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pomona_gw

neighbor's killer-cats

Pomona
19 years ago

We have a lot of squirrels & chipmunks on our property because I feed them from the front porch. A lot of them are tame (with me) to the point that they eat out of my hand. So a neighbor moves in 2 years ago with cats that are on my property CONSTANTLY(walking away with chipmunks in their mouths daily!).

I spoke with the neighbor soon after they moved in. They weren't interested. So I made my request more firm & less friendly to let them know I was really angry about the situation. So they said, "OK, we'll put up a fence to keep the cats away." They put up a 6' "neighbor-hater" fence along the joint property line. HUH? One length of fencing to keep the cats in their yard?

Well, amazingly enough, the cats walk AROUND the fence or simply go over it. Wow! What a surprise.

At this point we have NO RELATIONSHIP with these people & there is no point in speaking with them further. Their original response (NO response) showed their true interest level.

How does a person keep a neighbor's cats from killing animals on YOUR property? Aren't there ordinances or anything? I'd really appreciate suggestions. Thank you.

Comments (101)

  • mary11
    19 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Pomona call the spca, trap the cats, have the spca contact the owners. This is a huge message to your neighbors. Antifreeze or exterminating them on your own is not an option if you are indeed, an animal friendly person. Despite your preferences.

  • Pomona
    Original Author
    18 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I've been reading & appreciating all of the thoughtful suggestions made over the past many months. I've started putting my trap out again but I suddenly (duh) realized why the cat isn't 'taking the bait,' if you will. He isn't hungry! He doesn't kill birds and chipmunks to eat them - he leaves them on the ground, bloody & dead, or semi-dead. So why would he enter a cage for tuna? I have it sort of camoflaged with brambles, but it's a smart cat & perhaps I really need to weave some branches throughout the wires to conceal it a lot better.
    So, I ask you all - how does one trap a fully-fed feline? As always, I appreciate your feedback immensely.
    P.S. I place it in various places throughout my yard where I know that he prowls.

  • wannadanc
    18 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Was there ever any success w/ all the suggested cat "keep away" stuff ???

    Vicki in Olympia w/ an indoor cat and outside birds and rodents

  • gandbb
    18 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I hope the person who killed her neighbor's 3 cats with chicken soaked in anti-freeze didn't get her idea off this forum. She's looking at doing time and I hope she does.

  • lynne_melb
    18 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    If you look at the catalog for Garden Supply Company, you will see that they have non-toxic cat and dog keep-away products. I haven't tried them but I have been very happy with their garden supplies.

  • gandbb
    18 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    The cat killer went to court today in Seattle

  • lithigin
    18 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    This thread has been going on for nearly a year, people, with the same comments over and over. Pomona, have you gotten the cat-deterring granules yet, or what?

  • Chantico
    18 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    As animal lover in general, as well as an avid gardener. I'll say this:

    Your feeding the chipmucks could be attracting nuisance chipmunks into your neighbors' gardens, where they could eat and destroy valuable plants and many hours of your neighbor's work.

    To this hypothetical neighbor, you would be causing the same kind of unwanted guests in their yard as you are complaining about your neighbors' doing with their cats.

    We each have our own little bit of paradise called our home and our yard, and the neighborly thing to do is to strike a balance between or own enjoyment and that of others.

    Why not just live and let live? Enjoy your chipmunks, knowing a few are going to be dinner for your neighbor's cats, BUT that may also prevent your other neighbors from attacking you for creating a rodent infestation that they could be just as upset about as you are about the cats.

    You think it's bad warring with one neighbor, how many wars do you need?

    Typically, if you see a dozen chipmunks, it means there are many dozens in the area. It's unlikely a couple cats would kill off the population. Why not just "give a little" and save yourself the stress of fighting?

  • kudzu9
    18 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Chantico-
    I agree with you. Those bushy-tailed rats -- oh, I mean squirrels -- have been driving me nuts. They have cause considerable damage in my garden and particularly in destroying new growth on some of my larger plants (bamboo). The idea of someone encouraging these vermin is troubling. They're such a problem in our neighborhood that I actually have thought of getting more cats (although I haven't, yet). I don't want to start another fight here among various kinds of animal lovers, but just wanted to point out that this story has two sides.

