No Perfect Answer For Deterring Pesky Neighborhood Cats

by Steve Dale

I realized when I answered a recent question about "pesky cats" that I'd be inundated with mail. Some readers are now calling me a "cat hater," while others are patting me on the back for "helping birds."

The onslaught began with reader C.J.F., of Las Vegas, NV, who complained that a neighbor's roaming cats weren't deterred by a motion detector sprinkler and the "pesky cats" had continued to destroy C.J.F.'s lawn. C.J.F. maintained that an attempt was made to reason with the neighbors but they didn't care. Now, C.J.F. is at a loss about what to do.

After receiving many similar letters during 15 years of writing My Pet World, I've finally cracked. As I told the reader in my column, if you're certain who the cats roaming your property belong to, you've tried to humanely deter them, and have pleaded with the owner(s) to help, then enough is enough. I suggested the reader set a humane trap and take the marauding cat(s) to a local shelter.

Cats don't belong outside wandering the neighborhood; it's not in their best interest. Also, my mother taught me right from wrong. Allowing for the repeated damage of someone else's property is just plain wrong.

I then asked readers to offer better ideas about what to do with owned cats that are allowed to destroy the property of others. Not a single person has submitted a better idea. Many have hollered at me or complimented me by suggestion, but no one has suggested a superior plan.

Many communities have a successful program to deal with feral cats: Trap, Neuter, Return (TNR). Feral cats are humanely trapped, spay/neutered, vaccinated for rabies and freed to live out their lives. But what about owned cats?

Since I don't have the ultimate answer, I sought the perspective of two experts:

Becky Robinson, co-founder and President of Alley Cat Allies (non-profit which offers advocacy for TNR programs): "I don't believe I agree with trapping the owned cats causing the neighbor's problems, although I understand the frustration this neighbor is having. However, without a microchip or an owner who knows enough to actually go to a shelter to find a cat, then I'm unsure of the outcome. I realize dialogue between the neighbors was attempted, but have they attempted to bring in a third party? I find that most people are reasonable. We support the training of volunteers trained to mediate. Perhaps, there are local enlightened volunteers from a local shelter who can mediate and find a solution agreeable to both parties."

Dori Villalon, vice president animal protection American Humane Association: "This is an important issue, and I don't discount the frustration the rights of private homeowners. This is an example of how dogs and cats are treated so differently in our society. If it's a stray dog, it's "Oh no, you want to trap that poor dog and bring her to the shelter.' If it's a cat, you might say, 'Oh, it's just a cat.' I know, it's not ideal, but especially since an attempt was made to reason with the neighbor, I'd humanely trap the cat(s) and deliver them to the local shelter. If the cats weren't spayed/neutered or vaccinated for rabies, now they would be, which benefits the community and the cats. To encourage responsible ownership and also rabies vaccines, maybe we should advocate for licensing cats, as we do dogs. If the owner doesn't recover the cats, maybe they will be adopted by a more responsible family."

Both Robinson and Villalon have their views, neither has an absolute answer. While no readers offered solid solutions, many had strong opinions. Here are two examples:

"I may not be a personal animal therapist or expert but have written and read many things dealing with feline behavior. So, I do have some idea what I'm talking about. I find your advice extremely disturbing and downright heartless. You have no idea what you're talking about, especially when it comes to feline ownership and experiences. First, stop making cat spray seem like the end of the world. You can get rid of the smell and the likelihood of it happening (at all) is slim. (As for) trapping pesky cats and bringing them to a shelter, why not just shoot them on the spot? I can't figure out if you're for or against animals. I do believe ALL pet owners need to be responsible. But give me a break with the cat potty problem. Have you ever actually seen cat poop? I have and it's small. If a person is so concerned about their yard or garden. they may need some personal help. Sometimes in life you just need to get over it." -- K.S., St. Paul, MN

"I applaud your answer. Not only do cats that are let outside annoy people and poop in random yards but they also kill songbirds. I once fed songbirds in our yard. Our neighbor's cats began to kill the birds. I once saw a bird in a cat's mouth. I followed the cat home and spoke with the neighbor. He thought the entire exchange was a joke. I was dead serious and I'll be taking your advice to trap any cats I now find." -- B.D., Las Vegas, NV

I suspect we haven't heard the last on this topic.

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