Feral Cats Getting Expensive

[JuniorTT]

My neighborhood is totally overrun by feral cats. Our mulch beds are littered with feces, our siding is stained with urine, and we are constantly waking up in the middle of the night to the sound of cats mating. Two of the neighbors are feeding them and the situation is frankly out of control. There is no ordinance in our township to prevent the neighbors from feeding them. State law in Pennsylvania says the cats have more rights than my newborn daughter so the only recourse I have is to try to trap them and take them to the local animal shelter. Our neighborhood has already trapped 72 cats and the SPCA has put every one of them down because they are in no way adoptable. I would estimate there are another 50-100 cats still roaming but because the SPCA will only accept one at a time we are going to be playing the trapping game for years (can't trap them in the winter b/c the food in the trap freezes).

So on to the financial side of things, so far I've invested in two traps ($45/ea = $90), cat food is $0.50/can but it usually takes two cans to catch one cat, gas is ~$5 for each round trip to the SPCA, plus I lose an hour of my day every Saturday and Sunday while I'm transporting a cat that is spraying and defecating in the back of my family station wagon.

One more example of a middle class guy doing the right thing and getting the shaft all along the way.

* vent over *

[ea1776]

this page is worth a read...
Feral Cats: Frequently Asked Questions : The Humane Society of the United States

Maybe you could get fellow neighbors to join the effort of TNR'ing the cats in the neighborhood.

Some people feel sorry for feral cats because of their difficult and dangerous life. Others are annoyed by the cats' behaviors and want the cats removed. But many people don't feel that the cats should be euthanized. Even if there were enough people and money to remove and euthanize feral cats, other feral cats would move into the vacant territory to take advantage of the food source and shelter now made available. It's an endless cycle.

The alternative is Trap-Neuter-Return. When feral cats are TNRed, their health improves because they no longer have kittens and fight over mates, and nuisance behaviors are greatly reduced or eliminated. The colony's dedicated caretaker provides food, water and shelter, watches over the health of the cats and removes any newcomers for TNR (if feral) or adoption (if tame).

TNR improves the quality of life for existing colonies, prevents the birth of more cats, and reduces the number of cats over time. Additionally, many groups that provide resources for TNR have calculated that the costs associated with TNR are considerably less than those associated with removal, shelter care, and euthanasia of feral cats.

[JuniorTT]

this page is worth a read...
Feral Cats: Frequently Asked Questions : The Humane Society of the United States

Maybe you could get fellow neighbors to join the effort of TNR'ing the cats in the neighborhood, and also encouraging neighbors not to feed them.


Some people feel sorry for feral cats because of their difficult and dangerous life. Others are annoyed by the cats' behaviors and want the cats removed. But many people don't feel that the cats should be euthanized. Even if there were enough people and money to remove and euthanize feral cats, other feral cats would move into the vacant territory to take advantage of the food source and shelter now made available. It's an endless cycle.

The alternative is Trap-Neuter-Return. When feral cats are TNRed, their health improves because they no longer have kittens and fight over mates, and nuisance behaviors are greatly reduced or eliminated. The colony's dedicated caretaker provides food, water and shelter, watches over the health of the cats and removes any newcomers for TNR (if feral) or adoption (if tame).



TNR improves the quality of life for existing colonies, prevents the birth of more cats, and reduces the number of cats over time. Additionally, many groups that provide resources for TNR have calculated that the costs associated with TNR are considerably less than those associated with removal, shelter care, and euthanasia of feral cats.

Most studies on TNR have found that it is ineffective and many go on to argue that it is both illegal and inhumane. The SPCA disagrees with the Humane Society on the topic of feral cats - the SPCA considers feral cats wild animals that are better off dead than released back into the wild. They are so committed to this that they spend $20 out of their own tight budget to put each feral cat down. So my neighbors have cost them $1440 so far with another $1000-$2000 to go.

Personally, I back the University of Nebraska's 2010 study: "Feral Cats and Their Management." Having lived with the effects of these cats for the past 7 years, including my pregnant wife and newborn daughter not being allowed to go outside in our own yard because of the disease risk, not to mention the money and time I've spent playing the trapping game, I think this part of their study especially hits the nail on the head as the most humane and economical solution in my rural setting: "Shooting is an efficient method to reduce populations of cats in specific areas. Use shotguns with No. 6 shot or larger, .22-caliber rifles, or air rifles capable of shooting 700 feet per second or faster (inside 20 yards and with pointed pellets). Aim shots between the eyes or in the heart/lung area to ensure a humane death."

http://elkhorn.unl.edu/epublic/live/ec1781/build/ec1781.pdf

Don't mean to make this a political thread but this is a tough example of morals and finances being intertwined.