  • hamptonmeadow
    18 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    For Pete's sake, what a stupid thing here. You get info on cat repellent and then don't use it. Everyone gives you solutions that punishes the cat. So you go for one of those. What kind of person hurts and traps an animal that is doing nothing but going into a yard that the owner was not responsible enough to get some stuff to keep them out.
    This whole thread is astounding.
    It's like mass hysteria.

  • earthworm
    18 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Posted by: gandbb (My Page) on Thu, May 19, 05 at 10:09

    I hope the person who killed her neighbor's 3 cats with chicken soaked in anti-freeze didn't get her idea off this forum. She's looking at doing time and I hope she does.

    It is wrong, totally wrong for man to allow his cats and other wildlife to run free.IMO, these critters are feral and wild, and they deserve whatever happens to them !

    Pomona, you must send hundreds of messages for "so-called" public servents to wake up to do their job !

    The "live and let die" advice was the most practical.

    I garden some, and do NOT appreciate it when neighbors encourage/feed wild animals - but I live with it.
    Our cats were always semi-wild and catching critters, but this was on the farm..

  • lpolk
    18 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I just read this entire thread and my jaw is on the floor. I can't believe it. There are roaming dogs and cats all around my neighborhood, with leash laws, isn't this what a neighborhood is? If a roaming animal bites people or continually destroys property, fine, there is a civil issue. Get a lawyer, a fence, some repellants. But this sounds like much ado about nothing. And we are talking killing and trapping and stealing?? I am in Mass and I am totally shocked and ashamed. Not to mentioned scared to death that you live anywhere near me.

  • Bumblebeez SC Zone 7
    18 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I couldn't agree more with the last couple of posts. The person lacking in responsibility is you! Why haven't you bought the cat repellant?

  • deefar
    18 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    First off, to spend your own money to get rid of someone elses cats/dogs is rediculous. Where we live we have a huge problem with cats. We just get the 22 out and shoot them, just the sick ones. Its better than letting them die a slow painful death. DH isn't trigger happy. He won't take the shot unless he knows he can take them with one shot. I would go to your neighbor and tell them about the diseases your cat is bring back to them and their family. That might get them to see things differently.

    Dawn

  • sable_ca
    18 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I had an indoor-outdoor cat who regularly hunted, almost always on our property. My neighbor's cat did the same thing. And there was a third cat, from a few houses down, who often came to visit.

    A year and a half ago my dear granny cat died. The next-door neighbor moved away, taking her cat with her. I have see the few-doors-down cat only twice in the last year. In the meantime, we got two kittens from the SPCA. They are now 1 1/2 years old, are indoors only and will never be allowed outside.

    Meanwhile - we now have rats, big fat ones, who run through the trees just outside our windows. I am sure that they're in our attic, and we're going to have call a pest control service. The voles in our yard have made gardening in the front impossible, and the pest control people have just given up on them. In many places we just have surface crust over their tunnels. I only wish that I could let our cats loose, but for the sake of their safety, I won't do that.

    Getting into a screaming fight with a neighbor over one cat for whom you are raising dinner by feeding wild rodents is very strange. I agree with the posters who suggest not feeding wild animals (and even if they eat out of one's hand, they are still wild). We have birds, critters, raccoons, and deer, and the idea of feeding any of them is unthinkable. They do very nicely on their own. Some people think that it is charming to have a deer munching six feet from your bedroom window. It's not. It means that you can't raise most of the flowers, especially roses, that you love.


    We have always had lots of birds, mainly scrub jays, but also many other kinds. We haven't noticed any increase in their population since our hunting granny cat died.

    I definitely agree that cats should be kept indoors. But I also agree that feeding cute little chipmunks and squirrels is upsetting the balance of nature. If the problem is ongoing, it's clear that the neighbor's cat is not making inroads into the rodent population.

    For those who think that torturing an animal by killing it with anti-freeze is a great idea, may I suggest that they first check the anti-freeze by tasting it.

