining room and attacked one of my cats! We ended up having to take my cat to the vet because she was so torn up. While we were there we discovered that she also now has fleas (NEVER before this cat broke in) and is apparently severly allergic. So now my cats are both on flea meds, and my cat that got attacked is now on steroids and antibiotics because of the allergic reaction and infection, all because of a stray coming into my house.
This has to stop, but we don't know what to do. We called the city, who told us they can't help. I hate, hate, hate the pound, but even they said they couldn't help because they aren't taking cats. The only advice I have been given so far (from both a friend AND a city employee!) was to put out poison tuna fish. I may hate this cat, and I may WANT her to take a dirt nap, but I don't want to do that! Besides, karma would probably bite my tush and one of my cats would get out and eat it. What do I do?
Thank you for the suggestions! I tried contacting one shelter, but they told me if I trapped it and brought it to them I would have to pay the vet fees. What? It's not my cat!
I will keep looking. I am not going to use poison.
Use a safe trap. The Animal Rescue League can lend you one. Use tuna, but do not poison it.You do not want other animals to eat it. At least the cat will be in a trap.
Is there a friend's dog you could borrow for a few days? That may help? Keep the dog on a runner outside so when the stray cat approaches the home the dog will intervene. Just a thought.
Oh, poor kitties!
I have several fur-babies myself and they go crazy when a neighborhood cat walks through our backyard. Luckily I also have a couple big dogs that are frequently in and out of my house so the random stray/outside cat doesn't hang around all that long. But it can be annoying.
I would look online or in the phone book for a feral cat rescue group in your area. Usually places like this will loan you a trap or come out and set it up themselves and take the cat to a shelter or foster home where it can be hopefully socialized, spayed and find a new home.
Please don't poison the lost cat, as bad as it is - she/he was probably someone's pet once and has been abandoned to fend for herself. And you're right - Karma *will* come back to bite you, in some way or another.
Good luck!
Contact your local animal control and let them know that you may have a RABID animal nearby. That's the magic word. They'll come and get it.
Call animal control again and say specifically that you see signs the cat is rabid. Even if it's not (and it could be -- its level of aggression breaking into your house is way beyond the norm for a cat), telling them that will get their attention. Be insistent. Say that if they will not come out and get this cat, you will have to start calling the city government until someone there tells animal control to do its job. I'm appalled that they did not respond when you said this cat actually burst into your home!
I really suspect this cat is ill with something for it to have zero fear like that. Not normal. Meanwhile, keep the windows and doors closed and don't depend on your screens, as you already know.
As for poisoned food - inevitably some other animal would find it and eat it and you would be responsible for killing someone's pet that got out, or for killing an innocent wild animal (that then will die under your porch and stink -- you are right about bad karma!).
Please update us!
The fact that the animal has broken into your house is a major cause for concern.
She could be rabid for all you know.
And it's disturbing Animal Control won't do anything about it - what are they there for?
Can you bait a Hav-a-heart trap (tuna works well) and take her to a pound the next county over?
If you can trap her, then you can control her access to poison and keep it from other animals.
Your only other choice is to hire an exterminator.
Contact a pest control company. They would come out at your expense trap and hall the cat away. We had to do that with various wild life taking over in my yard.
Can the ASPCA give you a trap that you can trap the cat in and then take in and have euthanized? We had a stray cat also who kept coming into our backyard and having litters of kittens. Fortunately, we were always able to find the litter and took them to the ASPCA. Eventually, we trapped the mother and took her too.
I just read your ETA. They can't charge you if you're not there when they open up. Take the cat at night and leave it in the trap at their entrance. They'll take care of it!
Try to live trap her & take her to a shelter or the pound. Most of the time the pounds won't trap them - you have to & then they will take them (but might put her to sleep if she can't be tamed). From what I know The Human Socity will not help trap a cat/dog unless it is in a house... they don't deal with strays or at least that is what they told us when a stray got into one of our houses & are city doesn't seem to inforce the no feeding strays laws - which mean that we have a bunch of them that keep breeding & looking sicker and sicker. Plus, they damage my properties by digging, spraying, and are so nasty that they us both my gardens & lawn as a restroom... plus the inside of the houses smell so bad from them spraying the outside. But no one will do anything about it!!
I hope your kitty gets to feeling better soon & that you can get rid of the fleas - I HATE those little bugs!!!!
She is probably being territorial. Maybe she has kittens hidden away nearby. Is there a non-pound rescue place near you that does accept cats? Ask if they have a humane trap you can borrow. It's a very simple device to set, and doesn't hurt the cat. Or ask if they can take care of this, because of the possibility of kittens who would need finding as well.
Barring that, I would try to turn an enemy into a friend. Set food and water outside for the Monster Cat and see what happens. You may not really be able to make friends with her, but she might feel a little less antagonistic toward what she sees through your windows.
Is the cat rabid? That does not sound like normal behavior.
I would get a live trap and trap her then take her to a shelter. Cats are domesticated animals and should not be left to roam outside. Even if she is put down by the shelter it is better than having her drop several litters or getting hit by a car or attacked by a larger animal or getting rabies .......
added:
Thousands of years ago cats were worshiped as gods ----- Cats have not forgotten this.
live trap and relocate... or take to a farm environment they LOVE cats like that
I agree with other posters that you should try and trap her. Most shelters have traps that they will let you borrow or rent for a small fee. Have you talked to your vet to see what they recommend? I really would avoid poisoning this cat because first of all it is a very horrible death and second of all there is a strong possibility that you may inadvertently poison another pet. This cat didn't choose this life and was most likely the offspring of a feral cat or abandoned. Horrible that it came into your house and attacked your poor kitty! Oh, and the other possible solution? Get yourself a dog. Just a thought.
spray her with water every chance you get, she'll eventually move on or
trap her in a cat trap and take her to a shelter.
there are usually cat rescue places in every town, your shelter should be able to turn you on to some.
You should call animal control and tell them you think she is sick because she is attacking other animals. They will come and get her but she will most likely be put down. Cats like these don't find nice homes and it is very sad that someone probably abandoned her.
While I understand your frustration it's really not the cat's fault that it's a stray. It's some human's fault that the cat has to live on the street so please don't harm the cat. Poison tuna not a good idea unless you want poisoned neighborhood animals and possibly children.
Go to petfinder.com and click on the animal shelters tab toward the top of the page. You can search by location for groups in your area. I help out a local rescue group and they place friendly ferals when they can. Other times they move the cat to a feral colony where he/she can live safely with food and water available. Some cats will never be comfortable in a household.
Water gun/spray bottle and some slightly watered down ammonia....
have a spray bottle, and a bucket of water handy in the area she is usually seen. throw water on her. another thing they don't like is bleach. so I sprayed my front porch periodically with bleach and the stray barn cat quit coming up on my porch. but they don't like having water thrown on them at all. it's annoying to have to do that, but it helps.
the cat wants them to leave so it will be her territory. they are very territorial. I also sprayed bleach at the front of my garage door to keep the stray away. don't know which on worked best. but the stray hasn't been fighting with Princess in a while.
