# How do I keep feral cats away?



## Nomad (Apr 27, 2010)

I need some help and this was the best result when I googled cat forum. Some of this might sound crazy but I promise it's all real!

I live with someone who feeds about 7 or 8 feral cats every morning, afternoon and evening and long story short these cats are pretty much ruining my life and I'd like to find a way to keep them away from the house. The biggest problem is that the woman feeding them isn't all there mentally and there NO WAY she'll listen to reason, she puts the happiness of those cats above everyone else. I'm desperate to find some way to keep them away from this house without hurting them that she wont be able to detect. Capturing and relocating them isn't an option either. All I can think of is putting something in the food they wont like every morning and evening until they stop coming.

I know this might seem mean but these cats are honestly making my life horrible and I just want to deal with the problem in the most humane way. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.


----------



## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

I'm sorry. I don't understand how her caring for those cats could ruin your life.  It brings her joy, and preserves life. The only thing better would be to get thesecats spayed and neutered. There are organization that will help, and I'll list them for you. 

viewtopic.php?f=22&t=40605


----------



## Nomad (Apr 27, 2010)

Jeanie said:


> I'm sorry. I don't understand how her caring for those cats could ruin your life.  It brings her joy, and preserves life. The only thing better would be to get thesecats spayed and neutered. There are organization that will help, and I'll list them for you.
> 
> viewtopic.php?f=22&t=40605


They are spayed and neutered. I have to disagree with you though. For me anything keeping them around would not be better. The ideal outcome would be them not coming around anymore without being harmed. This woman cares about the cats too much to an unhealthy, obsessive level where it begins having negative effects on the human beings living here.


----------



## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

What's obsessive to one is joy to another.  Would you mind telling me how it affects you?


----------



## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

Welcome to CatForum and I hope we can help. First, we need more information before we can think of ways to help. I truly do not think it is fair to make the cats suffer by making the food they expect to eat taste nasty when they have been conditioned to find food at this location. _You would not like to be served food you've known in the past to smell/taste good and have it presented before you and be unpalatable._ I don't think it would be fair to do this to cats who are annoying you through no fault of their own and I come to The Big Question:

Exactly how are these cats ruining your life?

Please pardon me for saying so, but reading-between-the-lines, is this because the person feeding them is devoting themselves to these cats and not the people under her care? If this is the issue, this isn't a problem from the cats' end ... it is a mental issue for that person feeding them while ignoring her familial responsibilities and obligations ... and unless/until that is addressed and remedied, you will experience problems with that person and their particular problem right now is devoting themselves in an unhealthy manner to the cats. 

If the problem is one of the cats hanging around and making nuisances of themselves, perhaps the feeding station can be moved further from the home. 

One last thing, if these cats are spayed/neutered then I feel they can't be feral. 
Are they neighborhood kitties coming for the free buffet and have homes of their own? 
Are they abandoned housepets who don't have hunting skills to be able to survive on their own and need this food, having reverted out of self-preservation to feral tendencies?

It sounds like a difficult situation and I hope we can help you find solutions.
heidi =^..^=


----------



## Nomad (Apr 27, 2010)

Heidi n Q said:


> If the problem is one of the cats hanging around and making nuisances of themselves, perhaps the feeding station can be moved further from the home.


You hit the nail on the head with this line. I have no problem with the cats themselves just with them constantly being around and leaving gifts of dead animal carcasses on the lawn. All are feral cats that have no homes but keep coming to this house to eat because she puts food out. There's other things that happen as a result of them being around that just drive me up a wall but I don't want to get into too many personal problems.

Like I said there's *no* hope of ever reasoning with the woman doing it and I can't make her stop. If I suggested moving the food bowls she would probably flip out, lol. They may have been conditioned to come here for food but in the end I live here and they don't. Things would be much better if they found another house to eat from and considering I live in the suburbs of Los Angeles that wouldn't be hard to find.

It kind of seems like a hopeless situation for me. I wont do anything that would be harmful to them.


----------



## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

Is this your home? If she owns it, she can do as she pleases. I never had that problem when I had four cats. Of course, unless she has advanced senility, mental illness, or Alzheimer's, perhaps you could come to some sort of agreement. 

The most I ever found was feathers and a dead bird. One brought in a chipmunk, and we caught it and released it. (That was twice in about 15 years.) I'm sorry I can't be of any help. I would feed the feral cats too. That's what this particular forum is about, caring for strays and ferals. But compromise is a great thing!


----------



## Dave_ph (Jul 7, 2009)

If feral cats stopping by is ruining your life I think you have issues that won't be solved by the cat's going away.





I'll be right over there in the corner.


----------



## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

Im trying to pin point what you think is ruining your life. 

Lots of people I know and the Trap/neuter/return group Im a part of supports feral colonies. If cats are healthy, well fed, and have places to safely sleep and interact with each other there shouldnt be a problem. Rarely do they hunt if they are well fed. True ferals are illusive and quiet. 

Im perplexed if you think a cat colony could ruin your life. Most of us find having ferals are a wonderful experience. We get to know each cat in the colony. Watch their interactions and happily living with each other. 

But I find watching any animal facinating.


----------