  • librarymom03
    18 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Pictures, water, hot sauce. Instead of hot sauce, try
    flaked red pepper. Sprinkle it on the fences and all around your perimeter. It will not harm cats, squirrels or plants.

    Please do not poison them. At worst use live traps, take off their collars and bring them to an animal shelter as far away as possible.

  • PRO
    The Metal Peddler
    18 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I'm a little disturbed by this thread, some of the solutions offered are incredibly awful. I do sympathize a little, we used to have cats come in and get our birds, and it's very upsetting. I do not class the cats as feral or wild, they are coming from next door. Big difference.

    Cat repellants are a great solution, harmless, safe and cheap. There is an awesome one I used to use in UK, where I am from, called Silent Roar but I don't think it's available here in USA BUT there is a fantastic alternative that I tried. And that's lion/ panther/tiger poop. Seriously.
    I went to our local SPCA where they have some tigers. Some rotted tiger manure is inoffensive to humans but to small cats they think there's a huge territorial beast on the other side. They will not venture near the property line, can smell it a mile off.
    If you have a zoo or similar nearby, give them a call. I was embarrassed to call at first but when I did, was told they get quite a few requests for it

  • annzgw
    18 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I don't know if Pomona is still reading this thread, but I can't believe how few people have suggested other non-violent alternatives.

    The link below is a good review of options in keeping cats out of your yard. My DM (86 yrs old) enjoys feeding the birds but most of her neighbors have outdoor cats. I purchased 3 of the CatStop units for her and they work. She can watch the cats lie outside the boundary watching her feeder, but they wouldn't come near it.

    If you're still dealing with this problem, the CatStop is worth a try.
    BTW, I found DM's units on ebay.

    Here is a link that might be useful: CatStop

  • newjerseybt
    18 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Sorry but I have to put humans above cats...thats just the way it is. The big mistake here was asking the neighbor point blank. I would have requested anonymously first then acted later....and shipped them to a shelter 50 miles away.

    Some 10 years ago on TV, there was a cute baby seal that was captured, cared for as it needed medical attention and was released when it recovered.

    There was a large gathering as the young seal was released.

    It swam 25 yards and was instantly devoured by a killer whale. The crowd was stunned.....which stunned me.

  • rumble_s
    18 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    well if you're going to move to get away from cats, pick a lot with a green belt behind it. In our neighborhood we have chipmunks, squirrels, possum, racoons, and various outher wild animals. we also have neighbors with cats and dogs, and we have a dog. But in the green belt there are several families of COYOTIES!! And guess what: cats, squirrels, chipmunks, and possums are all coyote food.

    So the result is that the coyoties over time consume the others. But they don't get them all. So while they do kill cats, squirrels, etc, they don't get them all. But most of the neighbors either give up on cats or keep them in the house. Oh, and while coyoties don't kill dogs, we also have another type of neighbor in our green belt: black bear. One of the dogs that ran loose was killed by a bear, so now the dogs are confined.

    This "solution" might not rest well with everyone, but it certainly does work.

    PS - we've never had any humans bothered by a bear or coyote.

  • lagatella
    18 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Get a dog!

  • gman
    18 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    APRIL 11, 05 was Pomona's last post. Think she gave up on this thread, is she doing time?

  • hobokenkitchen
    17 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I just read through this thread and it is very strange how differently people from different countries think.

    I am originally from the countryside in the UK and there it considered cruel to have a cat and confine it to the indoors.

    I am astounded by some of the advice given to the OP. These are people's pets and some posters are advocating killing them or shipping them off to a shelter miles away. I just can't believe it!

    I hope the OP was able to take some deep breaths and take some of the common sense solutions offered to her like sprinkling cat repellant.

  • chris_ont
    17 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Personally, I find people who attract and feed squirrels and chipmunks as much of a nuisance as those who let their cats roam free.

    Squirrels are a constant battle as they dig up tender plants in the garden and eat flower bulbs (or rather, take one bite and then toss them aside). Obviously they are well fed on those so that they can then bury all those peanuts that people feed them in my gardens and planters. And then there was the $500 electrical bill for fixing wiring that got chewed up in the attic.

