Don't Feed Stray or Feral Cats

2008-06-02T17:44:00.000-07:00

I have a Feral Cat problem in my Neighborhood! I just bought a house in Joplin Missouri.
A Neighbor 2 doors down is feeding Feral Cats.I talked with her about the cats defecating and spraying every corner of my house and she said"Well,they do like to mark their territory ,don't they"as if it was none of my business that they were damaging my property.
This showed me that she has no respect for her neighbors,the neighborhood or any ones property.
I tried chasing them away,using cat repellent and other methods,but they just keep coming back.
I finally called animal control and they sent a guy out and he set one trap.
I donated some Friskies Salmon Dinner and we caught 8 cats the first week.He also talked to her about feeding the cats and she said she would stop,but has continued feeding them (although in a more discreet spot) .I've noticed a pattern and she is quite habitual.
She continues to feed them,not on her property but on her neighbors property,across the street from my house.They hang out on my front porch when I'm gone and the Tom Cat is a relentless sprayer.

In order to protect my property,I've become a cat trapper..She feeds them and attracts them to my yard,and I trap them and have them picked up by animal control.
This is an ongoing project.
The animal Control Officers are appreciative of the help and the Feral Cat population has thinned out quite a bit.But as long as she continues to feed them,the problem will never completely go away.

There is good news though.Since I've begun trapping cats,the squirrels are back in my yard and song birds are coming around too. The smell of the Tom Cats urine is going away and I don't worry about cat poop as much.

I'm not a cat hater,but 10-20 of them using my yard as an outhouse is a little much!

That's why I'm continuing to trap feral cats.I want to keep them out of my neighbor hood.My next door neighbor has been a big help too.The tom cat got in her house and sprayed everywhere.She keeps an eye on the traps while I'm on the road and keeps me posted every time a new cat gets trapped and cleans up the area for the next cat.
In the mean time,the Cat lady who feeds them is walking around confused over how they all disappeared. Imagine that!
But,I talked to her and she blew me off as if it was none of my business.
She still feeds them and continues to attract more cats.There is no reasoning with someone like that.The only thing I can do is take action to protect my property,and in my case,trapping cats has become a hobby.

The Feral Cat Problem

Don't Feed Stray or Feral Cats