Getting rid of the neighbor cats

[AZ Nomad]

Fence the garden; bleach the carport. Get a dog. Set up traps and take them to the pound. Get a life.

[Joe]

LOL. *not* an optimist. Guess I just picked the right spot to live.

[Jon Danniken]

That's pretty much the way it is around here. I called them once to ask if I could trap them, and they told me I would have to first inform my neighbors that I was intending to trap them. Trapping can also yield a crying, trapped animal, garnering the attention of everyone around, and I don't want to be known as someone who does that sort of thing, or someone to whom everyone runs with accusations when their precious little fluffy goes missing.

I have to live here, after all, and humans are unpredictable creatures, especially when they have somewhere to point their bony little fingers at.

So, I'm looking at behavior modification, either via electricity or, as was suggested water. I like the water idea, but this being winter, and it being prone to freezing around here, I'm leaning towards going with electricity.

Plus, the ground is wet, so there is a good ground.

Would love to hear if anyone else has had success with that method.

Jon

[gfretwell]

At that point, cat in the trap, the next question is "do you have a shovel"?

[AZ Nomad]

Or better yet, on yourself. If you can't tolerate wildlife, move to the city.

[Jon Danniken]

Cats are not wildlife, cats are people's pets.

Squirrels and birds are wildlife, and I have no problem with their behaviors.

Jon

[gfretwell]

Why do you think city dwellers have less problems with wildlife? They have a deer problem in downtown Washington DC. Raccoons, possums and feral "pets" are everywhere.

[Cheri]

Perhaps you could catch the owners, and punish them severely. :-)

Cheri

[Jon Danniken]

Well, if axle grease wasn't bad for the cats, they would be going home with it on their bodies.

Hmmm, maybe coating them in vaseline would give the owners something to do.... ;->

Jon

[SteveB]

I have a Fi-Shock unit. They are reasonably priced if you don't buy the whole unnecessary package with all the stuff. IIRC, I got mine at a pet shop, and it was about $30 for the basic shocker unit, which is all you want. Zap them once or twice, and they won't come back. It's funny as hell, too. I never knew cats could jump that high! Just put a stainless steel bowl of food out on an insulated base, and leave it. As you say, make sure you have a good ground. Put it in a place where your pets or kids can't get to it. But then, if the kids do get to it, they only have to touch it once to have their curiosity satisfied. Plus, if it is on your property, and your neighbor cannot see it, there's less chance for there to be problems with them when the cat gets lit up. I have gotten rid of several wandering dogs that got in the trash, roaming cats, and a couple of wild critters. They learn fast. Do not try to electrify too big an area, or a long run of fence, as then it will be more upkeep, easier to short out, and those nosy neighbors may gripe.

Have fun.

Steve

[SteveB]

A 5 minute soak in a 55 gallon barrel of water works, too.

Steve

[SteveB]

Mix it with some Ben-Gue, and that will make it more exciting. Once they can get the cats off the ceiling, that is.

Steve

[AZ Nomad]

Of course. They're grown in labs.

No way. They should be wiped out.

[Reno]

My friend used to have a problem with the neighbor's cat. He borrowed a live trap from the city and caught the cat. Then he pissed all over it while it was in the trap. Left it to soak in the piss for an hour and then let it go. Then he pissed into a bottle and sprinkled a bit of piss around the fence line. Cat never came back. Besides effective this method was very satisfying.

[bud--]

[Jon Danniken]

Aye, thanks Steve, that's the one I'm thinking of getting. I only wish I were able to be there to see the damn thing hit it; that would bring me much satisfaction. :)

Jon

[Jon Danniken]

LOL, fight fire with fire, eh?

Jon

[LouB]

LOL

Great

[Jim Elbrecht]

-snip-

Have you got a Canon point & shoot digital camera with video capability?

if you do- then all you need is the open source freeware- CHDK. It gives your camera motion detection capability-- and a million other things. [bracketing, time lapse, remote, a better battery gauge. . . .]

Jim

[Cindy Hamilton]

I'll recommend that to my husband. He tried dumping soapy water on it when it was in the trap, but it couldn't take the hint and I saw it back again this week.

It could take him a while to get enough to sprinkle the fence line. I'll brew some tea.

Cindy Hamilton