    I wouldn't mind cats keeping the tree-rat population in check, except that cats are just as annoying to gardeners. The world is their litter box and bird feeders exist to serve as their smorgasbord.
    My remedy, if I happen to be in the garden when the neighbor's cat strolls by, is to give it a good soaking with the hose. If they don't like it, they can stay out and poop elsewhere.

    Hobokenkitchen: it is NOT cruel to keep a cat indoors. They like it just fine although it takes a while for an outdoor cat to make the transition. While they might do well in the countryside, in an urban environment they are not only a nuisance, it's a hazardous place for them. Unchecked breeding, disease, fights, eating garbage and possibly sick squirrels, traffic, the neighbor's garden hose - why wouldn't you prefer to stay indoors where it's safe? :)

  • hobokenkitchen
    17 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    chris_ont; my point wasn't whether it is cruel or not - I'm sure both sides have good points to make on the subject. My point was that it is interesting to me that many people on the thread thought that owners were being negligent in letting their cats out. Where I am from keeping them in would be the more frowned upon option.

    I love cats, but am not sure that I would have one in an urban environment where it couldn't run free.

    It's why we now have a tiny dog instead of a large one. Doesn't seem fair to me to keep a big dog in small living conditions. Again I am sure lots of people will disagree with me on that too!

  • johninmd
    17 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    First time here and for posting, but i just wonder how they are "your chippies" and "your squirrels"???
    Ever think you may actually be breaking a law by feeding ((wild animals)) they aren't yours just because they are on your property, if that was the case, the cats would be yours when they are there.Some states have laws against feeding any wild animal, but rarely enforced when it comes to small game.
    In fact, where i live, a squirrel is a "game" animal, meaning it has a season to hunt said animal, and any animal that is a game animal is 'controlled' by the DNR, dept.of Natural Resources, and its illegal for you to catch one, bait them, shoot out of season,keep one as a pet,And in some instances, feed them.
    You are upsetting the natural balance of the wildlife. So a (DOMESTIC) cat kills a few "chippies" who cares. Believe me they will make more.Which most people wish they wouldn't anyway. And you are doing to the squirrel what people do to deer, once you get them depending on you for food, they starve in the winter, or when you vanish from the feeding routine, and they end up being a pest to others in the neighbor hood, get hit by cars, shot, poisoned, or any number of things...
    You are making it worse for the wildlife than any couple of cats ever could.......

  • dreamgarden
    17 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I had a neighbor who used to feed strays. They would fight and yowl at all hours of the night, spray urine on my porch, rip open bags around my back door and go after the birds at my feeder.

    I tried to talk to her about it but this neighbor had the same selfish attitude that Pomona's neighbor has. She couldn't be bothered to consider how her actions might be affecting others.

    Because of her, I am in agreement with those who trap and take them to a shelter far far away.

    If you refuse to confine your animal to your own yard, you only have yourself to blame and shouldn't be surprised when others do what is necessary to protect their property.

  • pineviewplanter
    17 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    This is one of the reason we took our kitties and move waaaaaay out in the country with 7 acres of woods for them to roam on. Cats should not be restrained (IMHO) as it is against their nature.... But to have them make a nuisance of themselves in the burbs... well there is no excuse for that. The furkids

  • doegirl
    17 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    All, I am sitting here reading this thread amazed and disgusted and sad. Obviously Pomona does not want to resolve the problem any way but her own. The violence in this thread is terrifying. After reading the first post, my mental response was, "Stop feeding the chipmunks, you're not supposed to feed them". But even more disturbing is Pomona's lack of action and hatefulness toward her neighbor. The neighbor, sadly, was correct to call the police if they are being screamed at. However, if I had a neighbor that called the police, I would not scream at them. Pretty scary. This thread represents everything that is wrong with America today... our inability to see anyone else's point of view, our inability to compromise, and our inability to love our neighbor. The quickness with which we jump to violent solutions instead of ones that take more thought. BB guns? Water hoses? Trap and release? I'm glad I have indoor cats if that's what you would do to them. Peace - please get over your tendency to hate.

