2 ferals

My 2 kids are driving me nuts when 2 strays come to my downstairs patio and
start howling at 2 am. My kids only go outside supervised and both Bonnie
and Squeak are "fixed" so I'm pretty sure it's not that the strays are
wanting....well you know.
Anyway, Squeak, being the brut he is,could probably kick their butts outta
here, but I'm not stupid enough to take that chance.
This is an area under new development, so it could be the ferals belong to
someone, but why the hell would they let them out all night? There's
coyoties, fox, and other preditors around.
I don't want to trap and take them to the shelter, but I need to sleep at
night. BTW, the shelter, only one within 50 miles has a 72 hour policy.
Why the hell are they picking my patio?? And what can I do?

--
StocksRus®

trap them and take them to the shelter. You'll be doing them a favor.
Lots of people who have cats feel that their being able to be outside is
more important than the pitfalls out there.
"StocksRus®" wrote in message
0...
My 2 kids are driving me nuts when 2 strays come to my downstairs patio
and
start howling at 2 am. My kids only go outside supervised and both Bonnie
and Squeak are "fixed" so I'm pretty sure it's not that the strays are
wanting....well you know.
Anyway, Squeak, being the brut he is,could probably kick their butts
outta
here, but I'm not stupid enough to take that chance.
This is an area under new development, so it could be the ferals belong
to
someone, but why the hell would they let them out all night? There's
coyoties, fox, and other preditors around.
I don't want to trap and take them to the shelter, but I need to sleep at
night. BTW, the shelter, only one within 50 miles has a 72 hour policy.
Why the hell are they picking my patio?? And what can I do?

--
StocksRus®

~*Connie*~ wrote:

trap them and take them to the shelter. You'll be doing them a favor.

But would the cats consider it so?

Lots of people who have cats feel that their being able to be outside is
more important than the pitfalls out there.

Then isn't that the owner's prerogative? There are any number of us who
believe that cats do best, health-wise, when allowed to be
"indoor/outdoor", and to come and go at will (and there have been
scientific studies that appear to prove it). Unless you KNOW the cats
are ferals, you have NO legal right to trap and dispose of them!


"StocksRus®" wrote in message
0...
My 2 kids are driving me nuts when 2 strays come to my downstairs patio
and
start howling at 2 am. My kids only go outside supervised and both Bonnie
and Squeak are "fixed" so I'm pretty sure it's not that the strays are
wanting....well you know.
Anyway, Squeak, being the brut he is,could probably kick their butts
outta
here, but I'm not stupid enough to take that chance.
This is an area under new development, so it could be the ferals belong
to
someone, but why the hell would they let them out all night? There's
coyoties, fox, and other preditors around.
I don't want to trap and take them to the shelter, but I need to sleep at
night. BTW, the shelter, only one within 50 miles has a 72 hour policy.
Why the hell are they picking my patio?? And what can I do?

--
StocksRus®

Then isn't that the owner's prerogative? There are any number of us who
believe that cats do best, health-wise, when allowed to be
"indoor/outdoor", and to come and go at will (and there have been
scientific studies that appear to prove it). Unless you KNOW the cats
are ferals, you have NO legal right to trap and dispose of them!

Leaving the indoor/outdoor issue alone, how does someone ever know for
sure if the cat is a stray? They don't wear signs, you have to judge by
behaviour and by asking around. Talk to people ask them about the cats
how long they've been seeing them ask them if they know who they might
belong to. Knock on doors if need be throughout the area first see if
someone is feeding them. Quite often people do know where they came
from I hear all the time they belonged to this person but they moved
away and left the cats behind. You have to check into the situation I'm
sure you aren't the only person who has seen or heard them.

Also shelters do this all the time and they do keep lists of missing
cats and attempt to find their owner even if only by checking their lost
records. Contact someone local for advice as well.

On Mon, 23 Feb 2004 00:52:04 +0000, Willows
wrote:


Then isn't that the owner's prerogative? There are any number of us who
believe that cats do best, health-wise, when allowed to be
"indoor/outdoor", and to come and go at will (and there have been
scientific studies that appear to prove it). Unless you KNOW the cats
are ferals, you have NO legal right to trap and dispose of them!