[SeanH]

I read a bunch of newspapers, but I believe the Houston Chronical ran a Audubon Society-inclied article awhile back basically saying that feral cats destroy bird populations.

[JuniorTT]

I read a bunch of newspapers, but I believe the Houston Chronical ran a Audubon Society-inclied article awhile back basically saying that feral cats destroy bird populations.

I've read that the estimated 150 million feral cats in the US alone have been estimated to kill up to one billion (with a B) birds per year. That seems pretty high...all I know is that I find 5-10 dead birds in my yard per year.

[kork13]

You should see it here where I live. Okinawa is considered "the poor man's Japan". Feral cats are literally everywhere. For example: I know for a fact that there are at least 7 feral cats (excluding any kittens that are hidden) living within a 300 foot radius around my apartment. And here in Japan (at least in Okinawa), the local government (nor any organization that I'm aware of) has any interest in alleviating the issue.

However, the running joke (suspicion?) here is that certain sushi restaurants around the island "augment" their offerings via "the wildlife"...if you know what I mean.

[Coronet]

Taking one or two to the shelter every time you manage to catch one isn't going to help the problem since they reproduce so fast. The only thing I can think of is the catch, neuter, and return to the wild program someone mentioned above as that's what they did near my college which also had a feral cat problem.

Are there any cat deterents you could spray near your home to deter cats from wandering near? I'm not talking toxic poison or anything, but I was thinking of cat sprays I use with my domestic cats to get them to stop scratching things (anti-kitty scrach spray)? It's worth looking into to repel the cats from damaging your home.

[frugalgirl]

A good friend of mine (who also lives in PA) had the same issue in her neighborhood. She called the local wildlife agency who let her borrow the traps for free. She and three of her neighbors spent a month catching these cats and taking them to the local animal shelter. They did catch most if not all of them and have not had a problem since. (It's been at least 5 years ago.)

This was in a suburban neighborhood. There was no restriction on how many cats that they could bring in at a time.

They asked other neighbors to allow them to put the borrowed traps in their yards as well. They also put fliers out warning all the neighbors to keep their pet cats "labeled" in case they caught a pet by accident.

It was a digusting and scary problem as the neighborhood had lots of pre-school aged children and pregnant women. The feces and smell of the spray on some of the houses was overwhelming and unsanitary.

Good luck!

[shanecurran]

Man that sounds horrible. It reminds me of a joke I heard while I was living in Wyoming:

"A few years ago, the Sierra Club and the United States
Forest Service (USFS) were presenting an alternative to
Wyoming ranchers for controlling the coyote population.
It seemed that, after years of the ranchers using the
tried and true methods of shooting and /or trapping the
predators, the tree-huggers had a "more humane" solution.

What they proposed was for the animals to be captured
alive, the males castrated, then let loose again ... and
the population would be controlled. This was ACTUALLY
proposed to the Wyoming Wool and Sheep Grower's association
by Sierra Club and USFS.

Well, all the ranchers thought about this amazing idea for
a couple of minutes.

Finally, an old boy in the back stood up, kicked his hat
back and said, "Son, I don't think you understand the problem. These coyotes
ain't f#%ckin' our sheep - they're eatin' them!"

[JuniorTT]

Taking one or two to the shelter every time you manage to catch one isn't going to help the problem since they reproduce so fast. The only thing I can think of is the catch, neuter, and return to the wild program someone mentioned above as that's what they did near my college which also had a feral cat problem.

Are there any cat deterents you could spray near your home to deter cats from wandering near? I'm not talking toxic poison or anything, but I was thinking of cat sprays I use with my domestic cats to get them to stop scratching things (anti-kitty scrach spray)? It's worth looking into to repel the cats from damaging your home.

I honestly don't believe TNR is the right answer given how many there are. As you said, they reproduce so fast and I can only realistically catch and transport one or two at a time.