  • chris_ont
    17 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    You're doing the right thing by keeping your cat indoors, in my opinion.
    My neighbor just scraped his cat off the pavement, with his little girl standing there watching and crying. This also happened to me when I was little and I've not forgotten it.

    I do not feel anything wrong with the garden hose solution. It's a spray of water, not a fire hose. Using a squirt of water from a spray bottle can sometimes help train a cat to stay off furniture (at least when you're not watching) or to stop using it as a scratching post. The garden hose is no different. Cats just dislike being wet and they are smart enough to learn quickly (even if just to avoid me when they see me coming :)
    Nothing to do with being hateful toward anything but the mess they leave behind.

  • philr8
    17 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    This thread is disgusting. Pamona, if she is still reading this thread (probably not, her last post was two years ago), seems to me to be a self-centered jerk. Chipmunks are WILD ANIMALS who will not allow themselves to be detained as pets. Cats, on the other hand, are loyal loving TAMED pets.

    Who would advocate shooting a car with a BB gun? Or kidnapping it and driving it thirty miles away and abandoning it? These are the thoughts of a narcissisistic sociopath who cannot empathize with others. Re-reading Pamona's descriptions of her encounters with her neighbors, she comes off as a deranged lunatic. She does not understand that the cats are members of her neighbors household and are loved. She would put that family through the pain and trauma of losing a loved one - a pet cat - just because she does not agree with this grislier example of nature - the food chain.

    I am glad the Dog Control Officer seemed to have a level head about the entire situation. He understood that he had to tread carefully and be patient - anyone who calls nine times over the course of a few weeks is someone who will lobby to get you fired if you are disrespectful or dismissive. He had to be patient and explain to her, evenly and compassionately, to accept the situation and get over it. I am sure he deals with unreasonable people like Pamona on a weekly basis. Ah, the trials of being a public servant.

    I have two outdoor cats. They sleep indoors during the winter and outdoors during the summer, and in the past they have killed many a rodent. They are getting older now so I don't know how active they currently are, but there used to be a time, years ago, where I would stumble upon a dead chipmunk or mole located on my deck or porch on a daily basis. Heck, I've even seen one of my cats eat a chipmunk whole.

    And you know what? That is nature. Hate and bloodlust is not why the cats kill - it is nature. These are their instincts. I love my cats and am glad they seem to be living a healthy outdoor life while still being tame, loyal pets. Fortunately I live in a rural area off of a dirt road - well away from any paved roads - so my cats have almost no chance of becoming roadkill.

    Another fortunate side effect? No deranged, crazy neighors like Pamona. I am not sure what I would do if my neighbor kidnapped one of my cats and had it sent to the pound and it was eventually euthanized. I do not like to think of situations like that, but I doubt I will be as patient or patronizing as the Dog Control Officer. Pamona, you are a spoiled brat.

  • tennfescue
    17 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Rent or buy a rodent trap. Take those little buggers off for a nice ride in the country side. Problem solved.

  • kayci
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Our neighbor's adult child brought home a full grown tom-cat to add to her collection of strays last year. He immediately came over to our property when he saw our tiny Toy Fox Terrier and gentle cat, who are both only let out under human supervision, and lacerated, bruised, and intimdated them. He was constantly stalking and abusing my pets as we stepped out the door, sometimes pushing his way in the screen door aggressively on the attack.
    I was new in the neighborhood and went to my neighbors with good will and hoping for mutual understanding and sympathy from them of the injuries my pets were receiving. What I got was cursing from the daughter that it was my pets own "f" fault for being attacked and not to harrass them. The mother passively accepted her daughter's sociopathic behaivor.
    In the next nine months I learned what cronyism means here in Charlemont, Ma. The cat finally caused puncture wounds to my kitty. I sued the owner in small claims court. In the meantime, the attack cat disappeared to predators in the night--we have Fishers, Foxes, Capote, trotting through our yards abutting the State Park and Forest. She appealed the ruling and came to court with her mother. I did not know I would have to personally ask questions of these people I feel in dread of because of their abuses and manipulations. I became confused at their dissimulations and falsifications. The mother made several contradictory statements. The judge overruled the original verdict. Now, that really made me sick. I could not sleep for nights at the knowledge these malicious people got away with lies in court. I know better then to confront them. I put up a cheerful demeanor as I ignore them. I am working on a motion to the court to revert to the original verdict, my last chance for justice to beat the unjust.
    My cat has learned boundaries with a spray water bottle and lots of personal attention. I also have used behaivor mod techniques to make her come running at the sound of the bell or whistle. We feed the birds on our deck, and with negative reinforcement (yes, sometimes you have to use the spray water bottle and the fly swat) she has laid off them but bring us mice as offering all the time. Also, she has several bells on. She is the most sociable, friendly cat, who plays with our Toy Fox Terrier, and is sleeping between me and the keyboard as I write. She also goes hiking (on a harness and retractable leash) with us and camping. You can train cats more than you might think.