Leaving the indoor/outdoor issue alone,

Well, we've got people posting here from around the globe, so I
usually ignore the indoor/outdoor debate, too. In some places it's
safe for the cats to go out, and in other places, where there is lots
of traffic and/or preditors, it's next to criminal. IIRC, the OP
stated he was in an area with coyotes and other preditors, which would
seem to indicate neligent owners (if any).

how does someone ever know for
sure if the cat is a stray? They don't wear signs, you have to judge by
behaviour and by asking around.Talk to people ask them about the cats
how long they've been seeing them ask them if they know who they might
belong to. Knock on doors if need be throughout the area first see if
someone is feeding them. Quite often people do know where they came
from I hear all the time they belonged to this person but they moved
away and left the cats behind. You have to check into the situation I'm
sure you aren't the only person who has seen or heard them.
Also shelters do this all the time and they do keep lists of missing
cats and attempt to find their owner even if only by checking their lost
records. Contact someone local for advice as well.

Here's something else that I tried, way back when Little Bit decided
to move into my apartment. I tied a note to her collar, asking that
anyone who claimed her to give me a call. Didn't work in her case,
which I'm certainly thankful for now.

As long as I'm spouting off, let me add that I think there's a
definite difference between a stray and feral cat, which lots of
people don't seem to recognize. The OP doesn't seem to know the
difference, since in the heading he says feral and in the body of the
post he says stray, and my advice about his problem would be different
depending on which is truly the case.

If they're truly feral, it would take a lot of work and patience to
socialize them, and they may never be suitable for adoption. The best
solution would be if the the OP could find some local organization, or
some individual, which works with ferals.

Failing that, and probably what I would do if I were in his place
(remember, IIRC the OP said that the only shelter in his area held
animals for 72 hours before euthanasia) trap the animals for neutering
and health check. If they checked out healthy, I'd establish a feeding
station somewhere far enough away from the house so that their
presence didn't bother my cats. Then I could work on socializing them
myself. In my semi-rural area, I could probably find some farmer
looking for a barn cat, but don't know if that would work for the OP.

Much as I hate to say it, if neither of the above solutions are
workable, I'd say trap them and take them to the shelter. If the OP
can't find someone to do the work, and isn't willing to do it himself,
IMHO it would be better than having a feral colony establish itself in
the neighborhood.

Now, like I said, my advice would be different if the cats in question
are strays, and not feral as stated in the heading. I would NOT
suggest taking them to a 72 hour hold shelter.
--
Steve Touchstone,
faithful servant of Sammy, Little Bit and Rocky

[remove Junk for email]
Home Page: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/index.html
Cat Pix: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/animals.html

"StocksRus®" wrote:

My 2 kids are driving me nuts when 2 strays come to my downstairs patio and
start howling at 2 am. My kids only go outside supervised and both Bonnie
and Squeak are "fixed" so I'm pretty sure it's not that the strays are
wanting....well you know.
Anyway, Squeak, being the brut he is,could probably kick their butts outta
here, but I'm not stupid enough to take that chance.
This is an area under new development, so it could be the ferals belong to
someone, but why the hell would they let them out all night? There's
coyoties, fox, and other preditors around.
I don't want to trap and take them to the shelter, but I need to sleep at
night. BTW, the shelter, only one within 50 miles has a 72 hour policy.
Why the hell are they picking my patio?? And what can I do?

Get a "sound machine"? Seriously, there are gadgets designed for
masking external noises over which you have no control. They can be set
for various sounds - ocean, rain, frogs, crickets, heartbeats, or just
"white noise". I have one at home because I have extra keen hearing,
and now that I live in an apartment building many of the normal sounds
of other people's daily living disturb me when I'm trying to sleep (even
though my neighbors are not particularly noisy - it's me, not them). I
even have a travel alarm clock with the same option (which is very handy
in strange hotel rooms, with tourists unmindful of any schedules but
their own). If you can't locate the owner, then rather than trying to
trap someone else's cats, why not try my suggestion - the gadgets are
not very expensive, and I've found them effective. (BTW, there WAS a
time when "putting the cat out at night" was considered the normal thing
to do - maybe your midnight invaders come from a home where that's still
the case.)

"EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" wrote in
:



"StocksRus®" wrote:

My 2 kids are driving me nuts when 2 strays come to my downstairs
patio and start howling at 2 am. My kids only go outside supervised
and both Bonnie and Squeak are "fixed" so I'm pretty sure it's not
that the strays are wanting....well you know.
Anyway, Squeak, being the brut he is,could probably kick their butts
outta
here, but I'm not stupid enough to take that chance.
This is an area under new development, so it could be the ferals
belong to
someone, but why the hell would they let them out all night? There's
coyoties, fox, and other preditors around.
I don't want to trap and take them to the shelter, but I need to
sleep at
night. BTW, the shelter, only one within 50 miles has a 72 hour
policy.
Why the hell are they picking my patio?? And what can I do?

Get a "sound machine"? Seriously, there are gadgets designed for
masking external noises over which you have no control. They can be
set for various sounds - ocean, rain, frogs, crickets, heartbeats, or
just "white noise". I have one at home because I have extra keen
hearing, and now that I live in an apartment building many of the
normal sounds of other people's daily living disturb me when I'm
trying to sleep (even though my neighbors are not particularly noisy -
it's me, not them). I even have a travel alarm clock with the same
option (which is very handy in strange hotel rooms, with tourists
unmindful of any schedules but their own). If you can't locate the
owner, then rather than trying to trap someone else's cats, why not
try my suggestion - the gadgets are not very expensive, and I've found
them effective. (BTW, there WAS a time when "putting the cat out at
night" was considered the normal thing to do - maybe your midnight
invaders come from a home where that's still the case.)


Ya know what? I have one of those I got in a golf tournament. I'll give
it a shot.
Don't you think if people let their cats out all night, or at all, they
would have a collar? Mine do just in case they take off, someones going
to know they belong to someone. Even had mine "chipped"


--
StocksRus®

On Sat, 21 Feb 2004 22:44:38 GMT, "StocksRus®"
wrote:

"EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" wrote in
:



"StocksRus®" wrote:

My 2 kids are driving me nuts when 2 strays come to my downstairs
patio and start howling at 2 am. My kids only go outside supervised
and both Bonnie and Squeak are "fixed" so I'm pretty sure it's not
that the strays are wanting....well you know.
Anyway, Squeak, being the brut he is,could probably kick their butts
outta
here, but I'm not stupid enough to take that chance.
This is an area under new development, so it could be the ferals
belong to
someone, but why the hell would they let them out all night? There's
coyoties, fox, and other preditors around.
I don't want to trap and take them to the shelter, but I need to
sleep at
night. BTW, the shelter, only one within 50 miles has a 72 hour
policy.
Why the hell are they picking my patio?? And what can I do?

Get a "sound machine"? Seriously, there are gadgets designed for
masking external noises over which you have no control. They can be
set for various sounds - ocean, rain, frogs, crickets, heartbeats, or
just "white noise". I have one at home because I have extra keen
hearing, and now that I live in an apartment building many of the
normal sounds of other people's daily living disturb me when I'm
trying to sleep (even though my neighbors are not particularly noisy -
it's me, not them). I even have a travel alarm clock with the same
option (which is very handy in strange hotel rooms, with tourists
unmindful of any schedules but their own). If you can't locate the
owner, then rather than trying to trap someone else's cats, why not
try my suggestion - the gadgets are not very expensive, and I've found
them effective. (BTW, there WAS a time when "putting the cat out at
night" was considered the normal thing to do - maybe your midnight
invaders come from a home where that's still the case.)


