# Feral cats



## BirdSlapper (Apr 25, 2013)

Six months after we moved into our house, our dominant male (cleatus) has started pissing on the walls. It took a while to figure out, but I think its because Ferals have 'found our house of cats' and are using the outside perimeter as a giant litter box and this is Cleat's way of 'protecting the house' . Beleive it or not, I have never seen any cats outside of our home, but the neighbor sees a lot of them hanging around. 

So two things, 1)What is good for cleaning up cat urine on the outside of the house? I want to kill the smell so that Cleatus will stop.

2) What are really good deterants/repellants for keeping these cats away? I don't care to get into trapping cats or worse.


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## oh'mike (Sep 18, 2009)

You are up against a tough situation---short of getting a dog to sleep out side---I know of no way to rid the yard of night time visits by competing cats.

If any one has a good idea I'd like to hear it. I have a visitor that likes to look into my living room--


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## BirdSlapper (Apr 25, 2013)

I'm considering a lot of bleach for the outside perimeter to keep Cleatus happy. Also, closing up the open end BELOW our 4 season porch as I think most of the 'visits' are there.


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

I had a very high-end, short-term apartment in Cincinnati when I helped build a kids museum there. Beautiful place. The owners had rescued the building from the wrecking ball and sunk a mil or two into restoration. Feral cats must have lived in the long abandoned building for quite some time though because one of my male cats who had never presented litter box problems was constantly marking territory and bold enough to "spray" walls as I watched and screamed at him. There was something primal about it because he would hiss at me and never did that either.

I became a fan of "Anti-Icky Poo" because of the experience. He was fine again when the project was over and we moved. I never did neutralize what he smelled I guess because he kept it up. Enzyme treatments work well to break down cat urine residues but they are not cheap and those bacteria based do not do so well in sunlight. It kills the bugs before they can build enzymes. 

As a critter lover I try to co-exist with beasts like feral cats but I do not take them casually. A friend, an animal control officer, lost half his face to a seemingly harmless trapped feral cat he was just trying to release in a safer environment. They do carry things like feline HIV/AIDS and of more concern to you airborne sorts of cat viruses. Make sure your pets are current with shots, especially for airborne things, if you have feral cats around. 

You might talk with your local animal control department and SPCA chapter to see if they have suggestions for managing your situation. I know some communities have found feral cats to be great at keeping rodent populations down and they capture and neuter them, give them shots, and let them roam with food to keep them from becoming a nuisance or harming domestic pet populations. There were articles over the last year or so about LAPD having good luck with them and a courthouse that let them roam overhead to get rid of attic mice and rats. 

I used to cringe but it was sort of a right of passage around the UofI for students to be graduated and just turn their domestic dogs and cats loose when they moved on figuring someone else would take them in. I suspect this may happen around other campuses as well. Uncaring idjuts.

Believe it or not there is a lot of good information about how to deal with feral cats out of post WW2 Europe. Great Britain probably demonstrated the most humane approach to management of displaced pets, turned feral in a generation and beyond, as any folk. Some of the approaches to managing the pet population after Katrina might be worth a look. Many of those pets that survived (seeing those struggling can bring tears to the eyes of this otherwise burly man) have generated a feral generation or two which animal control and animal welfare organizations seek to manage.

I fear spraying the outside of your house with Clorox "ain't not never gunna" accomplish what you want here. You do raise a very interesting issue starting with are feral, once pet descended, populations to be bundled under pests? Like mice, rats and roaches.


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## AppleMac*Fit (Dec 26, 2007)

Animal repellant.
http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/bonidereg%3B--repels-all--animal-repellent-3-lb


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## retired guy 60 (Jun 23, 2009)

Motion activated sprinklers have a good reputation for discouraging visits from feral cats. Amazon has several models. Once the cats have been hit with water they will remember and go elsewhere. I would not use bleach as it will kill grass if that's where you put it. Repellants, as posted, are available though I have no experience with them. Glad to hear that you don't want to harm or kill the ferals. They did not ask for a life on the street.


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