  • davidandkasie
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    and your point is? call animal control, leash laws apply to cats as well as dogs. no animal control, catch them in a hav-a-hart trap and transport them to the nearest shelter.

    sorry, but any animal that attacks mine in my own yard WILL be shot dead. of course, i live outside city limits so this is legal in MY CASE.

  • bippylove
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Poor Pomona ended up in the psych ward...

    {{gwi:1507879}}


    My solutions were similar to some others:
    1- trap cats...take to chinese restaurant...enjoy dinner.
    2- trap neighbors...take to deserted warehouse...feed to stray cats
    3- make the chipmunks housepets and give them cute names like alvin theodore and whatshisname





    Now...about my problem...rabbits are tearing up my lawn!


    {{gwi:1507881}}

  • brickeyee
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    "leash laws apply to cats as well as dogs"

    Not in many places.

  • mommabird
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    There may be more to this than stated. The cats could have been strays the neighbor took in. I took in 2 strays. Once a cat has been a stray, there is no keeping the cat in the house. We tried for over a year to keep these 2 cats inside. Every time someone opened the door, they zipped out. They could squeeze through a 3" gap. They always come back to our house after a few days - they know we'll feed them an let them in for a nap! Our neighbor has complained, and I explained to her that the cats are strays I took in. She wasn't happy with the response - she wants them inside all the time - but at least now she understands why they are allowed to go outside now.

    And feeding rodents is never a good idea! Attracting rodents to your house is not a good idea, either!

    Actually my other neighbor thanked me that my semi-stray cats keep the chipmunks out of her garden.

  • jrdwyer
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Our new neighbors down the street got some young cats and left them in the back yard with food bowls (like you would with a dog). I got this story (after the fact) from their immediate neighbors, who are friends or ours, and who have an indoor cat. These new cats headed out and ended up being adopted by my wife because they appeared malnourished and had no tags. My wife feeds them and also took them to the vet for shots and spading and they have become our indoor/outdoor cats. The original 'owners' have not said anything to us about our pet adoption.

    We live in the suburbs with low speed roads. No neighbor has complained to us about the cats being a nuisance. The rabbits around our vegetable and flower gardens are gone. Hooray!

    We stopped filling our bird feeders once we got the cats. Dead birds and voles occasionally show up in our yard in the morning after an evening hunt. Sometimes they are eaten and sometimes not. In light of the highly human modified natural environment, a few dead birds or voles is not drastically altering the local ecosystem.

    I did notice the smell of moth balls this Spring coming from the edge of the immediate neighbor's yard. I guess this was her polite way of trying to keep the cats out. I'm not sure if it works.

    As far as cruelty to cats, our male cat has been been 'bumped' once by a teenager's car and is no worse for wear. I've watched our cats near the street and they do seem to be much more aware of the dangers than our indoor dog who chases whatever moves. There are risks that you accept if you have outdoor cats.

    The cats definitely prefer to be outdoors stalking and hunting most of the year, whereas the dog prefers to be inside close to his pack.

  • sherwoodva
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Cats kill songbirds. What part of that don't you understand? They are becoming extinct because the US has such a huge population of cats.

    We had an indoor cat who lived to be 22 years old before she died of cancer. Outdoor cats don't live as long. People who let their cats go outside are, in my opinion, too lazy to clean the litter box.