Ya know what? I have one of those I got in a golf tournament. I'll give
it a shot.
Don't you think if people let their cats out all night, or at all, they
would have a collar? Mine do just in case they take off, someones going
to know they belong to someone. Even had mine "chipped"

--
Steve Touchstone,
faithful servant of Sammy, Little Bit and Rocky

[remove Junk for email]
Home Page: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/index.html
Cat Pix: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/animals.html

On Sat, 21 Feb 2004 22:44:38 GMT, "StocksRus®"
wrote:

"EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" wrote in
:



"StocksRus®" wrote:

My 2 kids are driving me nuts when 2 strays come to my downstairs
patio and start howling at 2 am. My kids only go outside supervised
and both Bonnie and Squeak are "fixed" so I'm pretty sure it's not
that the strays are wanting....well you know.
Anyway, Squeak, being the brut he is,could probably kick their butts
outta
here, but I'm not stupid enough to take that chance.
This is an area under new development, so it could be the ferals
belong to
someone, but why the hell would they let them out all night? There's
coyoties, fox, and other preditors around.
I don't want to trap and take them to the shelter, but I need to
sleep at
night. BTW, the shelter, only one within 50 miles has a 72 hour
policy.
Why the hell are they picking my patio?? And what can I do?

Get a "sound machine"? Seriously, there are gadgets designed for
masking external noises over which you have no control. They can be
set for various sounds - ocean, rain, frogs, crickets, heartbeats, or
just "white noise". I have one at home because I have extra keen
hearing, and now that I live in an apartment building many of the
normal sounds of other people's daily living disturb me when I'm
trying to sleep (even though my neighbors are not particularly noisy -
it's me, not them). I even have a travel alarm clock with the same
option (which is very handy in strange hotel rooms, with tourists
unmindful of any schedules but their own). If you can't locate the
owner, then rather than trying to trap someone else's cats, why not
try my suggestion - the gadgets are not very expensive, and I've found
them effective. (BTW, there WAS a time when "putting the cat out at
night" was considered the normal thing to do - maybe your midnight
invaders come from a home where that's still the case.)


Ya know what? I have one of those I got in a golf tournament. I'll give
it a shot.
Don't you think if people let their cats out all night, or at all, they
would have a collar? Mine do just in case they take off, someones going
to know they belong to someone. Even had mine "chipped"

I know from my three that some cats just won't tolerate wearing a
collar. Rocky was feral for years before consenting to move in with
me. He doesn't fight me putting on a collar, but as soon as he's out
of sight he manages to get rid of it.

The girls have learned to wear theirs with no problem, and have never
lost any. The only time I put them on is for trips outside, so they
wait patiently by an open door while I put them on. This also helps
keep them from dashing out when they're not supposed to, as they have
learned going out without the collar gets them put right back inside.
If they wait to get "dressed", they get to stay out (at least until
I'm ready to go back inside).
--
Steve Touchstone,
faithful servant of Sammy, Little Bit and Rocky

[remove Junk for email]
Home Page: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/index.html
Cat Pix: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/animals.html

StocksRus® wrote:
"EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" wrote in
:



"StocksRus®" wrote:

My 2 kids are driving me nuts when 2 strays come to my downstairs
patio and start howling at 2 am.
(snip_
This is an area under new development, so it could be the ferals
belong to
someone, but why the hell would they let them out all night?

Because some people are irresponsible?

There's
coyoties, fox, and other preditors around.
I don't want to trap and take them to the shelter, but I need to
sleep at
night. BTW, the shelter, only one within 50 miles has a 72 hour
policy.
Why the hell are they picking my patio?? And what can I do?

Get a "sound machine"? Seriously, there are gadgets designed for
masking external noises over which you have no control.

Evelyn, if you didn't get my email, where can I get one of those travel
clocks with a sound machine? I'm used to sleeping with one and since I'm
planning to travel am dreading hotel "sounds"


Ya know what? I have one of those I got in a golf tournament. I'll
give it a shot.
Don't you think if people let their cats out all night, or at all,
they would have a collar?

Yes. It's the responsible thing to do.

Mine do just in case they take off,
someones going to know they belong to someone. Even had mine "chipped"

I had Persia chipped in case she ran off again like she did once before.

Jill