How To Deal Humanely with Stray Cats

So you have a problem with stray cats? Are they caterwauling under the window? Fighting with your cat or a neighbor's cat? Spraying on the tires of your car? It is easier than you think to deal with stray cats and I can help you solve your problem quickly. First of all, you want to make sure you are dealing with a stray cat and not a feral cat. The difference is that one has had human contact and the other hasn't. Stray cats are always cats that have been dumped by their owners and left to fend for themselves. Feral cats are born in the wild, have never been anyone's pet and live on the land. Feral cats will not allow you to even come near them and they rarely hang out in someone's yard for long. Feral cats may come around if you have a cat in heat or if a stray cat has taken up shelter on your property and has gone into heat. Otherwise, they are interested in chasing wildlife, mating and making a nest as far away from human activity as possible. If you do come across a feral cat and you can tell that it is not a stray, simply leave the cat alone. It will go on it's way and not come back. I can guarantee it. But if the cat you are dealing with is taking up residence near your home, spending time on your property, possibly eating scraps and interacting with other pets, then it is likely a stray cat. Strays have been owned by humans before and they would like to be around humans again. So if you want to adopt a stray, that is doable, as well.

To get rid of stray cats, you need to take a few steps. For one, do not leave out pet food. If you have a pet cat and allow the cat to roam and leave dishes of food outside for your pet, then you are going to draw a crowd of hungry strays. Do not leave out food, even for your own pet. Which brings me to the second problem. If you have a pet cat or your neighbor does and this cat is outside, hanging out a lot of the time, then there is a chance that your stray cat problem is a social one. As long as other cats are on the property, hanging out, then stray cats are going to see the opportunity to join them. If the pets aren't fixed then the attraction is even stronger. So spay or neuter your own cats, get your neighbors to do the same and keep your cats indoors as much as possible. The stray cats will wonder off to other areas with a more social environment. And then there is the garbage. If you leave garbage outside, with open cans filled with food or plates with stale food, especially foods with meat or fish, then you are going to bring on the cats. They are hungry and looking to eat 24/7. If you leave garbage out for cats to smell and locate, then you are actually feeding them. So why wouldn't they hang out? By the way, if you leave food out you will attract not only stray cats. But expect to find Raccoons, Opossums, Rats, Squirrels, and all kinds of other wildlife (even Bears if you live near the woods) to be hanging out in your yard at all hours.

Stray cats can be easily driven off with a spray of water. If cats have developed the habit of roaming through your yard on their way to the next affair, sometimes stopping to wag a tail at your car and leaving spray on your tires, then you might want to get them to travel elsewhere. A spray of water from a garden hose at any cat who is in an area you would like them not to be, that cat will be gone. If you are consistant and do this several times it will be effective. You do not have to be there every time the cat passes through but if you can catch them twice or maybe three times and give them a shot from the hose, I can guarantee they will not be back. This is painless and safe for the cat but it effectively sends them packing. And often a simple brush off with a stern "no!" or "shoo!" shouted loudly will scare most stray cats away. Stray cats should not be hard to get rid of if you do these few simple things. A spray of water, a stern "go away!" while walking swiftly towards the cat, should do it. But remember this problem will not be easily solved if you leave out pet food, have pet cats that you allow to roam around outside all night or leave garbage out. Clean up your act and keep your kitty inside and the problem will go away on it's own.