    It is true that not all states have leash laws. Some states allow cats to roam (!) However, if you really love your cat, I would keep it inside. As someone said, they eventually get used to it. Roadkill is never pretty, but its especially sad when it is someone's pet.

    Sorry, Pomona. I think we've hijacked your thread.

  • peytonroad
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    This is a post about control. If you want to stop the cats eating the chipmunks, then stop feeding them. YOu are encouraging the animals into your yard, including the cat!!

    I think there are definately more important things to worry about in life. Surely the relationship with the neighbor is more importnt than the relationship with wild animals.

    I have an outdoor cat and he "hunts" by instinct. You can control your actions but not animals or neighbors. Good luck in this no win situation!

  • mommabird
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    colorcrazy: "People who let their cats go outside are, in my opinion, too lazy to clean the litter box."

    I'm LOL because one of my adopted strays who spends half is time outside will HOLD IT until he comes in and use the litter box! He doesn't like to go outside - I guess he prefers the litter box.

  • nanny2a
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Solution for an aggressive stray tom who sprays all over your porches and attacks your cats can be easily remedied. Our spayed male cat was attacked and mauled by a stray that kept coming into our yard, to the tune of a $800 vet bill to patch him up. Fed up with this daily onslaught of nasty cat, we picked up a trap from the local animal control facility. We baited it with wet cat food and caught the stray on the second night it was set. Took the offending cat off to animal control. Problem solved.

  • davidandkasie
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    after an $800 bill i would have taken the animal to the bottom of the river. i guess that is the nice things about me living in teh country, if i have a nuisance animal of any kind, i just shoot it.

  • terrene
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Perhaps these heated cat threads should be posted to the Animal Debates forum.

    It is amazing to me that a person would behave the way that the OP has towards his/her neighbor (a deranged lunatic is right), or that people would carry out the cruel acts towards a neighbor's pet that are suggested in this thread, IN DEFENSE OF RODENTS.

    Rodents are pests. They cause untold destruction to human property, landscapes, and agriculture. They are vectors for disease. They contaminate human food. Their excrement is filthy. And here's a newsflash - squirrels and chipmunks are both significant predators of songbird eggs and nestlings!

    Why were cats domesticated by humans more than 10,000 years ago, and then introduced throughout the world? Cats played a critical role in human survival - they kept rodent pests out of human food stores, buildings, ships, etc. They still do a good job of this today, and they also happen to make excellent pets. (That said, I have no problem with the culling of feral cats.)

    Yes cats kills lots of birds, but so do windows, cars, windmills, planes, dogs, etc., and the destruction of their habitat by humans is the #1 problem. I have an indoor/outdoor cat, who keeps the rodent and rabbit populations under control, and she does catch an occasional bird, which bothers me. But my backyard habitat is so bird friendly, you would not believe the number and variety of birds that feed, nest and fledge here. When she does manage to catch a bird and this is witnessed by the bird family, they will then follow her around and hound her relentlessly when she is outside, alerting all the other birds to her presence.

  • gailquilter
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    uh huh, catch cat take to shelter.
    . .
    in another town

  • nanner10
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    While I realize that this is an old thread I feel compelled to post a reply.

    First: It appears that the OP lives in Massachusetts, as do I. I am quite familiar with the Mass State laws concerning this issue. There are no STATE laws in Massachusetts that require cats to be restrained. Individual communities may enact ordinances or by-laws requiring cats to be restrained, but few have.

    Further, cats are considered property. If you "take" or deprive a person of their property you are criminally (and civilly) liable, period.

    But that is just one part of this story. Reading many of these posts makes me feel both disgusted and incredibly sad.

    Yes, I keep my cats inside. Yes, I love wildlife. And yes, I care a lot about people too. It seems to me that respecting and being considerate of each other and of nature would help make life a lot better for all of us.

    A number of posters have offered helpful suggestions: low fences to slow the cat down, granulated cat deterrents and non-lethal behavior modification such as spraying water (as approved by national humane organizations). Certainly, it would be helpful, if the cat's owners won't keep it in, if they at least put a bell on it's collar.