I've tried a few different deterrents. One was a dried fox/coyote urine that is supposed to be a territorial thing but the cats loved it. They rolled around in it and even more came in my yard than before. I've also used water based deterrents, including sneaking up on the cats and dumping 5 gallon buckets of water on them but they always come back.

Unfortunately, we are wayyy past the point of deterrents.

[JuniorTT]

A good friend of mine (who also lives in PA) had the same issue in her neighborhood. She called the local wildlife agency who let her borrow the traps for free. She and three of her neighbors spent a month catching these cats and taking them to the local animal shelter. They did catch most if not all of them and have not had a problem since. (It's been at least 5 years ago.)

This was in a suburban neighborhood. There was no restriction on how many cats that they could bring in at a time.

They asked other neighbors to allow them to put the borrowed traps in their yards as well. They also put fliers out warning all the neighbors to keep their pet cats "labeled" in case they caught a pet by accident.

It was a digusting and scary problem as the neighborhood had lots of pre-school aged children and pregnant women. The feces and smell of the spray on some of the houses was overwhelming and unsanitary.

Good luck!

The local SPCAs do offer rental of traps for a depost of $75ish each and a $2/day rental but all of their traps are loaned out. I did find one location that would accept as many as we could bring but they are pretty far away so we'd need to take at least 10 cats at a time to make it worthwhile. And I don't have a pick up truck so I'd need to rent one or borrow one. We'd realistically need to buy 20 traps to hope to catch 10 at a time. That would be about a grand that I could afford but I refuse to spend out of principle.

Thanks for your encouraging words though. The whole thing has gotten really stressful/overwhelming.

I think my next best option is to go in front of the township. While there are no ordinances strictly prohibiting the feeding of feral cats, there are two angles I think I have:
1) There is a general public health and safety ordinance which is enforced on an as needed basis by the township and/or the police chief. It says if the offender doesn't fix the problem after 30 days the township will take care of it and pass the cost along to the offender plus 20%.
2) There is an ordinance restricting the quantity of "domestic" cats "maintained" on a property based on land size. Each of my neighbors are restricted to 4-5 cats. The key points of argument will likely come down to whether they are domestic and whether feeding them constitues maintaining them.

[MiikeB]

I'd put out Racoon poison. I wouldn't enjoy it, but I would not let feral cats have such a large impact on my life.

[JuniorTT]

I'd put out Racoon poison. I wouldn't enjoy it, but I would not let feral cats have such a large impact on my life.

Trust me, I know a hundred ways to kill a cat but playing the trapping game and having the SPCA pay $20 to put them down is the only legal one. I'm not about to risk my freedom/career because I got caught fixing someone else's mess the quick way.

In my opinion, shooting them is the right answer in my rural setting but until my state lawmakers have enough courage to make a change my hands are pretty well tied.

Take a look at this map from the CDC reporting rabid cats in 2009 (hello southeast Pennsylvania):
CDC - 2009 Surveillance: Rabid Cats Reported in the United States during 2009 - Rabies

Considering that map and the number of cats in my neighborhood there has to be rabies in my area, but I guess I have to wait for somebody to get bitten before I can play that card.

The cat I trapped this Saturday was so wild that it ripped its whole scalp off trying to get out of the cage all night. By the time I get him to the SPCA I could see his skull. Sounds more humane than a quick kill shot. *sigh*

[ea1776]

Trust me, I know a hundred ways to kill a cat but playing the trapping game and having the SPCA pay $20 to put them down is the only legal one. I'm not about to risk my freedom/career because I got caught fixing someone else's mess the quick way (personally killing 50-100 cats).

In my opinion, shooting them is the right answer in my rural setting but until my state lawmakers have enough courage to make a change my hands are pretty well tied.

Take a look at this map from the CDC reporting rabid cats in 2009:
CDC - 2009 Surveillance: Rabid Cats Reported in the United States during 2009 - Rabies

Have you tried writing to your state representatives about this matter? If you have neighbors that are on your side, maybe you could get them to sign some sort of petition, which would increase the impact for requesting legal action.... ?

[JuniorTT]

Have you tried writing to your state representatives about this matter? If you have neighbors that are on your side, maybe you could get them to sign some sort of petition, which would increase the impact for requesting legal action.... ?

No, I have not. My plan is to start with the township since I expect a much quicker response from them. In fact, I'm planning to speak at the next township meeting next Monday and likly file a formal written complaint shortly thereafter.