    Unfortunately other posters have casually suggested (and justified) removing identification, abandoning the (domesticated animal) far from home, stealing, poisoning, drowning, shooting and killing the domesticated animals for acting on their instincts. And we wonder what is wrong with the world today?

    Sadly the OP, who says she loves (obviously only certain) little critters, seems to take great pride and feels justified in screaming and threatening her neighbors and spewing hate.

    God help us all.


  • kevin45
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow. I can't believe all the postings on this and no final word on the original poster.

    With that being said, We have had a problem with cats coming to our property and staying around, urinating on vehicle tires, spraying the house to mark the territory, etc. I have dealt with those cats in the past and will continue to do so every chance I get. They are the neighbors outdoor cats. The breed and then the cats and kittens hang around our place. Remedy....I pick them up and drop them off at the local Landmark, Farm Bureau, feed mill. Those places always have mice, rat, and rodent problems so the cats can fend for theirself there.

    I am not and will not shell out any more of my hard earned money to take care of an animal just because a lazy neighbor refuses to do so. For one, if they are outside cats, then they do not really care about them in the first place, secondly, if they did care, all the cats would be spayed and neutered so they don't breed.

    BTW...I have two dogs and an outside cat and all three stay withing our property line. They have been taught to do that from day one. And yes, you can teach cats to do that too. It just takes a little more work. At night, our outdoor cat gts put away into another building until the next morning. He has food water, a bed, and a radio to keep him company.

    And one thing sticks in my mind from one of the above statements...."Songbirds are becoming extinct because of cats"
    With an off the wall comment like that, at least back it up with some facts and don't shoot from the hip. Cats do not just go after songbirds. Most are smart enough to fly away as they are on feeders. The birds on the ground like Robins, Sparrows, Doves stand less of a chance of making it. And if you ever walk around your yard and see a pile of feathers and think it is a cat that got it. Think again. There are many variety of Hawks that plug birds from the ground and feeders everyday. More birds probably get taken out by cars than by cats. And as far as I know, no study has ever been done to compare. Pesticides and people have done more harm to songbirds than cats have.

  • songsearch
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I lived in a small community in the mountain of So CA. No animal problems in the several years prior, then new neighbors started feeding the gray squirrels (unshelled peanuts) on their covered porch. Then the raccoons started showing up, with the kids (they were 'so cute', they said). Had to fight with them (the raccoons) over my trash cans, finally got heavy duty types that they couldn't pry open. Mean little buggers when you threaten their food supply!

    In the meantime, the neighbors are still putting peanuts on the porch. Then the bears started showing up. Not just one bear, several. Even one of those California Golden bears (yes, it was a light brown, almost blonde color, with red eyes). Next thing you know, the whole block has bears attacking garbage cans, and even raiding the trunk of my friend's car as they were hauling groceries in one afternoon. You couldn't take a walk without seeing one or more wandering the neighborhood, even mid-day.

    We moved a few miles further out about that time, so we didn't have to deal with that local problem, but I imagine the problem bears eventually had to destroyed to get rid of them. Unintended consequences, caused literally, for peanuts.

    It's never a good idea to feed wild animals, with the possible exception of birds, although even a concentration of them will attract the hawks and ravens that prey upon them, not to mention unwanted rodents that eat the seeds that end up on the ground.

    But, I have to say dealing the the wild animals is preferable to a screaming, nutty neighbor. 'Nuff said.

  • lucillle
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Has anyone mentioned the neat motion-activated water squirter that some places sell?
    Harmless but cats don't like being squirted. You could position a few at the perimeter of your property so the chipmunks on the porch don't get squirted.

  • HU-388756023
    last year

    I'm going through the same thing but there's over 3 cats and I live on 5 acres. These cats kill birds, baby bunnies, squirrels. I find it repulsive that some of you people believe it's these cats nature to kill. These neighbors of mine have almost 10 cats and won't keep these cats confined. I have to take a bird to the Wildlife Sanctuary because it got hurt. Come to find out a cat bite him on his spine and the had to put it down. Keep your animals in your own yard.